The Truth of That Day
'Why......?'
Why. Why on earth...!
'Why won't you break... Even though the one you so desperately want hasn't come back. How can you just sit there so obediently waiting...!'
The Black Moon figured that once dawn passed and morning arrived, it could swallow the girl whole in her pit of despair. Luna had that sturdy pillar of resolve in her heart, but she'd shown faint signs of wavering, little by little.
But the girl didn't crumble.
"Lu... Si-hyun... when will he come...?"
Luna realized she was alone in the empty room, yet she didn't spew that crimson-black aura or tremble in despair. She simply settled in front of the entrance, clutching her rabbit doll tight. No trace of anxiety whatsoever.
'This can't be... She looked ready to shatter any second...!'
The Black Moon steadied its unknowingly twisted expression and crept up behind Luna.
「Luna, doesn't it make you sad that Si-hyun broke his promise to us?」
"Yeah... I'm not sad."
Luna's golden eyes betrayed not the slightest flicker.
「Why...?」
The Black Moon was losing its cool—its voice rising without it realizing.
「Luna, Si-hyun promised to come back. But morning's here, and he's nowhere. He broke his promise to us! He abandoned us...! Forgot the vow to marry you, the promise to get engaged under the moonlight. So why are you still waiting for him...?」
The root of its curiosity. Up until now, Luna had been a ticking time bomb of a girl without Si-hyun around. That's why the Black Moon had twisted fate at great personal cost. Convinced just one day would drag her down into the depths.
But.
The girl's eyes, lifted straight to the Black Moon, weren't clouded in the least. Those golden irises still gleamed bright as ever.
"Si-hyun... wanted me not to know what sadness feels like."
「That's... your only reason? Just 'cause he wants it, you'll deny your own emotions?」
Luna wasn't denying anything. Sure, Si-hyun not coming back left her lonely—but she'd accepted that feeling. It was just one little nail of loneliness hammered into the sturdy pillar he'd built in her heart. A single puny nail couldn't topple Luna's resolve.
"My body and heart... they all belong to Si-hyun..."
The girl murmured softly, pressing both hands to her chest. The heart she'd expected to feel cold still held its warmth.
'Amazing. This coziness... it lingers on and on...'
Si-hyun had stroked and hugged Luna every single day. Weekends out together, teaching her all sorts of things. All those moments were propping her up right now, keeping anxiety at bay even in his absence.
His efforts weren't wasted.
"Now... I think I get what waiting really means..."
Believing in him even if he's late. Holding firm faith that he'll come back no matter what. Faith and trust. That's the kind of waiting Si-hyun had taught her.
"Si-hyun... I'm doing okay on my own... so don't worry."
That's when an utterly sinister voice echoed right in Luna's ear.
「Ahhh—— That damn Si-hyun, Si-hyun, Si-hyun, Si-hyun, Si-hyun, Siiii-hyuuuun...!!」
That flimsy faith is no different from a scrap of tissue paper before me.
The Black Moon finally dropped the pretense and bared its true nature.
「...Luna, you're deluded. Thinking he cherishes you...? Sure, it looks that way now. He's forgotten what you did to him. If he remembered, you think he'd treat you like something precious?!」
It hadn't wanted to resort to this. The Black Moon was certain spilling this would shatter her emotions on the spot. It had held back, not wanting a doll of a girl—devoid of feeling, unresponsive to any prod.
But no options left.
「And you're no different, Luna. If you remembered what you did, how could you stand so casually by his side? Forgetting everything, blissfully ignorant at his side—it's utterly revolting.」
Luna had no clue what the Black Moon was on about. What had she done to Si-hyun?
「Ah, to be precise—not the current Si-hyun, but the Si-hyun from back then?」
The Black Moon twirled gleefully, closing in on Luna like it'd struck gold.
「I wanted your body and soul intact... but whatever now... haha... hahahaha...!! This is punishment for spurning my final mercy. I wanted those precious emotions of yours preserved... but even just your shattered heart's empty shell? I'll take it with joy.」
The Black Moon slowly pressed its index finger to Luna's forehead.
「Luna, I'll show you the truth of that day—the one you most desperately want to forget.」
In that instant, Luna's consciousness plunged into a pitch-black void.
Amid countless stars, a colossal moon hung unyielding in its glow—a kingdom called Selenum.
Peerless in peace and beauty among all the world's realms. Beyond towering, impregnable walls gleamed golden rooftops, marble palaces infused with moonlight standing proud. Streets buzzed with life; people smiled and greeted one another. It was like something out of a fairy tale.
But Selenum's fame for beauty stemmed from more than that.
Its sole princess, Luna. Silver hair as if steeped in moonlight itself. Eyes of gold brighter than any gem.
"Selenum's beauty owes to its moon and Princess Luna."
From her birth, Selenum claimed the title of the world's most beautiful kingdom.
"H-Here, they won't find me, right?"
And the beautiful princess was now hiding in a tiny wardrobe, evading her head maid.
"Oh dear~? Where oh where has our princess gone~? Doesn't seem to be in this room—maybe we should check elsewhere~?"
'Heehee. No way Elsi can find me here—'
—Bang!
"Foun. D. You."
"Eek!"
"Princess~ You thought hiding here would stump me?"
"H-How'd you know? I thought I hid perfectly this time!"
"Hehe. As head maid who's run this palace since your birth, I know every spot a little girl might squeeze into."
"Ughhh... that's cheating..."
"Come on now. The queen's waiting."
"Aw, I wanted to play more. Bedtime already?"
Luna's looks belied her energetic love of play. Always pushing past bedtime, her only "flaw" was needing the head maid to drag her to bed nightly.
"My, Luna—caught by Elsi again?"
A silver-haired woman awaited on the bed—Selenum's queen, Luna's one and only mother.
The princess flopped onto the bed, griping away.
"I was so sure this time—I could've dodged her!"
"Hehe, you say that every time, yet here you are. Enough now—come here. It's far too late."
"Mom, where's Dad?"
"Some business left to handle. Shame, but it's just us tonight."
"Dad's been so busy lately. Doesn't play with me anymore!"
The queen laid the whining Luna in her lap, patting gently. Her tender touch lulled the princess swiftly to sleep.
"He's busy for your sake, dear. And it's not just him—head maid Elsi, me, that bright moon up there—they're all here for you."
"Really...?"
"Absolutely. And to repay them, our Luna needs her early bed and early rise, right?"
The queen stroked her daughter's hair with a loving smile.
"Got it, Mom..."
Every day was bliss for Luna. Loving mom, caring dad—they showered her with unwavering affection, letting her grow bright and healthy.
"What... is all this...?"
Luna reeled from the scenes flashing before her eyes.
A happy kingdom, Selenum. And there—a beaming princess with silver hair and golden eyes, her spitting image.
Identical to the bedtime story Si-hyun had once told her on a lovely moonlit night.
"So that story... it was true..."
At first, she'd figured Si-hyun was just teasing, calling her "princess" like always. An extension of how he doted on her.
But.
"Si-hyun... he already knew..."
How, though? That's when a grotesque voice answered her bewilderment.
「The Savior, Lucifer.」
"Lu... ci... fer...?"
It felt off. A name she'd never heard—yet so familiar. Beyond familiar; her chest swelled with aching longing.
「A man with hair black as night, eyes deeper than obsidian. Rings a bell, doesn't it, Luna?」
"Si-hyun...?"
「Spot on—exactly like Si-hyun's nighttime form. Why? 'Cause he's back. To save the princess bathed in moonlight.」
"To... save me...?"
The Black Moon paused, fixing Luna with a lingering stare. A foul grin creeping across its face.
「The memory replay ain't over yet. You'll learn soon enough, Luna. What kind of man he was. How precious he held you. How hard he fought to save you amid the ruin. And you'll witness it again—」
The Black Moon's mouth split ear-to-ear in a skin-crawling leer.
"The horrific sight of you piercing beloved Lucifer's heart—with your own hands."