A Little Lie for You
==========
Selenum. It was a beautiful place. Beneath the deep blue night sky, soft moonlight cascaded down, illuminating the white castle walls with a gentle glow—a peaceful kingdom. At its heart stood a palace shrouded in mysterious energy and a serene temple that resembled the moon itself.
The Hall of the Moon, a place visited by countless people for prayer.
"How did things end up like this...?"
Tsuki held a candle flame cupped in her small hands, offering her prayers. Her expression was one of deep worry.
"Is the princess crying again today...?"
Yesterday, the day before, and even before that. Every time Tsuki visited, the princess had been weeping alone.
"The two who always showered her with love... why have they changed like this...?"
The king who ruled Selenum and the queen who supported him. Overnight, the two had transformed. Gone was their wise and virtuous demeanor; now they were obsessed with hoarding jewels and treasures.
"The nobles aren't offering any real counsel to those two—they're just flattering them. And the people's clamor at the castle gates grows fiercer by the day."
The once-splendid palace interior grew increasingly barren. Greed. A desire to devour everything in the world was overtaking the kingdom.
"If only I had a little more power, I could help the princess... "
Tsuki, the kingdom's sole shrine maiden. But serving the gods and state affairs were strictly separated, leaving her with few options in this crisis.
"No matter how I think about it, it's strange. Not just them, but everyone else ignoring the princess too."
Everyone except Tsuki disregarded her. To the palace dwellers, loyalty to the king and queen was the only path to survival. The princess was merely a shadow in their eyes.
"It's like some evil being is manipulating them all."
At that moment, a soft voice came from behind Tsuki.
"Visiting the princess again today, shrine maiden?"
A man appeared suddenly behind Tsuki as she prayed in the prayer room.
'Come to think of it, there's one other person who worries about the princess besides me.'
Jet-black hair and snow-white skin. A man with deep, dark black eyes.
"You're back early, Lucifer."
"The atmosphere feels off, so I couldn't take it easy."
"Sigh... Why has everyone changed so strangely? It feels like only you, me, and the princess are still sane."
"I met the king and queen right after arriving, but their eyes were clouded. And I sensed some dark energy too."
"...Can we find a solution?"
"Don't worry too much. Finding it is my job."
Lucifer flashed a bright smile at the anxious Tsuki, as if telling her to trust him.
'Hehe... Your smile always makes people happy, no matter when I see it.'
Tsuki approached the departing Lucifer to offer prayers and blessings.
"May the soft moonlight always guide your path..."
"Tsuki, you're getting really good at blessings now."
"...Lucifer oppa, what if someone hears you calling me that again?"
"Just trying to help you relax... Worried I'll get struck by lightning? Haha."
"You never notice when I'm worried... Same as always. Sigh. Just come back safe. And don't come back all banged up again..."
"Haha, with a blessing from Selenum's shrine maiden herself? I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Lucifer gently ruffled Tsuki's hair before turning away.
"I'll be off now, shrine maiden."
"Safe travels, Lucifer."
"While I'm gone, take care of the princess—no—"
The black-haired man's final request as he left.
"Take good care of Luna."
==========
The Sad Princess
"So that's how it was..."
The silver fragment revealed Tsuki's memory.
"Just like with Lora, Tsuki's connected to Selenum too."
Lora, the village girl from Selenum, and Tsuki, the shrine maiden. Si-hyun pieced together the info from both memories.
Moonlit Kingdom of Selenum
Silver-haired princess with golden eyes
The transformed king and queen
Savior Lucifer
"The man's face—Lucifer, I assume—was oddly hard to make out..."
Unlike Tsuki, who appeared crystal clear in the memory fragment, Lucifer was only vaguely recognizable by his hair color, tall stature, and voice. His face remained blurry.
But that was enough for Si-hyun to understand why Tsuki and Eclipse called Phantom "Lucifer."
"The hair color, silhouette, and voice are spot-on."
Probably one of the beginner package's effects.
'They really packed every gimmick in there. So that's why Luna recognized me at Bosingak and said she missed me.'
Luna clearly had ties to Lucifer back when she was a princess.
'She lost her memories, but mistook Phantom for him because of the similarities.'
"...When Luna learns the truth later, she might hate me big time."
Maybe she'd never want to see him again.
"...Anyway! I get why they confuse Phantom for Lucifer, but that's not the point."
The final line from the memory fragment rang crystal clear.
—"Take good care of Luna."
"Luna's definitely Selenum's princess. I was 99.9% sure from the description of the beautiful princess with silver hair and golden eyes."
Learning more about Luna's past was a solid gain. To end a mengmang-grade ghost story, knowing its backstory was essential.
But.
"This should make me happy... so why does my heart ache like this...?"
Si-hyun couldn't just accept it positively. The story described the princess weeping every day. Her once-loving parents had changed like strangers, and the kingdom darkened.
"In the end, Luna must've fallen without escaping that sorrow..."
What turned the innocent Luna into a ghost story? Her parents, consumed by greed.
"If Luna learns her loving parents made her into a horrific ghost story... she'll definitely..."
Squeeze—
Si-hyun unwittingly gripped the crescent moon hairpin tightly.
"...Let's head home first. Luna's waiting."
* * *
Si-hyun arrived home via shadow travel. He took a deep breath at the door before opening it.
—Click.
A small silhouette appeared the moment the door opened. Moonlight-silver hair and golden eyes sparkling even in the dark.
Luna.
"Si-hyun..."
"Luna. Were you waiting right here?"
"Here... I wanted to."
"Haha, what did Luna want to do?"
The girl toddled over, took Si-hyun's hand, and placed it on her head.
"Luna?"
"Si-hyun... I... waited."
She closed her eyes, lips moving repeatedly.
"Waited... for Si-hyun..."
—Thump.
Why did those words hit so deep? The girl who once didn't know waiting or its meaning had changed.
'Luna gets it now. If she waits, I'll pet her and praise her.'
—Stroke.
Si-hyun moved his hand, gently petting her small head.
"You did... so well, Luna."
His lips trembled as he spoke. When his voice cracked slightly without him realizing, Si-hyun had to admit it.
'No denying it anymore. Luna's become too precious to me... maybe more than myself.'
* * *
As always, Si-hyun carried Luna to bed and laid her down. The quiet room was softly lit by moonlight filtering through the window.
"...Si-hyun."
The girl gazed at him, her golden eyes shining brightly.
"Luna. Can't sleep again tonight?"
Luna tilted her head slightly and snuggled closer into his arms. Her small, delicate hand grasped his clothes.
"Si-hyun... old story... want to hear..."
"First time Luna's asked for one, huh?"
"Yeah..."
"Alright. I'll continue the story from last time."
Si-hyun pulled the blanket over her for comfort.
"In Selenum, there was a very wise king and a kind queen. They loved their daughter, the princess, so much."
"Really...?"
"Of course. I told you last time, right? A super pretty princess with silver hair and golden eyes, just like Luna. How could they not love such a cute daughter?"
"..."
Luna suddenly noticed her own hair. Silver strands shimmering one by one.
'Does Si-hyun... think I'm pretty...?'
She'd never cared about her appearance before, but from the moment he called her pretty, she started paying attention.
Si-hyun playfully grabbed a lock of her tilting hair, brought it to his lips, and grinned.
"Even Luna thinks it's pretty, right? Looks cool but warm like moonlight."
"S-Si-hyun...?"
His action stirred another strange feeling in her chest.
'What is this...?'
An unknown sensation. Unfathomable.
But.
"Not... hate it."
Si-hyun petted her while neatly arranging her hair.
"But Luna, something sad happened in that happy Selenum."
"...?"
"The two who seemed like they'd always love their daughter changed overnight. They chased only gold and treasures, pushing the princess away."
"..."
Luna said nothing, just stared with her golden eyes.
But Si-hyun caught the subtle shift in them. A faint tremor reflected in her golden pupils.
'Luna doesn't know emotions, yet that shake feels like sadness... why?'
He couldn't continue. The next part was too tragic.
A princess weeping through endless nights, Selenum withering away.
He couldn't tell her that.
"Si-hyun...?"
"...Luna."
Si-hyun hugged her first, something he'd never done proactively despite petting her often.
"Si-hyun... why...?"
"Ah, sorry Luna. Did I startle you?"
Luna shook her head side to side to say no.
—Squeeze.
As he tried to loosen his grip, Luna burrowed deeper.
"Si-hyun is Luna's... right?"
"Yeah. Luna's."
"And... Luna is Si-hyun's..."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah... so Si-hyun, hug tight..."
The girl slowly learning and understanding emotions. That's why he couldn't tell her the real ending.
The Sad Princess
'...Don't make me laugh. You think I'd accept a story where Luna's sad?'
This won't do. I can't accept this tale.
'I want Luna to be happy.'
At least in my story.
Si-hyun spoke as if resolved.
"Luna, this story has a secret."
"...Secret?"
"The king and queen gathered gold... to protect their beloved princess."
"...The princess?"
"Yeah. One day, a very evil, greedy monster appeared in peaceful Selenum."
The girl listened silently.
"The monster wanted the beautiful princess for itself. But the king and queen wouldn't stand for that, right?"
"Why...?"
"Because of love. Luna, they loved their daughter too much to give her up."
"Love..."
"The monster was flustered at first. It expected them to fear it and hand her over, but they resisted fiercely."
Parents sparing no effort to protect their daughter. Si-hyun was certain Luna's parents would have done the same.
'Even I've grown to cherish Luna after just months. How much more her parents? At least as much as me, probably more.'
Si-hyun cleared his throat and continued.
"Tired of the resistance, the monster made an offer. Surrender all the world's gold and jewels, and it'd give up the princess."
"..."
"So they gathered the gold, no choice. Sure, they neglected her in the process—that was wrong."
"That's... how it was..."
"So Luna, the princess must never forget this, right?"
"Will the princess... remember... Si-hyun?"
Luna asked quietly, her words laced with desperate hope that the story's princess would remember.
"Of course, Luna. And—"
Si-hyun gently stroked her head.
"Since the pretty princess right here wants it, the one in the story will definitely remember."
"Really...?"
"Absolutely."
Reassured, Luna slowly closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
"...Good..."
Her breathing grew steady with soft snores. A tiny, subtle smile graced her lips.
But that smile only weighed heavier on Si-hyun's heart.
'Someday, when she learns the story I told was a lie... she'll hate me.'
Luna was fully asleep now. Si-hyun carefully petted her.
"Sorry... Luna."
'Tonight, I just wanted the story's princess to be happy.'
"Forgive... my selfish little lie for you."