chapter_0213

212 – The Past

212 – The Past

The doctor was able to bring a makeshift Chamber from another area with the help of the soldiers.

As they placed the makeshift Chamber next to the central Chamber where Lucy was, the researchers approached.

The doctor gestured and issued commands, prompting the researchers to nod and move busily.

The researchers quickly connected the wires and raised their hands.

“The neural interface is connected! Please monitor it!”

Nodding, the doctor looked at the control panel and pressed a few buttons.

“Confirmed. Synchronization complete. I can confirm that the connection is normal.”

After finishing the synchronization, the doctor spoke to Daniel.

“…Brigadier General Daniel Steiner. We are ready.”

Daniel, who had been looking at Lucy, nodded and walked toward the makeshift Chamber.

Stopping in front of the makeshift Chamber, Daniel quietly opened his mouth.

“Do I just need to go in there?”

“Yes. Once you enter, I will activate the makeshift Chamber to put both of your consciousnesses in a shared state. Then, Brigadier General Daniel, you will naturally be able to enter Lady Lucy’s consciousness. However, there are precautions.”

“Precautions?”

The doctor raised his hand to adjust his glasses.

“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, Lady Lucy is currently in a state of consciousness escape. If you try to forcibly restore her memories, there will be a rejection response.”

After pondering for a moment, the doctor continued.

“For example, directly mentioning the name ‘Daniel Steiner’ or questioning why she cannot remember you would fall under this category.”

“So, I need to make her recall her memories naturally.”

“That’s correct. That’s why I mentioned that while the time outside may be short, we cannot predict how much time will pass within her consciousness.”

In the worst-case scenario, Daniel could become trapped within Lucy Emilia’s consciousness.

Though the doctor was concerned about that, Daniel didn’t care.

“It doesn’t matter.”

He was already resolved.

“No matter how long it takes, I’ve decided to save this foolish woman.”

As Daniel took off his officer’s coat, a soldier approached him.

“And doctor.”

Daniel handed the officer’s coat to the soldier and continued.

“Penbarch will soon be mine. You know what that means.”

Now, not only your life but also your family’s lives depend on me, so don’t play any tricks.

The doctor understood the meaning behind Daniel’s words and bowed his head in fear.

“I will do my best with the responsibility entrusted to me.”

Hearing the response, Daniel handed the soldier his revolver and entered the makeshift Chamber.

Inside, Daniel took a deep breath and spoke.

“Let’s begin.”

Nodding, the doctor operated the control panel.

Then, the entrance of the Chamber closed, and the magnetic ring began to spin rapidly.

After a moment, as his consciousness became hazy, Daniel felt his body slowly rising.

As the noise created by the spinning magnetic ring began to sound like a soothing lullaby, Daniel slowly closed his eyes.

–

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing that came into Daniel’s view was the light streaming in from the window.

The antiques arranged like decorations in the corridor sparkled in the light.

‘It looks like some mansion…’

As he stared blankly at the scene, he heard voices nearby.

“Did you hear? That girl, Melly, was attacked by a robber and died.”

“What? Melly was the maid serving Lady Lucy, wasn’t she?”

“Though they called her a maid, she was more like a friend. Anyway, it’s really scary. Isn’t something going on with Lady Lucy? Since she came in as the Count’s adopted daughter, how many incidents have happened in just a year?”

Turning his head, Daniel discovered the mansion’s servants gossiping together.

Daniel found himself among the group of servants.

Looking down at his neat attire, Daniel realized he had entered Lucy’s consciousness as a servant.

“Lately, I’m really scared to death. That person, Martin, was serving Lady Lucy and got injured within two months, right? He didn’t even tell us how he got hurt.”

“I shouldn’t say this, but doesn’t it seem like she brings misfortune wherever she goes? Her eyes are so red that it gives me chills when I catch a glimpse of her.”

“I agree. Ugh. Now that Melly is gone, one of us will have to serve her. I’m worried that the Count will ask me to serve Lady Lucy. Don’t you think so?”

The last remark was a question directed at Daniel.

Listening quietly, Daniel became aware of his identity and smiled faintly.

“Not at all. I consider it an honor to serve Lady Lucy.”

It was a statement made with half sincerity.

One of the servants, looking at Daniel as if he were strange, chuckled.

“That’s great. Then we’ll tell the Count that you want to serve Lady Lucy.”

The other servants, seeing an opportunity, chimed in.

“Right? You seem like the perfect fit to serve Lady Lucy.”

“Isn’t it right for someone who wants to do this to do it? Don’t you think?”

“Ugh. Our youngest is quite thoughtful. Thank you for volunteering.”

Due to the unanimous agreement among the servants, this opinion was conveyed to Count Caledra.

It didn’t matter much to Caledra who served Lucy, so he accepted the suggestion, and Daniel was able to naturally act as Lucy’s attendant.

Though being an attendant mainly involved bringing meals to her room.

The problem was that even this simple task was not easy to perform.

“Lady! I’m the new person assigned to serve you! May I come in?”

After becoming an attendant and arriving to deliver the meal, Lucy did not grant permission to enter.

Despite knocking several times to ask for permission, there was no response.

Normally, he would have to leave the food at the door and return, but Daniel couldn’t do that.

Worried about Lucy, Daniel opened the door and entered.

“Lady, I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to eat…”

Daniel stopped mid-sentence.

Lucy, sitting on the edge of the bed, looked more serious than he had expected.

Her small frame, reminiscent of her childhood, was visibly thin.

Her white hair, which reached her waist, was dull, and her red eyes lacked vitality.

Her hollow gaze seemed to have given up on the world.

The tear-stained skin beneath her swollen eyelids showed how much she had cried.

After a brief silence, Daniel set the tray of food down on the floor and approached Lucy.

Kneeling before her, Daniel looked at Lucy’s face and spoke.

“Why are you so disheartened? Do you think the death of the maid Melly is your fault?”

Lucy did not respond.

However, there was no need to hear a reply.

Tears welled up in Lucy’s eyes at the mention of Melly.

As Lucy blinked, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Seeing this, Daniel took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Lucy’s eyes.

“If you heard the servants talking nonsense, please ignore it. To put it simply, this is absolutely not your fault.”

As Daniel spoke, Lucy bit her lip.

After a while, Lucy pushed Daniel’s hand away and suddenly began to sob.

“Lady…”

Daniel wanted to comfort the young Lucy, but he knew that further interference would only have a counterproductive effect.

With no other choice, Daniel handed Lucy the handkerchief and silently stood up.

Bowing his head, Daniel left Lucy’s room.

However, the next day, the situation had not improved.

Lucy remained motionless, lying on the bed.

The meal on the tray had not been touched and looked exactly the same as when he brought it yesterday.

Feeling pity, Daniel replaced the meal and muttered softly.

“You shouldn’t do this. Skipping meals is something Melly wouldn’t have wanted…”

At that moment.

Thud—

A small doll flew and hit Daniel’s body.

Looking up, he saw Lucy glaring at him, breathing heavily.

With her fierce gaze, it seemed she was saying, ‘Get out right now.’

Though a bit taken aback, Daniel maintained his composure and picked up the doll.

After placing the doll on the table, Daniel bowed to Lucy and left the room.

And the next day.

Entering Lucy’s room to deliver the meal, Daniel noticed a change.

Lucy, still lying on the bed and not moving, looked the same as usual, but the soup on the tray had decreased slightly.

It seemed she had eaten a little while getting the doll from the table.

It was a trivial matter, but it was a positive change for Daniel.

‘Right now, rather than trying to restore her memories…’

Wanting to see Lucy regain her strength, Daniel immediately took action.

From that day on, he began stealing desserts from the kitchen or making them himself to include in her meals.

“This is a dessert called parfait. Can you see the layers of ice cream, cookies, fruit, and chocolate syrup in this glass? It can’t possibly taste bad.”

The introduction was an added bonus to whet her appetite.

At first, Lucy didn’t respond at all, but Daniel was not one to give up easily.

“Today’s dessert is Eclair. I’ll give it to you after you finish your meal. By the way, this Eclair is so sweet and soft that once you eat it, you’ll be hooked. What do you think? Don’t you want to eat it?”

A month passed.

“Lady, you really need to taste this. I went through a lot of trouble to get it from the chef secretly. Are you curious about what dessert it is? It’s called mint chip ice cream! It boasts a very luxurious flavor.”

Two months passed.

“Even though it’s not Christmas, there’s no rule that you can only eat Stollen at Christmas. Can you see the Stollen, covered in powdered sugar, seductively tempting you? If you cut it into small pieces and take a bite, you’ll experience the ultimate taste.”

By the time three months had passed, Lucy was able to regain her vitality.

Her once dull silver hair began to shine, and her previously lifeless red eyes started to show signs of life.

However, her cold demeanor remained unchanged, and Lucy did not speak to Daniel.

Still, it was right to take note of Lucy regaining her vitality.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”

Just as Daniel thought this and was about to leave the room.

“You…”

Daniel’s feet stopped at the sound of young Lucy’s voice for the first time.

Getting off the bed and sitting at the table, Lucy mumbled without looking at Daniel.

“Come here and eat with me. Stollen.”

Unsure if he had heard correctly, Daniel froze, and Lucy spoke in a barely audible voice.

“…This is an order.”

It was the moment when the tightly closed door of her heart began to slowly open.