Chapter 1184: The Truth [Part 4]

For several seconds, the ballroom remained unnaturally silent.

The black spikes had stopped moving, the chandeliers hung crookedly from the cracked ceiling, and hundreds of shadowy figures stood motionless around the ruined banquet tables. The entire nightmare seemed to be waiting for someone to make the next move.

Then a soft laugh broke the silence.

"Oh, how wonderful."

The woman in blue slowly applauded.

Her delicate hands came together with an almost insulting elegance, and the smile on her face widened as she regarded Lux with open amusement.

"So you’ve figured out her little secret. Congratulations, Duke Vaelthorn. Shall I arrange a medal? Perhaps a parade? I’m afraid our royal treasury is rather limited at the moment, but I’m sure we can find something suitably shiny for a man of your expensive tastes."

Lux stared at her.

Even as a woman inside someone else’s nightmare, Kaelmor apparently possessed the same talent for making Lux want to commit several acts of violence before breakfast.

"Tempting," Lux replied. "But I’d prefer your head on a silver platter."

"How barbaric."

"I can request a gold platter if you’re feeling underappreciated."

The woman laughed again.

Then her smile sharpened.

"And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

Lux raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Her."

She pointed toward the trembling woman in his arms. "Are you going to kill her? Punish her for stealing her sister’s identity? Drag her before some imaginary court and demand justice for poor, dead Celestine?"

Aurelia flinched.

Lux felt her fingers tighten around his coat.

The woman in blue tilted her head.

"You can’t kill her, you know. If she dies, this dream collapses. And considering how little authority your sleepy little friend possesses here, I wouldn’t recommend testing what happens when the foundation of a prison disappears beneath your feet."

Lullaby’s expression darkened. "Sleepy little friend?"

Yue placed a hand on her shoulder. "Later."

"No, I want to complain now."

Lux, however, was staring at the woman in blue with renewed interest. "I see."

Her smile remained.

"So you’re self-aware."

The woman blinked. Then laughed. "Oh, please. Of course I am."

She spread her arms, allowing the dark-blue fabric of her gown to flow around her like water. "It’s my job to keep her here."

Lux said nothing.

The woman continued, almost conversationally. "She’s tortured by guilt, but she cannot escape it. And the funniest part? She doesn’t even want to."

Aurelia lowered her head.

"This life is everything she ever wanted. Love. Admiration. A father’s affection. Servants who smile when she enters a room. People who celebrate her existence instead of blaming her for every unfortunate thing that happens."

The woman’s eyes glittered. "Why would she abandon all that?"

Lux remained silent.

Because, unfortunately, the bastard had a point.

Aurelia wasn’t trapped inside an unfamiliar nightmare where every moment was suffering.

She was trapped inside her greatest wish.

The life she’d stolen from her dead sister.

The affection she’d always craved.

The identity that finally allowed her to exist without being hated.

And every beautiful moment came with the knowledge that none of it truly belonged to her.

What a vicious arrangement.

Give someone everything they’d ever wanted, then make the price of enjoying it the memory of someone they’d lost.

Classic Kaelmor.

Lux almost admired the efficiency.

The woman in blue leaned forward. "She’s free to confess whenever she likes. Free to tell her father the truth. Free to admit that the Lucky Star is dead." Her smile turned cruel. "But she won’t."

Aurelia began crying again.

"Because she knows what happens afterward. The love disappears. The admiration disappears. And everyone looks at her the way they used to."

Lux’s jaw tightened. "So you don’t even need chains."

"Exactly." The woman smiled brightly. "She holds them herself."

For a moment, Lux looked down at Aurelia.

Her face was buried against his chest, her shoulders shaking beneath his arm.

He could feel her desperation.

Her terror.

And something else.

A terrible reluctance to surrender the life she had built.

Yes.

This was going to be a problem.

A very expensive problem, emotionally speaking.

And Lux absolutely hated investments with uncertain returns.

"Yeah," he muttered. "That complicates things."

The woman in blue looked delighted. "Finally, something we agree on."

Lux sighed. "But..." He slowly released Aurelia, leaving one hand resting lightly against her shoulder. "...that doesn’t mean I don’t know what to do."

The woman’s smile faltered.

Lux turned toward a nearby banquet table.

Several silver dinner knives lay scattered across its ruined surface.

He picked up two. Examined their edges. Then sighed again. "Honestly, whoever designed these utensils deserves imprisonment. I’ve seen sharper butter."

"What are you—"

Lux threw the first knife.

The woman in blue jerked sideways.

The blade passed her cheek and struck the wall.

Lux immediately threw the second.

She ducked.

The knife sliced through a lock of her hair.

Her eyes widened. "Oh?"

Lux smiled. No barrier, teleportation and magical deflection.

She’d dodged. Physically. Just like him.

Lux’s grin became positively wicked. "Well, well." He picked up another knife. "So even the great Kaelmor doesn’t have magic in this dream."

The woman straightened.

Her expression cooled.

Lux twirled the knife between his fingers.

"At least you’ve given me a few useful clues."

He pointed the blade toward her.

"You’re the one keeping her trapped."

The woman’s smile returned.

"And?"

"And that means I don’t necessarily need to break the dream."

Lux’s eyes narrowed.

"I just need to deal with you."

He glanced toward Yue and Lullaby.

"Protect Aurelia."

Yue frowned.

"Lux—"

"Don’t let the shadows touch her. Don’t let her run. And whatever happens, don’t let that blue-dressed parasite get close to her."

Lullaby nodded immediately.

Yue looked at the woman in blue, then at Lux.

"You’re fighting Kaelmor without your powers?"

Lux smiled.

"Technically, I’m fighting a woman wearing his personality."

"That doesn’t make it better!"

"Of course it does. I can punch him without worrying about royal diplomatic consequences."

And with that... Lux lunged.