There's nothing I'm more thankful for than when Uncle saw us talking—even if he lectured me for making them wait. I'm still glad he came, because I wouldn't have known how to respond to RJ after everything he learned.
"What?! I can't believe he's more knowledgeable than I thought!" Micah exclaimed after I told her what happened earlier between me and RJ.
"He's the only person who knows about Queen Emerald. He gave me the book we didn't even know existed. I should've known this..."
"What do we do now?"
"About him? Nothing. I don't think he'll stop us from our plan. I think he just wants to be part of it. He might even help. Earlier, he told me someone might follow me to get what they want. I'm not sure what he meant, but he said it's not just one person."
"Are you going to tell him? And... does it still count? I mean, he managed to learn all that by himself—without you telling him."
To be honest, I don't know. But for now, I'm just going to avoid RJ until I've figured out everything that's confusing me. I know he could possibly help me with this, but I'm afraid the consequences happen I can't risk anymore person.
I ended the call with Micah when one of the maids called me for dinner, saying Uncle wanted to dine with me. It sounded strange—but I went.
"Hi, my dear niece!" he greeted, already seated at the center chair of the table, motioning for me to join him.
"Where's Jad?" I asked.
"He left a moment ago. Come, let's have an uncle-and-niece talk."
I sat at the far end of the table. I wasn't comfortable sitting next to him when Jad wasn't around. My choice made him smirk, followed by a soft, odd chuckle.
"What do you want?" I asked directly. He wasn't the type to invite someone just to have dinner.
"Let's eat first," he said.
I shrugged. "Just tell me what you need, Uncle, so I can leave. I still have a lot to do."
He put down his fork and knife with a clink on the table.
"I wanted to congratulate you. No doubt, you made me proud—especially the higher-ups."Proud, my ass. That's not what I saw during the event.
"Because of you, the higher-ups stopped their investigation into your mysterious magior. They now believe you've had it for a long time and just kept it hidden... did you?" He squinted at me.
"That's good. Let's just pretend that's what happened," I replied, keeping my voice calm.
"But what really happened, Mary? You said you didn't know what was going on with you, and then, after months, you suddenly became that powerful? Tell me... be honest. You're living under my roof."
"I practiced, Uncle. You told me to surprise them and bring honor to our family. So I did."I stood up, ready to leave."Just be thankful you won't be eliminated from a position you didn't even work hard for. And for the record... it's you who's living under my roof."
I walked out as I said that. I heard him sneer behind me.
I went straight to my room. The exhaustion hit me like a wave. I let myself fall asleep, letting the darkness wrap around me.
"Mary! Why?!"
"My baby, stop! You must stop!"
"Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?"
"Mary... my dear," I turned toward the voice. I saw a tall figure—a woman, I guess, based on her voice."Emerald, my dear child," she said, as she touched me—or rather, the necklace around my neck.
And for some reason, I couldn't speak. I was speechless.
"Open your eyes—not just here, but to the past. The answer is right in front of you." She caressed my face."I'm with you through this. Save us. Save yourself."
And with that, the woman vanished. Suddenly, I saw the shadow of a person—holding a dagger in one hand and a black dahlia in the other. Their body was wrapped in a snake, and they wore a mask.
"Mary! Mary!"A loud voice and an aggressive shake woke me up. My whole body trembled. Once my vision cleared, I saw Reina.
I hugged her tightly."Rei... you got me worried."
"Don't worry about me. What about you? What happened? Were you dreaming?" she asked, confused.
"Yeah... a very weird dream."Even now, I was still shaking. I held her hand.
"Rei, listen carefully. If ever there comes a time when I'm no longer wearing this necklace, I'll put it in my mom's safe. The password is their death anniversary. Promise me—you'll get it... and destroy it."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."I trusted Reina just as much as I trusted Micah. She had cared for me. She deserved to know this, but to avoid risk, the full details about the necklace would stay between Micah and me.
"Of course, sis," she said, hugging me tightly.
We were back at school. Everything felt normal—except a lot of students were smiling at me, like I was suddenly famous.
"Wow! You're really something, cousin. Congrats. That shocked me," Jad said.
"Jad, can we... talk?"
"Sure, what's up?"
I took off my necklace from under my uniform.
"You know this is important to me, right?"
"Yeah. And?"
"If you ever notice I'm no longer wearing it... check behind the painting in the house. There's a safe. The password is my parents' death anniversary. Promise me you'll open it—and destroy what's inside."
"Okay... this is weird. But speaking of that necklace—why did it turn green?" he asked, curious.
"I changed it so it wouldn't keep haunting me. That's why I need you to break it."
"Okay, I will."
After our talk, we went to our respective classes.
"Harmoine, I want to tell you something. But please keep it a secret—don't tell anyone, especially Jad."
"That sounds deep, Mary! What is it?"
"In our house, there's a safe near a pink vase. If you ever notice I'm not wearing this necklace anymore, find it there—and destroy it."
"Why? I thought it reminds you of your mom."
"It does... but it also reminds me of the guilt. If you think I'm healing, destroy it so the guilt won't haunt me anymore."
"I don't know what to say, but... I will, Mary. You can trust me."
I hugged her. We weren't that close, but she had always been kind. I trusted her—because Jad trusted her too.
Walking down the hallway, I scanned my surroundings, checking if anything felt off.
"Mary! I saw your message. What do you need to tell me?" Micah asked when we met.
"Let's go to the music room," I said. She nodded and followed me silently.
I sat in front of my piano.
"Micah, you know how precious this necklace is to me. But if you ever notice I'm not wearing it anymore, go to the attic. There's a secret safe behind my parents' painting. Take the necklace—and destroy it. Please, Mic. Do this for me."
"You don't have to beg. I understand. And you know you can trust me," she said, smiling.
"Don't tell anyone about this, please," I pleaded.
"Of course, my dear," she said, hugging me tightly.
Please… may my doubt be wrong. I don't want to find out that someone close to me is lying—or worse, betraying me.
My dream—it felt like a warning. There's nothing to lose in staying alert. But the idea that one of my friends might be the traitor… I don't know what to do. I have no one else to suspect but those closest to me. They know me more than I know myself.
But that dagger... it symbolizes betrayal and violence. The snake—deception. The black dahlia—death. And the mask? It means someone is hiding their true identity.
In short—it's a betrayal from someone close.
If I ever find out who you are... be ready.I'll hunt you down—and forget we ever shared memories.