Cassandra led me through the castle and brought me to a room on the first floor.
It was an elegant room with a large window that gave a nice view of the moat outside of the castle. Although the window was locked and had been nailed shut, for some reason.
The bed was large and had a canopy above with a veil around it. I saw a bathroom on the right. And next to it, was a pair of dressers with a partition in the corner.
I could see another door partially open behind the partition leading into a large walk-in closet.
The carpets were a beautiful dark blue with white designs on them.
In the back left corner of the room, I saw a single wardrobe sitting directly against the wall.
"Since you don't have anywhere else to sleep, you can join me!" Cassandra said.
"Umm...is that okay?" I asked.
"Hm? Why wouldn't it be?"
"Because... Look, we're engaged! And you know... If a boy and a girl sleep together..."
"But we've already slept together multiple times. Why is this different?" Cassandra said.
Fair point...
"Umm...alright..." I said.
Cassandra took my hand and led me further into her room.
As soon as she shut the door behind us, my status menu was once again filled with messages of pure terror...
{ShE hAs Us NoW...}
{ThE dUnGeOn AwAiTs...}
{WhAt WiLl It Be ThIs TiMe...?}
{ToRtUrE...}
{DoN't DrInK tHe WiNe!!!}
{HoRrOr...PaIn...}
{Everyone SHuT Up!!!!}
"Ugh..."
"Something wrong, darling?" Cassandra asked.
The more I looked at this room, the more anxious I felt.
"I don't know... This room makes me feel really uneasy... And the status messages keep..."
My eyes wandered over to the wardrobe in the corner.
{WaRdRoBe...}
{DuNgEoN...}
{DeAtH aWaItS.}
{No OnE wIlL sAvE uS tHiS tImE...}
{I SAID SHUT uP!!!!}
Cassandra narrowed her eyes as she looked at the wardrobe and then smiled at me.
"You're probably just nervous, darling. Is this the first time you've been in a girl's room?" She asked.
I blinked and then looked at her.
"I think it is. Yeah..." I said.
"That's so cute! Follow me!" She said.
She took my hand and pulled me over to her bed then opened the veil surrounding it from the top canopy. She sat down and patted the spot next to her. I followed her and sat down as well.
Then she tackled me onto the bed.
"Ah!! C-Cassandra!" I said.
"Let me have this. Please... Things should have always been this way..." She said.
Cassandra laid her head on my chest and smiled.
"You've had a difficult life, haven't you?"
She nodded.
"It was lonely... I hated every minute of it. Thank you for being the first to love me, Mizik..." She said.
Eventually, she fell asleep on my chest... And shortly afterwards, I also drifted off.
* * *
I had no idea how long I'd been down here...
All I've ever known is horrific pain ever since she brought me down to this place...
What happened to Isabella...?
I had to wonder if Arvild managed to actually make her happy... Cassandra told me that she fell in love with him.
I was a fool to believe I could actually marry a Princess.
At this point, I was blind. I couldn't see at all anymore, and Cassandra had become bored with me.
Suddenly, I heard the familiar footsteps of the one who tortured me every day...
"Hmm... You're looking worse for wear... I'm surprised you haven't died yet. With those wounds, even if you made it out of here, you likely wouldn't last another day... You're so frustrating..." The familiar voice said.
"I....m... So.....rr.....y... Ca....ss...a...."
"It's a bit too late to apologize. But...I think I want to forgive you. Although, I don't think you'd ever forgive me... And if I'm being honest, I've begun to regret all of this..." She said.
Confusion crossed my mind.
This inhuman monster is capable of regret? How...?
"..."
"Since you're going to die, I suppose I'll tell you the truth. Isabella never stopped looking for you. She continues to reject Arvild to this very day. But it's been over two weeks now. She's lost hope and has become inconsolable," she said.
"..."
"Furthermore... You caused me to feel things I never wanted to feel for someone of lower status. I think that's the real reason I did these things do you... I'm sorry, Mizik. I don't expect you to forgive me... I fell in love with you at first sight..."
Why...? Why couldn't you have just been nice to me? I want to say that so badly, but I can't speak anymore...
"I know that you must truly hate me. But you could never hate me as much as I hate myself. This pain and regret that I carry will haunt me forever. I think...I'll just put an end to your suffering. I'll make it painless...unlike these past two weeks..."
Then I heard something like liquid being poured into a glass.
I heard the clink of glass and other sounds like stirring.
After that, I heard her take a drink and...
I felt a pair of lips on mine. Then a sweet wine went into my mouth and down my throat.
"I think it's appropriate that we die together. Maybe I'll have some way of atoning for my sins... I...I wish I had seen you first... I wish my mother handn't poisoned my mind with her ideals... I wish I wasn't so lonely...and that you could have loved me instead..." She said.
Soon, I began to feel a burning in my body accompanied by a numbness.
"Ah... It's...so much more potent than I thought it would be... Nnn....haah.... It hurts... I'm so sorry..." She said.
I felt her arms wrap around me as the faint sounds of sobbing reached me ears.
"You're... Already so cold... I wish I...could warm....you..." She said.
I heard her collapse on the floor.
Then I heard more whimpering.
But I couldn't see. And I didn't care anymore.
The pain in my body was nothing compared to what she had inflicted on me.
It's a bit late for a confession, isn't it?
I heard messages appearing on my status menu. But without eyes, I couldn't see them.
Goodbye, Isabella. I'm sorry we couldn't get married...
Then my consciousness faded.
[Once again, you die at the hands of her sister. How pitiful... I suppose I should help them find you again next time, but this happens far too often... Oh how I wish these sisters weren't necessary for your growth... Forget who you are. Return to the place where it begins and open your eyes, Mizik Iratus.]
* * *
Suddenly, my eyes opened as I saw Cassandra sitting on top of me.
She looked terrified...and she was crying again.
"Please...please make them go away... Stop remembering...stop remembering those things!" She said.
"Remembering...what?" I said.
The dream I had was a haze. I kept thinking about Cassandra's name, but...I never saw anyone.
"You're safe... I promise! I won't hurt you! I...I could never hurt you... Never again..." She said.
She laid down and wept on my shoulder.
I put my hand on her head.
"Please don't cry, Cassandra. It's okay. I know you wouldn't hurt me. These dreams I have are just really messed up nightmares," I said.
"I...I know... I wish they would just go away... Same with those stupid messages..." She said.
"A lot of them seem angry and afraid of you. I can't figure out why," I said.
Cassandra went quiet for a moment.
Then she sat up and looked down at me.
"I want them to know...that I'm not the same person I used to be. I regret everything and I'm sorry..." She said.
I was somewhat confused, now...
Logically speaking... Did that mean she was hiding something from me?
At the same time, not a single message appeared.
"Cassandra...is there something you want to talk about?" I asked.
"Not right now... I'll tell you one day. I promise. I want you to marry me first..." She said.
"If you're worried that I'll abandon you, stop. Everyone has secrets, right? My father kept several from me for a long time... Everyone is guilty of bad things in some way," I said.
"I know... We all are. But this is something I would prefer not to talk about right now. I trust you, Mizik. I just want to wait until I'm ready... Is all..."
I just smiled.
Honestly, I could have been upset about her not telling me. But, I didn't need to be.
If she had been hiding something, she would have denied all accusations.
Instead, she promised to tell me everything when she was ready.
That was enough for me.
Although...I was starting to feel like I was forgetting something...
Suddenly, as the thought crossed my mind, I felt a presence of someone watching me again.
Then Cassandra immediately got up and looked around.
The sun had gone down, so Cassandra ran over and lit a lantern in her room.
I sat up as well to see something that truly shocked me...
There was a large floating eye hovering in the center of the room.
"N-no...please no! Not now! Why!? By the gods, why!?" Cassandra whimpered as she looked at it.
"Wh-what's going on here!? What is that!?" I said frantically as I rushed to Cassandra's side.
I tried to protect her, but Cassandra pushed herself in front of me.
"Mizik, I'm a higher level than you right now. Please stay behind me," she said.
I nodded and...mentally kicked myself for my own inadequacy...
My fiance...a Princess, was protecting me.
I felt like a loser right now, but I also didn't have time to worry about it. Besides, she was twice my level and clearly didn't care.
The eye suddenly expanded and opened like a set of jaws at the center.
Then a robed and masked figure stepped out.
"P-please...have mecy!" Cassandra begged.
The masked figure simply stayed silent.
And I had several messages on my screen pop up.
{ThE vOiD iS wAtChInG...}
{ThAt'S nEw...}
{WhAt ThE hElL iS sHe DoInG hErE!?}
{PLEASE, SHUT ThE FUcK Up!!!!}
"Hello...? Who are you?" I asked.
"Valtheim..." said a woman's voice.
It almost sounded like a whisper. But her voice echoed in my ears when she spoke.
I had heard that name from Cain before.
Did that mean...
"I...deliver a message..." she said.
"W-wait... You're not here to kill us?" Cassandra asked.
Valtheim shook her head slowly.
"Breach of...contract... Defiance... I will...obey..."
"Didn't Cain say something about a...protection plan...?" I said.
"Likely..." Valtheim said.
"So what is the message?" I asked.
Valtheim removed her mask and what I saw surprised me.
She was actually very pretty. Although the pupils in her eyes were pitch black and her hair was dark gray.
She didn't lock eyes with me.
Actually, she averted her eyes.
"Lord Difar says...do not look at my eyes... He said...your heart is fragile...and weak... Take my mask off... Show you...my face... Ally..." Valtheim said.
"Lord...Difar?" I asked.
"Lord Difar says...that I should watch... You...are not permitted to die... Those who oppose...I will devour... I am yours...to command..."
She bowed her head.
{Holy ShIt... THat was UnEXpECTed...}
"Umm...your name is Valtheim, right?" I asked.
She nodded.
"What are you?"
"I am...the Void. I am...Valtheim...Avatar of...the Void. Servant of Lord...Difar..."
"What can you do?" I asked.
Suddenly, Cassandra covered my mouth.
"L-lady Valtheim! Please do not demonstrate. I will tell him everything!"
"You...Kyriel...memories...?"
"I remember everything. And my name is Cassandra!"
"Lord Difar...named you Kyriel... You...are Kyriel... His word...absolute..."
"Fine... Call me whatever you want. But don't you dare harm my darling Mizik!"
"I cannot...disobey Lord Difar... Breach of contract... I was instructed...to protect...the brat..."
Did she just insult me...?
{WoW...vAlThEiM iNsUlTeD uS? tHaT's BrUtAl...}
{WHAt PaRT oF 'SHut up' DO YoU pEOPle NOT UndersTAND!?}
"Do not call him a brat. His name is Mizik!"
"Lord Difar calls-"
"Fine! Just shut up and go away!"
"I have...another massage..." She said.
The two of us waited for her to speak and she remained quiet.
"So...what is it?" I asked.
Then Valtheim spoke again.
"Lord Difar said to...not waste his time... Hurry up... And also...this..." Valtheim said.
She held out her hand and a dagger appeared in it.
It was within a simple sheath and the hilt was encrusted with dark blue gems like sapphires.
For some reason, I felt like it was similar to Vengeance.
Cassandra hesitantly stepped forward and Valtheim gave her the dagger.
Then, without a word, she put her mask back on, turned around, and walked back into the darkness.
She completely disappeared.
"Valtheim is really awkward with people... She's not good with conversations and speaks based on the way people talk to her. Regardless...this is Intelligence...the magic dagger..." Cassandra said.
"Wait. I thought all of the legendary weapons had wielders..." I said.
"They did. She must have killed the one holding this..." Cassandra said.
So Valtheim is strong enough to slay legendary wielders...?
{No. ValtHeim iS strONG eNOugh TO SLAy gODS.}
My heart sank deep in my chest as I read the message...
Valtheim is...a god-slaying monster!?
{THaT iS an uNDerstAtement. BuT yeS...}
UNDERSTATEMENT!? What the hell have I gotten myself into!?
Suddenly Cassandra walked over and hugged me...again...
"I was scared that she had come for you... I truly have no way of fighting her. As far as I know, Valtheim is invincible..." Cassandra said.
She pulled back and smiled at me, then she kissed me again.
That...still caused my heart to race...
"S-sorry... I can't help myself... I'm just nervous and you make me feel so warm and happy. Haah...my chest is burning now! It feels wonderful! I hope you don't think of me as just some really loose girl..." Cassandra said.
"I wasn't thinking that at all. A lot of you is still a mystery to me, but that's okay. You're only that way with me, right?"
"Of course! I have never been with anyone before! And I've also never met anyone as wonderful as you are! I'll cherish you forev-"
Suddenly there was a flash and a loud crack of thunder nearby.
Cassandra jumped and covered her head in fright.
I hugged her.
"It's just lightning, Cassandra. Don't worry," I said.
"Th-that was way too sudden... It scared me..."
"It's okay," I said with a smile.
Cassandra looked at me adoringly and then started fidgeting.
"U-umm...c-can I...sleep in your arms tonight?" She asked.
Do you have to ask? Haven't we already been doing that? Or maybe she's just trying to be cute... Girls are complicated...
"Of course you can. Although...do your parents know that we're sharing a room-"
Cassandra nearly tackled me to the ground in excitement.
"Don't worry, darling. No one comes to check on me because they don't care. We can sleep together as much as we want. Although, we should wait until after we're married for...other things... B-but...if Mizk wants to, I would be honored..." She said.
I would definitely prefer to wait. My heart can't take that...
"Y-yeah...we can wait..." I said.
After that, we laid down in bed together and I held Cassandra in my arms.
Slowly, the two of us fell back to sleep.