749: Who Am I?

Who Am I?

At first, he thought that he only needed to work honestly and diligently in Lu Mansion, collect his payment each month until he had enough money to support himself through old age before he planned his retirement. 

He did not expect to grow so fond of Young Master Ren as he watched the shy and timid child grow up to be a dashing and charming teenager. He also did not expect to be involved in the subsequent drama that unfolded in the family, starting from Young Master Ren's male classmate who dared to seduce Master Lu on the day of Young Master Ren's social debut, the first major fight between Young Master Ren and Master Lu which ended up in the latter getting a heart attack…

And lastly… he most certainly did not expect to have his heart broken when the sickly Master Lu finally passed away.

"Young Master… Young Master, please don't be like this!" He hugged the weeping Ren Zexi to himself. The teenager had cried himself raw, yet he was still clutching onto Master Lu's clothes in a tight grip as though he was not going to let go until the end of the time.

He tried to pry Ren Zexi's hands off to no avail, his eyes hot and burning with tears. "Young Master…!"

Ren Zexi collapsed on Master Lu's bedside. He was crying so hard that he was gasping for breath. In response to the servant's urging, he only shook his head again and again, unable to form even a coherent sentence. If he went on like this, then he would definitely pass out from dehydration! 

And sure enough, Ren Zexi really fainted a few minutes later. Even in his sleep, his brows were furrowed and tears kept slipping from the corner of his eyes. Looking at Ren Zexi like this, his heart ached so much like he was going to die. He bit the bottom of his lips and tried to lift Ren Zexi's body into his arms, yet before he could do so, someone beat him to it.

It was the extremely handsome servant who had become his best friend ever since. He easily took Ren Zexi's curled up body into his arms and moved the teenager to the sofa. 

He hovered anxiously from behind, "Is he going to be okay? What should we do? I'm really afraid that…" he choked on his words, unable to bring himself to continue. Master Lu's death had clearly dealt a very severe blow on Young Master Ren. He was really afraid that the teenager would not be able to bear it, that he would not be able to think clearly and in the heat of the moment, did something stupid to follow behind Master Lu's steps…

"Don't worry," the man opened the thin blanket he was carrying and covered Ren Zexi's body with it, then he straightened up and comforted the smaller man with a reassuring smile, "Young Master Ren is a strong child. I'm sure he will be okay."

True to his best friend's words, Young Master Ren truly persevered in the end. It was difficult – hellish – and some of the days, he was really afraid that Ren Zexi would really give up on everything. But in the end, the teenager managed to survive and become a new pillar to hold up Lu Corporation – the gigantic company left behind by Master Lu. 

However, it did not mean that Ren Zexi was happy. He could see it in the young man's eyes. Since Master Lu's death, it was as if the dazzling light in his eyes had died out, forcing him to mature in the span of a night. From the cheerful and expressive teenager, he matured to become a gloomy, unfathomable and melancholic man. 

Even until he reached his forties, Ren Zexi did not take a spouse and chose to train the butler's grandson as his successor instead.

As the date to Ren Zexi's 42nd birthday grew closer, his body strangely grew weaker and weaker. He suffered from many small illnesses that eventually took a great toll out of his body, and he was forced to retire earlier than planned. He initially wanted to wait until Ren Zexi's birthday passed to bid farewell to him, but who knew that he would discover that his best friend was going to retire too?

Surprised, he went to ask the man, "You're going to retire as well? But why? Your body is still healthy, isn't it?"

"En," he gazed at him deeply. "I have worked long enough. I think it will be better to accompany you."

He could not help but laugh. "I am but an old, haggard man. What's good is there to accompany me?"

The man did not answer and merely gave him a faint smile. He did not think too much about it and soon put the brief conversation to the back of his mind. After all, retirement was not a trifling event and he would not be so naïve to think that his best friend decided to retire because of him. 

But then, something unexpected happened on Ren Zexi's 42nd birthday. 

That day, the servants were preparing a sumptuous feast in the kitchen as usual. It had become an annual event in the Lu Mansion. They would wait until Ren Zexi returned from visiting Master Lu's grave, then celebrate the man's birthday together. Even though it was only a simple congratulation, they hoped that it would be able to make Ren Zexi a little happier. 

His health was no longer good this year, so he was not able to participate in the cooking preparation. In the end, he could only help to wipe the plates. He was concentrating on his task when all of a sudden, he sensed everything around him came to an abrupt halt. The kind where the air froze as if someone had suddenly pressed a pause button.

All of the hubbub, the cacophony of voices and busy activities around him… everything came to a stop.

"Wha…?" Dazed, he raised his head to find his best friend standing in front of him. Amidst the suspended time and space, only this person was still alive and moving, gazing down at him with those dark and bottomless eyes of his. "What happened…" he trailed off. He wanted to call out the man's name, but his mind drew a sudden blank instead.

Wait… wait a moment, what was this person's name again? 

How…? They had been friends for more than a decade, so how was it possible that he did not know his best friend's name?

Before he could even wrap his head around this bizarre development, he was struck with another more mind-blowing question.

— What is my name? Why can't I remember? It seems like… I don't have a name? Why don't I have a name?

'Because you're just a nameless supporting character,' a voice answered him, causing him to fall into a stupor. A supporting character? What was that…?

Still unable to react, he could only watch as his best friend reached a hand out toward him, then the back of his hand gently brushed against his cheek. "I will be waiting for you," he uttered softly.

Wait… what? His lips parted to ask, but before he could say anything, his vision was engulfed by darkness and his consciousness swiftly faded away.

***

He was an ordinary guard in the Valmor Family, and there was a secret he had never told anyone. 

He always had recurring dreams. In those dreams, he was in a completely unfamiliar world and an unfamiliar house, working as a servant. Other times, he was sitting in a large office with strange floating things that glowed in a soft light and everyone greeted him with a respectful title. It was so real and vivid that sometimes he had difficulty pulling himself out when he woke up in the morning. 

It took him a few weeks to come to a conclusion: it must be the memory of his past life.

Because the dreams did not bother his daily activity whatsoever, he did not put it into mind and went on with his life as usual. His job was to protect the Valmor Residence during this turbulent time where vampires hunted humans down for their blood, and vampire hunters hunted vampires down for glory.

Recently, Young Master Theodore had recruited a new butler to replace the old one. Raphael was his name. He had long midnight blue hair and silver eyes, his entire body was oozing with powerful charm that could intoxicate anyone with a mere glance. 

He had heard many guards discussing the new butler secretly, yet for some reason, no one dared to approach him because Raphael seemed to exude a mysterious and oppressive aura that kept people miles away. On the other hand, the thing he focused on was not Raphael's supreme beauty, but the feeling of déjà vu he got everytime he looked at the man.

Strange, why… did he feel like this person was familiar somehow?

He shook his head to discard the thought. How was it possible that they had met before? If that was the case, then he would definitely remember this face because Raphael had a one-of-a-kind appearance that made people unable to forget him even when they had just seen him once.

With the doubt in mind, days passed by in a blink of an eye until one fateful day, the Valmor Residence was suddenly attacked by a horde of vampires! And the one who led them in was… Alfred! He recognized this man at a glance, he had visited Valmor Residence quite a few times before. But could someone tell him how Alfred became a vampire?! He was certain that the man was still a human when he visited a few weeks before!

He wore his armors, grabbed his sword and was ready to charge ahead and fight when someone grabbed his arm from behind. "Are you crazy?!" That person yelled at him angrily. "Do you want to die?!"

"Wha…" Before he could even form any reply, he was dragged away from Valmor Residence where the vampires had gathered.

He only snapped back to his senses when he heard the screams and sounds of violent fighting from afar. "Let go!" He tried to squirm out of the hold and glared at the person who was dragging him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, dude?!"

After confirming that they were far enough, the man finally let him go, turned around and slipped his hood back to reveal handsome and angular features. "You…" As he looked into the man's dark and complex eyes, a strange feeling arose within his heart. It was the damn déjà vu again. "Who are you…?" the question came out of his lips before he realized it. 

"I am a traveling merchant," the man replied with a hint of anger in his tone. "I saw that you're so eager to send your life away and couldn't help but intervene. Do you think that you're strong enough to fight against vampires?! Why are you so foolish?!"

He blinked, taken aback. Why did this merchant suddenly get angry at him? He was certain that they did not know each other before…

Alas, it was not until he returned to the Valmor Residence that he realized that what the merchant said was true. Corpses littered around the gate, and they died in such an abrupt manner that their eyes were still wide in shock and disbelief. Shudders ran down his spine when he saw each and every face that was familiar to him. Surely, if he had charged ahead at that time, he would have also become a stiff corpse right now…

The traveling merchant had saved his life and they became friends ever since.

When he was guarding Young Master Theodore's carriage outside, he would make sure to meet up with the merchant in the nearby teahouse when he was on break. It was so weird. Clearly, he was not someone who would open up so easily to others, yet in front of this merchant, he found that their conversation flowed as easily as water and there was none of the awkwardness often found between new acquaintances. It was as if they had known each other since forever…

Not only that, he was also able to talk about anything and everything. He even talked about the recurring dreams and the past life theory he had come up with, fully prepared to be laughed at or dismissed for his fantastical thinking. But much to his surprise, he received none. On the contrary, the merchant also admitted that… he got the same déjà vu when he saw him for the first time, and that's why he disregarded his own safety to drag him away from the horde of vampires.

He became dazed when he listened to this. Surely, past lives must have existed, right?

In their past lives, they must have also been best buddies, just like now…

He had no idea whether it was due to them opening up about their deepest secret to each other, that very same night, he was dreaming again. This time, it was a bit different than usual. In that dream, he was standing in the middle of the unmoving crowd, as if he was the only human surrounded by thousands of mannequins. And then, someone started to walk toward him, their face hazy and indistinct. No matter how hard he squinted his eyes, he was still unable to make out that person's appearance.

He heard himself asking, "Who are you?"

That person replied, "I will be waiting for you."

He was startled awake, gasping. Staring blankly up at the ceiling, he could not come to his senses even after a while. Was it only a dream or… was it another reminiscent of his past life? After he calmed down enough to ponder on the content of the dream, he was shocked to realize that the voice of that person… was exactly the same as his merchant friend! 

Alas, before he could even make an appointment for their next meeting to ask about this, many problems cropped out one after another. First, Young Master Theodore's personal servant, Raphael, had gone missing all of a sudden, causing the young master to go crazy trying to find him. The guards were dispatched to scour the land high and low in the attempt to find him, yet it was as if the gorgeous butler had disappeared off the surface of the Earth.

Young Master Theodore was livid, and he demanded the butler to be found alive, no matter the risk or consequence that might be involved. 

During that period of time, he was so busy running around that he didn't even have the time to drink. Automatically, he had no time to seek out the merchant either. As if it was not enough, natural disasters started to spread all over the world; earthquake, blizzard, tsunami…

The whole world was plunged into chaos.

It was said that a human's life was short and fragile, yet he had no idea how fragile it was until he stood in the face of death. In the end, before he could even get the answer he wanted, he died under the explosive force of Raphael's self-destruction.  2

It might only be a hallucination, but a split second before the whole world was enveloped in white, he seemed to hear the merchant crying out his—

What did the man say? Did he cry out his name?

Wait… what was his name again?

He was struck with another déjà vu, this time it was stronger than the previous ones. It was like somewhere in the past, he had also mulled over this question…

— Who am I? Why didn't I have a name?

Before he could get any answer, his soul perished from the mortal world and his consciousness was swallowed by the inky darkness. He was falling and falling and falling…

***

He was the dignified empress of Versatine Kingdom, an antelope omega with prominent beast mark – a pair of spiral horns on top of his head. His name was… Gemma. And he had a mate. His other half, his soulmate, the person he loved… he was the respected Emperor of Versatine Kingdom, Vincent.

Empress Gemma looked at his Alpha and couldn't resist the aching pain in his heart. He felt like he had forgotten something; something very, very important. Yet no matter how hard he tried to recall it, his mind would always draw blank. 

Toward others, the Emperor would always be a somber, domineering and brooding man. But only in front of his Empress would he show the gentle and affectionate side of him. Vincent had noticed that something was off with his omega nowadays. He had initially been waiting for Gemme to talk to him, but when he saw that the omega was spending all day in a daze with no signs of ever wanting to talk, he could not endure it anymore. 

He gently took his Empress' hand and asked in a soft whisper, "Why have you looked so glum recently, my Queen?"

Gemma flushed red when he heard this intimate address. He had no idea why… his heart always beat faster when his Alpha looked at him like that. He couldn't seem to get used to the man's quiet and intense gaze that smothered him whole. It hadn't always been like this. Recently, he had recurring dreams where a person with a hazy and indistinct silhouette would talk and smile at him, and every single time, that person's face would gradually transform into Vincent's. It caused him to see his mate in a new light all over again.

"I… I just…" he squeezed the Alpha's hand, pursed his lips, then decided to speak his mind. "Your Majesty, do you believe in past lives?"

Much to his surprise, Vincent answered in a heartbeat, "Of course I do." When he saw Gemma's incredulous look, his eyes softened and he gently explained, "I believe… it must be because we have always missed each other in our past lives that God took mercy on us and finally let us be together in this life."

Gemma had never expected such a beautiful answer coming from his Alpha's lips. For some inexplicable reason, those words seemed to strike a chord inside his heart and caused his eyes to burn with tears. He hastily lowered his gaze and discreetly dabbed the corner of his moist eyes for fear that Vincent would get worried. "...I never pegged you as a hopeless romantic, Your Majesty."

Vincent huffed out a quiet laugh. "I am quite surprised by it myself." He stretched out a hand to brush his fingers against Gemma's damp lashes, and when he drew back, the back of his hand stroked Gemma's cheek in such a gentle and tender caress, barely touching, yet the effect was everlasting on his skin as if it had been licked by the tongue of flame.

Gemma was stunned. The feeling of déjà vu was back again in full force, as if in the past someone had also touched his cheek in a similar way…

Gentle, loving yet extremely restrained at the same time.

Something in Gemma's chest seemed to burst out like the eruption of a volcano, sending fuzzy warmth all over his limbs and body. He looked at the Alpha in front of him, and before he knew it, he blurted out, "Your Majesty, may I… kiss you?"

.

.

A/N: unimportant supporting characters don't deserve a name, I'm going to cry QAQ I'm such a bad author..

pqdm.com