Startled, she turned around and caught sight of a woman standing in the dark alleyway behind her. âWho?â The womanâs face wasnât visible, but she felt strangely familiar. However, what was more eerie was the fact that the woman silhouetted in the darkness was clutching a large doll in her hands. Cecile grew wide-eyed as she muttered, âThatâsâŠâ It looked exactly the same as the one taken by the child moments before.
âOh, thereâs a shortcut here!â Out of nowhere, some people who were running by the street spotted the alleyway and made a beeline for it, forcing Cecile to take a step back. By the time the rush of people passed and Cecile glanced back into the alleyway, the shadowy woman was nowhere to be found.
âCecile? Whatâs the matterâ Estian had crossed the street and came over while Cecile had been searching for the woman.
âJust now⊠There was a woman standing there a little while ago, and I think she was holding the same doll I gave to that child.â The doll was a difficult prize to win from the tossing game, but not to the point of being impossible. âDid that woman win it from the game too?â Still, for some reason, Cecile had a hunch that the doll in the womanâs hands was the very one sheâd given away.
Seeing the dark expression on Cecileâs face, Estian asked worriedly, âShall we go back now?â
Cecile was silent as she considered the suggestion. Something about that woman made her uncomfortable, so perhaps itâd be best to quickly return to the villa. However, just as she was making up her mind, a distant boom rang out from afar.
âItâs started!â
âCome fast! We have to hurry to get to a better view!â
Festivalgoers around them shouted and ran off toward the source of the sound. The closing event of the festival had begun. The fireworks display not only served to cap off the festival, but also signaled their imminent return to the imperial palace. She knew their long stay in Aluna had been out of Estianâs consideration for her, but that didnât mean they could remain here forever and the thought dampened her mood.
âLetâs head back after the fireworks are over.â It wouldnât take long for the fireworks to end, so she wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer with her husband. Taking Estianâs hand, Cecile began guiding them in the direction of the distant explosions in the sky, while she thought to herself, âI was going to hug the rabbit to sleep when Estianâs not with me.â What Estian wouldnât have known was that Cecile had named the pink rabbit doll Estian too, which is why sheâd hugged it with so much love.
* * *
âWhat a stroke of fortune.â Yuliana stood in a dark alleyway as she eyed the doll in her hand and couldnât hold back the laughter that erupted from her. It was truly a coincidence that sheâd found Cecile.
She had only managed to recognize Cecile thanks to that earring, which had also hung on the empressâs ear on the day sheâd lost everything at the casino. When she first spotted a woman on the street with the same earring, she doubted her eyes. Pretending to be a passerby, she moved closer to eavesdrop and at that moment she overheard the man next to her call her Cecile. The former princess realized then that the two had changed their appearances.
Impulse urged her to kill them on the spot, but she suppressed her murderous intent and quickly moved away. âThe emperorâs sure to notice me if Iâm close by,â she thought warily. Yuliana could barely manage to spy on them from a distance, but an opportunity finally came when she saw a child receive a doll from them and scamper away. She immediately followed after the child and stole it.