Daphne is certain, she has just had a bad dream.

Yes, it is all no more than a bad dream. This is all but a dream. She just has not yet woken up. Later, when she has woken up, things will be back to normal as before. And, her relationship with Stairmount will be back to normal as well.

But. She had been at Payneth's house for hours, it was not a dream. She walked limply when returning to her home, it was not a dream. She ate with her mother in the dining room, chatted with her, it was not a dream. And now, as she stares in vacant look at the cloudy night sky on the veranda, it was not a dream, either.

She passes through every moment like a living robot, since she has lost all of her soul. It is the same with this moment, as she stares heavenward at the night sky with a petrified face. Because her whole spirit has vanished. Floating away from her body.

She indeed sees everything occurring before her eyes, and hears every word her interlocutor said to her. It is just that she can't give any response to everything. Including to what Payneth said as she spoke furiously at that moment.

"By assigning Jupiter government under their Ministry of Health, Chrono designated their expert staffs in Mist Laboratory, Pluto. The aim was to research various kinds of pathogens from all over the Planet. But the physician-scientists, especially the Neptunian-Plutonians, were against it. They said, they heard that Mist Laboratory was doing the perverted act of creating a biological weapon aimed at attacking the nations that were anticipated to be their mortal rivals. So they opposed it. Stairmount Rivers was the chief researcher at Mist Laboratory, hence he was the main target of the physician-scientists' protests. Disturbed by the protest, Stairmount Rivers then ordered to lock all of them in the 'Prison of Pathogens'. This 'Prison of Pathogen' was not an ordinary prison. The prison was filled with various terrible pathogens, some of their toxic effects were even beyond imagination. A few days later, the physician-scientists had been found lifeless in a very tragic condition. It was so tragic that the administrators were forced to inform the families of the victims that the remains of the victims could not be shown due to inappropriate conditions, and as the substitute, empty coffins were given to the bereaved families. The victim's families were not only given a very large amount of compensation, they were also being threatened, once they dared to reveal this case to the public, then the other family members - usually the children - would be immediately arrested by the local authorities and even executed. So that the victim's families are agreeable to keep their mouth shut, and the case can be declared closed."

That was how Payneth read aloud the chronology of the Mist Laboratory incident. Meanwhile, Daphne sat limply, her face was deathly pale, and she was gasping for her breath which had almost completely left her.

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Payneth turned silent. Slowly, her hands clenched into fists. "Unforgivable..."

Daphne remained petrified.

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"Daphne... you said, one of the physician-scientists who died was your father..." Payneth now turned her face and stared at Daphne sharply. "And it is Rivers who killed him. What's your opinion about this?"

Daphne was still as pale as white stone. Even more, a peculiar response emerged on her facial expression. "I... don't... know..."

Payneth sighed a deep breath. She fully understood, this must be a very shocking situation for any woman who experiences it. Yes, it must be. Having a lover whom she loves so much to the extent that she is willing to take great pains to help him, but now, she instead finds out that her lover is a ruthless killer and he has killed her father. Payneth was sure that she herself couldn't even accept this bitter fate. Especially this young woman, who is so naive in love, but fate has thrown her by force into the darkest valley of anguished love. Slowly, she put her hand on Daphne's palms, then squeezed them gently. As if trying to give her strength and support.

"I understand how you feel, Daphne..." Payneth tried to comfort her. "I totally understand it..."

In response, Daphne kept appearing the same pale, petrified expression on her face.

Her pale, petrified expression remained unchanged until now. In fact, it is even getting worse. On the vast, extended night sky as the screen, she can seemingly watch scene after scene replaying before her eyes. All scenes of her togetherness with Stairmount.

The moment when she first met with Stairmount. The moment when she got close to Stairmount.

The moment when Stairmount saved her life. Then carried her out of Sapphire, toward Jupiter.

The moment when she confessed her first love to Stairmount.

The moment when she dated Stairmount before Stairmount left for Saturn.

The moment she finally made a marriage promise with Stairmount, to marry him.

"... I feel grateful that you choose this life path, Stairmount. I know this makes me sound selfish, but I have to admit, that I'm very grateful for it..."

"... I am so grateful for choosing this life path. You are right, Daphne. It is this life path which brings us together..."

" ... I have determined, if I really have a relationship with that man, then I should do it until the end. Until the ties of fate unite me with him."

"Thank you for your trust, Daphne. Please wait for me. After all this has been over, we will celebrate the wedding ceremony that even our children and grandchildren will remember forever."

It is her biggest dream. Marrying Stairmount.

However. Is it still the same now? Is that hope still the same?

After she reveals this reality?

" ... Maybe if you trace me further, you'll find some of my characters that you hate. Are you ready for that?"

"Stairmount..." Daphne said hoarsely. "Is this... the dark character you told me previously?... But... why is it supposed to be like this? Why is it supposed to be so cruel, Stairmount?..."

When Daphne is finally able to open her mouth again, her voice is very different from usual. This voice, is full of tears and sobs.

Her ultra-cyber minipad rings for a long time. Then, it turns quiet, but just for a while, it then rings again. And then, it falls silent again. It keeps going on that way, until three times of ringing. In the end, the phone doesn't ring again. It keeps quiet, in the painful silence of the night.

On the other hand, Daphne looks above, staring at the overcast sky, eyes flooding with tears.

Copyright ©️ by boundless_universe