Secrets of the Afterlife [C.MY & K.MN]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓

-EDITED-
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She tried searching for that mysterious lady-in-waiting after wishing the girl who resembles her sister a goodnight. Cho Miyeon's travels to the maids' chambers became unpleasant after opening every door of that corridor. All she saw were women in groups of four, sleeping on beds right next to one another, unbothered by the light pouring in from Cho Miyeon's lit candle. Her nerves grew as the doors she kept opening did not lead to the person she was looking for. She needed to find that woman. Who was she? How has she gone unnoticed in the manor? And how did she take the dagger?

"Where is she?" she asked out loud, slamming the door of one of the quarters where maids lay asleep, not caring if they had woken up or not. "Was this what the Madam needed from me?" Cho Miyeon turned her head and saw Nicha, her sister's lady-in-waiting, staring at her with her hands held out, and in them was the dagger. "Give me that," Cho Miyeon said as she tried snatching it away from the lady-in-waiting only for it to disappear right in front of her eyes. "What?" she asked in disbelief. The dagger had not fallen to the ground nor snuck into the lady-in-waiting's sleeve. It had vanished.

"What did you do to it?" Cho Miyeon's eyes snapped back to the emotionless lady-in-waiting. "Madam?" a maid who had woken up from the quarter's door slamming asked, peeking her head out into the corridor and seeing Cho Miyeon and the lady-in-waiting. "I asked what did you do to it?" Nicha did not reply which angered Cho Miyeon. She had not even heard the maid speak, her whole attention centered on the one anomaly of this world. "The Madam has hallucinated, I must take her to the physician, please rest," Nicha said to the maid, never breaking the intense stare coming from Cho Miyeon. "Hallucinating?"

Cho Miyeon could not believe the words coming from the lady-in-waiting's mouth. "I am not hallucinating! I saw that disappear from your hands!" Her shouts awoke the other maids. "What is going on?" A maid rubbed her tired eyes before opening them. She along with other maids inside sat up from their beds to stare at one another. Had they heard something or did they mistake it? "How did you do that?" They heard from outside the corridor, seeing the door open with a fellow maid peering out. The maids climbed out of their beds in a drowsy state, stumbling toward the door where they could see the culprit of the shouts—the Duchess who appeared to be in a state of madness. She pointed her pale-white finger at Nicha, a fellow lady-in-waiting they highly respected, and yelling about something disappearing.

"Madam, we should be meeting with the physician, you are scaring the maids," Nicha said, her words finally reaching Cho Miyeon. She turned and saw the maids jump away from the door and slam it shut. They did not want to get involved in what ever was happening to the Duchess. For all they know, they could get fired for witnessing that scene, but there they were, huddled up with their ears pressed against the closed door to hear more.

"Who are you? What are you?" Cho Miyeon whispered, getting in Nicha's face. "The Madam is ill again. I must escort the Madam to the physician." The maids inside their quarters covered their mouths to prevent a gasp. Is it true? Has the Duchess returned to that awful state she was in three months ago? "Are you trying to make me appear mad? Is this your plan?" Cho Miyeon laughed in bewilderment and anger. "I am the Duchess of this manor." Cho Miyeon grabbed the lady-in-waiting's top and pulled her close. "And no one can so much as touch me with that ridiculous nonsense of having gone mad. Do not make me hang you for this disrespect against the nobility." Cho Miyeon felt possessed. She has never been this furious. Not in her original world and not in this one—until now.

"All I want is answers and you make me look like I have become deranged?"

Nicha's emotionless face broke into a smile. "A woman that paints her skin white and wears black like a mournful widow. I believe the Madam of the Night was known by others as deranged. I did not have to make the Madam appear mad when she has been doing it herself. But then again, you are not the real Duchess, right?" The little color on Cho Miyeon's face had left. "How...How did you know?" Nicha did not answer, putting two fingers on Cho Miyeon's painted white forehead, and watched as the fake Duchess dropped to the floor. Cho Miyeon's eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep in a heartbeat.