Chapter 3: Loophole

The room we were in was elegantly decorated. Plush velvet drapes adorned the tall windows, and the soft glow of crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling. The walls were adorned with portraits of long-deceased family members, and an ornate dining table stood in the center, where we had been sitting.

I, on the other hand, was still as a rock, feeling a sense of déjà vu. I was back, but...

"Huh?" The small girl who sat in front of me looked at me with a surprised expression, her eyes widening. But soon, her eyes welled up with tears as she hastily got up from her seat.

"Hey..." I got up from the chair, which was noticeably smaller compared to my size. It had a cushion on it.

"Mommy!!!!" Crying out loudly, Aurora ran out of the room, which was connected to a grand hall.

I recognized this place as the setting where our engagement was decided. But it felt strange.

As I looked around the room, I noticed something unusual. My height was the same. Like every time I came back, I was always in my younger form, but this time...

"What's happening?" I muttered.

Thud*

I flinched as I looked at the door that was swung open. Coming inside was a woman, not more than twenty-four years old in age. Her long raven hair reached her waist and was braided, and her grey eyes wandered around the room and stopped when she spotted me.

Before I knew it, I was no longer on my spot.

"How cruel of you to make such a sweet girl cry, Asher!" the woman said as she walked into the room. "You should be more caring to your soon-to-be fiancée." Her words came to an abrupt halt.

"Mom!" I practically tackled her. This, no matter how many times it happened, was the only thing I didn't regret about coming back to this loop. Seeing my mother.

"W-what happened!? Asher! You... why are you this grown up? What's happening?" Her words were directed at me, but it took me a second to think. I was just happy to see her.

I tried to squeeze the hug tighter, but...

"Ugh," I had nothing. "Mother?" I looked at my empty hands. Where is she?

I looked around, but the room was now empty. "Mother!" I called at the top of my lungs.

Leaving the room, I dashed out, searching frantically for anyone, the mansion's grandeur turning suffocatingly empty. "Hey! Anyone!" I screamed, but my voice seemed to vanish into an abyss of silence.

What's happening?

There was no one in the manor, an eerie hollowness enveloping the opulence that once thrived here. I sprinted through its vast hallways and countless rooms, my desperate footsteps echoing in the emptiness.

I've lived and relived this moment countless times, subjected to the same torment on an endless loop. Engagement, relentless lessons, the heart-wrenching loss of my mother, and my eventual disownment—all in excruciating repetition. Why couldn't this cycle break?

And now, my mother's absence struck me with dread. This time was different, and the unknown terrified me.

"..." As I ran, something snapped deep within me. I came to a sudden halt, my feet anchored to the ground.

My heart raced, and my surroundings seemed to blur and close in. Each gasping breath was a struggle, as though an unseen force was tightening its grip around my chest.

"Why can't this end!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs, a surge of pent-up frustration and despair erupting from within me.

And in that pivotal moment, I felt my vision fragmenting, a kaleidoscope of colors cascading into a singular, all-encompassing shade of golden.

[Do you want it to end?]

"Yes," I whispered, a tear escaping my eye. It was a plea born from the depths of my soul, a desperate cry to break free from the relentless cycle that had bound me for far too long.

And then...

"Ughh-!!!!" My eyes widened as an unbearable pressure clamped down on my throat, squeezing the very life out of me.

The golden light began to take form, coalescing into a humanoid figure. Its arms extended and clenched around my neck, like a vice closing in.

I was ripped away from that moment, thrown back into the familiar blue of the world. This time, there were still figures around me, their mouths moving frantically, but their voices were nothing more than muffled echoes.

[If you want it to end, then remember.]

And that was the first time I clearly heard the mysterious figure's voice, a voice filled with desperation.

[Say... ɪmˈbreɪs ˈmaɪθoʊs]

[Remember it, when the time is right, say it.]

And then, as that oppressive grip on my throat tightened further, it felt as though all life had been snuffed out of me. Darkness pressed in from all sides, and a cold, unrelenting force consumed me.

Was this the end? Had I finally found peace?

But I immediately regretted that fleeting notion as...

"Haaaaaaaaaaaa," the sound was a guttural gasp, and I could feel the phantom sensation of air rushing back into my lungs. Then, as though propelled by some unseen force, I was launched from the abyss.

My body hit something soft, and a sharp, almost electric jolt shot through me.

"Haa haaa... w-what?" I stammered, my mind reeling as I looked down at my surroundings. I was sprawled on my bed?

Sweat poured down my forehead, and my hand shot up instinctively to wipe it away. My skin was clammy, and I could almost taste the metallic tang of fear in the back of my throat.

"I'm back?" I muttered, my voice quivering, and a profound sense of disbelief washed over me.

I sprang out of bed, the impact on the floor echoing through the room.

Thud*

My foot slipped, but I managed to regain my footing, stumbling to my feet. I steadied myself by clutching onto the edges of the bedside table, then hurriedly moved to stand in front of the mirror.

It was my mirror, the one I had been given when I was first placed in this room, and the reflection staring back at me... I couldn't believe it.

I am sixteen again? But I was just sixteen, too a few moments before I slept... I was supposed to be nine years old after last night.

Dash*

Leaving my room, I entered the hallway, my surroundings feeling both strange and familiar.

Outside in the main hall, a maid was busy with her tasks, and I could see her from where I stood. What was her name again? I couldn't quite remember, but that wasn't my immediate concern.

"Hey!" I called out to her, my voice gruff and raw, my throat aching as though it had been strained.

"Eek!" Whatever she had been carrying fell to the ground with a clumsy clatter, drawing the attention of every servant in the house.

"What time is it!?" I demanded, my voice louder than it had ever been. They weren't used to this, not used to me speaking at all, as I rarely spoke to anyone other than myself.

"S-six in the morning! Young master!" She replied, her voice trembling as she frantically collected the dropped items.

"And the date?" I inquired, my anxiety mounting.

"31'st of Solaris!" She replied, her fear palpable. But her answer...

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck." I muttered, my hands clutching my head as I sank to the ground.

The ball had been on the 30th of Solaris, and I had never seen the 31st for about 21 years. But now...

"It has ended!!!" My voice rose to an ecstatic pitch. It meant this was finally the end.