Choosing The Villainess As My Mother

Chapter 66 - The Haunting of Althea

˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ

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Althea Melody (POV)

I'm just sitting here, staring at the wall, lost in my thoughts...

I slept peacefully last night, despite the scary stories from Mother, Maddie, and Mr. Bosworth. They stayed with me until I fell asleep.

But what the heck did I dream about last night? Those nightmares scared the heck out of me.

"Dear, are you alright? You look like you didn't sleep well last night," Mother Cynthia said, concern as we sat in the dining room.

"Oh, um... I just had a really strange dream last night, Mother," I replied, noticing Mother Cynthia's fork pausing mid-air and the maids stealing glances at me, even Mr. Bosworth.

Suddenly, Mother got up from her chair and began checking my arms and neck. I wasn't sure why; was it related to my dream somehow?

"Oh, thank goodness, there aren't any burn marks on your body," Mother Cynthia said, her voice filled with relief. I fell silent.

(Uh...)

"Burns? Why? Is it about those children from the orphanage again?" I asked, feeling a sudden heat rising in my body.

(Is it just me, or is it getting hotter in here?)

"My miss, you look like you didn't get much sleep last night," Maddie observed.

"Oh, I just had a few nightmares from the stories last night," I admitted.

"Dear, are you alright? You're sweating," Mother Cynthia said, her concern deepening as Maddie gently wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Dear, could you look me in the eyes?" Mother Cynthia requested.

(Huh? Why, though?)

"Oh, okay," I replied with a smile as Mother Cynthia gasped.

"Dear..." she said, her voice filled with concern, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My miss, the reflection in your eyes is different," Maddie observed.

"My goodness, did you go outside onto the balcony and those children see you?" Mother Cynthia exclaimed.

(Could it be? That's incredible.)

"I'm fine, though. I'm still here," I reassured them, but Mother Cynthia leaned in to examine my eyes more closely.

"You can't go outside today," she declared firmly.

"Doors and windows must be locked in this villa tonight; Mother will sleep next to you to guard you," Mother Cynthia declared.

"Am I going to be taken away too?" I asked with a smile.

"Don't smile! It's not something to smile about," Mother Cynthia scolded, her expression stern.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, turning my attention back to my food.

"Your grace, there are handprints outside on the balcony inside the little lady's room. We tried to clean it, but it won't come off," another maid reported, prompting Mother Cynthia to look at me.

"There are lots of handprints," the other maid added.

(Why are they trying to scare me like this?)

(And also, why was this kind of thing never written in the novel?)

(Is this even my sister's novel?)

"It seems like those children wanted to come inside the little lady's room that night, but they couldn't take her. That's why the lady is still here," the head maid speculated.

"It could be," Maddie agreed, looking concerned.

I glanced at Mr. Bosworth, who had been silent the entire time, his gaze fixed on me.

(Why is Mr. Bosworth staring at me like that?)

"I will have to go to that place and bring offerings for them. You, my dear, stay in here and don't go outside," Mother Cynthia instructed firmly, to which I nodded.

"Will my lesson continue today?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes, your lesson will still continue," Mother Cynthia confirmed, and a smile form on my lips.

"Yay! I'm so ready for my lesson!" I exclaimed, full of enthusiasm.

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Mother had left an hour ago, and my teacher had arrived at the mansion to continue my lessons.

"Teacher, may I ask a question?" I asked, raising my hand. But instead of responding, she stared intently at the window. Curious, I followed her gaze.

"What are you staring at, teacher?" I asked, teacher then point at the window but when I looked, I saw nothing unusual.

"I don't see anything," I reported.

"You can't see those handprints on the window?" she asked, pointing. I squinted, and sure enough, there were faint marks.

"Teacher, you're scaring me," I admitted.

"Did you let them see you?" she questioned, her grip on my shoulder tightening.

"I guess so," I replied quietly.

"If ever you are taken away tonight, you must come to your senses, resist them before you step inside the orphanage," she instructed sternly.

"They will show you what you truly desire most in this world and use it against you. If they do that, resist everything because what they are showing you will be just illusions," Teacher warned.

"How did you know?" I asked, puzzled by her certainty.

"I...have a son around your age. He too was taken away from me and never returned home. It was as if he never existed," she confessed, her voice heavy with sorrow.

"When was he taken away from you?" I asked, sensing the pain in her words.

"Six years ago. I didn't pay attention to him and was always busy with work. I neglected my only child. I didn't know what was going on with my sweet darling until that night he disappeared," she recounted, her eyes clouded with regret.

"He showed signs that he would be taken away from me, but I never paid attention to any of it. That's how my only child disappeared from me," Teacher confessed.

"Did you try to look for him?" I asked,

"I have tried, and I am still trying... I keep going back to that place, but there isn't a single clue to where he has been hiding," she admitted, then she showed me a picture of her son.

"His name is Theo. He is the child I lost to them," Teacher said quietly.

"How did you know that he was taken away by them? Did you see them?" I asked.

"Oh, I saw them taking my son away that night. They were fast, and they even showed a sinister smile at me," she recounted, her eyes haunted by the memory.

(It's quite sad. I really don't know how to comfort someone who has lost a child.)

"Would you like to see him again?" I asked, hoping to offer some semblance of solace.

"If I could go back to the past, I would have done it and changed my son's fate," Teacher replied, and then I looked outside of the window.

(Well, here goes nothing tonight then,.)

"I'm sure he will return home someday," I said to Teacher, offering a small smile, which she returned with a grateful nod.

"Oh, he will." Teacher says with a smile, then I looked at her with a smile.
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