Distant Memories

When Li Lin opened his eyes again, the sea of stars before him was no longer there. Bright sunlight slanted down through the leaves, turning into dappled patterns on the ground. In the flowerbed below, a beautiful blonde girl lay there, gazing intently at the sky.

"This is..."

Li Lin first checked himself; he couldn't find any physical form. This meant this wasn't happening now, but rather something that had already happened in the past. Therefore, he didn't exist here, and thus had no physical form, nor any connection to the past. However, Li Lin was quickly drawn to the girl's face. Although she looked young and somewhat immature, it was clearly...

"Christie, are you there?"

A gentle, clear female voice came from afar. The girl rolled over and got up from the ground. She glanced at the garden entrance not far away, then patted the dust and flowers off herself. Then, a bright smile appeared on the girl's face, and she waved her hands vigorously at the gate.

"I'm here, Mom!"

"Really."

Accompanied by a slightly complaining voice, a beautiful middle-aged woman appeared from the gate. Upon seeing the girl, the woman gave a helpless, bitter smile. Then, she quickly walked to the girl's side, squatted down, and while tidying up the girl's slightly disheveled clothes, she casually picked off the weeds that were stuck to the girl's beautiful blonde hair.

"You're playing in the dirt again. I've told you so many times, but you never listen. If your father finds out, it won't just be a matter of being locked in a dark room, you know?"

"Waaah..."

Upon hearing this, the girl trembled slightly, then straightened her chest and looked at the woman with considerable pride.

"Mom, I'm not scared at all. Dad just tries to scare people. I'm a member of the noble and brave Christie Family. How could I be afraid of something like a dark room?"

"Well said. Based on that statement alone, you might be able to escape this time..."

As she spoke, the woman stood up with a smile and stroked the girl's hair.

"However, it's very dangerous outside lately. I remember telling you many times not to wander around, right?"

"Um..."

Faced with the woman's smile, the girl couldn't help but lower her head.

"But Angela has always taken care of this garden. It hasn't rained lately, and I'm worried they might be thirsty..."

"I'll have Lux take care of these lovely little flowers, Christie."

As she spoke, the woman took the girl's small hand in hers.

"Then, let's go back to the castle."

"Um..."

Just as the two were about to turn and leave, a maid came from the other side of the path. Upon seeing them, she immediately bowed. At that moment, an uncontrollable cough suddenly broke out, causing the woman who was about to leave to stop abruptly. She turned around, hugged the girl in her arms, and moved away from the maid in front of her.

Betty, are you sick!?

"Madam, I... please forgive me, it's not a serious illness..."

The maid wiped the sweat from her face and answered in a weak voice, but the woman's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"You can go back and rest now, Betty. I'll have Mr. Brown give you some money for your medical treatment. You don't need to come to work until you're better."

"But Madam..."

Upon hearing this, the maid's expression suddenly changed drastically. She stepped forward, trying to explain herself. But before she could get close, the woman immediately pulled the girl back several steps and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

"Betty, are you planning to infect Christie?!"

Upon hearing this, the maid immediately stopped in her tracks. She stared at the girl in fear and unease, opening her mouth but not knowing what to say.

"Mommy, is Betty sick?"

Just then, the girl spoke up curiously, looking at the maid in front of her with some worry.

"Yes, Christie, Betty, she..."

The woman wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent. Unaware of her mother's hesitation, the girl flashed a bright smile at the maid before her and waved her little hand. "Sister Betty, you can't get better soon! Angela wants to eat your sweets again..."

"Miss Angela..."

The maid stared blankly at the girl before her, then sobbed a few times and forced herself to give the same smile.

"Of course, I'll go back and rest now. Miss Angela, I'll make you some snacks after I've recovered."

As she spoke, she bowed deeply again to the mother and daughter, then turned and left. Only then did the woman breathe a sigh of relief. She hugged the girl in her arms even tighter, while staring warily and with disgust at the spot where the maid had just stood.

"Christie, this way."

Li Lin followed the two out of the garden, and soon he saw an unusually simple castle. It was clearly not the kind of castle he had seen in textbooks and history books. It looked more like a stone fortress within a large manor. It lacked the high roofs and walls typical of Western castles, and judging from the fabric of the girl's clothes and the style of the castle, they were obviously products of a long time.

Upon entering the castle, Li Lin quickly noticed something amiss. The castle was nearly deserted; even the guards on duty were few in number. Some areas clearly designed for security were completely empty. Based on his observations along the way, this was clearly quite unusual. However, the girl seemed oblivious to all this. At that moment, she was nervously being led by her mother to a heavy and ornate door, and then the woman knocked.

"Darling, I brought her."

"Come in."

A dignified male voice came from inside the door. Hearing this voice, the girl trembled all over, but in the end, she gritted her teeth, straightened her chest, and walked into the room.

Inside was a study, and sitting at the desk was a robust and handsome man. He looked to be in his forties, but perhaps due to overwork in recent days, there were already a few gray hairs in the middle of his hair. When he looked up at the girl, Li Lin noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and red.

"Christie, you're being disobedient again."

"I'm so sorry, Dad..."

The girl lowered her head and answered in a barely audible voice.

"I was just tending to the flower beds, and..."

"No, and not at all!"

The man's voice was so loud that the girl involuntarily shrank back.

"Your mother and I should have warned you long ago that it's dangerous outside these days, so don't run around, not even in the garden! If you do it again, next time I'll just throw myself out and never come back!!"

"Yes... I know I was wrong... Dad..."

Perhaps not expecting her father to be so angry, the girl answered softly, tears welling in her eyes and her voice trembling. She gripped her mother's hand tightly, as if seeking comfort and support from it.

"I'm so sorry I didn't obey your orders... I promise I won't do it again..."

"Very good."

The man's expression softened somewhat after hearing the girl's answer.

"Your mother and I still have things to discuss. You should go back now. Remember, tomorrow is your sister's wedding day. As a member of the family, what you need to do now is review the etiquette and not make any mistakes. Otherwise, people will laugh at you."

"Yes, Dad... I'll go right away."

Hearing this, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, then left the study, closing the door behind her. The two people inside vanished the instant she closed the door. Li Lin wasn't surprised by this extraordinary scene; after all, what he was witnessing was merely someone's past memory. Things not present in the memory wouldn't reappear in the scene. Sure enough, soon after, the sound of their conversation returned to the study.

"Darling, these past few days have been far too dangerous. I saw Betty today; even she's been infected with that terrible God of Death Curse. Just to be safe, should we postpone it...?"

"That won't do! Don't forget, the date was set a long time ago. To back out now would be a complete disgrace to our family! Besides, this lowly trick won't last long. Even if those barbarians outside are afraid, I'll show them that our family will never succumb to this evil curse, we will never fall! Furthermore, we will rigorously check every guest who arrives tomorrow, and..."

Before he could finish speaking, the whole world turned white, beyond the realm of memory, so there was no point in Li Lin staying any longer. However, soon, a new scene appeared around him. It was a beautiful and elegant room, and the girl was standing in front of the bed, lifting her skirt and practicing noble etiquette with meticulous care.

"Sir... thank you so much for attending my sister's wedding... no, no..."

The girl shook her head and once again revealed a beautiful, innocent smile.

"Sister, congratulations... um... how should I say this..."

It was far too much to ask a little girl to come up with those formulaic blessings. Soon, the girl gave up and flopped onto her soft bed.

"Tomorrow... my sister is getting married..."

The girl smiled happily and then closed her eyes. She was so lovely and beautiful at that moment. Even Li Lin, who was just watching, couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the girl's cheek. Just then, the surrounding darkness deepened, obscuring the previous scenery, and the memory was about to end.

"Angela..."

Before the scene completely disappeared, all Li Lin could do was softly call the girl's name.

When the lights came on again, all Li Lin saw was a chaotic crowd. In front of him, a young girl with the same long golden hair as Angela lay on the ground, her face ashen and her breathing rapid; she was clearly unconscious.

"What's going on! Damn it! How could this happen?!"

Angela's father shouted, his face ashen, and then glared angrily at Angela, who was standing next to the girl.

"Christie, what have you done?!"

"I... I didn't do anything... Dad, I just..."

"That's enough! Take her away and go back to your own room!"

Before Angela could even defend herself, a man next to her roughly pulled her away, and the bouquet of flowers the girl was carefully holding was scattered on the ground and then trampled underfoot by the panicked crowd.

"It's the curse of God of Death! An evil curse!"

"Get out of here! Get out of here! This family is cursed, this place is already..."

The scenery changed rapidly along the way, and then Li Lin and Angela once again "locked" in their room. Although he didn't know what had happened, based on Li Lin's observation, the woman lying on the ground who bore a resemblance to Angela was clearly suffering from some kind of highly contagious disease. Such things had happened before, both in his world and on Earth, and it was clear that this era was a time of major epidemic outbreak.

For the next few days, Angela was kept in her room and not allowed to go out. Her meals were brought to her by her maid, and no one else came to see her.

Why don't Dad and Mom come to see Angela anymore?

Curled up in the corner of the bed, the girl murmured softly to herself. Clearly, finding the answer was incredibly difficult for someone so young. Li Lin, on the other hand, couldn't leave the room. He was trapped in Angela's memories, unable to find out what was happening outside. Even if he passed through the door and walls, all he saw was an eternal white mist, obscuring everything. But there were things that Li Lin discovered, even if Angela hadn't noticed them at that time.

"Sister, who are you?"

Curious, Angela watched the maid standing in the doorway, carrying food into the room, and asked her a question. This maid wasn't the same woman who had always served Angela; it was someone else. The maid clearly didn't intend to answer Angela's question. She placed the food on the table and prepared to leave the room. But just then, she suddenly swayed slightly and coughed violently.

"Sister, are you sick?"

Hearing the woman cough, Angela hurried over. She reached out as if to do something, but the maid forcefully shoved her hand away.

"Don't come near me! You devil! Almighty Lord, what have I done? Why is this happening...?"

As she spoke, she quickly took two steps back, then turned around and rushed out the door, slamming the door shut behind her.

Angela stared blankly at the doorway, her expression bewildered and sorrowful. Clearly, she didn't know what she had done or why she was being treated this way.

From that day on, things changed again.

Angela was not allowed to leave the room, and the people who delivered food no longer entered the room, but instead slipped the food in through the crack in the door and left immediately. No matter how much Angela called out, there was no response. Things had developed to such a bizarre point that even a child, let alone an adult like Li Lin, would sense something was wrong.

"Could it be... that Mom and Dad hate Angela?"

Looking at Angela, who was curled up in bed as always, hugging a soft pillow, her eyes red and swollen, Li Lin could only watch in silence. This was the first time he had learned about the little one's past, but it was clear that this was only the beginning.

"Angela has always been a good girl and very obedient, so why don't Mommy and Daddy want to see Angela anymore?"

Hugging her pillow, the little girl muttered to herself, desperately trying to figure out why she was being treated this way, but she still had no clue.

"That's right, it must be because Angela's manners aren't up to par."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Angela's eyes lit up.

"That's it! It must be Angela's bad manners that made Daddy angry. That's why he doesn't want to see Angela. That must be it... Yes, Daddy must be secretly observing Angela. This definitely won't satisfy him!"

Having made her own judgment, the little girl quickly jumped off the bed, stumbled to her feet, and then began to practice those complicated and strange rituals again.

"It should be like this... um... that's it..."

Angela twirled on the ground, then lifted her skirt with both hands, trying her best to perform a proper ladylike gesture. But perhaps because she twirled too fast, she lost her footing and fell to the ground.

"It hurts..."

Angela stretched out her foot and slowly massaged it. Judging from the swelling on her ankle, the injury was obviously quite serious. However, she did not give up.

"Go away quickly and peacefully... Angela won't give up, she needs to practice more... If she cries out over such a little pain, Daddy will hate her..."

As she muttered to herself, the girl used the wall for support to stand up and resumed her practice.

Is this Angela's past?

Watching the petite figure enduring the pain while diligently practicing against the wall, Li Lin felt a sudden, inexplicable unease deep within him. He reached out to stroke Angela's head, but received no response. The girl in his memory wouldn't have noticed this uninvited guest. In fact, at that time, she had no idea what her future held. She was only trying to seize the present and change herself, attempting to regain her parents' love.

This is perfectly normal for a girl that age.

However, the world will never progress as one imagines.