Gradually, the alcohol began to take effect, and the party grew more rambunctious. Meanwhile, Flum took Milkit outside to the manor garden. The sky was already shrouded in night, and only the lamps in the garden illuminated their surroundings.
“I’ve been curious about the beautiful garden here ever since I visited Leitch’s mansion before.”
“Did we sneak away from the party so you could see it?”
“I wanted to see it together with you, Milkit. What do you think?”
Flum had thought it would be a romantic gesture. Of course, she had gotten permission from Leitch. Milkit, understanding Flum’s feelings, hugged her arm.
The two of them walked slowly through the garden, which was filled with colorful blooming flowers.
“It’s beautiful. There are so many flowers that I’ve never seen before.”
“These are flowers that Mr. Leitch collected, so I’m sure they must be special.”
“He said that he got them from all over the continent. Oh, I think I’ve seen this one before.” Flum stopped in front of an orange flower that bloomed as wide as the sun.
“That flower is like you, Master.”
“Y-you think so…?”
“Yes. You bloom so beautifully, and you always shine down on me, like the sun.”
“Urgh… Well, then, maybe this one’s like you, Milkit.”
Saying that, Flum turned her gaze toward a white flower. The flower bloomed modestly, but its beauty was unmatched. Even surrounded by countless other flowers, it stood out with a grace that made it instantly recognizable.
“You’re beautiful, shining brightly no matter where you are. Like a light, always capturing my gaze and my heart.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’re the most beautiful person in the whole world, Milkit.”
“I’m sure you’re the only one in the world who can find me, Master.” The flower looked plain to most people, and it was buried among other flowers, where no one would find it. But that flower was fine with that. “If Master finds me, that is all the reward in the world. I don’t need anything else.”
“I can’t win…”
“Were we competing?”
“I was. I feel like I really, really love you, Milkit, but I just can’t win against the love that you give me.”
“Master, you shower me with plenty of love.”
“Milkit, you’re always talking about how I’m not aware of things, but I think that you’re even less aware than I am. About, like…how do I put this…? The power of your love is strong.”
“I don’t know about love. I’m just taking the feelings I have for you in my heart and putting them into words, Master.”
The smile on Milkit’s face threw Flum’s heart into disarray. Was it really okay to have such a cute girl for a lover? Was it really possible to be loved so much that it felt like your brain was going to explode with happiness?
“Ah, it’s too much. I can’t take it anymore!”
“Master…?”
Flum suddenly turned around and shouted toward the night sky.
“Milkit, I love youuuuuuuu!” Her voice echoed far and wide. At the very least, she had shouted loud enough to most definitely be heard across the venue. It was embarrassing, of course, but she loved Milkit so much that she didn’t care anymore.
However, her sudden shout had made Milkit’s eyes go wide with shock, her pupils reduced to tiny dots.
“You surprised me.”
“Sorry. It was just that I love you so much that I felt like I was going to explode if I didn’t say it out loud, Milkit.”
“Is it okay if I try, too?”
“Huh? Sure, it’s fine, but…you’re not embarrassed?”
“Not at all. Because it’s how I really feel.” Milkit, smiling happily, turned to the air to shout directly from her heart. “Master, I love youuuuu!”
Her voice was definitely at a more modest volume than Flum’s, but it carried all the same. Then, with a giggle, she turned and stared at Flum.
I think this might be a good time.
Before they realized it, they were just staring at each other. There were no words, no meaning. They were simply happy. But they wanted to get even closer, so Flum tightened her grip on their intertwined fingers.
Under the moonlight, in this beautiful garden, this situation is perfect!
When Milkit turned to look at her, she felt like their hearts were connected.
Okay, now!
Flum brought her face closer to Milkit’s. Milkit’s eyes creased, ready to accept what was coming.
Squelch. Squelch.
When she heard the sound of swirling flesh, Milkit’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Flum also stopped and turned in the direction of the sound.
There stood Cyrill. The face of the girl standing alone in the garden at night was completely buried in a spiral of meat.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That is just way too embarrassing.” Flum and Milkit’s shouts from the courtyard could clearly be heard inside the venue. Eterna, sitting in her seat and nibbling on bread, hung her head low in shyness. On the other hand, Ink smiled innocently.
“Lovers do that kind of thing, too!”
“Not normally, they don’t.”
“We’ve been fighting for days on end,” said Gadhio, who had a little bit to drink. “It’s okay to let loose once in a while.”
Eterna glared at him with a look of disgust.
“It’s wrong to indulge them. I see that kind of thing all the time when we’re at home. So much so I can’t take it anymore.”
“My condolences. Anyway, it seems like Cyrill’s gone off somewhere.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Now that you mention it…I haven’t seen her in a while.”
“I thought she might be talking to someone, but maybe not.” Gadhio was casually looking around for Cyrill when Hallom came up to him. She grabbed hold of Gadhio’s clothes and tugged, badgering him.
“Hey, hey, Daddy, let’s go get some fruit!”
“Okay, okay, don’t pull, Hallom.”
The two of them approached a table laden with food.
“I wanna eat that big one!” Hallom pointed to the large Ohgle.
As she approached it—something fell from the ceiling. It crushed the dishes that were on the table and smashed the table, too, before it slammed to the floor. It was a man’s corpse. The torso was pierced through, and the back of the head was crushed. The blood that poured from the body soiled the food.
Hallom clung tightly to Gadhio, trembling. Gadhio looked at the corpse’s face and muttered, “Satuhkie…”
The party guests and even the servants soon realized what had happened. The lively party venue was instantly transformed into a hellish scene of chaos and confusion.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Kyaaaaaaah!” A shriek rang throughout the party venue. And then there was a spiral, squirming right before their eyes.
“Huh…?” Flum’s brain refused to comprehend what she was seeing. The hair, the clothes, the figure were all Cyrill’s. But her face was different. It was crushed. Red. Exposed flesh. Packed into a spiral. Wriggling disturbingly. Spewing blood.
“Cyrill?” Flum called her name in a trembling voice. The girl, standing stock-still, moved her flesh about as if trying to convey something.
“I. ’m. Sor. Ry.” That was what it sounded like to Flum, but it might just have been her imagination. No…it was possible that the girl standing before her was an illusion.
“Mast—” Noticing something unusual about her master, Milkit called to her.
But her words were cut off before she finished. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, she lost consciousness.
“Happy end for you!”
Someone once said that, happily. No one knew what had happened. The only thing they knew for sure was that, on that night, almost every life in the royal capital was lost.