Waking from the Dream (7)
Asena stood before the mirror, putting the final touches on her uniform. Perhaps it was the black student council attire, but today she looked even more somber than usual. Even getting dressed had taken every ounce of strength. Her arms felt heavy, as if soaked through, and if it were up to her, she would have liked to rest again. But she knew all too well that the Duke of Freister would never allow it. She knew it, and yet…
Asena eventually sat down on the bed. It was something she would never do under normal circumstances. But today, her legs truly refused to support her. A short rest would be fine. There were only two moments when she could set down the name of Freister. One was now, when she was alone in her bedroom. With no one watching, she didn’t need to hide her emotions or pretend to be strong. She could wear a heartbroken expression without consequence.
The second was when she was alone with Caiden. In those moments, she could always return to being his little sister, Asena. But even that opportunity was about to disappear. One of her sanctuaries was preparing to leave her.
Asena covered her face with her hands. She had been thinking about it since the day before, but the situation felt utterly hopeless. Because Caiden was involved, she couldn’t think rationally. Every plan that came to mind had a flaw. It was difficult. If the target weren’t him, she could borrow the family’s power or think mechanically, pursuing only profit. But since it was him, she couldn’t act recklessly.
If she used force to claim Caiden, she might gain his body but lose his heart. If she left things as they were to win his heart, she would lose his body. “......”
Even if a plan occurred to her while thinking like this, she could predict that she would act impulsively in front of him. It felt as if an unsolvable tangle of thread had knotted itself around her. She felt lost and suffocated.
Asena let out a sigh. …She still hadn’t come up with any plan. Still, she forced herself to stand. It was almost time to head to the academy. She left the room.
“....”
Kirsi had come out as well. The faint scent of soap told her that her sister had washed up early that morning. Kirsi was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. Asena could tell that Kirsi was trying, in her own way, to calm her mind. She lifted the teacup with a blank expression, inhaling its aroma. Though she looked as if her soul had left her body, her hands were trembling ever so slightly despite the vacant look on her face. She seemed lost in deep thought, thinking of Caiden.
“....Kirsi.”
Asena helped her sister. Worrying would only bring more pain. This wasn’t the time to be like this. She pulled her out of her daydream.
“....Huh?”
Life returned to Kirsi’s eyes. Her previously unfocused gaze turned toward Asena.
“...Sister, you’re out?”
Her voice was hoarse. It was no secret that she had cried a great deal. Kirsi set down her teacup. She brushed off her skirt, stood up, and slowly walked toward the door. The two didn’t exchange any other words. They had no energy left for conversation. Asena watched Kirsi’s weary back as she walked away, then followed after her.
They opened the door at the same time and stepped out of the dormitory. Judy Ice was standing right in front of them. She gave the twins a short greeting, then assumed a crisp, disciplined posture. With a sword at her waist, she certainly carried an imposing presence. Asena spoke first.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“Not long,” Judy answered quietly.
To Asena, Judy belonged to the rival Ice family, but she had no particular desire to bare her teeth the moment they met. She didn’t like it, but… Judy had already become Caiden’s friend. If she treated Judy poorly, it would surely reach Caiden’s ears.
Judy, for her part, no longer blushed the moment she saw a Freister like she had during her first meeting with Caiden. She had grown close to him and realized there was no need for them to fight each other. A knight who openly defied her lord would never receive a favorable evaluation. And besides… while attending the academy, Judy had begun hearing the rumors about Asena. How she could become ice-cold at times. How chilling she could be. So Judy chose not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Finally, Asena was the head of the Freister family. There was no way she could treat a woman of equal social standing to her own father with disrespect.
After that brief exchange, just as Judy expected them to head toward the academy, Asena suddenly stared at her with a blank expression. Judy naturally lowered her head to meet her eyes. A small tension rose between them, but Judy didn’t let it show.
“...Is something wrong?”
“....Have you seen my brother?” Asena asked calmly.
“.....”
Judy nodded. She had been waiting in front of the twins’ door when he waved at her from afar. Asena nodded in return, then began walking without another word. It was in the opposite direction of the exit. Judy quickly realized that Asena was going to see Caiden. Kirsi seemed to notice as well and followed behind her sister.
Judy’s feelings were complicated. Between escorting the Freisters and the fact that they were seeking out Caiden first thing in the morning, something had begun to grow inside her heart. It could be called friendship. Training together every session, sweating side by side and improving together, it was impossible for such a bond not to form. That was why her heart felt so heavy now.
Lately, Caiden had been avoiding spending time with the twins. He had shown her his wounded side several times, so she could understand. Caiden didn’t hate the twins, but… it was clear he wanted some distance for a while. He had even asked if he could become a vassal of the Ice family. So the steps she took toward him now felt incredibly heavy. She didn’t want him to get hurt again for no reason. The feeling of being an outsider in one’s own family was something Judy understood better than anyone.
“.....”
Judy escorted the twins while observing them. They truly suited the emblem of their house. They really were like snakes. It was impossible to read what they were thinking. Kirsi seemed to like Caiden, but from what he had told her, the girl had done many things behind his back that felt like betrayal. And Asena—with that stiff expression alone, one could tell she didn’t care for Caiden. Yet at the same time, Asena tried to stay close to him. Whether she was trying to monitor him so he wouldn’t act out or something else, Judy couldn’t tell from the outside.
The twins walked through the dormitory, receiving greetings from various young noble ladies. Judy was able to indirectly experience the world they lived in. The Ice family was a ducal house just as powerful as the Freisters, yet the way the young ladies looked at them was quite different. Was it because Asena was the family head? Or because she herself was an illegitimate daughter?
Asena walked on, then suddenly changed direction. She stopped, gazing down a distant corridor. There was no one there. Judy didn’t know exactly where Daisy Hextor’s dormitory was, but she could tell it must be somewhere along the hallway Asena was staring at.
“....He’s not here, Brother…” Kirsi murmured quietly.
Asena stared at the empty corridor for a moment, then silently turned around. It seemed they were finally heading to the academy.
-Click.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening rang out.
“No, really. You can stop thanking me now.”
“...Still. I really would have died if not for you.”
The Caiden that entered Asena’s vision was stepping out of Daisy’s room. A flame ignited in Asena’s heart. No one could stay sane after seeing the man they loved walk out of another woman’s room. Her reason began to shatter.
Her mind went blank. The man she loved had just walked out of another woman’s room. Reason was crumbling. The fire of obsession began to consume her.
I was standing in front of Daisy’s door, waiting for her. After giving a light greeting to her roommate who had left the dormitory early that morning, I stopped in front of the door like a guard. Thanks to the conversation I had with the twins last night, my head was a mess as well. Because of that, I had gone to bed late, but the problem was that the escort training had also moved up my wake-up time, so fatigue was still piled up.
I yawned as I waited for Daisy. Whenever I got bored, I tapped the hilt of the sword at my waist and waited in silence.
‘Kyaa! Aah! Go away!’
At that moment, Daisy’s scream came from inside the room. My wandering mind snapped to attention. I called out loudly toward the door.
“Daisy? Are you alright?”
‘Ah..! Yes..! No...! Yes..! I’m fine! Kyaa!’
Daisy’s voice kept coming, trying to pretend she was okay. Hearing such urgent words only made it less believable.
“Daisy? Can I come in?”
It seemed like I needed to go in quickly and assess the situation. I knocked on the door, urging her to answer.
‘Tha...! No..! Yes..! Aah..!’
Daisy seemed extremely flustered. She clearly needed help, but her personality was rejecting the hand being offered.
“Just answer one thing! Are you properly dressed?”
‘Y-yes, I’m dressed properly!’
-Click.
I didn’t need to hear anything else. Helping someone when they needed it was a knight’s duty. Daisy was swinging a thick book through the air. She was also taking hurried steps, running around trying to escape. A giant wasp was chasing her. Simply flying around the room was threatening enough, but it was following Daisy and acting as if it would sting her at any moment.
“Whoa, what the hell!”
Surprised by the wasp’s size, which was larger than I expected, I also grabbed a book that was lying nearby. I ran to Daisy, hid her behind me, and tracked the wasp with my eyes. The moment it came into range, I swung the book quickly and smacked it.
-Thwack!
It made a rather heavy sound for an insect, but considering the danger, it was surprisingly anticlimactic. The wasp slammed into the floor. Its head was severed in a single blow.
“.....Haa...”
Daisy’s tension finally broke, and she slumped. She set the heavy book she had been holding onto a nearby desk and straightened her clothes.
“...Thank you, Caiden.”
“If something like this happens again, call me right away.”
I said.
“....I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother you…”
“If you get hurt, that would be even more troublesome for me.”
Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise, then she slowly nodded.
“Ah… that’s true. This is escort training, so if I get hurt… I didn’t think of that.”
“It’s not about the training. It makes me uncomfortable. I told you, didn’t I? During the escort period, I will devote myself completely. If you think something as small as this is a bother and don’t tell me, how will you handle anything else?”
Without realizing it, I began scolding Daisy the same way I would the twins.
“.....”
Daisy looked at me and smiled.
“So this is what it feels like to have an older brother?”
At those words, I shut my mouth. It had become too embarrassing to say anything more. I pretended not to hear and threw the wasp’s corpse out the window. Daisy laughed even harder at my silence.
“Ahaha, I was joking. Anyway, thank you, Caiden. Let’s go out now.”
“But where did that wasp come from? I should look for a nest nearby.”
“This is the first time one has come into the room. If it happens again, I’ll ask for your help then, so there’s no need to search for it right now.”
“...Hmm.”
I headed for the door. Daisy spoke to my back.
“Thank you again. It really is comforting to have help.”
“It’s nothing. You can stop thanking me now.”
“...Still. I really would have died if not for you.”
As I turned to answer, I felt someone’s presence. The feeling that I might bump into someone made me stop for a moment and look ahead.
“Oh.”
Fortunately, I didn’t collide with the person in front, but I barely managed to hold back from jumping in surprise at who it was. It was Asena. Kirsi was standing behind her as well. Judy stood behind the twins with an uncomfortable—or perhaps apologetic—expression.
“You two… how are you here…”
Asena ignored my words.
“Why are you coming out from there?”
She asked coldly. It had been a long time since she had shown me such a stiff expression. I couldn’t tell if it was because of yesterday’s argument or because there were other people around.
“I’m sure… the escort training starts from the moment you leave the dormitory until you return. So why did you come out of her room?”
Asena’s cold gaze extended even to Daisy.
“Daisy. What were you doing in the room?”
I stepped between Daisy and Asena.
“There was a wasp in the room, so I just went in to catch it. I don’t understand why the mood has to turn so dark, Asena. Calm down, and let’s head to the academy now.”
I tried to soothe her gently, but Asena’s expression wouldn’t loosen. The same went for Kirsi beside her. She was starting to resemble Asena more and more. I couldn’t tell what Kirsi was thinking either. Her face was hardened, and she was glaring at me coldly.
“....Calm down?”
Asena’s eyebrows twitched subtly.
“.....Brother, do you still not understand? Do you think entering a noble lady’s room is such a light matter?”
“....When you put it that way, of course it sounds strange.”
Was it because she had studied politics? Asena was extremely skilled at twisting words. But I didn’t lose my center and held my ground.
“I didn’t say it ‘that way.’ That’s simply what happened.”
“The ‘fact’ is that I simply fulfilled my duty and protected Daisy from the wasp.”
“I told you, your duty begins the moment Daisy steps out of the door, didn’t I?”
“Why are you splitting hairs so rigidly? If you hear someone in danger, do you just ignore it? Loyalty is just as important as duty, Asena.”
She took a step closer to me. She didn’t rush. She slowly pressed down on me. It was like a snake slithering forward while making faint threatening sounds.
“.....How long have you even known her to already feel such loyalty?”
She asked quietly. She glanced at Daisy, who was hiding behind me. Daisy remained silent, perhaps thinking it was a family matter.
“That’s what a knight does.”
I cut her off. I didn’t want to bring up the exact reason I had decided to devote myself to Daisy here and escalate the problem. It was obvious that the conversation would turn to the twins if I did.
“...Is that so?”
Asena closed her eyes for a moment, let out a soft breath, then stared at me with clear eyes. And in that state, she spoke with a voice as cold as ice.
“Judy, kneel.”
“...What?”
Only then did I truly feel how coldly Asena was looking at me.