Page 146 of Barbi and the Villain

“One more moment, Herwa. I want to commit his features to memory,” the lady murmurs.

“Hello? Anyone? I am standing right here!” I call out.

Just like before, no one answers me.

I blink in shock, not knowing what to do. Am I…dead? Is that it? Am I a ghost and they can’t see me? But how?

“Lispera.” Herwa, the woman in red, sighs. “You do not have to do this.”

I move to the side, getting a better look of Lispera. She is stunning. Her blond hair is complemented by a golden complexion, her eyes a deep brown. Her expression exudes warmth and kindness, and I immediately feel an affinity to her.

A sad smile descends upon Lispera’s lips as she gazes at the two babies.

“I do. You know I do. Otherwise…” She closes her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek.

One of the babies starts crying, and she takes him in her arms, swaying him gently and murmuring sweet words in his ears—how much she loves him and how sure she is he will have the best life possible.

“I love you, my baby boy. And I cannot wait to meet you once more. Someday,” she says as she lays a kiss on his nose, then on his cheeks and forehead. She keeps him tucked to her side while tears fall down her cheeks.

“You still have time to name him,” Herwa mentions as she goes to the bed to pick up the boy.

Lispera shakes her head. She gazes longingly at the baby.

“His new parents will have the perfect name for him.”

Herwa lingers for a moment, her expression worried as she takes in Lispera’s anguished one.

“Go. Go before I change my mind and cause a disaster,” Lispera calls out, averting her eyes.

Herwa nods and retreats out of the room.

When I try to follow her, I find that I cannot. The door she just used to leave will not open for me, effectively keeping me locked inside the room. A sliver of fear courses through me.

“There, my little girl,” Lispera speaks again. She cradles the baby to her chest, urging her to latch onto her nipple and feed.

She hums a melody to the baby, her lips trembling with sadness. She tries to smile, but she cannot.

Suddenly, her head whips up, her eyes narrowed.

“You should not be here,” she says, staring straight at me.

My lashes flutter in confusion. I take a step forward.

“You can see me?” I ask.

But my question is ignored as the door opens again and Herwa comes inside.

“What about the baby girl? Have you picked a good family for her?”

Lispera shakes her head.

“I do not know what to do, Herwa. I touch her, and I see her future. All the possible versions. If I give her up, she will die. If I keep her by my side, she will die. How can I make a decision when her fate is set in stone? I cannot send my own child to her death,” she murmurs in a low, terrified voice.

“You better than anyone know that fate can be cheated, my lady,” Herwa says as she takes a seat on the bed.

“No matter what family I give her to, her end will be the same. Her soul will be consumed by a demon and she will be lost to me—forever.”

Herwa regards her pensively.

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