Chapter 45: The truth of that day

‘Why…?’

Why.

Why, why, why…!

‘Why aren’t you breaking down…? The one you desire so much hasn’t returned. How can you wait so patiently…!’

The Black Moon thought that once dawn passed and morning arrived, it could instantly swallow the despairing girl.

Although Luna possessed a strong pillar in her heart, she had shown signs of wavering, even if only slightly.

But the girl did not break down.

“Lulu, Sihyun… when will he come…?”

Luna realized she was alone in the empty room, but she neither emitted a dark red aura nor trembled with despair.

She simply sat down by the entrance, tightly hugging her rabbit doll.

She showed no signs of anxiety at all.

‘This can’t be… She clearly looked like she was about to collapse at any moment…!’

The Black Moon composed its unknowingly distorted expression and approached Luna from behind.

[Luna, Sihyun broke his promise to us. Aren’t you sad?]

“No… I’m not sad.”

Luna’s golden eyes showed not a single tremor.

[Why…?]

The Black Moon seemed to have lost its composure, its voice unconsciously growing louder.

[Luna, Sihyun promised to return. But it’s morning now, and he hasn’t come. He broke his promise to us! He abandoned us…! He forgot his promise to marry you, and his promise to get engaged under the moonlight. So why are you still waiting for him…?]

A fundamental question.

Until now, Luna had been like a ticking time bomb, anxious without Sihyun.

That’s why the Black Moon had twisted fate, sacrificing its power excessively.

It believed that in just one day, it could bring Luna to ruin.

However.

The girl’s eyes, as she raised her head and stared intently at the Black Moon, were not clouded at all.

Her golden eyes still shone brightly.

“Sihyun… wished for me not to know the feeling of sadness.”

[That’s… the only reason? Luna, are you going to deny your own feelings just because he wished it?]

Luna wasn’t denying anything.

She felt lonely because Sihyun hadn’t returned, but she acknowledged and accepted that emotion.

It was just that a nail called loneliness had been hammered into the sturdy pillar he had built in her heart.

A mere small nail couldn’t shatter Luna’s heart.

“My body and heart… they all belong to Sihyun…”

The girl murmured softly and placed both hands on her chest.

Inside her chest, which she expected to be cold, warmth still lingered.

‘It’s strange. The warmth… it stays for so long……’

Sihyun stroked and hugged Luna every day.

Every weekend, he took her out and taught the girl many things.

All of those things were supporting Luna today, preventing her from falling into anxiety even though Sihyun was absent.

His efforts were by no means in vain.

“Now… I think I understand what waiting means…”

It’s believing in him, even if he’s late.

It’s strongly believing that he will return to her, no matter what happens.

Faith and trust.

That was the kind of waiting Sihyun had taught her.

“Sihyun… I’m doing fine on my own… so don’t worry.”

At that moment, an utterly sinister voice echoed in Luna’s ears.

[Ahhh— that damn Sihyun, Sihyun, Sihyun, Sihyun, Sihyun, Sihyun, Sihyuuun……!!]

The Black Moon’s face gradually distorted, transforming grotesquely.

‘Believe?’

Don’t make me laugh.

Such petty faith is nothing but a mere scrap of paper before me.

The Black Moon finally stopped its act and revealed its true colors.

[…Luna, you’re mistaken. That he cherishes you…? Of course, it might seem that way now. He must have forgotten what you did to him. If he knew, do you think he would have treated you with such care?!]

It didn’t want to use this method.

The Black Moon was certain that if it told Luna ‘this,’ her emotions would immediately shatter.

It had been holding back because it didn’t want a girl like a doll, feeling nothing and reacting to no stimuli.

But there was no other way left.

[And Luna, the same goes for you. If you remembered what you did, how could you dare to be so nonchalant by his side? Your presence beside him, having forgotten everything and knowing nothing, is truly abominable.]

Luna couldn’t understand what the Black Moon was saying.

What had she supposedly done to Sihyun?

[Ah, strictly speaking, is it not the current Sihyun, but the past Sihyun?]

The Black Moon spun around once as if a good idea had struck it, then approached Luna.

[I wanted to possess you, body and soul intact… but now, it doesn’t matter anymore… Haha… Hahahahaha…!! This is punishment for ignoring my last act of goodwill. I wanted to take only your emotions as they were… but now, even if I only possess the shell of your broken heart, I will be pleased.]

The Black Moon slowly brought its index finger to Luna’s forehead.

[Luna, I will show you the truth of ‘that day’ you most wished to forget.]

At that moment, Luna’s consciousness was sucked into a dark, murky hole.

****

Seleneum, a land where a colossal moon, its light undimmed among countless stars, hung in the sky.

It was a kingdom of unparalleled peace and beauty among all nations in the world.

Beyond its high, sturdy castle walls, golden roofs glittered, and a marble palace, imbued with moonlight, stood tall.

The streets teemed with vitality, and people smiled and greeted each other.

It was a place that seemed to have sprung straight out of a fairy tale.

However, it was not merely these things that made it considered the most beautiful country.

Seleneum’s one and only princess, Luna.

Silver hair, as if it had absorbed moonlight itself.

A girl with golden eyes that shone brighter than any jewel.

[The reason Seleneum is beautiful is because of the moon and Princess Luna.]

Since her birth, Seleneum had earned the title of the most beautiful country in the world.

“H-here, she won’t find me, right?”

And the beautiful princess was currently hiding in a small wardrobe, evading the head maid.

“Oh my~? Where could our princess have gone~? She doesn’t seem to be in this room, so perhaps we should look elsewhere~?”

‘Hehe. As I thought, even Elsie won’t find me here—’

—Thump!

“Found. You.”

“Hiccup!”

“Princess~ Did you think I wouldn’t find you hiding here?”

“H-how did you know? I thought I hid well this time!”

“Hoho. As Elsie, the head maid who has managed this palace since Your Highness was born, I know every place a little girl could hide, you see?”

“Ughhh… That’s cheating…”

“Come now, let’s go. The Queen is waiting for you, you know?”

“Hmph, I wanted to play more. It’s already bedtime.”

Despite her beautiful appearance, Luna was a lively girl who loved to play.

She always wanted to play past her bedtime, so the only flaw, if any, was that the head maid had to personally take her to her bedroom every single day.

“Oh my, Luna. Were you caught by Elsie again today?”

An silver-haired woman waited for Luna on the bed.

The Queen of Seleneum, and Luna’s one and only mother.

The princess flopped onto the bed and began to complain.

“I was really confident today, I could have avoided being caught!”

“Hoho, you always say that, but you get caught every day, don’t you? Come now, stop that and come here. It’s getting very late.”

“Mom, where did Dad go?”

“He said he has a little more work to finish. It’s a shame, but let’s sleep together, just the two of us tonight, you and me.”

“Dad seems too busy lately. He doesn’t even play with me much!”

The Queen laid the whining Luna on her lap and began to pat her gently.

The gentle touch of her loving mother quickly lulled the princess to sleep.

“He’s busy all for your sake, Luna. And it’s not just your father. Head Maid Elsie, your mother, and even the bright moon in the sky are all here for Luna.”

“Really…?”

“Of course, really. And to repay that, our Luna needs to go to bed early and wake up early, right?”

The Queen gently stroked the princess’s hair with a benevolent smile.

“Okay, Mom…”

Luna’s days were filled with happiness.

Her kind mother and gentle father. Both loved Luna very much.

Because they were always by the princess’s side, sharing their love every single day, Luna was able to grow into a bright and healthy child.

****

“What in the world is this…?”

Luna was confused by the scenes flashing before her eyes.

The happy land, Seleneum.

And a princess with silver hair and golden eyes, exactly like herself, smiling brightly there.

It was exactly like the old story Sihyun had told her in bed one night, when the moon was beautifully rising.

“That story… it was real…”

At first, she thought Sihyun was just playfully calling her a princess.

Because Sihyun had always cherished her.

She had just considered it an extension of his cherishing her.

“Sihyun… he already knew…”

But how?

At that moment, a grotesque voice answered her question.

[The Savior, Lucian.]

The Black Moon floated motionlessly in the air, as if dominating the empty space.

“Luci… an…?”

It was strange.

It sounded like a name she was hearing for the first time, yet why did it feel so familiar?

No, beyond familiar, she yearned for it so much that her heart swelled.

[It’s the name of a man with hair like pitch black and eyes deeper than obsidian. Doesn’t it feel familiar, Luna?]

“Sihyun……?”

[Precisely, it’s exactly like Sihyun’s appearance when he transforms at night. Why? Because he returned. To save the princess who resembles the moonlight.]

“To… save me…?”

The Black Moon stopped explaining and gazed intently at Luna.

With a sinister smile.

[The memory recreation isn’t over yet. You’ll soon find out, Luna. What kind of person he was, how much he cherished you. How much he struggled to save you even amidst destruction. And you will see once again——]

The Black Moon’s mouth stretched into a wide, ear-to-ear slit, forming a chilling smile.

[The horrific scene of you piercing the heart of your beloved Lucian with your own hands.]