-『CHAPTER 04』-

« Heiress of the House of Novaldein »
— Velestina von Novaldein —

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I let my consciousness expand and teleported myself right at the heart of the labyrinth and upon arriving, I idly stood upon a majestic stronghold which is also the most secured location within my mindscape. 

It's the exact replica of my ancestral abode back in the real world, the Novaldein Castle.

Similarly close to the authentic one back in reality, this imaginary castle also have a grand total of five floors and I'm currently stationed at the rooftop overseeing the wide expanse of mazes that sprawling endlessly along the distant horizon.

The call from that Goddess had completely took me by surprise so I had to quickly conjured up an impromptu cage for that four-eyed intruder and this castle was the result of it.

However, despite the abrupt inception of this makeshift cage, I'm still quite confident about this castle's overall security.

Nothing in this mindscape is real, only emotions are and i found out that the deeper I felt for something, the harder it is to break apart.

For instance,  if I conjure a sword based on an ordinary mass produced weapon of low importance to me, chances are it would then easily break after a few exchanges but a replica of my prized sword that I used in most of my battles wouldn't easily be destroyed unlike the former.

The same concert applies to this stronghold.

This ancestral castle was where I grew up and it holds a significant meaning to my life thus it was the form I've decided to use since I have strong attachments to it.

 This imaginary castle also have a grand total of five floors and I'm currently stationed at its very top. I imprisoned that mind intruder at this castle's basement so I plan to teleport myself there but something had caught my attention.

"...I dont remember this door having this appearance."

I knitted my brows as I instinctively walked towards the door of the room that have the stairs to the lower floors.

I stopped right on front of it before tilting my head in confusion.

"...Why is this door black?" 

Originally the color of this door wasn't like this since its made up of wood and I tried opening it but something compelled me to halt my hands for I suddenly felt a foreboding sensation when I was about to grab the doorknob. 

Hmm, is this perhaps related to that death warning by that Goddess? 

I need all the clues that I can get about that dilemma of mine and if by entering this creepy door can give me some clues about it then so be it.

With renewed vigour, I tried strengthening my resolve and finally pushed the door open. I placed my feet at the stair's steps one after the another as I gradually descended until I reached the base of the fifth floor. 

I stopped and stood still once I reach the bottom before warily glancing around the hallway with a heightened awareness.

Back in the real world, this floor was my family's personal private quarters as my bedroom was located in this floor alongside the master's bedroom for which my grandfather uses. 

However here in my mindscape, the entire floor is completely silent and no sounds could be heard apart from my own footsteps and it gave a rather eerie atmosphere since everything seemed as if its being corroded by a color of black.

The doors, walls, ceiling....everything on this floor is shrouded in complete darkness as there wasn't even any windows to let the light outside shine through. Its like I'm being submerged in a dense pool of despair when I started walking through the hallways and with each step, my shoulders felt heavier and heavier until—

"My Empress."

—I suddenly felt someone embraced me from behind and I quickly turned my head to see the glaring eyes of a man with half his head sliced vertically in two 

Silence.

...This can't be real.

I stood there completely frozen for this man was the person I was married with in that fake reality that monster had created.

"Hah! That's right I've been having an affair with your bestfriend all along. You are a very cold and frigid woman who only lusted after power and authority! You didn't love me, you only acted as if you loved me since my support can make you the Empress!!" The man bellowed before sporting a manical grin.

...stop.

I tried stepping backwards but my lower foot stumbled upon something and upon turning around to see what it is, a kowtowing figure that looks entirely like my most trusted General had also showed up as he bowed right in from of me.

"I'm sorry your majesty but I can't follow your orders! I can't sacrifice those few refugees just so that it would help the majority! I know that its naive but I'd rather be foolish than lose my heart by following your heartless commands!"

Stop.

These people aren't real.

They're just mere hallucinations created to ruin my resolve.

I tried closing my eyes but two severed heads of little girls suddenly rolled at the floor and stopped right beside my feet.

Their hollowed sockets without an eyeball suddenly began tearing up with tears of blood as they uttered, "Mother doesn't have time for us and only love that throne, I'd say little sister we go out of town ourselves since you really can't expect Mother to free her schedule so that she could spent time with us."

"I really wish we were born from a normal Mother."

STOP!

I tried running away but a jeering crowd suddenly stopped and surrounded me as they laughed and laughed and started pointing fingers at me.

"Look it's the Crimson Empress, the mad ruler who butchered her own citizens!"

"I heard that she lived her life lavishly while all the people under her rule starved to death. I'm glad that the Kaiser have beaten her in the war and freed those poor people across the continent."

"Pssh, did you know that our Kaiser was once her fiance? Well I'm definitely glad that Lord Aurelius annulled it back when they were young or else we're gonna be the ones suffering instead if she became the Kaiserin."

"STOP IT YOU ALL AREN'T REAL!!"

One bloodied corpse rose from the ground one after the another as they slowly began to pull me down. 

Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! Hang her! 

I let out a primal scream as my surroundings corrosion into blackness had accelerated tremendously.

I know that these were merely fabricated memories but back then while I was still trapped inside that reality phantasm, I really felt as if everything that's happening to me were all real.

That damn creature made those hallucinations so real that apparently I acquired a trauma from that experience. Just as I was slowly being drowned by these hallucinations that suddenly materialized out of nowhere, I suddenly heard noises and when everything turned completely silent once again, I finally opened my eyes to see all hallucinations fading and the blackened area around my vicinity is slowly lightening up and regaining its former appearance.

"What just happened..."

Did someone intervened?

I turned my head around and come face to face with—

"Heavens, you sure is quite a handful...although that kind of sounded weird since I felt like I'm deriding myself."

—My ten inch version.

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