Social Gathering (5)
Ha… haha…
A crescent moon hung in the night sky. The pointed-eared elven woman leaned against the terrace railing and let out a soft chuckle. She swept her palm across her face, and in an instant she had transformed into a red-haired human woman. It was the specialty of Crow Jin—disguise magic.
If someone asked whether this was her true appearance… the question was difficult to answer. She had changed her face so many times that her original features had long since been forgotten. This look was merely the result of dredging up the memory of her own childhood; it could hardly be called her real face.
“Just what the hell is that guy?”
Schluss Heinkel had seen straight through the disguise. It had fooled even the Emperor and his Imperial Guard. She had been proud of the spell’s perfection—perfect enough to deceive even herself. Detection magic couldn’t have penetrated it; she hadn’t sensed the slightest activation of any formula.
Then had she slipped up somewhere? Had she accidentally dropped a clue?
That was impossible. After more than a decade living in the shadows, caution had become part of her very bones. And if she had made such a fatal mistake without realizing it, nobles with far better intelligence networks than Schluss Heinkel should have noticed first. Yet the aristocrats were still peacefully enjoying the party, which made that possibility close to zero.
‘How did he know about King Heart…’
Another troubling piece of information had reached her. Schluss had spoken the name “King Heart.”
King Heart was a boy who had recently joined the Crows. His considerable skill at such a young age had caused quite a stir among them. There would have been nothing strange about Schluss Heinkel searching for that particular Crow—except for one problem. King Heart’s name had not yet been officially registered.
Only after formal registration were members introduced to clients as Crows. Therefore, there should have been no way for Schluss Heinkel to know the name King Heart.
Except for one possibility…
‘No way…’
What if Schluss Heinkel himself was a member of the Crows?
Then everything made sense. He could have known King Heart before registration. This elven appearance was one she occasionally used; a frequent colleague might have recognized it. And the murder of Henderson—if Henderson had seen Schluss’s face, mistaken him for a fellow Crow, and let his guard down in confusion—then that explained it too. She had wondered how anyone could have killed that monster.
Before she knew it, possibility had become suspicion, and suspicion was steadily hardening into certainty.
‘One of the Crows? But who?’
The faces of her fellow Crows flashed through Jin’s mind. Faces, voices, physiques—none of them matched Schluss Heinkel. So did he also use disguise magic when working as a Crow?
“Ugh. Creepy…”
One of her own colleagues had been living in the sun as such an upright young man. The thought sent shivers down her spine and stirred a faint resentment.
As that thought crossed her mind, a smile crept across Jin’s lips.
‘Crows should only live in the shadows.’
She wanted to drag Schluss Heinkel down. The man who mistakenly believed he belonged in the light—she wanted to pull him back into the darkness where he belonged. There was no particular gain in it. It wouldn’t bring her any benefit.
Yet the urge was almost instinctive.
‘I live having forgotten even my own original face. Isn’t it unfair that you get to shine so brightly?’
It was an impulse born from jealousy—the very essence of human nature.
Jin clutched her mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking as she giggled uncontrollably.
*
“Madam, here is some water.”
“Thank you.”
The Lichtenburg matriarch gulped down the cold water. Even so, her hands continued to tremble. It wasn’t merely from the humiliation of being disgraced by a commoner. It was the long-forgotten emotion of fear.
Was there anyone on this continent capable of threatening the Lichtenburgs by mentioning their daughters? Excluding the Ma-in, no one possessed both the power and the courage.
But those deathly still eyes of Schluss’s… they had belonged to a conqueror. No matter how mighty the Lichtenburg family’s power, there was no defense against a sudden bolt from the blue. Schluss’s very existence was that kind of natural disaster—one that human strength could not stop. They should be grateful he was even showing mercy.
‘Is there truly no way at all?’
Arms crossed, the matriarch slowly stepped out onto the balcony. The cool breeze might help clear her head.
There was no way to fight him with force. Then what about a battle of public opinion? If they schemed to tarnish his reputation…
‘That won’t work either…’
The Lichtenburg matriarch quietly shook her head. From what she had seen, Schluss was bold but never reckless. He was the meticulous type who only entered battles he was certain to win.
The day he revealed that he had noticed her assassination attempt, he must have already secured evidence that she had ordered Henderson to poison the well. Only with such a weapon in hand would he have dared challenge the Lichtenburgs.
If she tried to fight him through public opinion, Schluss would immediately release that evidence.
“Tsk…”
They were losing in power and losing in information. There was no path to victory in sight. For one of the three great magical houses to be reduced to trembling before a mere commoner—it was absurd. And that commoner was practically a walking calamity.
The future looked unbearably bleak. She could already picture that arrogant bastard making outrageous demands and savoring his triumph. No matter how shameful the act, even if it meant dragging the Lichtenburg name through the mud, she would do it.
But if he crossed the line—if he tried to touch her daughters—then she would not hold back. She would drag Schluss to ruin by any means necessary, even if it cost the Lichtenburgs everything.
With that grim resolve, the matriarch steeled her heart.
“Uhu hu hu… huuk… kkuk…”
“……?”
The bizarre laughter from beside her made the matriarch slowly back away from the balcony. A red-haired woman stood there, radiating a gloomy, unsettling aura.
“Oh? Now that I think about it, where is Yulia?”
Only then did the Lichtenburg matriarch look around and realize her daughter was missing.
“She stepped out to the garden a moment ago. She said she wanted some fresh air.”
“W-wait. Then where is Schluss Heinkel?”
“I believe he went outside shortly after her.”
“……!”
Both Schluss and Yulia were outside at the same time? The possibility of a collision was more than enough. Without looking back, the matriarch grabbed her skirt and ran toward the main entrance.
“Madam! It will be fine! The head maid is with her!”
Ignoring the butler’s hollow cry, she kept running.
***
The moment I stepped outside, the noisy clamor vanished as if by magic. The brightly lit hall behind me and this place filled with the rich scent of grass felt like two entirely different worlds.
Perhaps the garden wasn’t well maintained. The cries of crickets and insects soaked the quiet night. Nobles would probably despise it, but to me it was pleasant white noise that reminded me of my grandmother’s countryside house, which I used to visit every holiday.
Just as I was savoring this beautiful imitation of nature—
“……”
She appeared. Or rather, a child who looked infinitely like her. From the fragile, thin frame that seemed ready to snap at a touch to the powerless smile, she was the spitting image. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
I was ready now…
‘It’s a lovely garden, isn’t it?’
That was what I had thought—until I heard Yulia’s voice.
Come to think of it, during our first meeting I hadn’t heard her speak. That was why I believed I could face her. But that had been a mistake. That captivating, languid voice… with it added to the mix, I could no longer view Yulia as a mere character from a novel.
Yulia is not her. Yulia is not her. Yulia is not her…
Only after mentally armoring myself with something close to self-hypnosis could I open my mouth calmly.
“It’s full of bugs. Doesn’t it feel dirty?”
“Not necessarily. I’ve only ever seen quiet gardens… I actually prefer one like this.”
It was difficult. The drain on both my stamina and my mind was severe. I wanted to run away.
“Didn’t you call me here because you had something to say? Please keep it brief.”
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I’m always in a hurry.”
“Hmm… Head maid, leave us. I wish to speak with him alone.”
“Yes, miss.”
The maid soon departed. Yulia smiled and stared at me intently. Was she telling me to push her wheelchair? I let out a deep sigh, moved behind her, and took the handles.
Her hair, as lovely as the other girl’s, filled my vision. I forced my gaze upward to the night sky and slowly began pushing the wheelchair.
“I’ve been having strange dreams lately.”
“……”
“Dreams where I stop being myself.”
“……”
“People usually say such dreams are frightening. But they weren’t for me. Even after waking, I kept feeling this strange longing. At this rate, I fear I might stop being myself even in reality.”
I had clearly told her to state her business quickly, yet she was babbling useless nonsense.
“It’s only because the dream feels too vivid. Forget it.”
“But I keep having similar dreams over and over.”
“Similar dreams… What kind?”
“I’ll show you. That’s why I asked to meet you alone.”
Yulia glanced back slightly and tugged at my sleeve. Led by her frail hand, I turned to face her again.
“……?”
Yulia took my hand. Even using both of hers, she couldn’t fully cover my palm. Then she tried to lift it upward. Without resisting, I let her guide it.
Thud… The moment the strength left her grip, I finally understood her intention.
My hand now rested on top of Yulia’s head. That soft hair. The small head that seemed like it could fit in one hand pressed against my palm.
This was… she wanted me to stroke it?
Without understanding why, I slowly ran my fingers through Yulia’s hair. I could have refused. I could have asked what she was doing. Yet as if possessed, I simply kept stroking her hair in silence.
The one who had initiated this inexplicable act, however, hung her head low and said nothing.
“Miss?”
“That’s enough.”
Yulia suddenly knocked my hand away. It wasn’t a strong push, yet my hand fell limply. Then she grabbed the wheels herself, turned the chair, and showed me her back.
“That was all I wanted.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m truly sorry for such a trivial matter. I just… wanted to reenact the scene from my dream.”
That was it? If so, she could have called Erika or her mother. I couldn’t fathom why she had gone to the trouble of calling me specifically—especially when her mother likely viewed me as an enemy. She had even avoided her mother’s eyes to do it.
“Shall I leave first?”
“Let’s go together. I’ll push the wheelchair.”
“No. I’d like to look at the night sky a little longer.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
“Weren’t you always busy?”
“……”
At this point she was practically ordering me to leave. I wasn’t so tactless that I would miss the hint, so I turned away without lingering.
I should have felt empty for being called out over something so pointless. I should have been annoyed. Strangely, I felt neither.
It hurt. It was exhausting. Yet at the same time, the sensation left in my palm…
It was soft.
The feeling lingered faintly. It was an emotion difficult to put into words.
***
Schluss emerged from the flower garden with a dark expression. The head maid reacted instantly, practically running toward Yulia.
Yulia sat in her wheelchair in the middle of the flowerbed, head bowed low. The head maid’s worry turned to urgency.
“Miss?”
“……”
“Miss, are you all right? Ah…!”
The moment the head maid rushed over, knelt, and lifted Yulia’s face, her breath caught in her throat.
A single teardrop fell onto Yulia’s knee and shattered. Yulia was crying silently, endlessly.
Her small hands clutched her skirt so tightly the fabric was wrinkled.
“Did that commoner do something terrible to you?”
“……”
“Or did he say something horrible?”
“……”
Even after the head maid’s repeated questions, Yulia only shook her head silently. The tears showed no sign of stopping.
“Head maid…”
“Yes. I’m right here.”
“My… chest hurts so much… I’ve never felt anything like this before… What should I do…?”
It was the first time the always admirable Yulia had cried like a child, seeking an answer. At a loss for words, the head maid simply pulled her into an embrace.
She could roughly guess the reason. It had finally come for this young lady as well—the bitter pain of a broken heart. The fact that she had called Schluss out separately and that he had emerged alone with a dark face made it obvious.
In times like these, clumsy words of comfort would only be poison. So the head maid simply stayed silent, gently patting Yulia’s back until her tears finally stopped.