In her dream, Hera saw herself remaining quiet and looking blankly at the man in front of her. She lost her own fight for the first time that day, the day before her death. Hera's last hope of that chance was forcibly taken from her hands as she stood there in silence, and yet no one knew.
No one knew that her heart, which Hera had worked so hard to mend, had just shattered in front of her eyes as a result of all the false accusations they threw at her. Hera was unable to lift her head to face the man she loved at that chance. She was afraid, scared of losing her mind if she looked at that man's cold and ruthless eyes.
They don't seem to care about her explanation. No one has ever heard her cries for help before, so she remains silent, but her mind continues to scream so loudly inside her head.
That it wasn't her fault, she was the one who lost her child, while the woman he desperately protected fainted merely because she saw blood. Yet they took her baby away from her, they took the only source of light and comfort she had in that cold, dark place. They completely destroyed her hope and dream before leaving her alone, broken beyond repair.
Hera closed her eyes tightly, turned away from the scene, and gently caressed her stomach with her hands. On the day she discovered she was carrying a child, a sweet innocent life inside her womb, she was overjoyed. However, that day turned out to be the worst of her life.
At that moment, her mind was broken. She couldn't stand the pressure any longer, and she didn't want to carry her devastation with her to the next chance. No, she wishes with all her heart and with the sliver of hope she holds, that there are no other chances after this. She's exhausted, and all she wants to do is scream at whoever is dragging her to this curse time-loop.
When Hera finally opened her eyes, she was watching herself heading towards her mother's grave with a bloodied dress drenched from her torn neck. She stood there, tears rolling down her cheeks, cursing her fate. For a long time, she cried her heart out until she couldn't speak anymore. Eventually, she stopped crying and just sat there, staring up at the sky with her deep cold lifeless pair of eyes.
And, in the blink of an eye, she saw herself jumping off the cliff towards her death.
Her entire cold body was in excruciating pain. After a minute, her lungs were full with salty water.
Hera woke up gasping for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. But her mind was blank, she had no recollection of the dream that had caused her to wake up feeling so devastated like this. It was as if something important had vanished, suffocating her chest with the gaping void inside her heart and mind.
The sky had just darkened outside, there was no more sunlight shining through the now closed window. Hera slept longer than she expected.
Someone threw herself at Hera and hugged her tightly before she could support herself to sit on the mat spread out on the floor, sobs could be heard between her neck.
Hera held the shivering tiny body in her arms, she then turned her gaze around the room.
Freya sat on her knees not far from her with panic imprinted on her flushed face. She did not expect that after returning from the kitchen she would find the children swarming around her sleeping lady crying.
She did not know what had happened. When Freya left Hera with the children, they were enjoying a nap together. Not knowing what to do while waiting for her lady to wake up, Freya volunteered to help prepare their dinner in the orphanage kitchen with other caregivers.
Who'd have guessed that when she returned, Emma would rush up to her, weeping and muttering incomprehensible words? Before asking what had happened again, she managed to calm the little girl down.
“Sis Hera. We couldn't wake up Sis Hera.”
It was then that Freya really paid attention to Hera's pale facial expression, her brows deeply creased on her forehead, as if she was enduring a terrible pain. Cold sweat ran down her face and body.
Freya panicked. She had just sent the knight who had accompanied them here to come back for a bit and tell Lady Ruth that they were going to stay to eat with the orphans. Now she didn't know who she could trust to bring them back so that Hera could immediately get a checkup from the Greene family doctor.
After a while, Freya squatted down in front of Emma and grabbed her shoulder. “Could you help get the other kids out of this room, Emma?”
“But, but…”
“We don't know what happened to Mi… Hera. If she was sick, you might have caught it.” Freya smiled reassuringly as she rubbed Emma's soaked cheeks. “Hera is going to be fine. And, Emma, could you also call the adults? Perhaps one of the caregivers or the director?”
“Hn.” Emma nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. She hauled the children who had surrounded Hera out of the room and went out to find someone who could help Hera.
Freya inched closer to Hera, touched her lady's forehead, which was freezing cold. Hera's pained expression had been replaced by a peaceful expression.
A terrifying peacefulness.
Freya raised her shaking hand near Hera's nose to make sure her lady was still breathing. When she felt Hera's breath hit her finger, she let out a sigh of relief that she had been holding for quite some time.
Perhaps Freya was too paranoid. Her lady couldn't have died for no reason.
A few hours ago, Hera was still looking extremely happy while teaching and playing with the children. Her appetite was also improving. She finished the sandwich that Freya had given her the night before. So her lady couldn't possibly die unexpectedly.
Freya shook her head, throwing away all those bad thoughts. Her lady will be fine. This might just be because her immune system was gradually improving. Freya tried to convince herself with that baseless thought. But since she doesn't understand how the human body works, they'll need to see a doctor soon to figure out what happened to Hera.
In the midst of her chaotic thoughts, Freya was completely oblivious to the movements near her. When she realized that Hera had woken up and sat down, Emma was already in her lady arms, crying.
Hera looked puzzled as she tilted her head. “Emma... Emma what happened?” She tried to loosen the little girl's hug from her neck, but Emma just shook her head repeatedly while tightening the hug even further.
Hera looked at Freya after giving up and letting Emma stay in her arms. Her brows were raised high. “What happened, Fre? Where are the other kids?”
Freya's tears that she had been holding back slowly rolled down her cheeks when she recovered from the shock.
Hera was taken aback. No one responded to her question; instead, when they saw Hera, they cried.
“You can't be woken up by anyone.” A voice was heard from the opened door. Reind leaned against the door, his gaze fixed on Hera.
After seeing Zane vanish in front of their eyes, Egil reminded him of something important.
“Something must have happened to his master.”
All Guardians are connected to their master at all times. Both emotionally and physically.
Zane's sudden disappearance could only mean that his master's life was on the brink of death.
But nothing happened to Hera. She was just in a deep sleep for a while and everyone panicked for no apparent reason.
“Ah…” Hera felt a tinge of warmth in her heart as she realized what had caused them to cry so hard. No one had ever shown her this kind of concern before. She then softly stroked Emma's back. “Emma, I'm fine.”
“N-no. No you are not. We can't wake you up. Your whole body is freezing.”
“Emma... Take a look at me. I'm fine now, right? I'm awake and talking with you right now. So don’t cry.”
“B-but your body is still so cold.” Emma let go of her hug, she cupped Hera's cold cheek.
“Emma, dear. That is just how my body works. I had a lower body temperature than everyone else.” Hera reasoned with the little girl, to make her stop crying.
Emma's lips are pursed as she plays with Hera's hair. “When you suddenly faint, we are terrified.”
Hera's hand, which was wiping Emma's tears away from her cheeks, had come to a halt. Her eyes narrowed and her brows drew together. “Faint? What are you talking about?”
