Garden of Withered Roses || ON HIATUS

If Nothing, We Have Each Other

"Did you hear? Lady Hilise had angered Lord Diego again." One of the maids whispered as Penelope passed by. She shot them a glare but then immediately felt stupid since they couldn't see her.

"I'm quite the idiot, aren't I." She thinks as she buries her head in her hands while running to Hilise's room.

Suddenly, she heard a small sob. It was a sob that was meant to be concealed yet you let it out because if you bottle it up, it'll hurt even more. Penelope knew that all too well. She took a small peek through the gap in her door.

It was a pitiful sight. Hilise was lying on her bed facing the wall, every now and then a small sob escaped her lips. Penelope wondered if she had looked this pitiful whenever she spent her nights crying. She quietly sat beside her and tried to hug her, she wanted to slap herself for being that stupid but somehow, Hilise felt her touch.

She quickly sat up and directly looked at Penelope. She was, there was no other word for it, utterly mortified.I mean who wouldn't be, a stranger just hugged her out of nowhere.

"Who are you?" Hilise said, her voice barely over a whisper.

"Y-You.. You can see me?"

She blinked once, twice. Hilise even pinched her arm. Yes, she was not dreaming. There is indeed a complete stranger in her bedroom and apparently, she wasn't supposed to be seen, though in her opinion, the lady was doing a horrible job at keeping her presence concealed seeing as she just hugged her.

"I- Yes. I..I can see you."

"I'm a spirit. She shouldn't have been able to feel that." Penelope thought.

Hilise rested her head against the headboard of the bed. She was puzzled. Could the woman be a thief? No, she was dressed quite extravagantly and if she was indeed trying to rob her, she wouldn't have attempted to comfort her.

"Pardon my rudeness, but what are you doing in my bedchamber?" Hilise said, hoping that her tone wasn't rude.

"Huh. I'm the one who trespassed into her room and yet she's the one apologizing."

"I'm dead, I had gone through countless time loops to stop a demon that had possessed the duke's real daughter and now my soul is supposed to be shattered but somehow I'm here!" No, it sounded stupid. She would most definitely seem stupid if she said that aloud.

"I- Would you believe me if I said I was dead?" She muttered, averting her gaze elsewhere.

"I'm dreaming. No, I've gone crazy. There's a dead person. I can see a dead person."

Of course she wouldn't believe her. How is she gonna get herself out of this mess? God, she didn't even know how she ended up in her estate. She'll have to be explaining for a while.

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"Then...Then if you're a soul how...can I see you? How did you hug me" Hilise stuttered, at a loss for words at what the lady had admitted to her.

"Yes, I admit it does sound...bizarre." Penelope hesitated, was it foolish of her to confide about her time loops in a child? Surely not. After all, who would believe her?

"But why did you come looking for me? If-if I were a soul I would've wanted to watch a more interesting life... like Gabrielle's.." Hilise muttered, Penelope glanced at her.

"Why would I? You're interesting as well, you know!" Penelope smiled, after all Hilise was but a child, there was no harm in keeping her dreams intact.

"From now on I'll always be by your side!"

"Not that I can do anything else if I wanted to."