Chapter 2 (Part 4)

The red light that had spread through the bedroom reappeared in a room with nothing but a large mirror. When the light faded, Ria emerged, clutching the red orb in her hand, and looked around.

“Where… where am I?”

In the dim space with only the strange mirror, fear crept over Ria as she began to frantically search for a way out. Then, a soft voice came from behind her.

[Hello, dear.]

Her body froze as she tried to find an escape. There was nothing behind her except the mirror, the only thing that existed in this place.

[Ah, you must have been startled by the suddenness. Just a moment.]

The voice spoke again as if it had realized the reason for her reaction. Gathering courage from the gentler tone, Ria swallowed her fear and slowly turned towards the mirror, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Hello.”

In the place where the mirror stood, there was now a woman. She had the same black hair and hazel eyes as Ria. While it was something she hadn’t seen once in this world, it was a common sight in her original world.

Her heart pounded in a different way than she’d ever known it to pound at the sight of something so familiar in a place so foreign. Ria pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down. Her voice trembled slightly as she struggled to calm herself.

“Are you Korean?”

“Um, technically, yes, but not exactly right now.”

“What?”

“I think this might take a while, could we sit down? I want to talk with you.”

Not exactly right now?

Unable to understand the woman’s words, Ria looked at her blankly. The woman smiled softly and clapped her hands lightly. Suddenly, something miraculous happened. The dark space began to ripple and transform into something resembling the reception room of the Duke of Astina’s residence. There was even a steaming mug of tea on the table.

“There’s tea because I think you like it.”

Ria let out a small exclamation of surprise, more astonishment than fear and questioning at the magical situation, and the woman took her hand and led her to the couch, sitting herself down across from her and sliding an assortment of refreshments over to her.

“Oh, thank you, um… Yes? …How did you…”

Unconsciously, as she was about to express gratitude, Ria belatedly felt discomfort and regarded the woman with a guarded expression. Despite this, the woman responded with a slight smile on her lips.

“I’m Leah. Your name is Ria, right? Our names are quite similar.”

Whether it was due to her friendly nature or simply because they had a prior connection, Leah, introducing herself as such, amiably continued the conversation.

“Is Ria your original name?”

“No. My original name is Lee Rin Ah.”

“I see. Lee Rin Ah, that’s a pretty name. I used to have a name like that before I came here, though I don’t remember it now, so feel free to call me Leah.”

The other person’s gentleness is overwhelming. Not knowing much of the foreign language, Ria obediently answered what she was asked, but then she realized that she should have asked the question first.

“Then please call me Ria. By the way, did you also come here from Korea? When? I’ve never seen you before.”

“It’s natural that you haven’t seen me. I’m from a very long time ago. Do you recognize the first Duchess of Astina?”

As she calmly took a sip of her tea, Leah continued speaking.

“A long time ago, I was summoned here by a God. God wished for me to come here and assist in the founding of the empire. They said that for the creation of a strong and prosperous empire, they needed me, along with the first Emperor, the Duke of Carlisle, and the Duke of Astina.”

“…….”

“The power I possess allows me to perform such magical feats, as you just witnessed. As you know, this power, originating from the Gods, isn’t… ordinary. That’s why in Korea, I was often treated strangely and pointed fingers at. So, I complied with God’s request. It was clear that there would be fewer restrictions on where my power was needed than in Korea.”

Unable to find words to respond, Ria tightly shut her lips, bewildered. It was all new to her, and it was difficult to accept the mention of a God. Her mind was spinning in confusion. But there was one thing she realized.

“….Could it be that my ability… is also a power from God?”

Leah had said she wanted to ‘talk’ to her. And she showed her ‘power’ without hesitation, saying it came from the Gods. By doing so, she implied that Ria also possessed such abilities. This meant that the two abilities shared similar natures. If they had completely different natures, they wouldn’t be able to communicate.

The silence that followed Leah’s words confirmed Ria’s speculation. The emotion that surged from deep within her was nothing but anger.

“Why, why on earth! I never asked for this ability. I never needed it!”

How difficult it had been for me. How much I had suffered because of this power I never asked for!

Her hands clenched into fists, trembling with anger. If that God were right in front of her now, she would grab him by the collar and demand answers. Heat rushed to the corners of her eyes as bad memories came flooding back.

Leah, sensing Ria on the verge of tears, attempted to comfort her by reaching out a hand, but she withdrew without even touching her. She had already used up all the time given to her and returned to the side of the God with many restrictions imposed on her. Among them was the prohibition of disclosing the ‘destiny of existence’ to the current child.

“Ria, my dear, I know how much you’ve struggled.”

So all Leah could do now was offer verbal comfort, use indirect words, and explain only what she was not restricted to.

“I went through the same thing. Not knowing much about your own abilities, how much more difficult it must have been for you.”

“……How did you know?”

Ria grasped at the hem of her dress as Leah spoke as if she knew everything about her. Seeing the guardedness return to Ria’s moistened eyes, Leah smiled faintly.

“I could see. I couldn’t interfere, but I could see.”

Even though it made her feel even more powerless… Leah decided not to utter the bitter words that hovered on the tip of her tongue.

“There’s not much I can tell you. But as time passes, you’ll gradually understand. And perhaps… Perhaps the day will come when you meet God.”