The Cursed Imperial Heart

Everyone stared at us.

The viscounts ocean blue eyes widened at such sight. He was obviously, though tried his hardest to hide it, startled by the fact that I, out of nowhere, suddenly woke up and jumped directly out of bed. I can feel him staring at Addie and I, staring at the young malem girl who hugged the blonde haired woman whom he introduced to everyone as her nanny along with dozens of other doctors.

But of course, I couldn care less about such useless stares.

My hands gripped tightly around Addie, a satisfied feeling rushed through my whole body as I did. And as she hugged me back just as tightly, I didn want to let her go. Another feeling manifested in my chest, my huge relief that shes alive. Tears kept running down my face as I sobbed heavily. As you can tell, thats how relieved I am.

The exact moment I felt Addies warm hands rapped tightly around me, I immediately thought–

Thank you for letting me keep the little bit of good I have left.

But then, reality struck me again.

”E-hem… ” someone grunted.

I felt Addies body instantly became stiff, she pulled away from my embrace and began to lower her head as if she did something terribly wrong. I was startled when she pulled away but noticed her pale and sweaty expression right away. From the look on her face alone, I became wary and confused as to why she acted that way all of the sudden.

Then I realized, she was looking behind me before her face became like that. And even before that, I heard someone grunted. In all honesty, a lot was going through my head at that moment, but seeing Addies distraught face, I couldn just ignore it. I knew I was going to regret it, but I slowly turned my head around, trembling as I did so.

A soft low voice spoke when I turned around. ”So? ” it said.

It was none other than the viscount who stood before me, that I knew, but he was definitely different. The viscount whom I saw the moment I turned around, had his arms stretched wide and a beautiful bright smile across his face.

”Aren you going to greet your beloved father, my darling? ” he said.

Though his smile looked warm and very loving, his eyes stared down at me with such a menacing glare that sent chills down my spine in an instant. I knew exactly what that look meant. That look, is the kind of look he gives Corry whenever he refused to act accordingly in front of the nobles.

But why are you looking at me like that?

As the question popped into my head, my eyes glanced at the direction of the doctors piled up by the right side of the bed I laid on earlier. Their brows furrowed, looking directly at me, a wide a-ray of confusion among their faces. Yet, I stood perfectly still as I stared blankly at them, then back at the viscount.

When I locked eyes with the viscount once more, I noticed his jaw clench and his fists begin to tremble. He looked at the direction of an old man wearing a thin round monocle on the left side of his eye. In my eyes, his strips of gray hair and almost white eyes, stood him out the most.

”Doctor! ” he called on him loudly, making the rest of them flinch. ”I thought you said shes perfectly healthy? ”

The old man then cleaned his monocle before looking at me. He eyed me from head to toe, left to right. When he looked back at the vicious viscount he calmly raised an eyebrow at him as if confused by the question he was just asked.

”She is, my lord. ” he answered.

From the tone of his voice to the way he calmly answered Lord Brotillon, I instantly recognized him. The old man with the monocle on his left eye is the man who bravely questioned the viscount about the matter, the one who was suspicious of him.

The ground rumbled in fury as the viscount pointed his finger at him.

”You imbecile!! ” he shouted loudly. ”You are no better than those quacks!! ”

In a matter of seconds, the whole room became a deep shade of blue, it looked like an aquarium from the inside out. The Lords face turned red, infuriated at the old doctor. Everyone inside the room, the doctors, Addie and me, were all horrified at what was happening.

”You better tell me why my daughter is acting so strange before I drown you all and drag your lifeless bodies to feed on those blood eating monsters in Aberdome myself!! ”

The Head of the Brotillon family threatened the doctors, perhaps one particular doctor per se. But even as his eyes glowed in a terrifying blue hue, when I looked to see the expression the old doctor had on his face, I was mortified to see him so serene. The old man had such a lifeless–no, more like undisturbed look on his face.

And whilst the Lord was still in his state of anger, pointing his finger at the doctors face as the whole mansion was engulfed in water, the doctor walked slowly towards him and with such an uninterested look in his eyes he leaned towards the viscount.

”Your daughter is fine, my lord. ” he answered, patting him on the shoulder.

The man immediately swatted his hand away as a response. Just like that, the blue aquarium-like atmosphere that surrounded the whole mansion, disappeared in a blink of an eye.But before the Lord Brotillon could even open his mouth to speak, the old man whispered in a soft voice.

”Although… ” was what he solemnly said before looking down and straight to my eyes.

”Her appearance… ” he began to slow down, looking at the Lord once more. ”baffles me. ”

”Oho~ho~ ” the doctors words earned him a menacing chuckle from the viscount.

Lord Niles smirked as he crossed his arms. ”How insulting. ” he said, then continued.

”The color of her eyes are nothing compared to the love I have for her as a parent, doctor. ”

Ahh, jeez. I think my insides just puked.

He even looked at me proudly as he showed me that sweet, non-violent, smile of his. The fact that I still have no idea what the pit is happening, what the viscount is planning, or how I freakin survived such incident before is starting to really get to me at this point. Even Addie looked scarce and afraid, standing by the door at the corner of the room. She can eve make eye contact with me anymore.

I feel like Im missing something. The Lords actions, Addies actions, all thats happening, it really doesn feel right. The fact that Im not with a single bruise is proof enough that the world somehow became even more messed up, cause lets face it, it was messed up before I even opened my eyes to this–this–ballistic dream. And if this is really just a dream, which I sure it is, I duly hope I wake up soon.

”Little Lady? ” the old man called, looking at me.

How in the world do I respond to that? A malem like me shouldn be called such a graceful greeting. Admittedly, since I did not know if I was really the one who the doctor is calling, I just stared at him with blank brown eyes, hoping that any moment Id wake up from this crazy dream of mine.

But he kept calling, ”Little Lady? ” his voice echoing in my head.

I looked at the viscount, he too just stared. But it was different, he stared at the situation happening between the doctor and me with such a worried expression youd think that someone from the family is indeed dying, even though I still don understand why or how his attitude suddenly changed towards me.

I, on the other hand, just stared with no such expression.

”Little Lady… ” the doctor called for the very last time before reaching out his hand to me and asked with a smile ”May I hold your hand? ” he said.

I backed away from him as I glared suspiciously, eyeing him from head to toe just like what he did to me a while ago. The atmosphere of the room became very weird exactly at that moment, it now has a very strange and unwelcoming vibe. Though the old man himself looked very nice and caring, there was something about the way he stared that felt somewhat eery.

”W-W-Why? ” I stuttered, hiding both my hands behind me.

The doctor answered with a light chuckle, ”To examine you, of course. ” he said.

I turned my head back, facing Addie. I looked at her with the kind of expression thats screaming for help, screaming to be saved from all of this. Frankly, Im quite upset at the fact that no one would explain anything to me. But as Addie mouthed the words Everything will be alright, it made me feel more at ease.

”Ok… ” I answered softly.

I revealed my hands from behind my back, looking at them for a while after I did, then glared ever so slowly at the old man in front of me who seemed eager to grasp them. All I thought to myself at that moment was that Ill probably die if I don follow them. In the end, I had no choice but to reach out to him.

But before I could even rest my hand on his palm,

BAAAMM!!

The door swung open.

Everyone in the room looked over to see who it was and as my eyes rested on the woman at the door, it immediately grew wide in shock.

The woman who came in,

was none other than the viscountess.

She came in wearing such a fancy dress, her rosy red hair tied up in a bun as she sparkled from head to toe from all the jewels on her body, and yet she did nothing but cry, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards me.

”My poor baby~!! M-My daughter~!! ” she wailed.

I didn even get the chance to respond to what she said when she hugged so tight I could barely breath, ”M-My…Oh dear…Im glad you
e safe. ” she continued to say as she buried her wet ruined face on my shoulder.

I scanned the faces of everyone in the room, they all looked really moved from the heartfelt scene they just witnessed, which made my face crumble even more. I stood still as a rock, not even hugging her back. My mind and body still felt cautious when it came to everything thats happening, especially to her.

Cordelia pulled back with a sad confused look on her face, ”Darling? ” she uttered softly, her hand caressing my left cheek feebly.

She looked at her husband in panic.

”My love… ” her voice started a bit shaky, ”Does…Does she not recognize me? ”

The viscount looked at his wife in distraught, ”My Love…theres no need to panic– ”

SLAP!!

My eyes grew even wider than before. The viscountess Cordelia, slapped the poor old doctor.

”Why are you just standing there?! ” she shouted at him. ”You
e a doctor right?! ”

”Cordelia, my love, calm down… ” the viscount tried to comfort her, only to be ignored by his wife who grabbed the doctor by his collar.

”Fix my daughter, ” she growled.

Just then, a hot blazing flame surrounded her fists as she gripped even tighter at the old mans collar, yet his clothes were not affected by the fire on the viscountess hands at all. From my point of view, the both of them looked like the hero and the villainess of a fantasy novel.

”Or. Else. ” she continued to threaten him.

Hayst, that poor doctor. I should probably interfere now.

With all the might and courage my five year old self could muster, I reached my hand out and tugged the silky white dress that the viscountess was wearing. ”Please, stop!! ” I shouted.

Once again, everyone stared at me with either a shocked expression or none at all.

But that doesn matter, not anymore.

Since the moment I became conscious, I instantly felt that something was wrong. Now, Im SURE that something IS wrong. The viscounts words and his wifes actions are not normal, even Addies acting very very strange all of the sudden. And the only other person who seems to feel that way too, is currently being threatened by the mistress of the Brotillon household.

Im certain that he could sense that something is not right, so I must act accordingly this time!

”The doctor did nothing wrong. ” I said, looking up at them, my hand still clenching the viscountess silky dress.

My eyes firmly stared at the both of them as I continued to say,

”I feel fine and healthy, just as the doctor said. ”

I released the dress I clenched as my vision shifted a little and met the old doctors eyes,

”There is nothing wrong with me. ” I uttered.

Hoping, just hoping and praying to the creator, that the old man could hear me screaming please, help me with the silence that came after I uttered such words to him.

But that short silence was soon cut off by Cordelias sobbing wails, her tight grip around the doctors collar were no more for she is now in the warm embrace of her husband who tried his best to comfort his precious wife.

”This is unacceptable. ” the Lords eyebrows furrowed at all the doctors.

His eyes glowed as he continued to shout, ”You are nothing but a bunch of quacks!! ”

I stared down on the floor, clearly drained from all thats happening. I could hear the doctors on the side corner of the room whispering, the loud sniffling of the viscountess, but what was the most draining of it all was how I could feel the pressure of the old mans stare.

Perhaps its his way of thanking me for saving him?

Indeed, perhaps its just that? I was lost in that thought when all of the sudden, I felt two hands lifting me up in the air. When I looked up, my whole body shivered as I saw the face of the Lord Brotillon up close. Our faces were literally a couple of inches away from each other.

He stared at me for a moment, his eyebrows still furrowed, before giving me a soft smile and kissing me on my forehead. After that, he leaned closer to my ear then whispered softly,

”Well find a way to bring you back, my darling. ”

He gave me a tight hug before handing me to Addie, since she is my
anny from what I have gathered. But from my angle, Addie looked drained and tired, even more than me. Indeed, the Brotillon really must be up to something to even call such a low mage like me their daughter.

I looked up at her, ”Addie whats– ”

But before I could even finish my sentence, Lord Niles Brotillon cut me off by saying,

”Perhaps a walk on the garden would help her remember? ” in a fairly loud whisper.

To which his wife answered with a slight chuckle,

”She does love the garden. ” she said with a smile.

I eyed them head to toe, completely weirded out by their tone of voice when talking about me. I held on to Addie even tighter, holding on for dear life as the Brotillon couple took a step closer. Their hands intwined with one another like the perfect married pair theyve always been in the eyes of the public.

Cordelia held out her hand and gently rubbed the side of my cheek,

”Our precious daughter, ” she said.

And as the both of them gave me a warm comforting smile, the words they would utter next is all the proof I need that I am indeed in some twisted fantasy created by the Brotillon family themselves.

”Coralia Lizeth Kad Brotillon. ” they both uttered.

Surely, that is nowhere near the name they gave me before.

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To Be Continued.