Years had passed so quickly.

Now, Olivia was no longer a small child of 11 years old, but a woman of 18.

Olivia stood in front of the mirror straightening her maid uniform as usual. No wrinkles and not a single mistake.

But her eyes.... empty. Like the eyes of someone with no life and no spark left. Her hand reached for the door knob. Then,

"....good morning, My Lady," she said quietly. Her voice sounded calm. As if it no longer belonged to her. Both of them froze watching Olivia who was walking toward them. Then she sat down as usual but as usual she stayed quiet. Not asking questions and not being noisy like her old self.

Celine and Ophlia who had been watching Olivia’s drastic behaviour for years let out a breath.

"She’s been like this again..."

Ophlia whispered quietly. They had no more ideas on how to bring Olivia back to how she used to be. Ophlia stood up and walked toward her long desk. She started opening her documents.

Calmly as if there was nothing she wanted to worry about, but something in her mind became unsettled watching Olivia who was still standing staring at the corner of the table.

Celine looked at Olivia sharply. Her eyes were clearly full of disappointment and exhaustion. Ophlia slowly rubbed her brow. Her chest hurt watching her best friend slowly falling apart. Her smile felt like a forced smile.

Every movement of hers changed drastically. The atmosphere of that room was always tense and quiet. No more laughter, no more conversations like when they were small.

"Olivia, what happened to you?..." she whispered in her heart.

My coming of age ceremony will be held next week....

"I need to sort things out with Olivia now before something happens" Ophlia whispered staring toward Olivia.

No matter what I want to sort this out this week!!!

Suddenly, Olivia stepped forward toward Ophlia’s desk. She bowed her head.

"I’ll take my leave, My Lady.." she said quietly. Before Ophlia could agree she had already turned her body and was walking toward the door.

Then Ophlia opened her mouth. But before she started speaking Celine spoke.

"...Olivia."

Celine’s voice was quiet, almost as if she was trying to hold something back inside her chest. Olivia stopped for a moment. She didn’t turn around. Didn’t show any reaction either.

"...Yes," she answered briefly.

Only one word came out of her throat. Empty and flat. Celine pressed her lips together. She stood up. Her hand at her side gripped her own clothes tightly.

"...how long are you going to be like this?" her voice finally cracked slightly at the end of the sentence. Silence.

The atmosphere of that room went quiet. Tense. Olivia slowly turned. Her eyes... still the same. Empty. Unchanged.

"...like what?" she replied calmly.

That answer made Celine’s chest feel even tighter.

"Like what?" Celine repeated, her voice rising slightly.

"You’re asking me like what?!" Her steps moved forward a little.

"Olivia... do you remember how you used to be?"

Celine laughed a little, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. More like a laugh that hurt.

"You used to be the loudest one. The one who couldn’t sit still. The one who liked asking strange things until people got tired of answering you!" Celine’s voice started trembling.

"But now... you just..." she stopped, drawing in a deep breath.

"...you only have your body left." Olivia went quiet.

But her eyes still didn’t change.

Celine bit her lip hard.

"Both of us have tried to understand you," she said quietly, this time lower than before.

Ophlia just stayed quiet watching Celine who looked like she was about to burst.

"Both of us have tried to wait for you to come back to your old self..." She stepped closer, now nearer than before.

But.....

"If you’re angry, you go quiet.

"If you’re hurting, you go quiet.

"If you’re lost... you still go quiet."

Celine’s voice broke at the end of the sentence.

"...what is actually left inside you right now, Olivia?" Celine intoned. She grips her hand.

Silence.

For a few moments, only the sound of the wall clock could be heard ticking. All three of them were quiet. Olivia finally opened her mouth.

"...I’m still doing my work well," she said quietly.

One sentence. Like an answer that had been rehearsed. After that she went quiet, her eyes staring at that cold floor. As if even she herself didn’t know why she was acting like that.

Celine was startled.

"...that’s all?" her voice was almost a whisper. Olivia didn’t answer. She only bowed her head slightly, then turned back around to walk out of that room.

As if that conversation had never happened.

Her steps were slow, steady... but empty.

Celine stood frozen in her spot. Her eyes started watering, but she quickly wiped them.

"...Olivia," her voice was lower now, almost breaking.

"Please don’t make us feel like this...if you want to share your problems with us..... you can tell us.." Celine continued in a trembling tone. Olivia stopped.

She didn’t turn to look behind her at all. She knew she would fall apart if she looked at the two of them.

She only stood there for a moment...

before walking away, slowly making her way along that long corridor.

And Celine could only watch her go.

Staring at the back of someone who was still right there in front of her eyes,

but somehow it felt like she had been gone for a long time already. She sat down covering her face that was streaming with tears.

Ophlia quickly walked toward Celine and hugged her tight. Without realising it her own tears fell one by one.

"Be patient, Celine, maybe Olivia needs some time for herself..." she said quietly while rubbing Celine’s back. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

In that long corridor Olivia blinked slowly looking at the wide open landscape in front of her. She felt as if she had not felt any happiness throughout her seven years in that estate. She only looked at it blankly. Not understanding what she was supposed to do.

Like a shell with nothing inside. Empty.

The wind greeted Olivia’s face gently. Her tied up hair slowly swayed following the wind that brushed past her.

Olivia tucked her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, the thin thread tied on her arm lit up, glowing and pulsing.

But Olivia only glanced at it for a moment. No panic, no questions either. As if she had no curiosity like her old self. As if fate was no longer something she wanted to fight.

The sound of maids’ footsteps walking around her felt further and further away. The longer it went the further they sounded. Not long after that, someone bumped into her from behind.

Olivia turned her head toward that man.

Oh... the gardener?

Olivia whispered in her heart while looking toward his eyes. Their eyes met for a moment. Then the gardener apologised to her. On his shoulder he was seen carrying a heavy basket while his hands held 2 baskets of biscuits.

"Sorry miss, I was in a rush earlier" he said while putting down the biscuits he was holding. Then apologised properly. Olivia didn’t answer, her eyes locked toward that pile of biscuits.

That man felt the air around them go cold. He held the back of his head to hide his awkwardness. But there was no response from Olivia. That man waved his hand in the air.

Hello hello...

He said... but Olivia’s eyes still looked toward those biscuits. Then that man seemed to understand. Then he gave one piece of biscuit to Olivia while smiling. Her hand for no reason suddenly extended her palm toward that man. Then that man gave 3 pieces of biscuit.

See you again....

That man walked away, leaving Olivia standing alone in that long corridor.

For a few moments, she just went quiet, her eyes fixed on the three pieces of biscuit in her hand. Her gaze was empty, but deep inside her, something that had been buried for a long time seemed to stir slowly.

Those biscuits... too ordinary and too small. But somehow, her fingers gripped them slightly tighter, as if she was afraid they would disappear.

A flash of a memory appeared, small laughter, a cheerful voice, a hand that had once extended the same thing... and a promise that had once been made from something so simple.

But that memory was blurry, incomplete, like a dream that was almost forgotten. Her chest suddenly felt tight. Not a sharp pain, but a hollowness too deep, as if something important was trying to come back... but wasn’t being allowed.

Suddenly, one drop fell onto the surface of that biscuit. Olivia went still. Her eyes blinked slowly, her hand came up to touch her cheek. Wet.

"...what is this..."

she whispered almost inaudibly. Another drop fell, then another, more and more without her realising. She looked at that liquid at her fingertips with an empty gaze, as if she didn’t recognise it at all.

Those tears kept flowing without stopping, but her face still didn’t change. No sobbing, no sound, only water falling slowly, carrying with it fragments of memories she couldn’t fully reach. And for the first time in seven years... something inside her trembled again.

But a voice called from behind her.

"Olivia..."

That voice was quiet but careful, as if afraid to come closer. Olivia slowly turned her head. The tears that had fallen weren’t wiped away. Her empty eyes met with two figures standing not far from her.

Celine... Ophlia...?

Both of them were frozen in their spots, clearly shocked seeing Olivia’s state. For a moment, nobody moved. As if they were all afraid, afraid that that moment was too fragile to touch.

But without warning, Celine stepped forward first. Her steps quickened, and in the blink of an eye, she was already in front of Olivia before pulling her into a tight hug.

Ophlia followed without words, hugging both of them from the side. That hug was strong. Warm. Different from the empty world that had been surrounding Olivia all this time. And for the first time... Olivia didn’t resist.

For a moment... Olivia went stiff.

Her body gave no reaction. Her hands hung at her sides, not returning the hug. As if she didn’t know what was happening.

But slowly... her fingers moved slightly. Almost invisible. Those stiff hands of hers finally gripped the edge of Celine’s and Ophlia’s clothes weakly, like someone who was almost drowning and without realising was trying to hold on to something.

That grip wasn’t strong... barely holding on... but enough to show that there was still something left inside her.

And for the first time... that hug no longer felt completely empty.

"Olivia.... you have us" said Ophlia while both of them let their tears flow.

"You don’t have to.... carry the burden alone..." Celine continued sobbing. Olivia didn’t answer but her chest felt tight and painful. Those empty eyes of hers filled with tears.

Olivia’s sobbing grew stronger until the people passing by them looked at them in confusion. Ophlia laughed a little while crying.

"Hey, don’t cry.... we’re not that small kids anymore" said Celine watching her two friends crying like small children. Ophlia nudged her while saying.

"You were the one who started it... not me" Ophlia replied not letting go of her hug. Both of them went back and forth with words. Olivia who had been watching them quietly suddenly let out a smile for the first time.

Her lips felt natural when making that smile. This made both of them who had been busy bickering affectionately immediately look toward Olivia.

"Bwahhhh... we’ve missed Olivia so much...."

Celine said then hugged Olivia again.....

But without them realising, far from where they were an older man could be seen sitting watching her.

"How is that girl doing?" that man said quietly. His fingers tapped the top of his cane. Those green eyes stared sharply toward Olivia who was standing in the distance. Then a woman’s voice was heard.

"Worse than before" that woman said calmly standing behind that man.

"Empty. Easy to shape..."

That man smiled thinly.

"Good..." His eyes fell back toward Olivia in the distance.

"Easier if she’s already lost her way."

That woman Delia didn’t answer.

But her smile... slowly spread wider.

I will do whatever it takes... to make sure you... will never go back to how you were before.....

Olivia Olivia.... you make things so easy for me..

Delia said in her heart with an excited feeling. Her eyes clearly looked toward Olivia sharply. But not an ordinary look. A deadly one.