Vestige (7)
Vestige (7)
I left the student council room after my conversation with Levina.
The boy who'd been sprawled in the hallway was gone.
Either he'd crawled off on his own, or someone had tidied him away.
I put other people's business out of my mind, returned to my room, and killed the day.
A knock came while I was reading.
I opened the front door to find Estelle.
Her hair was slightly veiled and she wore street clothes—a look I hadn't seen in a long while. I caught myself staring.
Without the stark white priestess robes, dressed in ordinary clothes that followed the lines of her body, she almost seemed like a different person.
"I know I'm beautiful, but are you going to let me in?"
Estelle grinned, teasing.
I stepped aside without a word and let her inside.
The moment she was through the door, she sniffed the air.
"Ugh, it reeks of smoke."
"Is it night already?"
"The sun's still up, but it's dinnertime. Close enough, right?"
Estelle draped herself across the sofa with an air of absolute comfort and lifted the small bag in her hand.
"Guess what's in here."
Her voice was bright with excitement, like a child about to show off hidden treasure.
"Tobacco and a pile of snacks. What else would it be?"
She shot upright.
"How did you know?"
I reached into her bag without ceremony and pulled out a cigarillo from a wooden case that looked expensive at a glance.
A subtle woody scent drifted through the air.
Grinning, I opened the case, drew one out, and stepped close to Estelle. I set it between her lips and conjured a small flame at my fingertip to light it.
She took a drag and immediately erupted into rough coughing.
"Cough—cough—hack!"
I laughed at the sight.
"Th-this is the good stuff. Must be stronger."
Estelle sounded defensive.
The corners of her eyes were faintly red.
She sulked for no reason and came over to jab me with her fist.
Probably meant in jest, but it hurt far more than expected.
"Why do I feel so at ease around you?
Like we've lived together for years.
We've barely known each other a few days."
Estelle murmured the words. As she spoke, she handed me an apple, then rifled through my pockets and helped herself to my cheap tobacco.
She pulled out a cigarette, stuck it between her lips, and tilted her chin as if to say, hurry up and light it.
I bit down on my lower lip and swallowed the words rising in my throat.
I extended my arm and set the apple on the table.
The thought crossed my mind that she was doing an impression of Serepina.
"You just had no one to talk to and now you do. That's all."
I answered her.
Estelle's lips pushed into a pout.
"Not wrong, exactly, but can't you put it a little more nicely?"
She stubbed her smoke out in the ashtray, and a soft, secret smile spread across her face. Then she drew near and murmured teasingly.
"See? You don't have any friends except people like me."
"By the way, those street clothes—did you always have them?"
At that, Estelle preened and showed off the outfit.
"I made it myself when I was younger. Added extra fabric here and there to let it out."
"You made it yourself?"
"Mhm. The chest is a bit tight now, though."
A playful smile curved her lips.
"Anyway. Is it really fine for the Saintess herself to be alone in a room with a man she's just met? Someone like me?"
"I know well enough that most of the gossip going around is nothing but prejudice."
Estelle answered.
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning I'm saying it's fine."
Estelle edged a little closer, then rose and opened the window. She stretched her arms wide, breathing in the crisp evening air.
"Fresh air really is the best."
She turned her head just enough to look back at me.
"So. I heard you got kicked out?"
"Levina told you?"
"No. Like she'd ever tell me anything. Rumors are everywhere. Not to mention you're already pretty famous—in the worst way."
"I suppose I was kicked out. Whether it counts as 'kicked out,' I'm not sure."
Estelle didn't wait for me to finish before stepping closer.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Wish I knew."
"Anyway, if you've been thrown out, you won't get to stay in this room much longer either. Want to stay with me?"
"Suddenly? We've only just met."
"Call it... what's the word. Charity. The Church might not care, but the Saintess can't walk past a poor soul in need."
She set her left hand on my shoulder.
"And for some reason, you're comfortable to be around. And... you're the only thing that comes in clear. It's almost like a curse, except it feels so warm and familiar now that it can't be."
Estelle looked at me, and just as she always did—just as she had every other time—her right hand rose to trace the lines of my face.
"If I'm being mind-controlled by a demon, then I'll just live mind-controlled."
Knock, knock.
Then the door eased open.
Moments later, Serepina stepped inside.
"Hmm, Ravin. Smoking in your room agai—"
She didn't finish.
She stopped dead.
Her eyes met Estelle's—dressed in street clothes, cigarette in hand. Then she looked at me, then back at Estelle, then back at me, over and over.
"Wh-who are you? Wh-why are you with... Ravin..."
Serepina's voice shook.
Estelle gave a sly smile and stepped in close beside me.
"'Wh-why are you with... Ravin?' Heh. A stutter? The Academy lets people like that in?"
"R-Ravin? That's not—right? She's just... a friend, or something, isn't she?"
Serepina's words trailed off.
"Ravin, w-we—we said we'd try. Both of us. We agreed to try together, didn't we?"
Her voice turned pleading.
"No. No, that can't be. Ever since we were children, p-people only ever saw your face. They never knew how sweet you really are, and you always had people clinging to you. Th-this must be the same thing."
"Serepina, it's not—mmph."
I tried to speak, but Estelle closed the distance and clamped her hand over my mouth.
She looked at Serepina and asked,
"'The same thing'?"
Serepina glared at Estelle and ground her teeth, offering no answer.
Estelle returned the glare, took her hand off my mouth, and spoke.
"Ravin. Who is she? Why did she barge in here and start her shit?"
"My fiancée."
"Ooh, must be on great terms with your fiancée. Giving her a key to your room."
Estelle's voice was barbed.
"I wouldn't say great terms. We were getting better, maybe. Seems like it just got worse, though."
"R-Ravin. It's not your fault."
Serepina spoke.
"You just went out of your way to find me a room. You wouldn't suddenly do this. Not with a girl you've never even met. It's—it's another strange woman who only sees your face and throws herself at you."
"You... don't recognize me?"
Estelle was in street clothes. Her usual immaculate look was gone, hair slightly disheveled, an almost delinquent edge to her. Even with the same features, the Saintess was not an obvious picture to conjure. Especially in Serepina's eyes, I suspected she wasn't seeing the Saintess so much as, perhaps, a certain kind of professional woman.
"I—I don't care if you can suddenly use magic now. You're still weak, Ravin. Someone must have forced this on you. Isn't that right?"
Serepina ignored Estelle entirely and kept speaking only to me.
"It wasn't force."
"Shut up if you want to live, you pathetic pretty face, you worthless rag. You think I haven't seen your type before?"
Serepina's voice dropped into a growl.
At those words, a vein visibly throbbed at Estelle's temple. She clenched her fist and looked ready to throw herself at Serepina. A cold, creeping certainty rose in me: if this continued, Serepina's head might end up redecorating the room. Or, even if Estelle came out fine, I might be the one killed by a stray spell from Serepina.
I grabbed Estelle tightly—my grip landing where her underarm met the side of her chest—and pinched hard.
That was the spot I'd held and pinched with Jenna at night.
Estelle was always cuter when her strength drained away and she went limp.
"Ee—yik!"
Estelle yelped, the tension rushing out of her body.
Serepina saw it and, whether she interpreted the gesture as affection or not, tears began rolling down her face.
"I—I came to say thank you... for finding me a room..."
Just like with Jenna, the tears fell only from her right eye.
"I wanted... the two of us to walk side by side in the evening..."
"Ravin. Let me go. I won't hit her."
Estelle pushed me back.
Then she stood and walked toward Serepina, who remained in place, weeping as she stared at me.
As Estelle drew close, Serepina met her gaze.
They watched each other for a long moment before Estelle spoke first.
"You two. I hear the engagement's off?"
"False rumors. All of it."
"Hard to say if it's a false rumor or if you're the only one denying it."
Every word from Estelle came wrapped in a sneer.
"He's been abandoned by you and thrown out by his family. I'm saying I'll take the stray off your hands. Why come slobbering back?"
"Thrown out or not—even if he were leaving me—he isn't the kind of person who keeps company with a cheap woman like you. So close your mouth and leave. I'm holding back because Ravin is watching."
"I'm the one holding back."
The situation was spiraling. I stepped closer to wedge myself between them.
The instant Estelle's reply landed, Serepina summoned mana to her fingertips. Estelle's fist was clenched tight, quivering.
I reached Estelle, caught her fist, and softened my voice to something almost coaxing.
"Estelle, we can meet another time. Will you go for today?"
At least in this cycle, I thought, we haven't grown that close yet.
Estelle let out a long breath and murmured, "It's barely been a week since we met."
I don't know what "seeing a face" truly means to Estelle, but I'm certain we aren't close enough to warrant this reaction. Not this time, anyway. The previous cycles, maybe. But not this one.
"True. We're not at that point yet.
Yeah. See you next time. For sure."
She walked out and slammed the door behind her.
Serepina and I were left alone.
Silence settled.
Serepina stood blankly for a while. Then she touched my stiffened face, stroked my hair, let out a sigh, and perched at the edge of the bed where Estelle had been sitting moments before.
"R-Ravin."
Serepina's lips barely moved as she spoke quietly.
"...I'm sorry."
"N-No. You're precious to me. You said we should wait until after the wedding."
Her cheeks flushed as she spoke.
"But if you do take a concubine, I'd rather it wasn't... a woman like that."
She stared at the floor instead of facing me, her voice low.
"It might s-sound awful, but I can't help it. I hate people like her."
Serepina's voice trembled.
"The truth is... I wish you wouldn't see anyone but me."
She lifted her head, looked at me again, and reached out to stroke my face.
"...But that's too much to ask, isn't it?"