The Last Night of Confinement
A misty drizzle fell outside the window.
The rhythmic patter of raindrops against the glass filled the room.
I closed the bag I'd spread out on the bed.
"Guess that's everything packed."
I hadn't brought much to begin with. Just a few changes of clothes I'd arrived in, toiletries, and some odds and ends I'd picked up here. That was it.
Huh?
As I finished packing, something felt off. Missing.
A few pairs of underwear and pajamas I'd definitely brought with me were nowhere to be seen.
Where'd they go?
They weren't worth stealing—old, worn things—and I didn't regret losing them, but the nagging suspicion lingered.
Whatever. Lost is lost.
I shook off thoughts of the missing clothes and carefully tucked the crystal flower Leoness had sent into a corner of the bag.
A white flower glowing softly within the crystal.
Couldn't let it break, so I wrapped it snugly in soft fabrics.
Next to it went the pretty pebbles Charlotte and I had picked up on our walk, and the lopsided flower crown she'd made me.
The flowers on the crown had withered to brown and crackled at the touch, but I couldn't bear to throw it away. I pressed it gently between bookmark pages instead.
"…"
A prickling gaze bored into my back.
Charlotte sat on my bed, knees hugged to her chest, watching me pack in silence.
Normally, she'd be chattering away—"Sis, what's this?" or "Are you taking that too?"—but today she was unusually quiet.
The mood hung heavy.
"Charlotte. Check this out."
To lighten things up, I pulled out the massive bundle I'd set aside by the bag and shook it.
"It's the lunch Marie packed. Think we can finish it all before we get to the academy?"
Sandwiches, cookies, fruit, smoked chicken legs—the works. Enough for a week, easy.
Normally she'd coo with delight, but Charlotte just gave a weak twitch of her lips.
"…"
I quietly set the bundle down.
An awkward air swirled between us.
After a long silence, Charlotte finally spoke.
"Sis."
"Yeah?"
"Do you… really have to go?"
Her voice was so soft it nearly drowned in the rain.
I stopped packing and perched on the edge of the bed, facing her.
Up close, her eyes were already red and puffy. She was holding back tears with everything she had.
Her amethyst eyes trembled anxiously, chasing mine.
"I have to. Confinement's over, and it's time to head back to the academy."
"Can't you… just not go?"
We'd been over this a million times, always running parallel.
She clutched desperately at my clothes.
"Just say you're sick. If you tell them you're too ill to go, even the academy can't force you."
"Charlotte."
"Or… or… what if I say I'm sick? Then you'd have to stay and take care of me…"
Desperation rippled in her eyes.
"Charlotte."
I cut her off gently.
"You can't say things like that."
"…"
"You think I'd feel okay using your illness as an excuse?"
Her head drooped, shoulders quivering faintly.
I reached out and stroked her hair.
Soft strands slipped through my fingers.
"And… there's another reason I have to go."
"Another reason…?"
"Yeah. I need to get stronger."
She lifted her head at my words.
"Stronger… for what?"
"To protect you."
I met her gaze squarely.
Half excuse, half truth.
I had to grow stronger to resolve the original story's events, build power to defeat the demon king.
And along the way, keep my friends safe—the ones I'd bonded with.
"…"
"And I'll come back for break, no doubt. I'll write often too."
She bit her lip hard at my cheery add-on, fighting back tears with a desperate grimace.
Deep down, she knew. In her head.
That I had to leave.
That I couldn't stay forever.
But her heart wouldn't follow.
"I'm scared."
Her head sank again.
"If you go… I'll be alone again."
The weight of those words crushed my chest.
Alone.
I knew better than anyone what that meant to her.
The happiness we'd shared had been so great that the solitude waiting would feel even deeper.
I abandoned packing entirely and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
"Charlotte. Look up."
"…"
"Come on."
At my urging, she slowly raised her head.
Amethyst eyes brimming with tears met mine.
I wiped the tears pooling at her lashes with my thumb.
"Nothing changes just because I'm gone."
"Liar…"
"It's true. The servants won't ignore you anymore."
"That's not it…"
She shook her head vigorously.
A single tear plopped onto the blanket.
"I can handle that."
Her voice soaked with sobs.
"But… you won't be there."
"…"
"No one to hold me when I have nightmares… no one to share tasty food with…"
Sniffling, she threw her arms around my waist.
Her small body burrowed into me.
"Without you… this place will feel like a prison again."
Hot tears soaked through my thin clothes, touching my skin.
My heart ached fiercely.
I realized anew what I had become to this child.
I hugged her back, patting her back soothingly.
"I'll be back soon. Straight here the moment break starts."
"Hic… Liar…"
"Promise. For real."
I eased her away slightly and hooked out my pinky.
She stared at it through tear-misted eyes.
Sniffling, she extended her tiny pinky.
And hooked it carefully with mine.
"Promise…?"
"Yeah. Promise."
"If you don't come… I'll come find you."
"Sure. Do that."
I smiled and replied.
But Charlotte wasn't smiling at all.
She gripped my pinky tight and whispered low.
"If you break it… you have to live with me forever."
"Deal. Break it, and I'll stick by your side for life."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
We pressed thumbs to seal the stamp.
Only then did her tense expression soften a bit.
"Hehe…"
She nestled back into my arms, relieved.
"Sis's scent…"
She buried her face in my chest and inhaled deeply.
"Tonight… hold me while we sleep. Please."
"Okay. Got it."
"I wish morning wouldn't come."
"Me too."
With the rain as our lullaby, we lay on the bed, embracing.
She clutched my pajama button and wouldn't let go.
I stroked her hair until her steady breathing filled the air, sleep evading me.
The rain outside thickened.
Tomorrow, I'd leave.
She'll be okay.
As I closed my eyes with that thought—
Rustle.
Charlotte fidgeted in my arms. Thought she was asleep.
"Sis."
"Yeah? Not asleep?"
"Can't sleep."
She lifted her head from my embrace, peering up at me.
Even in the dark, her eyes sparkled.
"Here…"
She wriggled and pulled something from her pocket.
A small cloth pouch.
"What's this?"
"A gift."
She opened the pouch and tipped out the contents.
A rough bracelet woven from black cord.
In the center, a smoothly polished pebble instead of a gem.
"I made it."
She said shyly.
"Asked Marie how to braid the cord. Stayed up nights for days."
"This… for me?"
"Yes. I know you have fancy jewels, but… still…"
"No. This is the prettiest."
I meant it.
"Will you put it on me?"
I offered my wrist, and her face lit up.
"Yes!"
She fastened it carefully around my wrist.
Black cord against pale skin.
"It suits you, sis."
She beamed, satisfied.
"When you wear it… think of me always by your side."
"I will. Never take it off."
I fiddled with the bracelet.
"Sis."
"Yeah?"
"This is… prettier than that flower, right?"
Her eyes chilled for a split second, then sparkled innocently again.
"Obviously."
I answered instantly, and only then did she nuzzle my chest, fully at ease.
"Hehe… Good."
She burrowed deeper, whispering.
"You're my sis… so only accept my gifts."
"Got it, got it."
I laid her down and tucked her in.
"Now really sleep. Up early tomorrow."
"Okay… Goodnight, sis."
I stroked her sleeping hair, gazing into the darkness outside.
Tomorrow, back to the academy.