A/N: Song inspiration for this chapter is "Let Down" by Radiohead but this one's covered by Mack Loren. Play it on repeat for a better reading experience ♡

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Madam Rosa quietly entered the slightly ajar door on Lucien's room with the glass of water Emilio had requested for him. When she came back, she found the older Blackwell soothing Lucien's back with gentle taps while humming a certain tune they used to sing when they were kids. 

Lucien was a mess. His eyes were puffy from excessive crying and his hair was a disheveled mess. Even when Emilio was occasionally combing his fingers through Lucien's hair, it was still pretty unkempt. 

"My poor Lucien, has he fallen asleep, young master?" Madam Rosa asked as she placed the glass of water on the bedside table. Emilio nodded his head in response. His hands still doing circular motions on Lucien's back to soothe out the uneven breathing of his younger brother.

"He cried himself to sleep while mumbling something about asking for forgiveness..." Emilio slowly laid Lucien's body on the bed and tucked him in carefully. 

"My goodness... I did not expect that that event would have such a big impact on him-" Madam Rosa paused when Emilio discreetly raised his hand to stop her from saying anything further. Following Emilio's command, she kept quiet. 

"Keep an eye out for when he wakes up later. Leave him be for now but make sure to constantly check his room and alert me when he does." Emilio got up from the bed and stole another look on his younger brother's face before turning his back on him and starting to walk out the door. 

Madam Rosa nodded her head before doing the same thing and looking at the young Blackwell's state with pity before following Emilio out of the room. 

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Lucien's eyes slowly opened and his vision adjusted to the surroundings. His eyes were heavy, as if he wanted to sleep more. But he forced himself to wake up. Once he got a clearer view and mind, the first thing he saw was the chandelier hanging in the center ceiling of his room. He looked around, left and right, trying to take everything into account before coming into a better conclusion.

He was still in his room. His old room back at their estate where he remembered apologizing to Emilio until his body gave out. He shivered at the memory.

'Is this nightmare still not over?' He thought as he slowly got up. A small pang of pain struck his head and he winced. His hands clutched the sheets and again, it felt too real to be a dream. 

Lucien's eyes closed. His breath was uneven. His hands slowly released the wrinkled sheets and they went towards his neck. His fingertips caressed the part where he remembered feeling the coldness of Emperor Ezekiel's sword. He was sure that was his reality. How can he not? He remembered years and years of memories being with the emperor. There was no way that could have been the dream instead of this. 

"Damn it..." he cursed as his jaw clenched. As if he was losing his mind, Lucien could not discern reality from one another. Why is this happening? Why is he alive, sleeping comfortably in his room back in the estate he sold after his entire family died before?

Why was Emilio and Madam Rosa here? 

If they're alive, does that mean... 

His eyes opened wide. Could his parents be here too? 

His heart pounded in his throat. As if he was suffocating. Flashes of memories about how his parents died through his schemes echoed in his mind like haunting calls of ghosts from their graves. 

"Stop..." Lucien shivered. His body froze cold as his mind replayed their final moments. He's not stupid enough to know that if this nightmare was able to produce Emilio and Madam Rosa in such a realistic way, there was no way his parents would be alive too.  "Stop... Why am I being punished like this..." he begged.

If it were any other person right now, they would have rejoiced. They would have been ecstatically happy to see their family well and alive.

But not for Lucien. Not for Lucien Blackwell who murdered his entire family just to pave the way for Ezekiel Solvaire's ascent on the seat of power. 

He's not just regretful, he's ashamed. Seeing Emilio alive and well even just for a few minutes felt like he was being tortured in forever hell. What more if he sees the same parents who begged for him to stop wreaking havoc in their estate more than a decade ago? 

Emilio's death was swift, by the sword of Izek. But his parents...

"S-Stop..." Lucien sobbed as he felt like crying again. 

He felt pathetic. The Lucien who crushed everyone like bugs on the ground years ago was now the one being crushed not by anyone, but by his own self. By his own reflection. 

"I-I don't want to live this out again... please..." he begged to no one again. But no matter how much he pleas echoed in his chambers, no one responded. Not a single soul but his.

If only he could prove that this was all a nightmare... right? Right.

He simply needs to find something that would prove that this was all a nightmare of the afterlife after dying by Izek's palms.