The Little Secrets Hidden in Her Room, Part 2

The ten years I spent seeing through the Goddess Astasia's covenants had always come with a parade of incidents in their wake.

Most of that work had been done quietly, beneath the surface. Every so often, though, a covenant would come along so far beyond my reach that I couldn't even make contact on my own. When that happened, I had no choice but to lean on the temple's influence or call in favors from the nobles I knew. The minor inconvenience was that the public — who watched those people's every move — always got ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pulled along for the ride.

The photographs that ended up in the papers were one of those byproducts. Something about a noble's social dignity, or whatever it was. I still have scattered memories of being hauled around by rough hands and standing there awkwardly while the flashes went off.

"...But... why would something like this even be here..."

Newspapers and magazines came in every variety imaginable. There were the empire's finest papers, the kind you could find on any street corner, and then there were the regional rags founded for no greater purpose than scribbling Our Lord Is the Greatest in print. The latter, especially, were the sort of thing that people in a city this far away would never lay eyes on in their entire lives — not unless they deliberately paid a premium to have them ordered in.

The problem was that the owner of this room had scraped together every last one of those articles and publications.

"Who would even collect something like this..."

Peeking into someone else's room is a terrible thing to do. I knew that. But when you're confronted with a scene this far removed from common sense, it's only natural that what little remains of your moral compass simply fails to engage.

Everyday clothes, folded with care. Slender, elegant handwriting. Fresh potted plants thriving on the windowsill. I eased a drawer open and found tidy little trinkets and a few rather modest accessories. The innermost drawer of all. The abyss was waiting there. I made a point of pretending I hadn't seen it and shut the drawer.

It wasn't Boris or Lucia. This was not a room a married couple would use. More than anything, those two had no reason to be searching for me this obsessively.

Which left...

There was one possibility so awkward I could barely bring myself to consider it. That was probably the answer. I'd deliberately ignored the name written on the cover of that notebook just a moment ago, after all.

Creeeak... creeeeak...

"...Hah... hah... you've already... seen everything, haven't you...?"

"...?!?!"

At the creak of the door, my entire body locked up. In all the covenants I had ever completed, I had never been startled this badly. I forced my frozen gaze toward the sound.

Fortunately, Lucia was standing there.

"I gave you the wrong key... hahh... so I came running..."

She must have sprinted the whole way; Lucia was panting, trying to catch her breath. She was making a point of avoiding my eyes. The emotions packed into her bitter smile were terribly complicated. She opened her mouth.

"You saw them, didn't you...? Lia's treasures."

"You saw them. Big sis Lia's treasures."

Tina poked her head out from behind Lucia and added. The little girl hopped up onto a chair, brought herself to my eye level, and started squishing my face while comparing it to the scrapbooked photographs.

"Mhm, mhm. I thought I'd seen you somewhere earlier, but it was a face I already knew!"

"Kid... do you know who I am?"

"I'm not a kid. I'm Tina."

"Right. Tina."

"Yep, I know!"

Tina hopped down from the chair.

"Wait, I'll show you Big sis Lia's treasures from number one all the way to number a hundred~ It's all you, mister!"

"Me...?"

All me? What on earth was that supposed to mean.

Tina had clearly been in this room more than once or twice; she rummaged through it with practiced ease. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew we shouldn't be doing this without the owner's permission. But the moment I was already implicated in that privacy, the point became more or less moot.

"First, these are pictures of you, mister. Treasure number nine. Big sis collects them — she checks the newspapers every single day. This world map is number eleven. She draws it by guessing how far you've traveled. I helped a lot! And this is a pillow that looks like you. She hugs it tight every night when she sleeps. And this one here is number twenty-seven — it's a perfume she made to recreate some kind of smell? She sprays it on that pillow when she uses it! After she sprays it she always goes sniff-sniff. And this is... I've never seen this one before... a stick...? Huuh...? What's this? I dunno!"

Lucia caught the stick Tina had flung her way with a look of sheer horror. She must have had a rough idea what it was used for, because her face went pale and she hurriedly scolded her daughter.

"Tina...? That's enough now. Before Lia's dignity completely collapses."

"Dig-nity?"

"...That's enough. Mom's really going to scold you."

"Okaaay~"

Tina seemed to have lost interest as well; she hopped back up and started putting away the things she'd taken out. I was gradually recovering from the shock as I spoke to Lucia.

"Uh... um... I'm sorry for coming in without permission."

"That apology should go to Lia. ......If you even can, that is."

"...Would it be better to pretend I didn't see anything?"

"I would think so."

"..........."

"..........."

"...Excuse me. I'm sorry."

"Go ahead."

"...Now that I think about it, I still have an unfinished covenant, so I should just say hello and leave right away."

I didn't have much time to cook up a better excuse. I knew myself how flimsy it was. Sure enough, instead of answering, Lucia's hand clamped down on my wrist. I tried to pull free, but I couldn't break her grip.

"...You know, Lia has been waiting for you a great deal these past ten years."

"............"

"From the day she first came to this unfamiliar house where she didn't know a soul, holding her breath — all the way until she grew up without incident. Her circumstances, her status, her occupation all changed a great deal, but she never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once skipped her morning and evening prayers to Lady Astasia. Because while she waited for you with no promise you'd ever return, there was only one thing she wished for."

"Hold on. Isn't something wrong here? I don't think Elysia has any reason to think of me that much..."

"...So you really did think that. Even if you leave us out of it — there was a reason you left without so much as a goodbye to Elysia."

Tina hummed along after her.

"Sooo cold~"

I could understand Elysia being grateful to me. In the end, the Witch's Red Eyes had been resolved long ago, and she had shed her old identity and started a new life. But even that felt a bit too ambiguous to call perfect. I couldn't be sure whether she could really throw away her affluent life as a noble in a single stroke, or whether her years in the Cadeliz family had truly been nothing but misery.

More than anything, ten years ago Elysia had found me thoroughly annoying. Now, ten years later, I had never imagined that "waiting for me" would look like this.

Then, from outside the quiet window, someone's footsteps could be heard. Unprepared for the unfamiliar presence, we held our breath and tried to figure out who it was.

Creeeak.

The front door Lucia had come through opened, and after some rustling, an unfamiliar voice muttered, "Hmm... is anyone home...?"

"Sis! Are you in there? I was going to give the kids their snacks first — do you know where you put them?"

"Big sis Li— mmph!"

If Lucia hadn't hurriedly stopped Tina from running out with a bright smile, Elysia might have headed straight for her own room.

Lucia mouthed the words at me without a sound.

Hide! Now!

Whether this was really a situation that called for hiding, whether this judgment was even appropriate — my brain didn't have time to produce a proper answer. On pure spinal reflex I sprang up, looking for a place to hide.

Behind the door. The ceiling. And...

Under the bed.

I'd rather not hear anyone say I should've just used magic. I only thought of that after I was already under there.

"Huh? Sis and Tina were both in my room?"

"Ha... haha... Lia, what's going on?"

"What's going on? I came looking for you, of course."

It had been a close call.

For some reason, there was no dust under the bed. Beyond simply living a thoroughly clean life, there was even a strange warmth to it — which was odd. I only understood why after I quietly opened my eyes and stared at the underside of the mattress.

Paper, piled high.

Traces of someone studying the decoding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the sacred tongue, a common pursuit among the clergy. But what caught my eye were doodles closer to idle thoughts jotted down in the moment. Writings she couldn't show anyone, gathered separately and hidden here.

I could decipher some of them.

The lines were so viciously sharp they looked as if the quill had snapped under the pressure, a tangle of ragged strokes carved into the page.

...........

I had seen the abyss.

......Hiding had been the right choice.