Chapter 616: The Season is Autumn (5)
Chapter 616: The Season is Autumn (5)
Cien, the Fifth Princess of the Empire.
A descendant of the noble dragon bloodline, she was an ambitious schemer. Born with eyes that could read hearts, she was a strategist who manipulated the desires of others and wove conspiracies from behind the scenes.
As the Imperial Treasure, she had grown up wanting for nothing.
She had never experienced failure, nor had she ever failed to obtain what she desired. Naturally, an arrogant disposition took root as she matured.
Of course, Cien didn't care about that in the slightest.
Arrogance?
That was merely a vice attributed to the incompetent. Unlike others, Cien was a special existence, and thus, she was more than entitled to look down upon the world.
A dragon does not doubt itself.
It simply plans meticulously and achieves its goals based on those plans. Was that not the virtue of sovereignty she had been taught since childhood?
Having awakened her dragon blood, Cien was unstoppable.
The guilt-ridden girl she had been was long gone. All that remained was her resolve to claim the man she loved, by any means necessary.
Cien was currently taking her first grand step toward that goal.
Knock, knock.
"S-Senior Yurdina?"
She swallowed hard, but her trembling voice refused to steady.
The girl shuddered, listening intently for any response from behind the door. She was terrified that an answer might actually come.
However, even after a long silence, not a single sound reached her ears.
Forget a voice; there wasn't even a hint of a presence. This realization only deepened Cien's fear.
‘W-What should I do?’
The recent battle had taught Cien many lessons.
She learned that even with inferior strength, victory wasn't impossible; that living a life in the shadows achieved nothing; and that sometimes, one must sacrifice the flesh to take the bone.
But that day’s events hadn't left behind only positive legacies. Along with her inheritance, Cien had also inherited a debt, and the time to settle that debt was fast approaching.
Seria’s mother.
In her state of overexcitement, Cien had accidentally killed the mother of her precious comrade. Even if there were unavoidable circumstances, it was an act that invited plenty of moral condemnation.
Furthermore, the victim was the mother of a junior whom the man she loved cherished deeply.
Morally and for the sake of her future, it was a conflict she had to resolve. Thus, Cien was waiting for a response that never came, her face twisted in a pathetic, tearful expression.
She continued to repeat her apologies endlessly.
"I-I came to apologize... O-Of course, I know this won't make your anger go away! It was an unavoidable choice to save my own life, but to fulfill my moral responsibility for killing your mother..."
Thud!
No matter how much she pleaded, the only response was that blunt noise.
What did it mean?
Did it mean she didn't want to hear any excuses? Or was it a demand to get lost because she couldn't stand the sound of Cien's voice?
Even the 'Dragon's Eye' Cien took such pride in was useless here. Seria was hidden behind a door she couldn't see through.
Ultimately, with tears pricking the corners of her eyes, Cien had to turn back from her futile endeavor.
In truth, she knew. Without her 'Dragon's Eye,' she was dreadfully socially inept.
There was only one move left.
To swallow her pride and seek advice.
As the saying goes, not ashamed to ask one's inferiors. Cien immediately went to find her confidant.
"Sir Irene!"
The female knight flinched as her superior suddenly burst through the door.
But Irene wasn't the only one surprised. Cien’s eyes widened as she took in Irene’s appearance.
An apron.
For a woman who had lived her entire life holding nothing but a sword, it was an incredibly domestic outfit.
Cien could only ask with a dazed expression.
"Sir Irene, what are you doing?"
"Ah, well, that is..."
The knight, whose confidence had plummeted recently, let her gaze wander through the air. Upon closer inspection, she was holding a kitchen knife instead of a sword.
Just as Cien’s confusion was about to deepen further, Irene squeezed her eyes shut and confessed.
"I-I thought I might try taking some bridal training..."
"...?"
Cien’s head tilted instinctively.
Bridal training?
Hadn't she been publicly proclaiming until recently that she was married to her sword?
However, Cien’s curiosity didn't last long. She had a much more pressing matter than Irene’s future plans.
"Um, Sir Irene... I have something to ask... O-Of course, it's just a story I heard!"
And so, Cien began to pour out her troubles under the guise of a story about a 'friend.'
The story went that a dear friend had committed an irreversible wrong against another friend, and since then, that friend refused to see her. No matter how much she apologized, it was the same. Still, she desperately wanted to be forgiven.
What should one do in such a situation?
Hearing this, Irene let out a low hum and pursed her lips.
"In that case, empathy would be the most important thing."
"...Empathy?"
It was a more plausible solution than expected. As Cien’s eyes began to sparkle with anticipation, Irene continued her advice cautiously.
"Yes, empathy. Most problems arise from failing to see things from the other person's perspective. So, if you find a commonality between yourself and them and show that you truly understand their heart, their feelings will likely soften."
"I see!"
Convinced by Irene’s logic, Cien set off once more.
Emphasize the fact that she understood the other person's heart based on their commonalities.
Cien decided to put that advice into practice without hesitation.
Ahem, ahem.
Clearing her throat to compose herself, words of consolation flowed from the girl's mouth.
"Senior Yurdina, I actually understand your heart very well. I also lost my mother when I was young... In other words, could we say we're both in the same motherless boat? What do you say, Senior? Why don't we motherless people have a heart-to-heart conversation...!"
BANG!
An even more irritated sound echoed back, and Cien was forced to make a tearful face once again.
Sir Irene is incompetent!
She lamented the lack of ability in her confidant.
* * *
Cien eventually had to resort to her final measure.
She decided to deploy the 'Special Limited Edition Doll Made from Ian's Actual Clothes.'
Clothes that Ian had actually worn were precious. Even for Cien, giving away a masterpiece she had poured her heart and soul into was painful, but this was an exceptional emergency.
She had no choice but to endure the sacrifice with tears in her eyes.
After one last lingering, affectionate stroke of the doll, Cien carefully placed it in front of Seria’s door.
"A-Ah! What is this? A special limited edition doll made from Sir Ian's actual clothes is right here! H-How strange..."
Then, she went into ambush.
Cien hid behind the corner of the hallway, holding her breath as she watched for Seria’s reaction. She prayed that the prey would take the bait.
Perhaps her desperate wish was heard.
Seria’s door, which had been firmly shut, began to open silently. Cien covered her mouth and hid her body, trying to mask the thumping of her heart.
Is she finally coming out of seclusion?
Seria, slowly revealing herself, froze. Her gaze landed squarely on the doll, which had been placed just outside the door's swinging arc.
She hesitated, wavered, and fumbled for a moment.
Just as it seemed she was about to reach for the doll—
Suddenly, Seria shook her head and kicked off the floor. The window flew open, and with a mystical footwork that bypassed the hallway entirely, she took to the air.
"H-Huh...?"
Flustered, Cien scrambled to chase after her. Fortunately, with her 'Dragon's Eye,' tracking was no difficult task.
Even so, catching up to a woman who ran as if she were flying was impossible.
After sprinting with all her might, she arrived at a clearing in the forest.
Cien quickly held her breath and hid behind a tree. She could see them in the distance.
A small woman stood with her back to the moonlit night sky.
A witch with light green pupils that scattered a faint glow, a smoking pipe held nonchalantly in her mouth.
As far as Cien knew, there was only one person who fit that description.
The 'Great Witch.'
Now Cien’s master, the woman stood with her hands behind her back, greeting her new guest.
A girl with gray hair.
"...You've come."
At the question, Seria avoided her gaze without a word. She looked like someone who lacked confidence in her own decision.
The reason the girl had sought out the Great Witch was simple.
"My niece."
Because the girl was the woman's last remaining blood relative.
A wind that had grown significantly colder swept through the girl's gray hair. The blue eyes hidden beneath it rose, filled with a sorrowful light.
The season on the cusp of winter.
On a certain autumn day, the girl decided to choose her own fate.
* * *
A few days later.
The eyes of the girl who had been holed up in her small room sparkled for the first time in a long while. With her pointed hat pulled down low, the woman’s face was haggard from consecutive all-nighters.
She looked almost like a corpse.
However, her eyes shone with an irrepressible joy.
"It's done...!"
Elsie Lainella, who had come from the future, shouted before gritting her teeth.
"...Just wait, Ian Percus."
To meet her first love.
The nights spent awake had been worth it, and now their reunion was close at hand.
One day before the two brothers from the future were to meet.
A means to save those infected by the vampire had been discovered.
It was a time when the fallen leaves were thick upon the ground.