Shadow Monarch: Heroines Could Hear My Thoughts?!

Chapter 61- Laughing Nightmares (Part 1)

Elise's mind didn't calm down for a long time. She was still conflicted about what she had to do from now on. Even if she solves this mystery, she was sure that many things will drastically change, and that will most likely affect her directly.

But, even then, she couldn't choose her next step carefully as usual. There was this weird uncertainty in her heart that didn't allow her to think rationally.

Everything in her mind was 'what if'. She simply couldn't find the right answer to anything. That's why she opted to try and relax for now until things become clearer or until she finds the answer herself. Either way, at this moment, she was not in the mind to actually make any move.

As she was like that, her maid Maya came toward her and informed her of what was happening.

"All the noble families are still in the capital so they will come here tomorrow. The meeting will be set for tomorrow too. Is that to your liking, your highness?"

"Good enough. What about the doctors? Did they finish checking the body?"

"They are yet to finish, your highness. They said that it will take a few more hours."

"Fine. I will be in my room then."

Excusing herself, Elise walked back to her room and sat down on her bed. Her body felt weirdly exhausted even though she was fine yesterday. This was the first time she felt this drained in a long while.

'What is wrong with me? Tsk.' Clicking her tongue, she closed rested her back on the soft bed and closed her eyes before putting her arm on her face.

Her mind and body were completely exhausted as if she ran in a marathon for 2 days while solving a mathematical equation.

That's why, in less than 2 minutes, she succumbed to the sudden urge to sleep and quickly drifted away.

'I need to… rest for… a little bit.' She thought to herself before she lost consciousness.

An unknown amount of time passed until she opened her eyes again. The strong headache was still there as if it never left and her body was still tired. But, she still felt a little bit better than before.

Lifting herself up, she looked around her groggily. Her mind was still affected by the long nap she took. That's why, when she tried to stand up, her body swayed left and right for a moment.

Grabbing her forehead, she gritted her teeth and tried to recuperate.

'Did I… get sick or something? This isn't normal.' She said to herself.

Her body had never reacted like this before even in her previous life. Elise did get sick multiple times, but, no matter how severe it was, she was never that affected by it. Her pride won't allow her to turn into a weak mess because of a mere sickness.

The mere thought of becoming vulnerable for even a single second horrified her to the core. She can't get rid of the dread she had toward that feeling. That wicked feeling of weakness and hopelessness was something she hated.

'I can't… let this affect me…' Biting her tongue, she felt a surge of pain rush through her body along with a metallic taste in her mouth that she recognized as blood.

But, ignoring that pain, her mind finally started waking up and she could finally at least stand straight without getting hit by strong vertigo.

Walking to the window, she opened it to take a peek outside and to also breathe some fresh air. The time was night and there was no sound of anyone outside which did make her feel slightly confused.

But, she quickly ignored that detail as the pain she felt at the moment was occupying her mind and stopping her from thinking about anything else.

Inhaling the cold air of the night, she tried to calm herself and ease the pain.

"Why is it… so dark? What time is it, system?" She murmured under her breath.

Her question was casual as she always asked the system for the exact time instead of looking for it herself.

After waiting for a few seconds, she didn't hear the distinct feminine voice of her system. Tilting her head confusedly, she spoke again.

"System, what time is it now?"

Again, no reply at all. This made her tired eyes open up and she looked around her with a serious gaze.

"System, where are you? Answer me." Her voice was getting more and more alerted the more seconds passed without her getting an answer.

'What's going on?'

Her tiredness was now gone as it was replaced by a sense of dread. She was still trying to wrap her head around the situation when she felt a heavy pressure on her chest. This feeling was coming from the window where she stood.

Quickly closing the windows, she walked to the door and opened it quickly.

"Maya." Searching for her maid with her eyes, she didn't see anyone.

The corridor was empty of any humans. Even the guards that usually walked around the place at night weren't there.

Her alerted mind became even more alert. She was finally aware of the sheer severity of the situation. After that, her eyes went straight toward something that she put on her table before she went to sleep a few hours ago. It was the sword that killed her father, the Soul Eater. Then, she quickly picked it up and put it on her waist. She didn't want to get out without having a good weapon to use.

Without waiting any longer, Elise ran down the corridor searching for any person. She opened every door she found, but the rooms were empty. There was not even a single trace of people. Even the king's bedroom was empty with no trace of the horrible crime that happened there.

"This is very weird. What the hell is going on?"

Walking toward the entrance, she left the castle quickly in search of any person. Hell, even a small animal will do as those also were nowhere to be found.

Looking around here, the streets of the city were eerily quiet. The bustling capital of Aviresion was now turned into a desolate city. The streets were empty, the buildings were closed.

Not a single light could be seen turned on.

"Am I dreaming?" She asked herself as her hand instinctively pinched her cheek. The pain rushed through her body and filled her mind. But, that didn't seem to wake her up from this supposed dream.

'Let's try to calm down. I recall that I fell asleep, then I woke up from sleep to find myself in this weird place. Is it a dungeon of some sort or an illusion spell cast by someone?'

There were many possible reasons for this weird phenomenon. However, it all seemed way too odd to be a nightmare, too perfect to be a dungeon, and too real to be an illusion. She had even looked around and found that every single detail from the real castle was there. Hell, even the same spots of dust that weren't swept because of the worker's laziness were there

As she was like that, her ears caught a small sound coming from behind her. She didn't hear it until the last second. But, her body, as if possessed by something, moved on its own as it dodged whatever was about to attack her from behind.

Jumping in the air, she created a distance between them and looked at the culprit with wary eyes.

In front of her, a black humanoid thing stood still. It had no face and no distinct features. Just a lump of darkness that took the shape of a human.

It was also different from the lump of darkness that Rin turned into the day he awakened as this one was simply as flat as a thin piece of paper.

"Who are you?" She asked as she put her arm on the sword and readied herself for any sneak attacks.

The creature didn't say anything for a few seconds. But, its body did react to her voice since it started twisting and turning then, it changed its form.

"Wha…" Elise could only watch as the thing changed its form completely.

Now, standing in front of her, was a gorgeous girl with long white hair and impossibly alluring eyes. The girl had a great figure and wore casual clothes that should not look attractive on her yet it gave her an aura of calmness and serenity that only befitted her.

Yes, the girl in front of her was Elise… another Elise. The two looked so eerily similar. However, the only difference between the two was that this Elise's eyes were as dark as the abyss itself while Elise's normal eyes were a beautiful shade of blue.

(A//N: Elise Vs Elise… Ready… Fight!! Jokes aside, this fight will really be a turning point for Elise. This whole arc actually will be a turning point for her.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let's all keep it up :)