A Week Without Her (3)
"You're already leaving?"
A girl with bright green eyes spoke up. Her name was Charlotte de Magstitia — the Second Princess of the great Karaz Empire. And the person she was addressing so respectfully was none other than the empire's own hero.
"I've finished everything. Time to go home."
It was Athena. Five days had already passed since she first set foot in the imperial palace. Having completed every order the Emperor had given her, she no longer had any reason to remain.
"Don't you usually stay a full week? Why are you in such a hurry to leave this time…?"
Charlotte, secretly disappointed by Athena's departure, tried to hold her back — but Athena's resolve was firm.
"There's someone I want to see. Quickly."
Athena thought of Hera, and a small smile touched her lips. Charlotte could not hide her astonishment.
"S-someone you want to see?! D-don't tell me — a lover?"
Had Athena ever longed for anyone before? The idea that a woman who never showed interest in others would actually miss someone was staggering. Could the hero have found a partner? The hero's lover — that alone was the kind of scandal that could turn the entire palace upside down overnight.
But Athena shook her head, denying it.
"No. Something far deeper than that."
Charlotte sank into even greater confusion. Deeper… deeper than a lover? Something more profound than romance? H-husband, maybe? Had she gotten married? When? To whom?
"…Th-then… who is this person…?"
Instead of an answer, a sharp flick landed on her forehead.
"Ow!"
"You shouldn't be worrying about that right now. Didn't you say you were going to claim the imperial throne?"
"…I have a plan."
In two years she would enter the Academy — a place where every gifted talent in the empire gathered. Charlotte intended to build her own faction there.
"Hmm. Fair enough. Oh — is there a magic tool shop near here?"
Just like that, Athena lost interest and asked about a magic tool shop instead.
"A magic tool shop…? There are quite a few near the palace…"
"Recommend one. The best one."
"Well… all right. But why a magic tool shop…?"
At the princess's question, Athena wore a faintly mischievous smile.
"There's someone I want to give a gift to."
A present for a lover, perhaps. Clearly she and this person shared something rather passionate. I should look into this later, Charlotte thought. Anyone who held the hero's affection was worth befriending.
A quiet room. So quiet it felt almost cold. The only sound was the thin, fragile rhythm of a woman's breathing.
Haa… haa…
Another woman watched her in silence. Alina, the brown-haired maid, gazed at Hera sleeping peacefully on the bed. However long she had cried, the tear tracks still stained her cheeks, and her lips had gone deathly pale. Even so, the beauty that refused to fade from her face carried a fragile, aching quality that stirred every protective instinct.
"…I'm sorry, my lady."
Even if it had been her master's order, she was the one who had carried it out. Nothing changed the fact that she had left an indelible wound on Hera.
Someday the day of reckoning will come.
Every sin eventually showed its true face — just as her parents' sins had. They had never been merchants. She had told Hera she had followed a father who worked as a trader, but that was a lie. Her parents had been the kind of people who would sell their own child to a brothel. Trash who would discard their offspring for money. Because of them, she had lived a life worse than livestock.
Then one day, while she was still stubbornly clinging to survival, she happened to meet Bordin. He had come to the brothel seeking information, taken an interest in her, and taken her in because he liked the look in her eyes — the same look he himself carried.
Her life changed completely after that. Under Bordin's care she lived a life that was not so bad. He told her to call him Master and taught her everything she needed to know. Among all that knowledge, what he drilled into her most was the craft of an assassin. She learned later that he had once been a famous master of contract killing in the underworld.
After months of training under him, the first thing she did with her new strength was find her parents and kill them. She slit her father's throat and stopped her mother's heart with poison in a drink. Years of stored-up revenge. But what came after fulfilling a lifelong desire was not satisfaction — only a crushing emptiness. Standing over her parents' corpses, she could no longer find any purpose in living.
That was when Bordin planted a new goal in her. He shared his plan, and she chose to join it out of gratitude for everything he had done. That was how she came to Athena's mansion.
I still don't know why it had to be this place…
She never learned exactly what her master was plotting here, but it didn't matter. All she had to do was follow his orders. And she had — without a shred of resistance. From sowing false information to outright murder. Yes. She had done it all without a flicker of emotion.
So why, then? Why did something in her chest ache every time she saw the young lady's sorrowful face? Was she finally feeling guilt, this late? If so, she needed to cast the feeling aside at once. This guilt was nothing but empty, disgusting hypocrisy. Feeling it would not heal the wounds she had already inflicted.
She shook her head hard, banishing the thoughts. The hero would return soon enough. Her lady's wounds would be healed by that woman. And then her lady would be able to live happily again.
…
…Will she really be happy, though…?
What that woman felt for the young lady was less pure love than an overwhelming obsession. Could her lady truly find happiness inside something like that?
"…"
Alina looked at Hera sleeping softly beside her. A faint smile rested on her lips, as if she were having a happy dream. All Alina could do was quietly pull the blanket a little higher around her.
"…Sleep well, my lady."
Please — at least in your dreams — be happy.
"Open wide, Unnie~"
Lily held out a spoon heaped with food. I opened my mouth, and she slipped it gently inside.
"Mmm… it tastes even better because Lily's the one feeding me."
"Hehe."
Seeing her so happy made me smile too.
"Aren't you two getting a little too close? You're making me jealous."
"Ah. Unnie."
Dania pulled a chair over and settled softly against my side.
"Is the food to your taste?"
"It's your cooking, Unnie. It's always delicious. I fall in love with it every single time."
"My… hehe. Did you hear that, Lily?"
"…"
Lily looked at her older sister with a faintly sullen expression. Lately the two of them had been sniping at each other like this more often — as if they'd had some kind of fight.
"What's on the schedule today?"
Dania asked me, carefully avoiding Lily's sharp gaze. What had I planned for today again? I couldn't quite remember.
"Hmm… probably another monster hunt?"
It was what we did every day, after all.
"Haa… I worry. One of these days you're going to get badly hurt."
"Come on, Unnie. Do you know how strong I am? Ordinary monsters don't even scratch me."
I gave a bright smile to Lily, who was watching us with a slightly sulky look.
"And Lily's grown so much too. Right, Lily?"
"…!!"
She looked startled for a moment, then her eyes lit up as she answered.
"Th-that's right! From now on, I'll be the one protecting Hera Unnie."
Her sweet words made me feel unexpectedly warm.
"That's reassuring, Lily."
"Hehe."
As the two of us beamed at each other, Dania let out a short sigh and rose from her seat.
"Fine. As long as you two are all right."
She began clearing the dishes and tidying the table. I tried to stand and help her.
"Ah — let me help too. Wait…?"
I couldn't move. As if someone were holding me down, my body stayed glued to the chair. Dania only smiled gently at me.
"No need. I'll handle it. Just sit and rest."
Thud—
A sudden restlessness seized my heart. A nameless anxiety began to take over my body.
"N-no, Unnie. I… I can help too…"
My body was trembling so hard the words wouldn't come out properly. Lily looked at me with worry.
"Are you all right, Unnie…?"
— Are you all right, my lady?
An unfamiliar voice layered itself over Lily's, coming from somewhere near her.
"Haa… hah—"
Suddenly it was as if I had forgotten how to breathe. My lungs wouldn't work.
"U-Unnie!!"
— You don't look well.
"I can… help too…"
— Haa… why are you like this lately, my lady.
— Honestly, you're not very good at this kind of work, are you?
— Just…
— Just stay still, my lady.
"Hhk—!"
My vision blacked out for a moment, as if the lights had gone out. When I opened my eyes again, the familiar interior of my room came into view.
"…It was a dream."
A hollow, drained voice slipped from my lips. I forced my heavy body up from the bed and walked to the mirror. A wretched reflection stared back at me.
Skin so white it looked bloodless. Tear tracks long since dried still ran thick beneath my eyes, and my lips had turned a bluish pale. I looked utterly ruined. After days of barely eating, my already thin frame seemed even more wasted.
I no longer knew how long it had been since then. I didn't even know whether it was night or day. At first the maids had fretted over me, but they seemed to have given up — no one came to my room anymore.
I was lonely. And yet I didn't want to face anyone. The contradiction in myself felt unbearable. Every time I met another person, I could almost hear their sneers echoing in my head.
"…I just want to sleep more."
I had already slept for so long, and still the drowsiness came flooding back. There was nothing else I could do, anyway. I was a useless person.
I buried myself in the bed, and it felt as if my body were sinking downward. When I closed my eyes, nothing remained but pitch-black darkness. I wanted to disappear just like this — without anyone ever knowing.
As the darkness slowly began to wrap around me—
Bang—
"Hera~ I'm ba— wait. Why is it so dark in here?"
The sun.
Like a single sun itself, her golden light poured into my room and lit it dazzlingly bright.