The Villain's Dead Wife

20. The Moonlit Bargain

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as if my words had turned to stone. My breath hitched, and my body trembled uncontrollably. The sheer magnitude of his power was suffocating—this man could wipe out the entire Valtoria family with just a flick of his wrist, and I was utterly powerless, paralyzed, unable to do anything to stop him.

This wasn’t my real family, but the thought of their lives being destroyed because of me was unbearable. I wanted to experience what it was like to live peacefully with them, to witness Kirill’s brilliance, to play with Esther, to rest in Duchess Elowen’s lap, and to share laughter and dinners with Duke Oberon and the rest of the family. The idea of them facing death simply because I refused to cooperate with this devil was more than I could handle.

I turned to Kairan, my eyes welling with tears. My voice wavered as I sniffled, "What do you want from me? I don’t think I have any power to give you, and I have no idea what mysteries you’re trying to uncover about this lineage."

He went silent, seemingly taken aback by my tears. Slowly, he extended his hand, palm up, near my face. My tears fell onto his palm.

He clenched his fist and pulled his hand back, speaking softly, "Lady Meridia, you do have power. It’s in your blood. As for the spell I need, I might find another way. But I still need your help to uncover the secrets of this lineage, so I can explore those alternatives."

I shook my head, completely bewildered by his words. "Why do you need a spell? What do you plan to do with it? Is this about taking lives? Why are you doing this? Why would you hurt me? You’re scaring me. I’m just an 18-year-old girl from another world, and I don’t know anything about this place or this life. All I know is that I need to survive, to stay alive."

He fell silent again, and it was starting to get on my nerves. Why did he keep doing that? Every time I thought I could finally breathe, he would disrupt my peace with his unsettling silence.

"What is your name?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at me.

"Meredia..." I replied, hesitant.

"No, your real name... What’s your real name, lady?"

"I... I don’t remember much about my past life."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I see."

"I will talk to you later. Please stay awake when the moon is right above your head," he said, his voice calm yet commanding.

Before I could respond, he suddenly disappeared, leaving me reeling from the shock. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed to the floor, the suddenness of it all overwhelming my senses.

----------------

As the day turned into night, and the extra large moon hung above, casting its pale light, I peered out from the balcony. The darkness enveloped everything, and even the once-beautiful flowers in the garden were swallowed by the night.

Suddenly, I heard a voice that made me jump. "You're such a brave lady."

I spun around to find Kairan standing there, his pet lounging behind him, licking its paw nonchalantly.

"Your... Royal... Highness..." I stammered, my voice betraying my surprise.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Aren’t you a bit scared about why I told you to be awake at this time?"

"I... No. In my world, everyone stays awake at this hour."

"Oh right. The modern world. Quite a confusing place. I’ve visited a few times."

"You have? How? Can you send me back?"

Kairan walked closer, a dark glint in his eyes. "I don’t think so. One year here is equivalent to 32 years in your world. So, it’s been 3-4 months since you arrived, right?"