I cleared my throat. Now, after reading it over and over again, I have memorized every sentence and every word of that fairy tale, and I started rereading the last paragraph:
"Finally, spring has come. The Ugly Duckling saw his image reflected in the lake."
That is the concluding chapter of the story. Like me, Cesar knew every word in the book by heart and replied:
“Ah… I turned out to be a beautiful swan.”
“The ugly duckling turned into a swan, happily flying high into the sky.”
I smiled, faintly feeling lonely. The story ends there. He slowly raised his head.
Looking at him with affectionate eyes, I quickly kissed his cheek.
The next morning, when Delfina came to help me prepare my makeup, I couldn't help but ask her directly. I held her hand tightly, her hand was squeezing the sponge.
“Delfina, I must know the truth.”
"Yes?"
That series of dreams, just thinking about it, still leaves too many doubts. And now, I have a firm belief. The dreams I'm seeing are not illusions.
I just want to confirm one more time. And to do that, I need Delfina.
“I want to know how the previous prince concubine candidates died.”
“Go… that would…”
Delfina looked awkward. She lowered her head, biting her lip.
To uncover the story she was hiding, I needed a clearer evidence, which was what appeared in last night's dream.
“Among them, did anyone drown in the lake?”
Delfina was startled and raised her head. Just looking, I guessed the answer.
“Oh… how do you know… huh?”
The cold feeling down my spine made me shiver.
“Delfina, I want to know the truth.”
“T-that…”
She bowed her head a few times and then, as if telling herself something, looked up and said:
“As the Princess predicted, someone passed away at the lake.”
"…Really?"
I staggered. The dream turned out to be true.
“Yes, the third Prince Consort candidate has left like that.”
“Why did she drown?”
“That…”
Delfina hesitated, closed her eyes, then drew a cross in the air before answering:
“People say it was suicide.”
“Suicide….”
But in my dream last night, I clearly saw that was not the case. I remember the moment she was about to let go of her intention to kill herself, then turned back.
“Actually, those who were betrothed to the Crown Prince…”
Delfina hesitated for a long time, then finally closed her lips. I also guessed what she was going to say.
Of course, it is not strange to commit suicide in despair before the wedding with the monster prince. Delfina was about to say that.
“It's not like that, Delfina.”
"Yes?"
“She… did not commit suicide.”
That's why I want myself to know the truth about that death. Maybe only I know.
“People probably say it's a curse, right?”
“Yes…”
My heart aches. And I realized something new: if this dream actually happened, then... was the previous dream also similar?
“What about the fourth Prince Consort candidate, the daughter of the Feregrino family?”
"I don't really know. I only know that the body was found..."
“So who was the first person to discover the body?”
Delfina hesitated for a moment then replied:
“That is the guard captain of Zaryu Palace.”
“I want to meet that person.”
First of all, I need to verify the truth. Dreams may originate from the resentment of unfortunate souls.
I am responsible. Perhaps this is related to the curse attributed to Cesar. But most of all, I had to know the truth for myself, to understand why the deaths appeared so vividly.
"I do not know."
The guard captain looked about fifty years old, had a large body, his face was red as if he had just drunk wine, and the smell of alcohol was faint. His hair and beard also shine red, from a distance it looks like a red pillar standing tall.
“Don't beat around the bush, tell the Prince the truth.”
Delfina secretly gave him the Rosentaria coin. This is the money we collected from the sale of the dowry.
He received the money, his face slightly suspicious, stroked his hand over the coin, glanced around, then put it in his inner pocket.
“No one wants to talk about this.”
The voice was upset, but having received the money, he couldn't deny it.
“Tell me everything about that day.”
I asked with a serious face about the morning I found the body of the Feregrino family's daughter. He opened and closed his eyes a few times.
“We are also very cautious when entering the room.”
"Why?"
He sighed, took out the rosary around his neck, and made the sign of the cross. Before accepting bribes, now he shows dignity. It's really funny and contradictory.
“In the past, there were candidates who passed away... People speculated that it was a curse, so of course you have to be careful.”
The curse… Not the answer I wanted, but I motioned to continue. He continued trembling:
"The scene that day was horrible. Blood splattered everywhere, it was truly... horrifying..."
He shook his head and waved his hand.
“Cause of death?”
“Go… that would…”
I noticed his eyes, it was clear he was hiding something. Drops of sweat fell on red cheeks.
“Of course it's because of the curse.”
I burst into anger. Unable to bear it, he blurted out a self-deprecating statement:
“So what exactly is the curse?”
The captain's eyes widened, confused:
"I don't know. A healthy person suddenly passed away, how can we know."
I decided to ask in more detail:
"Did she have injuries on her body? Was the body examined?"
He was a bit confused and replied:
“Of course, anyone who dies in the palace is investigated.”
“But is there still nothing unusual?”
He bowed his head:
“Make sure… the body has absolutely no injuries.”
“There is no wound but there is still blood?”
“It… is because of the curse…”
He avoided my eyes.
Everything is attributed to the curse. But I knew the dream showed her being poisoned, it couldn't just be a curse. I cannot casually mention poison, otherwise I will be considered crazy.
I change the question:
“The family… Did they react at all when their daughter died like that?”
He smirked:
“Maybe there was enough compensation so they wouldn't complain.”
“…Compensation.”
My heart aches. He hastily added:
"I really don't know anymore. I... have to take another shift now."
He staggered away and I watched for a long time.
“Compensation huh…”
I thought to myself, how about blocking my mouth with money... A bitter feeling filled my throat.
I also met a few other servants, all of whom witnessed the death of the previous Prince Consort candidate. Everyone was stunned and repeated like parrots:
"I don't know anything. It's all a curse. It has nothing to do with it."
Faced with that steady answer, my face looked pale. The steps were heavy, and in the end it was almost like dragging.
“Princess, are you okay?”
All day searching for the palace, my legs were tired. I sighed, patting my swollen calf.
“Can't find any clues…”
I thought they were hiding it, but I didn't expect there to be nothing left to know.
At this time, Delfina put the cold wet cloth on my leg and massaged it.
“It must be difficult to answer frankly, this is extremely sensitive.”
“If only I could meet the family.”
But I have no reason to meet them. There was no previous connection, and the current Prince Concubine meeting the previous candidate's family was unsightly.
“Very difficult, sir.”
“They tried to completely hide something.”
Delfina silently bowed her head.
Even though my mind was chaotic, at least one thing became clear.