It was another morning.
Seraphina woke up, immediately aware of the soreness that permeated her entire body. Her arms and waist ached in particular, each twinge serving as a vivid reminder of the previous day’s “help”—an experience that had far exceeded anything she could have imagined or physically endured.
Right after, the chaotic, shameful scenes from yesterday flooded her mind, along with sensations she was unwilling to acknowledge. Every detail was so clear that it made her scalp tingle.
Her cheeks burned instantly, and her heartbeat quickened.
Did I really… do those things to Movira?
Even though the other party had begged desperately, and it had been framed as “sisters helping each other,” could intimacy of that degree truly be explained away with those words?
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, not daring to look at the figure beside her.
Regret and panic filled her heart. How was she supposed to face Movira from now on?
Continue calling her “Sister”? Pretend everything was normal? That was simply impossible!
She inched toward the edge of the bed with excruciating slowness, hoping to slip away from the suffocating bed without waking the other woman.
Just as she was about to succeed, a faint rustling sound came from behind her—like fabric shifting.
Seraphina’s body stiffened at once. She froze in place.
Movira had woken up too. In truth, she had been awake before Seraphina, or rather, she had barely slept at all that night.
She had simply lain there with her eyes closed, savoring the warmth and scent of the person beside her. There was the satisfaction of having eaten her fill, mixed with a trace of regret and unease.
She could clearly sense Seraphina’s small, furtive movements as she tried to escape after waking. It filled her with a wave of dread.
Did I scare her?
The two of them remained locked in that awkward stalemate, back to back with an embarrassing gap between them. A heavy silence filled the air.
In the end, Movira moved first. She sat up gently, without looking at Seraphina, and spoke in a soft voice.
“You’re awake? Rest a little longer. I… I’ll go prepare breakfast.”
“…Mm.” Seraphina lay on her side, her voice muffled as if buried under the covers.
The breakfast that followed was exactly as expected.
Seraphina deliberately avoided meeting Movira’s eyes. Their conversation was limited to the simplest words: “Mm,” “Okay,” and “Thanks.”
The deliberately maintained distance turned the once small and cozy room cold and oppressive. Both were enduring this torment, yet neither knew how to break it.
After the meal, Movira grew restless and irritable. Unable to bear it any longer, she left the room.
She strolled along the quiet, shaded paths of the academy. The winter sunlight, pale and weak, perfectly mirrored her mood.
“Oh my, isn’t this Her Majesty the Demon King? What are you doing wandering around here alone? Where’s Seraphina? Hmm… You don’t look like you’re in a very good mood.”
Movira stopped in her tracks and said coolly, “Speaking of which, this is all thanks to you!”
Dekalorin walked up to her side and studied her tense profile. “Tsk… You eat the food and then curse the cook? But in my opinion, things aren’t as serious as you’re imagining.”
Movira furrowed her brows and glared at her with a hint of warning, mixed with helpless irritation.
“…Not serious? She’s ignoring me completely!”
“Perfectly normal,” Dekalorin said with a shrug. “After all, the leap was pretty big. She needs time to process and adapt. But did she not curse you out right away or kick you out or anything like that?”
“…Mm…” Even though Movira was currently pinning all the blame on Dekalorin, she had to admit that the other woman was right.
“There you go! The ‘sister’ identity must have offset her inner resistance! If you keep being too deliberately distant now, it’ll only make her pull back further. You need to give her a way out—a natural opportunity for her to approach you without feeling embarrassed.”
“…Like what?”
Dekalorin’s eyes sparkled with a hint of shrewdness. “Try changing the environment? Staying in one place all the time—especially one where something like that happened—is bound to make anyone overthink! For example… the library? It’s quiet, the atmosphere is serious, and…”
She stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I recall there’s a new batch of books in the history section that arrived recently. They should suit Seraphina quite well. While you’re there, you could also consult your knowledgeable big sister, right?”
Movira’s eyes lit up. The library?
It really was a good place, and it gave a legitimate reason to get close.
“Uh… Thanks.” Movira’s voice was low with gratitude.
“Hmm… Not very willing, huh! It’s fine, you’re welcome!” Dekalorin smiled brightly at her. “Remember to act natural! Just think of it as accompanying your little sister while she looks up information. Don’t walk around with that tragic, grudge-bearing expression!”
When Movira returned to the room and suggested going to the library, Seraphina hesitated.
But the room felt too stifling, and it held some unpleasant memories. In the end, she nodded. “…Alright.”
The academy’s library was grand and serene. Beneath its towering dome, rows upon rows of bookshelves stood like silent yet profoundly knowledgeable giants.
Seraphina deliberately chose a seat by the window. There were two chairs, positioned a bit apart from each other.
After sitting down, she headed straight for the history section’s bookshelves, avoiding any interaction with Movira the entire time.
Movira sat diagonally across from her and picked up a thick book at random. She had no idea what it was about, because she could not focus on reading at all. Her peripheral vision was filled entirely with Seraphina’s figure.
Time flowed by, accompanied only by the soft rustling of turning pages.
After a while, Seraphina returned holding a beautifully bound book.
This was the kind of content Seraphina enjoyed—details about the fall and reconstruction of the Human Empire.
There was indeed much to be learned from it. Taking this book would also help her in her life on the human side.
It was never a bad thing to understand more history.
Overall, the various human nations had never been unified politically, but in terms of faith, they had been brought together under the Church.
That served as a central “brain,” without which they truly would have been unable to resist invasions from foreign races.
However, when Seraphina reached the section on recent events, her brows furrowed. Her finger lingered on the page for a long time.
The content left her deeply puzzled.
Should I ask Movira?
If it were her, she would probably be able to answer easily. After all, she was practically a walking, living fossil…
The thought bounced around in her mind like a restless little deer.
She quickly stole a glance at Movira out of the corner of her eye. In her view, the other woman sat with her head slightly lowered, calmly perusing the tome in her hands. She looked exceptionally composed—almost a little distant.
Yet it was precisely this composure that made Seraphina even more anxious and restless.
How should I bring it up…? She agonized over it until she unconsciously bit her lip.