A month had passed since I woke up.
It had been the hardest month of my life.
Well… to be precise, it had been the only month of my current life. But even so, it was still the hardest month across all my lives… if that made any sense.
Right after finishing my meal with my sisters, a maid came to escort me to the bathroom.
Good grief… I nearly fainted from the shock.
Still, I quickly realized that refusing wasn't really an option. In fact, a single glance backward—just enough to see my sister's calm gaze—was enough to make me jump into the maid's arms willingly.
And that's when I realized something else.
Even though I hadn't met my mother yet… it seemed like I already had several mothers.
Over the past month, I had been passed around between my sisters like some kind of new toy.
At night, they seemed to have divided the days between themselves. There was always at least one—or sometimes two—of them glued to my side the entire night.
The truth was, I couldn't protest.
And maybe… I didn't want to.
Their constant presence helped distract me and made it easier to forget my situation. Because every time I was left alone… panic slowly started creeping up inside me.
Over time, I managed to gather some basic information about my current situation.
First, my mother had become a Sovereign about two years ago.
Seishan, Eunbin, and Revel had already passed their First Nightmare, and now they were waiting for the Winter Solstice, which would happen in four months.
Which meant that in four months…
Seishan would leave for the Dream Realm.
More specifically—the Forgotten Shore.
And she would remain there for ten… maybe eleven years.
Well… there was nothing I could do about that.
I had also met the rest of my sisters.
In total, it seemed that I had twelve sisters. All of them were several years older than me.
Seishan and Revel were the closest to the eldest among them, while my youngest sister—aside from me—was Luna, who was twelve years old.
I didn't know much about her. She had never been mentioned in the novel.
I had also met the rest of my Transcendent sisters.
Well… the ones who would become Transcendents in the future, at least.
Apparently, the Silent Stalker's name was Vera, while the one known as Lonesome Howl was called Yareesa.
Honestly, it still felt strange seeing characters I had once read about… actually living around me.
I doubted anyone could ever get used to that feeling.
After all… how many times in a person's life do they get transported into another fictional world?
Anyway, most of what I did during that month was simply… observe.
I didn't talk much, and I didn't really see the need to.
All I had to do was:
Stand still while they took my measurements and tailored clothes for me.
Sit quietly while my sisters took turns feeding me with a spoon.
Lie down while my sisters hugged me like a doll during the night.
And try to think about literally anything… while the maids bathed me.
Unfortunately, every attempt I made to steal Selene's phone and delete the cursed photos she kept taking of me had failed.
Which brings us to the current situation.
I was sitting in the living room with five of my sisters, watching a movie on the massive television in front of us.
And of course…
I was sitting right in the middle.
Between Eunbin and Selene.
I couldn't really focus on the movie because I was trying to reach Selene's phone without her noticing.
It was right there… sitting on the table in front of us.
All I needed to do was push it off the edge somehow.
The carpet would muffle the sound of it falling, and once the movie ended, I could quietly retrieve it and dispose of it somewhere else.
Tsk… I had a very bad feeling about that phone.
If anyone ever saw those photos…
That device would become the end of my future.
Unfortunately, my short legs—and the table between us—made reaching that cursed object nearly impossible.
And of course, it didn't help that both of my sisters had their arms wrapped around me.
Tsk… as if I would give up that easily.
But just then, Eunbin's voice reached my ear and destroyed all my plans.
"If you keep moving like that… I'll tell Selene what you're trying to do."
Hmm.
I turned to look at her and gave her the sweetest smile I could manage before leaning slightly closer and whispering,
"What are you talking about? I'm not trying to do anything."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? It seems my little brother has learned how to lie. Tell me… who taught you that?"
"You did," I replied.
And deep down, I already knew that today would not be the day I destroyed the evidence that could ruin my entire future.
Eunbin smiled brightly.
"That's right, my lovely little brother. Which is exactly why you shouldn't try lying to me… when you know I'll discover your lie before you even say it."
I quietly returned to my spot and tried to focus on the stupid movie playing in front of us.
Surprisingly, Revel seemed to be the most affected by the film, wiping away tears after almost every emotional scene.
Tsk… what's even enjoyable about this?
If I was going to stay trapped here, wouldn't it be better if they played some action movies instead?
Or even better…
Why not show real recordings of battles between Awakened and Nightmare Creatures?
Hmm…
I slowly raised my hand and grabbed the last potato chip from Eunbin's bag without her noticing.
Heh.
The taste of annoying her was far better than the taste of those disgusting chips.
I guess the movie had become somewhat enjoyable now.
That's right.
A person shouldn't search for happiness.
They should create it themselves.
And in my case… my happiness was anything that could annoy the wicked witch sitting beside me.
When I felt Eunbin's hand searching inside the bag for her snack, I intensified my focus on the movie while trying to suppress my laughter.
A laugh I couldn't hold back when I suddenly heard her voice again near my ear, along with the sound of her stifled chuckle.
"It seems my little brother really liked the dress I made him wear last time… hmm… should I make more of those dresses for you?"
Damn it.
I hate my life.
Why did she have to remind me of that cursed nightmare from two weeks ago?
I had been tricked.
The moment I lowered my guard…
I was betrayed.
That day, I learned an important lesson about this new life.
Never lower your guard.
Never.
Ever.
Before Eunbin could continue her evil schemes, a knock echoed from the door, followed by it opening.
I turned toward the entrance.
And the moment I saw who had entered…
A shiver ran down my spine.
Had the time finally come…
To meet my mother?