Sofie’s dedication was commendable, but she had a tendency to take things too far. It’d be too late to do anything about it if it got the best of her in battle, like it nearly had earlier, so I invited her out for a talk late that evening. I was waiting for her by the riverbank some distance from camp.
Eventually, a girl with sleepy eyes and hair the color of the night itself appeared. She wore unique armor that had the trappings of a maid’s uniform. I could tell it was her at a glance, even hidden among the shadows of the trees.
“You came,” I called.
Stepping out into the moonlight, she replied, “What is this? A love confession?”
I had something pretty serious to discuss with her, but that threw me for a pretty serious loop. I sat there in stunned silence. Granted, when a guy calls a woman out in the middle of the night, it probably comes off as something along those lines. And this was Sofie we were talking about. She wasn’t the type to joke around, so she was asking a serious question here.
“Sorry, but I don’t see you that way,” she continued. “And I won’t be changing my mind in the future either. Honestly speaking, I’d prefer you keep your confession to yourself. It would only be a hassle for me.”
“Ummm...”
“But I owe you for bringing me into the party, and I mean to repay that debt. If you absolutely insist on dating, I will hate it, but I will do it with the utmost reluctance.”
“That’s not what I wanted to talk about, Sofie.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. Not even close, actually.”
“I see...”
And so the guy who got rejected without ever even asking and the woman who did the rejecting without ever even listening stared at each other awkwardly. Sofie—who usually couldn’t read the room—began averting her eyes and nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
“Sorry...”
“Nah, it was my fault for giving you the wrong idea...”
We both apologized, but the situation was still painful. I’d invited Sofie out alone so we could have a real heart-to-heart, and that had backfired on me. If I’d gotten everyone in on this, it wouldn’t have invited the opportunity for any misunderstanding. But sitting around awkwardly wasn’t going to change anything, so I decided to get down to business anyway.
“Say, Sofie, do you regret joining the Arrivers?”
“Do I regret it?” She seemed puzzled by the sudden question.
“Yeah.” I continued without waiting for an answer, “I kinda talked you into joining the party, and that’s why you feel indebted to me. So I’m wondering if there’s something you’d rather be doing than dungeon diving with the Arrivers.”
Sofie prioritized her obligations above all else. She’d virtually said as much earlier—she only saw me as a creditor who needed repaying, to the point she’d make herself miserable to satisfy her debts to me. If she was willing to date someone she didn’t even like to that end, then joining a dungeon party was probably nothing.
“What gave you that idea?” Sofie asked. There was no discernible emotion in her black eyes.
“Dunno. If I had to say, I guess it’s because you look so unhappy sometimes,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “I can understand if you’re not having fun. You just started dungeon diving, so you’re out of your element. These floors are all old news to us too, so it’s not like we’re getting the most out of this either.”
On I went, but Sofie remained stoic. I had no idea if I was speaking to her heart or if I was way off the mark. I felt like I was fumbling in the dark.
“I can also understand if you want to keep your distance from us. You only just joined up, after all. Everyone has such strong personalities. It isn’t easy to approach them.”
I wish she’d at least give me some sign of a response, but she stayed silent. All I could hear was the rustling of the forest and her quiet breathing. Despite that, I pressed forward.
“But that’s not really what’s eating you, is it? You find life with the Arrivers painful. That’s the feeling I get.”
“I don’t particularly feel that way... What makes you think so?”
For a brief instant, I thought I saw her eyes waver in the dark. Even if I hadn’t spotted it, the fact that she was inquiring further told me everything I needed to know.
“Since joining the Arrivers, you’ve been eager to sacrifice yourself, whether it’s taking on Roslia’s chores or taking attacks for us.”
Everyone in the party acknowledged the burdens she took on for us. Hell, she even made dessert for Neme all the time. Then there were times like the boss fight earlier, where she’d stepped up to take a blow for us when she’d already had her hands full defending herself. She was so selfless...that it was abnormal.
“Why are you willing to go so far?”
“Because I’m indebted—”
“No, not like this. You don’t owe us that much.” That was what had tipped me off to what was really going on inside her head. “I get why you’re so loyal to Princess Leyfa. She extended a hand to you when your parents died and you lost everything, including your noble status.”
Sofie had shared as much with me while I was being held prisoner at the hotel. Her story was a sad one, but it certainly explained her fierce loyalty to the Tyrant Princess.
“So I understand why you’ve done the things you have. Why you locked me up. Why you attacked me that rainy morning. You were driven by your devotion to Her Highness.”
Sofie said nothing. Even though her sworn liege had kicked her to the curb, she was steadfast in her dedication. That’s what her silence told me.
“All we’ve done is make trouble for you, though. We’re the reason you lost your standing with the princess, so we offered you another home with the Arrivers. That’s nothing compared to what Princess Leyfa did for you.”
Really, it was the least we could’ve done for her. She didn’t owe us a damn thing, much less her fealty.