A few days passed.
Sarah spent the past three years living a happy life like it was a reward.
She ate with her family, and when she had the chance, she even went out with her father.
Her smile wouldn’t leave her lips every day, and she felt as if her entire family had done everything for her. Despite knowing that this was a trial, Sarah had forgotten about it.
“Look at this! Only this flower has a different color.”
“Oh my? Right, it is so unique that only one color is different.”
“Can I take this?”
Sarah’s eyes were bright, and she was the only one who gently folded the flower of a different color with her tiny hands, but Sears shook her head.
“No, Sarah. This flower is special because it is the only yellow flower in this green flower field. If Sarah takes this, this flower will lose its meaning.”
“Right.”
“Did my daughter understand what I said? My daughter, who do you take after to be this smart?”
Sears, who expected Sarah would cry for it, patted her daughter on the head with a bit of a surprised look on her face as she agreed.
“Hehe.”
If it had been the Sarah in the past, she would have acted as Sears expected her to, but now, unlike the small body they see, she had a mature mind. Sears chuckled, wondering if she could adapt to her daughter’s changed personality.
“Is my daughter all grown up? Then Mom hates it. I want to love my daughter a little more~”
Then, while hugging Sarah, she rubbed her soft cheeks against her own. Sarah closed her eyes at the intense expression of affection, but she didn’t hate it.
If her mother did this to her brother, then he would surely speak out about it by showing odd faces, but what Sears always missed from her mother was this affection.
“Hahaha. Sarah’s face will be worn out, my wife.”
Count Welton, who was watching from behind, said that as if making fun of his wife, and Jamie, who was looking from the side, laughed awkwardly.
“I will be happy as long as it wears out.”
Jamie was genuinely happy that it wasn’t him in Sears’s hands.
“Phew. Energy recharge complete.”
Sears let Sarah go as she exhaled. Seeing that, Jamie couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Let us head back now. It is getting darker.”
The flower field was gradually dyed red by the evening sunset.
She had a good lunch, yet her stomach was now growling. Maybe it was because she was tired from playing.
It felt like she would be able to eat again until her stomach exploded once she got home.
“I am hungry.”
“Huh. Mom is hungry too. What about Jamie?”
“I am fine.”
“Are you not going to ask your only husband?”
“You must be fine.”
“I am sad….”
“Just kidding!”
“You are such a prankster.”
Those two were the type of couple who would show affection to each other, not caring if their kids were in front of them. Jamie covered Sarah’s eyes with his hand and closed his eyes too. It was their silent protest at not wanting to see such things.
Sarah just chuckled.
Sarah smiled, feeling that she was getting used to these things that she had always missed.
The carriage arrived at the mansion.
She wanted to eat as soon as possible, but Sears was known for being clean.
This was especially true when she went home after playing outside, and Sarah was caught and bathed by the servants.
“I can eat first and wash up later!”
“No, Miss. Do you want the Lady to scold you?”
“Right. And if you want to be pretty, we need to bathe you in water.”
“How can such a young Miss have such soft skin without caring?”
“Uhh….”
Sarah sighed at the rough hands of the servants. After they finished washing her up and changed her into new clothes, she headed into the dining room.
The delicious smell was already making her mouth drool. Sarah walked into the dining room with her little feet.
“My daughter seems to have gotten softer after a bath.”
“Come on now.”
“Come on, Sarah. Everything has just been set up.”
Everyone said something to her.
Despite being together just an hour ago, they greeted her in a warm manner.
Sarah smiled as she sat down. Unlike breakfast and lunch, the dinner was made with fatty foods, so Sarah had a lot of fun eating them and turning her mouth greasy.
“Oh my, Sarah! I don’t know why you are eating like a person possessed by a ghost. A lady should never do that.”
“She is still a child. Do not worry, she will be fine.”
“Right. And it is good to see her eating this happily.”
“Huh. I’m the only one who was being mean then.”
When Sarah started getting people on her side, Sears pouted with her puffed-up cheeks as if she were sulking at the words her son and husband said.
Count Welton and Jamie burst into laughter at it. Sarah was so absorbed in eating that she didn’t even care about it.
Ever since she came to this place, each time she ate, she would eat in a hurry, not knowing if the food was going in through her mouth or her nose.
She hadn’t had a proper meal for the past three years.
“Phew!”
Sarah, who was done eating, took a breath as if she had been holding it back. The area around her mouth was smeared with meat sauce, but she just put on a satisfied expression, as if that didn’t matter.
“How… Sarah, what should I do if you are going to bury your face in food like that?”
“B-Bury?”
“Come here. Mom will clean it for you.”
Sears picked up a napkin and wiped her daughter’s mouth. Seeing her daughter looking neat again, she smiled brightly and nodded her head.
“Huh. Very cute.”
“You two, seriously.”
Count Welton let out a loud laugh as if he couldn’t get enough of seeing his wife like this, and Jamie, who watched his parents, drank water and said,
“Can I go up?”
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“I haven’t read much today. I might want to finish the book I am reading.”
“I am afraid someone is going to grow up with books around him. I don’t get how such a smart kid is born in the Welton family.”
“Everyone in the Welton family is smart, but…”
“Only smart when it comes to fighting.”
“Hmm.”
At Sears’s undeniably savage remark, Count Welton could just nod because there was nothing wrong with what she said.
“Will you read moderately and then sleep after?”
“Yes, do not worry.”
“You said that before and stayed up until morning.”
“Haha…”
Jamie got up first, and the rest of the family had a short tea time before heading back to their rooms. Sarah held the hand of her maid, and on the way to her room, she saw the huge, milky way spread across the sky.
“Wait.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She went into the terrace off the hallway. It was early summer here, so the nights were a bit chilly.
“It is cold, so you don’t stay out for long.”
“Yes. Do not worry.”
Hearing the concerned voice of her maid, Sarah said yes and looked up at the sky again. The cluster of stars spread out as if they were going to fall down. Sarah put her chin on the railing and stared blankly at them.
It had been a week since she had come here. She knew this was a trial, but she was loving this place too much. Even if this was all fake, it sometimes made her want to forget reality.
It was the same now.
‘I think I can just stay here for the rest of my life.’
She didn’t know the difference between reality and this place. If she decided to live here, wouldn’t this be the reality?
She had a father who had already died, an older brother before becoming the Demon King, and a healthy mother.
Unlike the reality covered with pain, suffering, sadness, and despair, this place was covered with dreams and hope.
Then what was the trial?
The harsh reality?
A dream-like present?
‘If I forget everything and live here….’
That would be enough. Gradually, she began to tilt toward that thought.
Sarah turned around.
At least, not yet. In this crazy world, which made her happy, she wanted to stay longer.
‘A little bit more… I will enjoy it a little longer.’
It would not be too late to choose after her body and mind were satisfied. Sarah thought so and left the terrace.
Right after that, the sky, which was shining with stars, died, and darkness spread.
Like a dream, it was truly just a dream. 1
Sarah had been wearing riding clothes since early morning.
She had riding practice once a week. Noble kids learn horseback riding from an early age, and Sarah was no exception to that.
“Yah!”
Sarah kicked the horse near its waist and led it forward. Her training instructor opened his mouth in shock at her talent.
“W-When did you learn to ride this well?”
“Right.”
Sears, who followed her as a guardian, was also surprised at how Sarah was handling the horse as if it were her own.
Even during her last class, she was still a kid who was afraid to climb onto a horse. Come to think of it, the child suddenly changed as if she had become very mature.
She began to speak well, and her appetite improved a lot more than before. At first, she thought it was because the kid was growing up but seeing her ride the horse…
‘Maybe my daughter is a genius too?’
Her son was a genius, so there wasn’t any rule saying that her daughter couldn’t be a genius as well.
Sears shouted cheerily at her daughter, who began to ride the horse with shining eyes.
“My daughter is so cool!!”
As if in response to that, Sarah began to drive the horse more passionately.
“Yah!”
When the reins were struck, the horse neighed and accelerated at once.
Sarah was a little excited at the feeling of speed she hadn’t felt in a long time. She always ran on her feet, so riding a horse to go this fast was something she rarely experienced.
“Exciting!”
The course was also relatively gentle and long, so she didn’t hesitate to speed up.
It was fun.
It was so nice to live in this world where she could live comfortably without worrying.
In Sarah’s mind, the fact that this world was a space of trials was almost forgotten. To her, this was the reality, and she was enjoying it.
Right.
Her wish was for this world to go on forever.
Rumble.
It was when Sarah was driving her horse so hard that there was suddenly thunder in the sunny weather.
Thinking that it might rain now, Sarah slowed down.
“What is this?”
But there were no clouds.
There was no sign of rain, so she wondered if she had heard it wrong. She tried to go back to her mother, but it was then….
Tear—
The floor she was on began to have a huge crack.
Neigh!
Surprised, the horse cried out and raised its front legs high. Sarah lost control of the reins in the sudden situation.
As she fell off the horse, she could see it. The two eyes were visible in the rift.
Long, slit eyes dyed in red were watching her.
[Choose now.]
Choose what?
In a world where time stopped, Sarah looked into the eyes as she was falling from the horse.
A voice came from the rift again,
[Is it here or the reality?]
[You have to choose soon.]
Sarah’s heart sank.
