Chapter 4: A Fateful Awakening
by xennovelLara cried out in the darkness for what felt like an eternity. With her tear-stained cheeks still glistening, she steeled herself with steadfast resolve.
Her big brother had always been the one to comfort and help her when she was in pain. Who else could rescue him from that dreadful scum if not her? If she wasn’t the one, who would save him?
“How can I… save my brother? Please tell me! I’ll do anything, anything at all!”
The gentle, benevolent voice spoke as if it truly understood Lara’s desperate plea.
* * *
Lara opened her eyes. Whether she had been crying in her sleep, her eyes remained moist. As she rubbed her eyes with her hand and sat up, an unfamiliar room came into view.
“Are you awake?”
“…Huh?”
A deep, unfamiliar voice echoed from not far away. With a sharp turn of her head, Lara spotted a man reclining on a long sofa.
“You were calling for your brother even in your sleep…”
The man rose slowly, his words trailing off. Beneath his dark red hair, his eyes—thin as crescents under a midnight moon—were fixed intently on her.
“I suppose you’re disappointed he isn’t your real brother,” he remarked.
“…Ah.”
A light, almost mocking laugh played along his smooth lips.
“He pleaded earnestly that if you never awoke, he wished to be interred in the Imperial Royal Cemetery. He insisted he had urgent matters to tend to, so I stood in his stead.”
Though Lara had sworn to God not to mess with food, she vowed that once back at the mansion, she’d hang that wretched scum by a strand of spaghetti.
“Now that you’re awake, I’m off. You still look pale—rest a bit longer,” he advised.
A light breeze stirred from the edge of his flowing cloak, gently ruffling Lara’s hair. Before she could ask his name, he had already left the room.
Who was this audacious man impersonating a duke?
An inexplicable tickle made its way to Lara’s heart. It was strange, for she had just met him.
Resting her chin on her hand, Lara gazed at a blue crescent moon hanging on the window sill. For some reason, it reminded her of the man’s eyes.
After coming from the duke’s guest room, Lara learned through the staff that Lady Elina was waiting for her in the reception room.
She couldn’t help but worry that collapsing had ruined her once-a-year birthday celebration. How could she face the guest of honor?
‘I suppose I must endure any criticism…’
Led into the reception room, Lara lowered her head and shuffled in without delay.
“I’m so sorry for all the trouble…”
“No, it’s fine,”
“It’s fine,”
“It’s fine,”
“It’s fine,”
“It’s fine,”
Lara wondered if her hearing was failing her. When she finally looked up, everything seemed oddly multiplied—objects appeared in fives.
‘Were there five Lady Elinas…?’
Five Lady Elinas, each clad in a different dress, sat in a row on a long sofa. Their faces were eerily identical, though each sported a subtly distinct expression.
At that moment, a sacred voice resonated in Lara’s ears. She tried to cover them, yet the sound wasn’t external—it echoed solely within her mind.
‘The lady is the heroine? Oh, now that I think of it, the novel’s title…’
‘Wait, then who exactly is the heroine? Am I seeing five of her?’
‘Oh, this is insane.’
Cursing in front of God was nothing short of sacrilege, though Lara didn’t even realize it. When she looked up, ten silver eyes were fixed on her.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
Strikingly beautiful women tilted their delicate, fairy-like white faces to the side in unison. Their silky silver hair cascaded in soft, graceful curves, revealing rounded ears and slender jaws.
It was unsettling. If it had been just one, her sight would have been graced by unparalleled beauty; multiplied by five, it was like witnessing a stunningly beautiful legion.
Lara silently wished it were all a dream. Whether the Lady Elinas were aware of her chaotic feelings, they nonchalantly continued their conversation.
“Miss Schmord, it seems you’re a bit confused. Let’s settle the order then—who’ll be number one?”
“You’re first. I’ll take fourth.”
“I’m second! Put me at second!”
“Then I guess I’m number three.”
“I’ll be number five then. Hehe.”
The five Lady Elinas—Elina I, Elina II, Elina III, Elina IV, and Elina V—each responded differently. Only then did Lara notice that while their voices were identical, each carried a different tone and cadence.
‘Is this some sort of heroine meeting? Weren’t we supposed to have a reverse harem? Five heroines and five heroes—it’s nothing more than a group date!’
God remained silent, only speaking in a measured tone after a long pause.
‘Are we really continuing the story like this? Even though the heroines are in dire straits…?’
‘Seriously, what kind of brawl is this? You don’t even understand what a reverse harem is, do you?!’
Disregarding an offhand comment from an extra, God resumed his dignified tone.
“Miss Schmord, are you alright? You’ve been silent all this while…”
“Miss Schmord, what are you lost in thought about?”
“Miss Schmord, perhaps you should consider heading back.”
“Miss Schmord, I heard you suddenly collapsed. Do you suffer from a chronic illness?”
“Miss Schmord, I can use my divine power. If you wish, I can heal you.”
“Hoho…! Appreciate it, but I think I’ll be on my way.”
God seemed quite pleased with his idea, though in Lara’s mind he resembled a dog being rewarded with treats every time it relieved itself on a potty.
With a weary sigh, Lara watched as the Lady Elinas rushed over, questioning if her health had worsened after her collapse.
“No, I’m fine…! You shouldn’t call the physician… and certainly don’t use divine power around here!”
Amid the clamor, Lara couldn’t catch a hint of God’s hollow mutterings.
* * *
“Ugh, but it’s Sunday today…”
Forced to get up, Lara felt as if she were tasting death. Even burying her ears in the pillow under the covers couldn’t drown out the insistent voice within. Realizing the sound was coming from inside her, she longed for oblivion.
With every grating word from God, her mind grew sharper despite her body and spirit being utterly exhausted. Sleep was desperately needed. Dragging herself up like a zombie, Lara finally sat in her dim room and checked the clock.
“It’s only 4:30 AM! The sun hasn’t even risen yet!”
Even the Lady Elinas seemed sleepless. Lara wished she could knock them out with a stun gun and sleep peacefully herself.
‘But it’s the early worm that gets eaten…’
‘If I can’t enjoy it, then I must somehow avoid it…’
She pictured God, cozy under the covers, absorbed in a mobile game. Damn it.
Lara changed clothes without even washing her face. She donned a neat dress perfect for a light stroll and hastily combed her hair at her vanity.
In the mirror, a girl with long coral hair swept over her shoulders stared back with puffy eyes.
‘…I just want to die.’
‘You don’t have to accept every little thing…I was just talking to myself…or rather, thinking aloud.’
Lara wearily got up and opened the door. She roused the sleeping carriage driver and asked him to take her to Duke Liniat’s Mansion.
Once she arrived near the mansion, Lara approached the guards at the gates and told them she was there to meet the Lady.
The guards looked at her with identical expressions, as if remarking that in the long, unblemished history of the Duke Liniat family, she was the only lunatic to ever show up at dawn.
“Could you wait a moment, please?”
Hiding his embarrassment, a guard rushed into the mansion. Shortly after, he returned and announced, “The Lady is waiting for you in the antechamber,” then began guiding her there.
The proceedings went smoothly. Stepping into the dome-shaped antechamber, Lara was internally impressed by the spacious, well-lit area. Her own family’s antechamber paled in comparison.
With open views in every direction, it even seemed larger than the duke’s banquet hall. At the center of the earthy floor, a woman was brandishing a sword. Along the sharp edge of the blade, a set of silver eyes shone with a determined gleam.