Chapter 1190: Not a Disaster Star [Part 4]

Kaelmor’s voice echoed through the rebuilding world. "You may have your beautiful life, your loving father, and your precious stolen name." He smiled as the darkness swallowed her. "But you will never leave it."

Aurelia reached desperately toward her father. "NO!"

Kaelmor laughed. "Welcome to your happy ending, Celestine."

And the nightmare began again. The same mansion. The same celebration. The same two sisters. Except one was a prisoner. And the other was her jailer.

The memory finally shattered, leaving behind the horrifying truth.

Aurelia hadn’t willingly remained inside this dream for years. She had been tricked into accepting a bargain whose price she never understood. And Kaelmor had turned her greatest desire into the very chains that kept her imprisoned.

Lullaby opened her eyes.

The ruined ballroom returned around her, replacing the horrifying memories she’d just witnessed. Broken tables littered the marble floor, the chandeliers flickered overhead, and somewhere across the room, a particularly expensive vase shattered against a pillar.

Apparently, Lux was still having a very enthusiastic disagreement with the false Aurelia.

Lullaby blinked slowly. Then her expression darkened. "Oh..." She looked at the trembling woman sitting before her. "So that’s why everything keeps repeating on the day of the banquet."

The realization made her stomach twist.

For nine loops, she and Yue had tried separating the twins, believing that the woman in blue was the prisoner who needed rescuing. Every attempt had ended with the nightmare collapsing and beginning again. But the banquet wasn’t merely a celebration.

It was the day Aurelia had lost everything. And the day Kaelmor had taken possession of her.

"You’re afraid she’ll leave," Lullaby murmured, looking toward the false Aurelia. "So you keep repeating the same cycle. You let her enjoy her father’s affection, the guests’ admiration, and all those beautiful things she wanted. But whenever she gets close to remembering what happened..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"...you start everything over."

Aurelia’s fingers tightened around Lullaby’s hands. "I remember..." Her voice was barely audible. "I remember it..."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

The memories had returned, but so had the pain accompanying them. She remembered her sister’s jealousy, her father’s disappointment, and the terrible moment Celestine disappeared over the cliff.

Worse, she remembered the banquet. The screams. The blood. Her father’s final expression.

"I don’t want this..." She shook her head desperately. "I don’t want any of this anymore..." Her shoulders trembled. "Please..."

Yue crouched beside Lullaby, her expression unusually serious. "What happened?"

Lullaby glanced at her. "I’ll explain later."

Yue studied her face for a moment. Whatever Lullaby had witnessed inside Aurelia’s memories had clearly changed her understanding of the nightmare. And considering the Sloth’s Daughter rarely looked this awake without someone threatening her favorite pillow, Yue decided the explanation could wait.

Lullaby gently brushed Aurelia’s tears away. "Aurelia."

The woman slowly raised her head.

"Do you want to leave?"

Aurelia stared at her. "Leave...?"

"Yes. This place. This mansion. This entire nightmare." Lullaby’s voice remained soft, but there was no hesitation in it. "None of this is real anymore. Your father, your sister, the servants... They’re all memories. Your family died a long time ago."

Aurelia flinched.

Lullaby squeezed her hands. "I know it hurts. But staying here won’t bring them back."

The woman lowered her eyes. For so long, she’d convinced herself that perhaps the dream was enough. Her father still smiled. The servants still greeted her. Every day, she could wear beautiful dresses and enjoy the admiration she’d been denied throughout her childhood. But none of them truly saw her. They saw Celestine. Even in her happiest moments, Aurelia had never been allowed to exist.

Lullaby leaned closer. "You don’t want to be trapped here forever, do you?"

Aurelia remained silent. Then, slowly, she shook her head. "No..."

"Then wake up."

Aurelia looked at her.

"Stop this, Aurelia. It’s your dream. You don’t have to keep living inside his nightmare."

The words settled between them. And for the first time, Aurelia looked beyond the beautiful ballroom. Her gaze landed on Lux. He was fighting the false Aurelia near the far end of the room.

And frankly?

He looked terrible.

His luxurious black-and-gold coat was torn at the shoulder, his hair had become a magnificent disaster, and blood stained the corner of his mouth.

Lux ducked beneath a vicious punch, caught his opponent’s arm, and drove his knee into her stomach.

The woman retaliated by slamming her elbow against his ribs.

Lux staggered. "Ugh!"

He caught himself against a table, breathing heavily. "Your Majesty... have you ever considered taking up a less irritating hobby?"

The woman snarled and attacked again.

Lux barely avoided her.

Aurelia watched in silence. Something about the sight hurt her. Those three strangers had entered her nightmare. They had fought through its defenses, uncovered the truth, and endured dangers they had absolutely no obligation to face.

And unlike her... They weren’t part of this world. Their strength was limited. Their bodies could be injured. Their magic barely worked. They could become exhausted. Yet they continued fighting.

For her.

A woman they didn’t even know.

Aurelia’s lips trembled. "That woman..."

Lullaby followed her gaze.

Aurelia swallowed. "She’s... that king?"

Yue’s eyes sharpened.

Aurelia stared at the false version of herself. "Kaelmor..."

The moment she spoke his name, something changed.

The false Aurelia froze.

Lux noticed immediately. "Oh?"

The woman’s body flickered.

Her dark-blue dress dissolved into black mist, and her feminine silhouette stretched unnaturally. Her face changed. Her shoulders broadened. The long hair shortened, revealing the cold, handsome features of the man Aurelia remembered from her sister’s bedroom. A regal figure stood where the false Aurelia had been.

Kaelmor.

Or rather, the image of Kaelmor preserved inside Aurelia’s nightmare. Not the real king. Merely the jailer he’d left behind.

Lux stared at him. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh, now that’s progress!" He straightened, wiping blood from his lower lip. "Finally! I was getting tired of punching a woman who looked like our rescue target."

Kaelmor looked down at himself. He examined his hands, then the luxurious dark attire that had replaced the blue dress. A faint smile appeared. "Well..." His voice was deeper now. Smooth. Unpleasantly familiar. "My dear Aurelia." He turned toward the woman beside Lullaby. "You’ve finally remembered."

Aurelia recoiled.

Kaelmor’s smile widened. "How unfortunate."

The ballroom trembled.

Cracks spread across the marble floor, and several chandeliers swayed overhead.

Kaelmor ignored them.

Instead, he regarded Aurelia with the patient disappointment of a teacher watching a particularly foolish student. "Tell me, my dear. Have you decided to leave this paradise?"

Aurelia tightened her grip around Lullaby’s hand.

Kaelmor chuckled. "To see the world?" He spread his arms. "What world?" His smile sharpened. "Your family is dead. Everyone you loved has disappeared. The people who once knew you are probably dust by now."

Aurelia’s face paled.

"Your precious luck? Gone. Your reputation? Meaningless. And your beautiful little mansion..." He glanced around the collapsing ballroom. "...belongs to a past that no longer exists."

Lullaby frowned.

Yue’s fingers curled into fists.

But Kaelmor continued. "Out there, you have nothing."

Aurelia trembled.

"Here, at least, you can be loved." His expression softened into something almost affectionate. "Here, you can be Celestine forever."

Aurelia lowered her head. For a moment, the temptation returned. The familiar temptation. The same terrible desire that had made her accept his hand all those years ago.

What if he was right?

What if the outside world had nothing waiting for her?

What if she woke up only to discover that everyone she’d ever known had vanished?

She had already lost so much.

Could she really endure losing the last remnants of her happiness?

Then she remembered her father’s face. Not the smiling father who greeted Celestine every morning. The dying man who had looked at her with horror. She remembered the little puppy. And the girl she’d once been, before her sister taught her to hate herself.

Aurelia slowly raised her head. "No..."

Kaelmor tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"Something..." Her voice shook. "Something must still be left for me outside."

Kaelmor smiled. "Oh?" He approached. "Like what?"

Aurelia opened her mouth.

But before she could answer...

"Like this!"

A fist slammed into Kaelmor’s face. The impact snapped his head sideways and sent him crashing backward into a marble pillar. Stone cracked. Dust exploded outward. And Lux stood where Kaelmor had been, his fist still extended.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Lux slowly lowered his arm. "Huff..." He flexed his aching fingers. "Damn." He glanced at the fallen king. "That feels nice."

A wicked grin spread across his face.

He’d been waiting for that opportunity for quite some time.

Punching a dream construct wasn’t nearly as satisfying as punching the real Kaelmor, naturally. But beggars couldn’t be choosers. Especially when the universe had temporarily confiscated his demonic powers and reduced him to fighting with furniture like an exceptionally wealthy tavern criminal.

Lux rolled his shoulders, wincing at the pain in his ribs. He turned toward Aurelia.