The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 141
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
this book is completely translated on luna kofi (advanced chapters for the website will follow)
“It’s dirty.”
Raphael hesitated again, sensing something was off, but Amber didn’t listen.
It felt like an irresistible current.
As if someone was pushing her gently from behind, holding her hand and guiding her forward.
Her fidgeting fingers finally touched the book, and moments later…
“!”
“Madam!”
A bright light burst forth from the book, and hundreds of hands reached out, grabbing Amber.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
* * *
“Ow…”
Amber was yanked and thrown somewhere.
It was an incredibly rude treatment, but the ‘hands’ that had appeared vanished just as quickly as they had come.
Left alone, Amber rubbed her rear and managed to get up, but she couldn’t see Raphael anywhere.
It was just her.
‘What happened?’
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. It felt as if her throat was stuffed with a wet cloth, and she grasped her neck, choking back a noise.
Yet, no matter what she did, she couldn’t speak.
‘Let’s give up.’
What had just happened was a supernatural occurrence. Or perhaps it was the manifestation of power. Whatever it was, it was beyond her understanding, so she had no choice but to accept it.
Amber found she adapted surprisingly well.
Moreover, she didn’t feel a sense of dread about being trapped here; there was something about the book that seemed to want to show her something.
It felt like once she had seen everything, they would let her go.
‘I don’t know why I can’t speak, but… I’ll just have to accept that.’
So the next question was, where was she?
‘This feels familiar….’
As Amber gazed at the worn carpet and the tattered tapestries on the floor, she slowly moved forward.
After a few steps, realization struck her.
This was the castle of Niflheim. There was no doubt about it.
The reason she hadn’t recognized it immediately was… it looked so shabby.
The waterlogged carpet was a grayish-white, and the temperature in the castle was painfully low, as if the fireplace hadn’t been properly lit. There wasn’t a single decorative item in sight, and dust was piled high on every windowsill.
It was clear that this place had not been maintained.
‘Snow…’
It was midwinter here.
Looking through the foggy window, Amber saw that a thick blanket of snow had accumulated outside.
What was strange, however, was that there seemed to be no path for anyone to walk.
‘Is the castle isolated?’
Or perhaps there were no servants left to clear the snow and make a way.
Given the state of the castle, that seemed quite plausible.
“What should we do?”
“The residents are leaving one by one. Otherwise, they’ll either starve or freeze to death.”
“There’s no solution. The only ones left are the hunters.”
At that moment, Amber heard whispering from somewhere within the silent castle.
The tired, weary voices prompted her to head in that direction.
Whether they didn’t value security or simply thought no one would eavesdrop, the door to the meeting room was slightly ajar.
Inside, instead of the familiar wooden furniture Amber was used to, there was a round table that seemed to be carved from rock. Unusually dressed individuals sat around it, swallowing their murmurs.
‘Their shoes have pointed toes. Their trousers are strange… and that around their necks is a style that was popular even before my grandmother’s time.’
Being sensitive to trends, Amber realized that the people she was looking at were very, very old.
That meant there was one crucial question.
What generation were they from?
“You’re all gathered.”
In the next moment, Amber jumped in shock as a deep, low voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
Without sensing any presence, she felt the voice pass right through her, leaving her with the eerie feeling of being a ghost.
“Your Grace.”
“You’ve arrived.”
“How is the situation?”
The assembled individuals called out to the last man who entered, referring to him as ‘Your Grace.’ From that title, Amber recognized his identity.
‘He’s the lord of Niflheim from a few generations back. The Grand Duke.’
The bearded Grand Duke appeared to be around fifty years old, and one of his eyes seemed clouded and blind.
He was large and ruggedly built, looking more like a mercenary than a nobleman.
“It’s not good. The wild animals are nearly gone. We couldn’t even find bears in hibernation. If this continues, we’ll all starve to death.”
“Ah…”
A heavy sigh fell over the table. The sighs, hardened like stones, were filled with worries about food and shelter. Upon closer inspection, Amber noticed that everyone had sunken cheeks and dark circles under their eyes, signs of long-term hunger.
“In a situation like this, for the imperial family to provide no support at all… How is that acceptable?!”
“The heavens and the earth know that the Grand Duke is not to blame. The entire nation knows, yet…”
“That damn Emperor!”
Bang!
The knights trembled as they slammed their hands on the table.
Listening to their conversation, Amber moved closer. Even when she touched nearby people or objects, she simply passed right through them. No one was aware of her presence.
