The Man in My Dreams

CHAPTER 6: The Revelation

Chapter Six: The Revelation

YORRIS

"Zarianna Yorris Rhalia Villamor has returned."

A loud voice echoed, silencing the once noisy room. Everyone in this unfamiliar place turned to look at me. I was more confused and startled. To my surprise, they all bowed in unison. Overwhelmed, I didn't know how to react. This place was new to me, and I was sure it wasn't my house. The people here weren't my guests either. I couldn't remember how and why I ended up in this place. The last thing I remembered was telling Lina I was going to the bathroom. But when I reached the door, it opened on its own, revealing this unfamiliar setting. Did I go to the wrong place? No, it was definitely my house, and I was sure I headed towards our bathroom.

I spotted Van at the far end. Like me, he looked confused and surprised, his face a mirror of my own bewilderment. Why was he here? He had left the party in a hurry, yet here he was. But my attention was quickly drawn back to the bowing figures around me.

Panicking, I realized they were still bowing. I didn't understand why they were bowing to me, but I needed to do something. They would soon tire. They weren't robots immune to fatigue.

I approached those bowing nearest to me to tell them it was okay to stand up when several figures suddenly blocked my path.

"Apologies, young lady, but Primo has forbidden anyone from touching or approaching you." Said by one of the guards while bowing.

"This way, young lady, Primo is waiting for you." He added.

I wanted to protest, feeling a pang of guilt and concern for those bowing to me, but I realized prolonging this would only worsen their discomfort. Instead of complaining, I nodded, about to bow in return when the guard quickly turned and said, "You must not bow or thank us, young lady. We will be punished and lose our jobs if you do so to any of us here." His words shocked me further, and I was puzzled by their address, calling me 'young lady'. I tried to ignore my increasing bewilderment and followed them.

As I walked, those I passed by slowly stood up from their bows. Even the guards lining the sides resumed their stance. If only I had known this would get them to stand, I would have done it sooner.

While walking, I couldn't help but glance around. Faces showed awe and smiles, but my confusion grew as they would bow and seem to apologize whenever I looked at them, avoiding my gaze.

"Z-Zarianna." I looked at Van when he spoke my first name. Normally, he called me 'baby', unlike everyone else who called me Yorris, except for Lina, who had always called me Zarianna since I was a child.

When I finally reached Van, I approached him immediately.

"Van, what happened? Why are you here? And why am I here?" I asked, confused. He was about to respond when someone spoke from beside me.

"Welcome home, my daughter." He embraced me. His words filled me with more questions. What was he talking about? My parents had been gone for a long time, and I didn't know if they were alive or dead. I had never even seen them. Why did he call me daughter?

He released me from his embrace and kissed my forehead. I looked at him, and he looked back at me. Why did he resemble my brother? The man in front of me was in his 50s, by my estimate based on his appearance. Upon closer inspection, his face shape and nose looked like an older version of my brother. But I was still confused and curious.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know who you are. I don't know why you hugged me suddenly, and mainly, I can't figure out why you are saying these things to me." Despite my confusion, I managed to speak the truth. I couldn't pretend in front of everyone. But my confusion deepened when he responded with a genuine smile.

I turned to Van, but he looked just as confused. His face clearly showed his bewilderment. I turned back to the man who had hugged me and called me daughter. Again, he smiled, showing his perfect teeth. He patted my shoulder before speaking.

"I know you're confused, which is why I prepared something to enlighten you. Come, have a seat first and look at this." I followed him without question. He guided me to a seat beside him.

A large hologram appeared in the center. I read the words displayed:
"Welcome to the Telluric Kingdom, Zarianna Yorris Rhalia Villamor." Everyone applauded, and for the second time, they bowed to me in unison, greeting me simultaneously.

"Welcome back, Your Highness." I didn't know how to respond to their greeting. I simply smiled and focused on the hologram as it showed a man holding a young boy and a pregnant woman.

Wait, that's my brother. I knew it from the many childhood photos we had at home. And the man holding him was the one sitting next to me now. My confusion doubled, but I didn't ask any questions. I continued watching.

"Daddy, I can't wait to meet my little sister." My brother's words were clear despite his young age. The man, who I now knew was our father, laughed.

"Yes, we will meet your sister next month, son." He replied, smiling.

"Daddy, does Mom really love my sister?" My brother asked. The pregnant woman and the man exchanged glances.

"Of course, baby. I love your sister very much." The pregnant woman answered, caressing her big belly.

"Then why did you eat her?" My brother's innocent question widened the eyes of both parents.

"No, no, baby. I didn't eat your sister, okay? I love your sister very much, and just like you, your dad and I can't wait to see and meet your sister too."

"Make her come out now, Mommy. I want to see her."

"I will, baby, but let's wait one more month, okay?" My brother nodded.

The scene shifted to the woman's labor. She struggled to give birth. It took a long time before she finally delivered a baby girl. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she kissed and held the newborn.

"Zarianna Yorris Rhalia Villamor, you have such a beautiful name, my child, just like you." The woman said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Mommy?" I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. Someone touched my back, but I didn't turn to look. My tears flowed even more at what happened next. Mommy had difficulty breathing. But she still managed to speak.

"I-I love you so much, my child. I-I love you." She said weakly, then closed her eyes. She held the baby to her chest, crying. Daddy rushed in, trying to wake Mommy, but she didn't respond. Panic set in as he checked her pulse, but it was no longer there. Daddy began to cry uncontrollably. The nurses took the crying baby away, leaving Daddy to embrace Mommy.

I sobbed, feeling the pain. Mommy died giving birth to me. She died because of me. I wiped my tears as the hologram continued to show more of the story.

-Anniarian