「Layton’s Memories, Age: 15 」

“She’ll be right there little rascal,” Annabelle comments while placing a cup of orange juice on the table.

“Thank you,” my fingers were fidgeting as the uneasiness in my chest kept on growing.

A year had already passed since that day.

Annabelle, the woman in charge of the bar was actually quite kind and charming in her own way. From what Luana had told me, she was the only person who didn’t seem to care about her harsh past working for Boris and the other Garden members.

Whenever I have a chance, I find a way to sneak out and come to the capital. Weirdly enough, every time my soul enters this bar and sees Luana, a feeling of relief embraces me and sticks to me for several days.

“See you tomorrow Ann,” Luana says while approaching my table. Her brown hair was now longer, reaching almost the end of her back yet, her kind and warm eyes remained the same.

“Luana...!” hearing her name, she smiles warmly.

“Hello Layton,” her hand grabs mine and pulls it slightly, “Shall we go?”

Even if I can’t see her every day, Luana still welcomes me warmly, easing the guilt in my heart. Whenever I am around, she usually leaves in the middle of work and we take a walk around the capital.

Today the streets were lively, filled with laugher and children playing around with one another, however, my attention was focused on the woman walking happily in front of me. Her dark yellow dress contrasted with her skin color beautiful and, as the sun started to set, her figure blended in as if she had become one with nature.

“Luana...” I grab her hand, preventing her from walking forward, “We have to talk.”

“Of course,” she warmly smiles while approaching me, “What’s wrong?”

‘Why do I...’ frustrated, I bite my lower lip, ‘... have to ruin this?’

“I am your friend, right?” my body reacts on its own and my eyes look away, I couldn’t bring myself to face her.

“Yes, what kind of a question is that?” she straightens herself and I understood she was lifting up her defenses once again.

“Then why do you never tell me anything?” my knuckles begin turning white from strongly grabbing my shirt, “We’ve known each other for over a year and I always tell you my problems, yet, whenever I ask about your own, you ignore me completely...!”

“Layton...” her hand finds her scalp and begins to scratch it repeatedly. She had always thought this was a complicated thematic, “My life really isn’t that interesting you see...”

“It is for me!” feeling the nerves accumulate I speak loudly, “I had to find out about your story with Boris from Ann!”

“That is...” she hides her hands behind her back while averting her eyes, “That’s not important.”

“Luana!” tears begin to gather around my eyes and a pained expression appears on her face, “Please...”

“I understand... Let’s talk elsewhere then,” her warm hand grabs mine and we begin walking towards the suburbs around the capital.

After a full hour of walking in silence, we reach a small wooden house with a dim light being emitted from inside. The sun had already set, leaving only its remnants that were quickly joining with the darkness of the night.

“I’m home,” before opening the dark wooden door, her hand lets go of mine, making a sense of coldness embrace my heart.

“Sister, Sister!” two little kids, no older than six, approach her. Without thinking too much, she lowers her body and hugs them deeply.

'Twins...?' they were both identical, being hard for me to tell them apart.

“Have you been well? How is father?” she kisses their forehead slowly before heading towards the only bed in the house.

‘Don’t tell me...!’ my eyes widen once I see an extremely sickly man in his late sixties.

Slowly, I approach them and notice how poor his health was. The man’s complexion was paler than the Frosting snow and his breathing unsteady.

“Lu, my child...” every word he spoke a harsh cough followed, “How was work?”

“It went alright father, how are you?” her hand gently caresses his face before noticing his attention on me.

“Who is this fine gentleman? Your friend?” the man tried to sit straight.

“Please, it’s alright...!” without thinking, I dash towards him and place my hands on his shoulders, letting him know to lay down, “I’m Layton sir.”

“I see... Layton is it... Please take good care of my daughter, she might be a handful sometimes...” his voice began to become harsh from the coughing.

“You should rest father,” Luana proceeds to cover him with a couple of old blankets.

“Are you sister’s boyfriend?” I feel someone grab my cloak, pulling it down several times, before seeing it was one of her brothers.

‘They are quite similar...’ their honey-colored skin looked soft and their big green eyes sparkled like jewels.

“He’s not,” before I was able to utter a word, Luana intervenes, “Now go have your dinner, otherwise you know what will happen...!”

Mimicking a monster with her hands and facial expressions, Luana lured her younger brothers into eating before leading me outside the house. We walked for some minutes until we reached a tall tree that, surprisingly, hadn’t been cut off yet.

“Satisfied?” she sits down at the trunk of the tree before picking up some grass from the floor and ripping it.

“Not really,” I follow her actions, sitting right next to her, “I still have many questions.”

“What do you want to know Layton?” her voice was as sweet as sugar, even if it looked slightly pained.

‘Is she scared...?’ I never considered that Luana could be scared of someone like me who had no intention of harming her in the first place.

“Whatever you want to tell me,” my head leans onto the trunk and my eyes connect with hers just to see her surprised expression.

‘Did I do something wrong?’ my intention was never to push her to a limit, forcing her to admit things she never wanted to say. I just wanted her to trust me and to rely on me, just like I’ve been doing for so long.

“Alright... When the twins were born, my mother died,” her attention shifts to the horizon in front of her, “My father is a merchant, he worked every day but he got sick... Not long after I learned that he had contracted a large debt...”

‘So that’s why...’ everything was beginning to fit into place.

“I began working for Boris to repay everything back but even after the dept was fully cleared, he wouldn’t let me go,” she stretches her hand and a small leaf falls right on top of it, “Just like that, I was trapped in something... Horrifying.”

“How did you leave?” I question her as her fist closes, crumbling the leaf within its power.

“Annabelle helped me... I don’t know how,” her fingers open and with a harsh breeze, the now broken leaf flows from her hand.

‘Luana...’ it was as if destiny was nothing more than a pure hurtful joke.

The girl who had been born free from status and social obligations had shackles that kept her trapped for years.

The boy who had been born free from poverty had shackles that kept him trapped since his birth.

“If it ever gets too hard, please tell me,” I place my hand on top of hers, caressing it softly.

Luana only replied with a faint, yet painful, smile.

Not long after, I left.

I knew that there wasn’t anything else to be done. If I had offered her money I would’ve been easily rejected. She would consider it a stain to her honor and would never rely on me again.

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

「Layton’s Memories, Age: 18 」

My father and I just couldn’t see eye to eye. Our family relationship had come to a breaking point where, no matter how much I tried, he wouldn’t listen to my desires.

“How much longer do you plan on disappointing me!?” his loud voice echoed through his old and dusty study room.

“Please, Father...!” I didn’t want to go to the party since I knew this was nothing more than a way to show my availability to all the noble ladies.

“I shall not hear any further complaints regarding this matter! You are going and that’s my final decision!” his words were strong and held an enormous amount of power.

‘I can’t... Refuse anymore...’ I thought as I silently left the room.

Ever since I was little, my father’s presence was overwhelming. Even when I tried to go against him, I found myself cowering in fear, swallowing my own words and biting my lips.

I knew he despised Luana and didn’t approve of our relationship but sending me into the wolf’s den was pure torture.

“Welcome back milord,” Michael comments while taking off my jacket.

“Thank you... I’ll meet you later...” as I was about to leave my chambers, the door is suddenly shut right in front of my eyes. The butler’s hand was on it.

‘What...?’ I glare at him, displeased with his actions.

“The Marquess has ordered you to remain in your room until Lady Catherine’s ball,” the sound of a lock is heard and I see Michael storing a key in a secret pocket close to his chest, “I hope you understand.”

“I wasn’t informed of this!” I immediately yell, frustrated at the situation, “I have to...!”

“It would be wise to remember your place milord,” the butler’s cold eyes pierced me deeply.

‘Father...’ his whole posture was just like the Marquess. It was as if he was a twin that had been separated at birth.

“Leave,” I quickly order and the butler obeys, locking the door after closing it once again.

‘Why...!?’ I hated this feeling. I couldn’t fight my father, I couldn’t even fight my own butler. A painful chuckle escapes my lips as tears began to gather around my eyes.

“Luana...” I mumble her name in a pitiful attempt to settle down my aching heart.

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

「Several weeks later, at Lady Catherine’s Ball 」

“Smile brother, this might be your last chance to find a suitable fiancée,” Julius hits my back strongly, making me lose my composure for a second.

“Julius Verne, it’s great to see you, my lord,” Earl Statton appears with a glass of champagne in his hand.

‘He’s still the same...’ I glance over at him and see that his appearance had barely changed from when I was a young boy. Beside him stood Holly Statton who kept on displaying her annoyance of being here.

Quietly, I head towards the refreshments table and grab some slices of cake. My eyes wander through the large ballroom that was able to fit more than two hundred people without even being half-full. The walls and all the decorations were glamorous and lavishing, displaying Lady Catherine’s wealth.

“Are you perhaps Lord Layton?” I turn around to face a woman in her late forties, whose body was as voluptuous as a horse. Beside her stood a girl half of my age with a small and mal-nourished body.

‘Disgusting,’ I think as my brain comprehends the ulterior motives and dark reality behind her words, ‘You won’t even take care of your own child...’

The kid’s body was like asparagus, thin and frail, making it hard for her to even stand on high-heels and the large dress she was wearing. No matter how much that woman pampered her for this one night, tomorrow the poor soul would struggle to get any food.

“I think you are mistaken, my lady, I’m nothing more than a son of a Baron,” I confidently respond just to see her snort angrily.

“What a waste of my time...!” displeased she leaves and the child quietly follows her.

‘I hate this...!’ my hands grab on to the ending of the suit, making my knuckles turn white from the pressure, ‘I should get some air.’

‘Why...!?’ everything seemed to be crumbling in front of my eyes. The only thing I ever wanted, the only thing I ever asked for, was the one thing I couldn’t have.

Feeling an utter defeat, a stream of tears flow down my face, falling onto the white handrail. The sound of music begins and I begin focusing on the harmonious notes being played.

‘Are you alright... Luana?’ as I watched the horizon, swallowed by a pitch dark night, I couldn’t help but feel stressed and nervous. I hadn’t seen her in several weeks.

“Feeling down my lord?” I quickly turn my head around attempting to see who this sweet voice belongs to.

‘Whoa...’ my eyes widen at the small glimpse of her beauty.

Pale fair like snow, red lips like an apple, hair black like a raven, and eyes clear like a crystal. It was as if I was seeing a porcelain doll that at the simplest of touches would break.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there my lady!” my heart was slightly flustered as if I had been bewitched, “I’m Layton Verne, you are...?”

“I’m Ophelia Criswell, it is lovely to meet you, my lord,” her reply was polite and charming.

‘This is...’ a feeling of nostalgia befell upon me. This mysterious woman had placed a high wall between them, just like Luana, however, something was different.

Her sapphire blue eyes carried a coldness he had never seen before and her words were just like his own mother, filled with dullness.

‘It’s almost as if...’ the more he looked at her, the more similar she looked, ‘...she is waiting to die.’

“Did you come to get some fresh air?” noticing her politeness I end up continuing the conversation.

She faintly smiles before placing her body next to me, laying her torso in the cold handrail.

“I don’t know what might be weighing down your heart but talking about it might help,” my eyes widen at her words.

‘How did she...!?’ I couldn’t understand how she had read me so well. Inside my soul I could feel something strange appearing, a suspicion born from her unknown kindness, ‘It’s weird...’

My mind didn’t comprehend how someone could act so warmly and coldly at the same time. It was as if none of them were her true thoughts or even her true feelings. It was... Strange.

“You must’ve heard the rumors, right? About me being cursed?” and again, her eyes show a deep pain flowing from her heart, “If you want to confide in someone, there is no better bet than me.”

No matter what she said, the loneliness in her eyes was real. The sadness in her voice was true and so was the pained expression she was wearing.

“Thank you, Lady Ophelia,” I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t know what else to do.

‘I can’t even help myself...’ quietly, I remove myself from the balcony and head inside the ballroom again.

Even after returning to the Marquess’s estate, Ophelia Criswell kept on lingering in my head. The pain that she portraited was just like my mother’s, that wish to disappear from this world without leaving a trace of herself behind.

Her whole self seemed like a mist, filled with sorrow and despair, making it hard to understand the reality of what was going on in her mind. It was almost as if she was nothing but a recipient of noble blood who had been forced to live a life she never wanted.

It was as if she was... Like me.