CHAPTER 80 - LIAM’S HORRORWhen Liam opened his eyes, he realized it was late at night. The ceiling panels in the room at the top of the tower were wide open, and the half-moon was visible on the horizon. He blinked in surprise.
How could he wake up without a full moon?
Before his question could be answered, the pain hit him and made him feel weak and paralyzed. It wasn't the first time he had felt pain all over his body like this, but this time, it was so throbbing and all his joints felt stiff.
The next instinct he had was to summon someone, but the figure of a woman entered his sense of sight.
It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The first thing that popped into his head was, 'Woah, how can all the beauty of the world be compressed into a single being?'
The figure was drowned in the moonlight spilling from the ceiling panels. Her face was lowered, but her eyes shone gently with a dim light that was shaded and flat like the surface of a calm lake. The scent of lavender softly fluttered from the figure, awakening the faint memory stored deep in Liam's subconsciousness.
Memories of sweet dreams.
It was a memory of a love story. The memory of Liam Almandine falling in love with a strong and kind young woman, with pale lavender hair and warm shaded eyes.
The woman came to him in the tower, and held him tightly in her warm embrace, destroying all the monotonous endings of his life and giving him hope – helping him find the will to fight to stay alive.
It was a sweet dream about him marrying the most beautiful and charming woman in the world.
But… wasn't it just a dream?
Liam was speechless, seeing the figure from his dream sitting across from him. Wait. Was this still a dream? So he hadn't really woken up yet?
Aaah, so it's like that. There's no way he'd wake up without a full moon, right?
So Liam was silent, enjoying the moment quietly, wishing it would never end.
He saw the woman reading with focus, turning the page of the book in front of her slowly. Her breathing was so soft and steady, that it almost felt surreal. It was like Liam was looking at a marble statue reflecting the moonlight.
After a few minutes, the woman turned the last page and realized she had finished reading the book. Only then did the woman lift her head to place her book on the side table.
And that was when their gazes met.
Silence drowned out the moment, much more suffocating than before. Liam looked her straight in the eye and watched as ripples began to appear on the calm lake, as the woman's lavender eyes looked shaky and teary.
Drop.
A tear fell. And Liam flinched. Why? Why is she crying?
Liam wanted to say something. He wanted to reach her and wipe her tears. He wanted to move, but his body was in so much pain. Why is this dream so painful?
The woman, who had just been stunned, immediately pulled the bell that was located near the bed to call the maids. She pulled the bell harshly and over and over again. Then, she knelt on the side of the bed and took his hand gently full of hope.
"You are awake, Milord-Oh, God, thank you," whispered the woman in a sweet voice, yet so sad and hoarse.
Liam felt… confused.
What was really going on? What happened while he was asleep? How could he wake up without a full moon, and how did the woman he vaguely sees in his dreams get here?
Before long, a group of servants and physicians appeared in the room. Everyone quickly came to Liam, and the woman backed away from him. Liam wanted to grab and hold her hand before she left, but he couldn't. Only a small sound escaped his throat. "Wait…"
"Young Lord, let us examine you for a moment," said the physicians.
The woman was standing at the far end of the room, watching Liam with worried eyes. Liam looked at everyone who was focused on him. Was this a dream or reality? If this was still a dream, fine, he understood. But if this was real, how could they not question the existence of a foreign woman by his side?
Moreover, Daniel appeared and approached the woman, having a calm chat with her.
This was… reality, huh?
Ah.
So...
Does this mean that…
Oh no.
"Daniel," Liam's body suddenly trembled, and his face grew even paler. The man called out Daniel's name in a slightly panicked tone which he tried to hide.
Daniel immediately drew near to him, and the physicians stopped examining him. Liam whispered something to Daniel, and Daniel then glanced at everyone and the woman standing at the edge of the room.
"Sorry. Young Lord asks everyone to leave this room for a moment," said Daniel.
The physicians and maids immediately walked away, but the woman walked over to the two of them instead. Liam's body trembled in panic, and he immediately looked at Daniel, seeing that the woman was almost there to reach them.
Daniel realized that and prevented the woman from approaching Liam. "Could you wait outside for a moment, Madam?" asked Daniel.
The woman looked confused, and she looked at Liam and Daniel in turn. "Okay," the woman said calmly. She then walked out of the room and turned to Liam before closing the door.
Daniel returned to Liam's side as his body was trembling and his hands gripped the blanket. The man looked panicked and stared in horror at the door. He then looked up at Daniel and grabbed his sleeve weakly.
"That woman earlier, she is my wife, right?" Liam asked, visibly scared.
Daniel immediately looked distraught when he heard Liam's question.
"That's right, Young Lord. She is your wife," he replied.
Liam softly gasped. His eyes were teary and his brain was rapidly working hard to recall the entire hazy dream that had almost been erased from his memory. The dream turned out to be real, and his brain thought it was all just a dream.
As a result, he couldn't remember anything at the moment.
"Don't tell me I forgot everything?" Liam almost choked. He couldn't accept the fact that he had just forgotten the woman he loved.
Liam got scared. The fact that his body had become so decayed that he had forgotten the most important memory and the person he loved most in his life horrified him. Was his brain could not even function properly now?