“Did you hear that, Feiyin? Mother said she’ll come to see me again tomorrow.”
“You’ve said that for the eighth time this hour; it’s hard not to hear. If you’re so looking forward to tomorrow, why don’t you just go to sleep?”
Night had fallen deep. The lights in the Duke’s Household were gradually extinguished, but the girl’s boudoir remained far from peaceful.
Feiyin, keeping watch, leaned back on a recliner, quietly observing the figure rolling back and forth beneath the covers on the bed.
“Ah… how did I not think of that? I’ll go to sleep right now!”
“As long as you’ve made up your mind. Hurry and sleep.”
Seeing the covers finally stop squirming, Feiyin slowly closed her own eyelids—
“Say, why won’t Mother let me duel that girl?”
“…I don’t think the Duchess ever restricted your actions. She just doesn’t want you to get hurt, nor does she wish for you to hurt others.”
“But I never wanted to hurt anyone. All our duels are meant to stop short, right? Vera Her Highness just wants me to beat that girl… I don’t know why Mother asked me such scary questions back then.”
“A duel that stops short shouldn’t require techniques like ‘Chillblade.’ Vera Her Highness should be well aware of that—yet she still taught you that move. Didn’t you find her state a little strange?”
“Now that you mention it, she did seem rather agitated—though that’s probably because she really hates that person, right? And that girl is his daughter. She’s always badmouthing that person… she can’t go a day without cursing his name…”
“Please don’t let yourself be swept up in her emotions. No matter what she thinks or feels about the Hero or his daughter, there’s no need for you to inherit those feelings. I believe that’s what the Duchess wishes to convey to you.”
“Maybe I have been influenced by her, just a bit. But I still think—it’s me who wants to surpass that girl.”
“Then there’s no problem. As long as you know what’s truly in your heart, whatever you choose to do is your own freedom.”
“So you’ll help me keep it secret?”
“…Go to sleep.”
A long silence filled the room; neither spoke another word. Yet after a dozen or so minutes, Milin called out softly again:
“Feiyin… sister, are you asleep?”
“……”
There was no answer in the darkness. Milin listened closely, and all she heard was Feiyin’s steady breathing from the recliner.
So, she quietly slipped out of bed. Looking at Feiyin fast asleep in the recliner, she pulled off a strip of blanket from herself and gently draped it over Feiyin.
“Well, I’m off then~”
Even though she knew Feiyin couldn’t see or hear her, Milin still stuck out her tongue playfully and whispered her farewell.
Once she’d finished, she tiptoed to the window and, making as little noise as possible, opened it.
She climbed onto the windowsill. The high night wind and the cold moonlight spilled down together upon her.
She did a few stretches and didn’t feel cold at all.
Is it just that my body is strong, or is that dreadful Fever Medicine really so effective?
Thinking this over, the girl leapt down as usual. Soon after, a faint sound echoed from the base of the tower.
Upon hearing this, Feiyin rose from the recliner, ready to close the window—
“Hm…”
Suddenly, she noticed a small shadow standing by the window. Instinctively, she grabbed it.
“Chirrp! Chirrp! Chirrp! Chirrp!” The shadow she caught was a fierce-looking, bizarre bird.
It had an unusually long beak, with rows of carnivorous, saw-toothed serrations.
The Shadow Bird flapped its wings in a struggle, its pair of wicked eyes glaring in fear at the Feiyin who gripped it.
Feiyin smiled at it.
“Kwaa!” it shrieked, snapping its beak at Feiyin’s hand. But before it could bite, Feiyin snapped its neck with a single squeeze.
What gushed out was not blood, but a sinister black magic.
The dark energy was nearly solid, churning into a mist that tried to reform itself—but Feiyin merely waved her hand dismissively, and the vapor scattered, disappearing without a trace.
“Seems there are rats… no, perhaps bats snooping around here?”
In a certain corner of Honglian Palace, a man lurking in the shadows suddenly staggered and collapsed to the floor.
His whole body trembled, feeling as if part of him had been violently torn away, never to be restored.
“W-what just happened?”
Naturally, there was no one to answer his question.
…
……
…………
Idiot, bastard, loser… Get back here!”
“Will you please put the sword down first?! Just how long are you going to chase me?!”
Lian was running in front, with the young Vera giving chase behind.
As for why it was herself being chased and not Lian, and why the one doing the chasing was not the current Vera but the young Vera… she could only guess.
Still, she thought of two possibilities—either this was a memory, or a dream. Looking back, she found Vera, cursing at her, actually appeared quite happy.
If this were Vera sixteen years later, she certainly wouldn’t be smiling at her like that, nor would she use such wild words.
“Stop!”
So she stopped running, holding up a hand to signal Vera to halt. Vera hadn’t expected her to stop suddenly, so the sword she was about to bring down paused in mid-air.
“Why are you trying to cut me? Do you even know me?”
“Aren’t you Lian, the greatest bastard in the world? I’m here to cut you for betraying and abandoning Meliya and Milin! Prepare yourself!”
With that, her sword fell, carving a chasm into the ground. Lian scrambled away, waving her hands in protest:
“Wait, wait, wait… Are you sure you’ve got the right person? I mean, I do look a little like who you described… but I’m a woman!”
“A woman… It does look that way.”
Young Vera gave Lian, who was desperately explaining, a thoughtful once-over, then lowered her head. Seeing her seemingly deep in thought, Lian relaxed a bit.
“Guess I still have to cut you!”
Sadly, Vera’s conclusion hadn’t changed. This time, she swung a sword that seemed to cut through the world itself, leaving Lian on the verge of tears as she shouted, “Why?!”
“How could I not recognize my useless disciple? No matter what this loser turns into… I could never fail to recognize you.”
Before the inescapable blade fell, she heard Vera announce, full of pride.
“Wow… what a complete and utter nightmare.”
Lian slowly climbed out of bed, wiping sweat from her brow. She couldn’t figure out why, these days, she kept recalling her memories of Vera, always dreaming about her.
“They say you only dream about someone who’s always thinking about you… If that’s true, shouldn’t I be dreaming of Meliya instead?”
Could it be Vera is watching me right now? Lian anxiously glanced around her room, then heaved a deep sigh.
“No way something like that could happen—huh?!”
A certain red-haired girl was sprawled on her windowsill like a frog. Judging by the shape of her mouth, she seemed to be saying—
Hurry up and open the window for me!
Well, someones excited.