Claudia — POV
I have suffered enough while guiding his descendants.
Each generation makes me numb.
Sometimes I wonder—what if they were our descendants?
What if God had allowed our happiness?
I have forgotten my old self.
I forgot how to smile.
All that remains is emptiness in my heart.
Perhaps when I return to the Golden Palace, all this pain will be erased—
just like his memories of me.
For countless generations, I have guided the firstborn child of his bloodline.
But this generation… is different.
Only the firstborn can see and hear me.
Once they give birth, that ability vanishes, passing only to their child.
This girl is unlike the others.
She is cold.
Distant.
Not carefree, not smiling like the rest.
And I hate that I understand why.
Her eyes—deep like the ocean.
Eyes that look exactly like his.
It makes me want to hate her.
Yet I have a duty.
I must guide her until she gives birth.
Only then will my punishment end.
I watched her prepare for school.
"Agnes, did you forget anything?" I asked softly.
"Did you finish your homework?"
She only nodded while tying her hair.
She didn't look at me.
No respect.
No reverence—unlike past generations, who were raised to worship my presence.
This was nothing new.
She had been like this since childhood.
I stepped closer and held out her hair tie.
"Here."
She glanced at my hand, then took it.
"Thanks. I'll be going now."
Before I could speak again, the door closed behind her.
It isn't that I care whether she likes me or not.
As long as she is safe until she gives birth, that is enough.
Yet her eyes…
I can't help but feel hatred.
I left her room and passed the small space her family had prepared for me.
They lit a candle in silent respect.
Even though they cannot see me, their devotion is sincere.
But it means nothing.
I followed Agnes at a distance, ensuring her safety.
She suddenly stopped at the roadside—the place where her mother died four years ago.
Her mother was also under my guidance.
She was kind.
Gentle.
That is why I sometimes wonder why this child is so different.
"How long will you keep following me?"
Agnes spoke coldly, not even turning to face me.
She placed flowers on the ground.
"I am here to guide you," I said calmly.
"To make sure you are safe."
"Then what?" she asked.
"Will you let me die too?"
She finally looked at me.
A cold gaze.
Ocean eyes.
Enough to reopen every wound I have endured.
"Are you still angry because I didn't save your mother?" I asked quietly.
She watched her mother die in front of her.
She begged me to save her.
And I did nothing.
"To be honest," she said flatly,
"I don't understand why my family sees you as holy.
You can leave me alone.
I don't need your 'guidance.'"
She walked away.
I remained silent, watching her back fade into the distance.
She looks so much like him.
The same straight face.
The same tone.
It feels exactly like the moment he lost his memories—
when he asked who I was.
This punishment is truly cruel