Chapter 22. The mystery of precognition
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Susan took me to a forest near the village.
After about 20 minutes of walking on a well-maintained forest path, we were rewarded with a jaw-dropping view.
The stunning landscape was a meadow. A vast green meadow as far as the eye could see.
The fragrant grasses smelled wonderful, and the mountain ridge behind the meadow provided a stunning backdrop.
"This is a hidden spot in Ezra, a meadow that only the people of Carson Village know about."
Carson Village. That was the name of the town I lived in.
"Nice."
"It's nice, isn't it? Renee stays home most of the time, so I figured she wouldn't know about this place if it wasn't for me."
"Thank you."
I meant it.
I didn't trust Susan completely, of course, but I trusted her the most of anyone in this village.
"Come on, let's go to the shade of the trees, your sun allergy will be fine."
Susan grabbed my wrist and we walked to the base of a tree in the meadow.
The tree we were under had a wide base and large leaves that blocked the sun's rays.
I looked up and watched the sunlight break through the leaves.
The cloudless sky looked so peaceful.
‘Eddie. Are you seeing this? It's a beautiful day.’
While I was admiring the sky, Susan laid out the seats and pulled out a small snack she had packed for us.
It was home-baked bread and a drink.
"Come on, sit down."
"Yes, Susan."
"And eat your fill."
Susan took a seat and handed me the bread.
"Thank you."
"Renee is so skinny, she doesn't eat enough, does she?"
"No, I eat three good meals a day."
I never skipped a meal, even for Eddie's sake. I wanted him to grow strong inside me.
"Good, then."
Susan smiled and took a big bite of bread.
She seemed like a really nice person.
I was grateful that she always thought of me when I was alone.
Thanks to her, I felt like I had a friend I hadn't had in a long time.
Part of me felt guilty.
I hadn't even shown her my true face.
But it was inevitable.
From what little news I'd heard from the Lopez Empire, my father and brother had been working hard to find me.
It was necessary to be careful until they gave me up completely, until they forgot about me.
If I was to live happily ever after with Eddie, I could never be tied to my past. Never.
"Even though you’re allergic to sunlight, you should still go out in the daylight sometimes and get some fresh air."
Susan had a cute little nagging voice, like she was my sister.
It reminded me of Matilda.
None of the news from the Lopez Empire I'd heard had mentioned that the maid who had been close to the princess had been arrested because of her disappearance.
Perhaps my brother had taken good care of her, as I had asked him to.
Or maybe he was watching her quietly.
"Susan, I don't know how many times I've told you, but thank you so much, you're the reason I'll be coming here from time to time."
"Oh, it's no big deal, stop thanking me!"
"Okay."
"You know, Renee should meet someone nice soon, so you can go hang out with them................"
"..."
"Have you ever thought about getting married?"
The answer to that question came straight out.
"No, I don't. I just want to live alone."
I could hide the fact that I was pregnant because I was not pregnant now, but if I ever get pregnant, I would have to tell only Susan.
That I loved a man, that I had his child, that he died, and that I decided to raise the child alone.
It was a half-true, half-false story.
But once I erased Henderson from my mind...... he was as good as dead to me.
"Gee, alone is good sometimes................ I don't know what's going on with you, but don't close your heart too tightly, you never know what might happen."
"Thanks for the advice, but I don't think I can keep someone by my side unless they're a really good person."
I wasn't sure I could love someone again.
I didn't even remember what love was like.
And I was so sad that my love had ended.
If love was so painful and sad, I didn't want to love again.
"Oh, no. Something bad must have happened."
"..."
I smiled bitterly instead of answering.
The conversation lulled for a moment, and I finished looking around the meadow.
As I relaxed and looked out over the meadow, I realized something I hadn't realized before.
‘This place feels strangely familiar.’
The view was familiar, even though I had never been here before.
I scratched my head and tried to recall the reason for my vision.
Then I heard Susan's voice, which had been silent for a while.
"Hey, do you see that guy? I think he's painting. He looks pretty good from a distance, but what do you think when he's up close?"
Susan wiped her crusty lips with her sleeve and put on the lip gloss she'd packed.
Her eyes sparkled like bright sunshine as she looked up at the handsome man.
It made her look so girlish and cute.
I cast my gaze to where she was looking.
There, just as she said, was a man sitting on a small stool.
In front of him was a white canvas, and he was painting wildly with a brush.
Every now and then, he'd sweep his hair.
Strangely enough, it all looked like a staged scene.
In other words, he didn't seem to be trying hard to paint, but rather to look good.
I even seemed to be entranced by the way he was painting.
Due to the distance between us, I couldn't see the man's face.
But I could see that his hair resembled the color of the sky.
'Light blue hair? And a great appearance?’
For some reason, these things seemed familiar.
The identity of the strange vision suddenly dawned on me, and a chill ran up my arm.
'This meadow. It looks like a painting I saw in an inn with Bordeaux.'
And Bordeaux had light-blue hair and excellent acting skills.
I even remembered a conversation I'd had with Bordeaux before.
"Do you like that painting?"
"Yes. It's nice. Who painted it, a famous artist?"
"No. I drew it."
I realized that the dapper man was Bordeaux.
"Oh my God................"
I couldn't contain my surprise. I pulled the ends of my hood down to further hide my face.
Of course, it might not be Bordeaux, but if he was....................
"Susan. Why don't we end our picnic now, I'm sorry to say, but I've suddenly got a bad feeling in my stomach."
I chose to run away.
I thought of Bordeaux occasionally, but it wasn't that I wanted to see him again.
He even knew that I had crossed over from the Lopez empire. In many ways, it was right not to get involved.
"Is it a sun allergy? I heard it makes you nauseous if you're allergic to it! Go back home."
"Yes, I think so. I'll go back and make some tea, and I think I’ll be fine without sunlight."
"Okay."
We quickly cleaned up where we had been sitting.
I put the unfinished bread in the basket Susan had brought with her and folded up the rug.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
I lifted my lowered gaze and felt as if I had made eye contact with someone.
"...!"
It was Bordeaux, whom I had been trying to avoid.
Despite the distance, I could feel his gaze locked on me.
The goosebumps that had risen on my forearms now covered my entire body.
I froze in place.
I desperately hoped he didn't recognize me, but.....................
"Honey!"
His booming voice echoed across the meadow.
‘This lunatic…’
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