The Dandelion System

Chapter 10

"Yesterday something happened," I finally admitted.

Oda raised her chin and observed me like a predator did to a prey. There was something about her aura that told me it was a much more serious matter than I could've imagined.

"What happened?"

I debated whether I should tell her or not, but my curiosity overruled my reasoning.

"I was at the tower," I said, watching her for signs of anger, which even if she felt, she didn't show. "At first Otto was normal, but then suddenly he changed. He grabbed onto me and he kissed me."

"He kissed you." Her voice was nonchalant. Much calmer than I imagined.

"Yes."

"And?"

"That was it, but his attitude was different. He spoke as though he was en entirely different person." My voice fell low as I whispered what I truly wanted to say. "It was scary. And it was—it was sad."

Like the sayings of a person trapped inside. Trapped somewhere no one could hear him. Where no one could help him.

I turned up to look at Oda.

"Tell me, Oda, tell me the truth."

She leaned against the door, the wide beige skirts sweeping the floor. She averted her gaze.

"Then you've met Oscar."

Oscar?

"Oscar?" I repeated, the name strange on my tongue. And then the image of the other Otto appeared in mind mind. Angry, sneering, and nearly sad.

"There is another soul inside Otto's body," Oda said.

"It's a lie?" I whispered, feeling the urge to faint again. "That he is—well—possessed by a demon?"

One moment everything was fine, and the next I realized the world is a lie.

"How could we tell the public that Otto, the crown prince, has two souls?" Oda replied. "There's no cure for that. Being possessed by a demon, however, has a chance."

She was right. I couldn't say anything.

"When did it start?" I asked instead.

"It's due to something that happened when he was small," she whispered, a faraway look in her eyes.

"That's a long time ago. I thought it was recent."

"They lie about everything," she said without any feeling. "When we were small, Otto had a twin."

I stared at her blankly before my mind processed what she said.

"That can't possibly be true, there's no record at all." All my life, I've only heard that there is one prince and two princesses. Yet again, Taraxac had always been mysterious, and from what I learned, everyone in the Royal Family had a public name and a real name.

"Twins were a bad omen in royal families. Especially as the firstborn male sons. Since only one would be the future ruler, no one outside the palace knew that there were two of them.

"But there's also no painting of another child in the Royal Hall."

"They don't do royal paintings of the children until they are of ten years old," she explained, waving a hand dismissively, obviously irritated by my countless points. I remembered what Oriana said yesterday.

"A twin? What happened to him?" I inquired cautiously.

"His name was Oscar. They were twins, but he didn't have albinism, he had dark brown hair. He was unsympathetic, selfish, and cruel." She paused, waiting for the last word to sink in.