Chapter 7: Women Don't Become Warriors

Dina made her way towards Mira's private chambers, but her movements were halted by two guards stationed at the entrance.

“I'm here at the request of my lady,” she said politely to the Cromwell family's guards.

“Under Lord Cromwell's orders, no one is allowed to visit the young lady. Not even Lady Cromwell,” one of the guards replied firmly.

“But... my lady called for me,” Dina stuttered, her face showing her uneasiness. The last thing she wanted was to incur the wrath of Mira Cromwell, especially when she had only come to attend to her mistress.

“Seems you're tired of living in the Cromwell Mansion,” the other guard added threateningly.

Dina immediately shook her head. She had no intention of challenging the guards or risking her position, so she turned around dejectedly and walked away from the chambers while the two men resumed their duty at the entrance.

Mira watched the entire exchange from behind the door, her hands angrily gripping the hem of her dress.

'That sick bastard has confined me to my own chambers and instructed the guards to keep watch over me. He's going to keep me here until he marries me off to another noble family. I can't let this happen.'

She paced around the room, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. Her father had wasted no time in restricting her movements after the banquet, and if she remained here waiting for him to change his mind, she might lose the only opportunity she had to begin preparing for the Great Calamity.

Just as she was considering her next move, the door suddenly burst open, and her mother rushed into the chambers with the two guards following behind her.

“Lady Cromwell... the Lord—” one of the guards began, stepping forward to explain himself, but Leena turned around and delivered a hard slap across his face before he could finish.

“You must be very foolish to think you can stop me from seeing my own daughter! Scram!” Leena shouted, her expression filled with anger.

The two guards immediately bowed before hurrying out of the room, unwilling to provoke Lady Cromwell any further.

Mira stared at her mother in shock. This was the first time she had ever seen Leena take an action that went against her father's orders, and the sight left her genuinely surprised. In her previous life, her mother had always encouraged her to obey her husband and respect the authority of the men in their family, so seeing her behave this way was something Mira had never expected.

“Mother... you shouldn't be here. Father won't take it lightly with you when he finds out,” Mira warned her, worried that Leena might suffer because of her.

“You don't have to worry about that. He allowed me to speak with you,” Leena replied as she walked towards her daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace.

She then led Mira to the bed, and the two of them sat down at the edge. Leena gently touched her daughter's neck before placing a hand against her forehead, examining her with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“I'm perfectly fine, Mother,” Mira replied, trying to reassure her.

“Look, I brought you some biscuits. I baked them myself. They're your favourites.”

Leena pulled a small bag from inside her dress and opened it, revealing the biscuits she had prepared for her daughter. The delicious aroma immediately filled Mira's nostrils, making her mouth water at the sight. Without waiting for an invitation, she grabbed one of the biscuits and shoved it into her mouth, closing her eyes as she chewed slowly and savoured its sweetness.

Tears began to stream down her face as memories flooded her mind.

'When was the last time I tasted something this delicious?'

She sniffed and looked at her mother, who was gently caressing her hair. For a moment, Mira allowed herself to enjoy the warmth of the familiar gesture, remembering the days when she had been young and innocent, before the world she knew had fallen apart.

“Mira, you're right,” Leena finally said, her voice softening. “Leono is a bad man. He's not the kind of person you should be with.”

'What's Mother up to?'

Mira studied her mother's expression, wondering what had prompted the sudden change in her attitude. She had expected Leena to defend Leono or convince her to accept the engagement, so hearing her acknowledge that he was a bad man made her suspicious. Still, she decided not to interrupt and waited for her mother to continue.

“But you see, a lady can't stay with her parents forever. You have to start your own family someday. I was also eighteen years old when I married your father, and I can still remember that day as though it happened yesterday. I had never met him before the day he came to our house, yet, over time, I grew to love him. The same thing will happen to you, Mira. Once you get married, you'll learn to love your husband.”

“No, Mother. You're mistaken. I don't care what kind of man Father wants to marry me off to. I'm not getting married.”

“Your father isn't selling you off,” Leena replied, frowning at her daughter's choice of words.

“Whatever it is, I'm not marrying anyone. I want to become a Warrior.”

Leena sighed, looking at her daughter as though she were struggling to understand her.

“Women don't become Warriors, my daughter. Your duty is to take care of the household, satisfy your husband, and produce a fine heir. Men have the responsibility of taking care of their families and protecting the kingdom. That's how our world works.”

“And who's going to protect the family and the kingdom when the men are no more? What happens if the men are no longer alive? Who's going to protect us then?” Mira asked, staring directly at her mother.

For a moment, Leena wore a gloomy expression, as though her daughter's question had touched on something she would rather not consider. But instead of answering, she suddenly raised her hand.

Twah!

The next thing Mira felt was a slap across her face.

Leena immediately rose from the bed, her expression filled with anger and disbelief. “You've been acting strangely since morning, and all you've done is utter nonsense! You must be possessed by a demon. I'll tell my husband that we should take you to the Mother Church to be examined and baptized. I have to report this to him now!”

“Mother, wait... I'm telling the truth!”

Mira's voice trailed off as Leena hurried out of the chambers, leaving her alone with the painful sting on her cheek and the sinking feeling that she had just made matters worse.

“Fuck!” she cursed, slamming her fist against the bed.

Just as she had expected, no one was going to believe her. They would all think she had lost her mind or, worse, that she was possessed by a demon. How could she possibly explain that she had died in the future and returned to a time ten years before the Great Calamity? Even if she told them everything she knew, there was no guarantee that anyone would believe her.

Her frustration deepened as she recalled her mother's final words.

'I can't let them take me to the Mother Church. What if they discover my secret?'

Her heart began to pound at the thought, and goosebumps spread across her skin. She had no idea what the church would do if its people believed she was possessed, nor could she risk allowing anyone to examine her too closely. If they began asking questions about her memories or the things she knew, she might accidentally reveal something that would expose her secret.

'If they ask me questions, what will I tell them? That I came from the future and know everything that's going to happen? It sounds diabolical. And what if they ask how I came from the future in the first place?'

Mira suddenly stopped pacing and turned towards the mirror in her chambers. She had been so occupied with trying to change the future that she had barely taken the time to consider the most important question of all.

“How did I return to the past?” she asked her reflection.

It was a question that had troubled her ever since she regained consciousness in the bathtub. She remembered her consciousness fading into darkness as she was carried away by a body of water, her chest bearing the terrible wound the Demon Dragon had inflicted upon her. Yet, when she regained consciousness, she had found herself gasping for air in the bathtub of her childhood home, her body restored to the condition it had been in ten years earlier.

There had to be a reason for what had happened, but no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't find an explanation.

'Was it the Dragon's doing? Did he send me back to the past so he could enjoy killing me all over again?'

Mira stared at her reflection, trying to think of another possibility, but that was the only conclusion she could reach. She had been on the verge of death when everything went dark, and the next thing she knew, she had returned to the past. If the Demon Dragon had somehow been responsible, then perhaps her second chance was not the blessing she had assumed it to be.

“That bastard Dragon! I won't let things play out the way you want!”

Her eyes hardened with determination as she turned away from the mirror, refusing to allow the possibility to frighten her into inaction. Whatever the reason for her return, she intended to make use of the opportunity she had been given.