The Count's funeral was held the following day.
I hadn't slept a wink. It wasn't for a lack of exhaustion—my body felt as though it had been pulverized by stones—but every time I closed my eyes, the voices returned.
"Boss... please..."
"Enough."
And that blast. An explosion I couldn't explain.
Eventually, I gave up. I sat on the edge of the bed, watching the window until the black sky bled into grey, then orange, then a pale, sickly blue. Dawn arrived, but it brought no answers.
The Head Butler knocked as the sun began its ascent. "My Lady. The funeral will commence in one hour."
I nodded. He helped me into a black dress—a mourning gown he said had been prepared since the moment the Count began to wither. The fabric was coarse and uncomfortable against my skin, but I didn't complain.
I didn't even know what I had to complain about. I couldn't even remember the man I was supposed to bury today.
The funeral took place in the castle's catacombs.
I hadn't realized this fortress possessed an underground vault. The Head Butler guided me through corridors that grew increasingly narrow, down damp stone steps that radiated a bone-deep chill, until we finally reached a vast chamber with a vaulted ceiling.
In the center of the room lay an open stone sarcophagus. The Count was laid within. His eyes were closed, hands folded neatly over his chest. He looked... peaceful. As if he were merely sleeping, not like the man who had died with blood staining the corner of his lips.
His six children were already there, all clad in black. Kael stood at the front, his shoulders rigid. Vina was beside him, her eyes still red and swollen. Reno, Sera, Liam, Liana—they all stood in heavy silence.
There were no other mourners. Only the immediate family. And me.
I stood opposite Kael, on the other side of the sarcophagus. The six children watched me with varying expressions, but no one spoke.
The Head Butler recited a brief prayer, his voice echoing hollowly against the stone walls. I didn't listen to the words. My gaze was fixed on the Count's face.
Who were you, truly?
Why did you choose me?
Why can't I remember a single thing about you?
The prayer ended. The butler stepped back.
Then, Kael stepped forward.
He stood by the sarcophagus, staring down at his father's face. His features were hardened, but his eyes... they were glistening. He wasn't crying, but I could see the Herculean effort he was making to hold back the tears.
"Father," his voice was a raspy growl. "I don't know what you were thinking. I don't know why you chose her." He didn't look at me, but the venom in his tone made his target clear. "But... I will honor your will. For now."
He stopped, swallowed hard, then turned and walked back to his spot. He didn't spare me a single glance.
Vina went next. She didn't speak; she simply touched the edge of the stone casket, her tears splashing onto the cold surface before she retreated.
Reno stepped up. He stared at his father for five long seconds, then stepped back without a word.
Sera followed, sobbing softly. "Father... I'll be a good girl. I promise."
Liam moved forward, his brows furrowed in that same scrutinizing expression he always gave me. He didn't speak, only stared, then withdrew.
Liana was the last. Вhe gripped the edge of the sarcophagus with her tiny hands. "Father... I love you." Her voice broke. "Father, please don't go..."
Vina stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her sister and gently pulling her away. Liana wept into her sister's embrace.
And then... all eyes turned to me.
It was my turn.
I stepped forward. My feet felt leaden, every stride like treading through waist-deep water.
I stood by the bedside of stone, gazing at the Count.
I do not know you.
I do not remember seven years by your side.
I do not know why you chose me.
But somewhere deep within my chest... something ached. It wasn't sorrow. It wasn't grief. It was something far deeper. Something locked away.
I reached out, touching the rim of the sarcophagus. The stone was frigid, its surface rough.
The moment my fingertips brushed the stone—
"You will lead this family."
The Count's voice. But it didn't come from the casket. It came from inside my head.
"You are stronger than you know, Alyra."
Alyra.
"They will doubt you. They will try to tear you down. But you..."
The voice snapped.
Before my eyes, the translucent blue screen flickered into existence.
[ SOUL GUIDE SYSTEM – SLEEP MODE ]
[ Data Recovery: 3% ]
[ Memory Fragment Detected: "The Count's Will". Data Incomplete. ]
[ ERROR: Recording truncated. ]
[ Query: Continue recovery? ]
I stared at the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The Count had spoken to me before he died. Something more than just a legal will.
"Not now," I whispered again.
The screen vanished.
I pulled my hand back from the stone, gave the Count one final look, and turned away.
The six children were still watching. Kael with his icy glare. Vina with questioning eyes. Reno with his silent judgment. Sera with fear. Liam with suspicion. Liana with tears.
"I..." I paused, struggling to find the words. "I will carry out his will. I don't know why he chose me, but I will try."
Kael let out a soft huff of derision, but he didn't protest.
The Head Butler stepped forward. "The casket will be sealed now."
Four other servants emerged from the shadows. They lifted the massive stone lid. Slowly, it slid into place, obscuring the Count's face inch by inch.
Until finally... he was gone.
The sound of stone grinding against stone echoed.
Count Varen was officially entombed.
I didn't return to my room immediately.
After the funeral concluded, I wandered deeper into the catacombs, away from the stairs leading back to the surface.
"Mother—" Vina called out, but Kael caught her arm.
"Let her be," he said quietly.
I kept walking.
The corridor grew darker. Torches lined the walls only every few meters. The air became damp, thick with the scent of earth and ancient stone.
I didn't know why I was walking this way. My feet moved of their own accord, as if pulled by an invisible thread.
Finally, I arrived at the end of the hall.
A small, weathered wooden door. Nearly invisible.
I pushed it.
The door groaned on its hinges.
Inside was a cramped room, more of a storage closet than a chamber. There were dusty shelves, wooden crates, and in the corner... a small desk with a single extinguished candle.
And upon that desk lay a book.
I approached. The book was thick, bound in black leather. No title.
I flipped it open.
The first page was blank.
The second page... contained handwriting. Black ink that had begun to fade.
I saw her again last night.
The woman from the East. Her hair blue like the sea. Her eyes harboring a storm.
She will come. And when she does... I must be ready.
She is the key. She is the answer. She is—
The writing stopped abruptly, as if the author had been interrupted.
I turned the next page. Blank.
The page after that. Blank.
The entire book was empty, save for that single entry.
I closed the book, staring at the cover.
A woman from the East. Hair as blue as the sea.
I touched my own hair. Sea-blue.
She is the key.
The key to what?
In the corner of my vision, the blue screen appeared once more.
[ SOUL GUIDE SYSTEM – SLEEP MODE ]
[ Data Recovery: 4% ]
[ Object Detected: "Diary of Count Varen". ]
[ Warning: Content incomplete. Data cannot be verified. ]
[ Query: Save as a clue? ]
I stared at the display.
"Save," I whispered.
[ Clue Saved: "The Woman from the East". ]
I looked at the book in my hand, then at the open door.
The Count had written about someone. Someone with sea-blue hair. Someone he called "the key."
What did it mean?
And why... why did I feel like he was talking about me?
I tucked the book into the folds of my black gown, turned, and walked out.
The catacombs were still dark, but at the far end, light spilled from the staircase.
I strode toward the light.
One question looped incessantly in my mind.
What did the Count know about me... that I didn't even know about myself?