†††
THE air feels sticky.
There was no sound, but Euphemia could feel the humidity on her skin—it was raining. Rain trapped moisture in the earth and people in their homes.
“……”
Euphemia cracked open her crusty eyes. Something unfamiliar encapsulated her stiff body. An expensive silk blanket rubbed against her skin as she stirred. She didn’t remember owning any silks. Then again, her mind was foggy.
Her senses slowly started to return through the haze.
What in the Wilds happened to me?
She reached out and patted down her body. Relief washed over her when she felt her clothes were on. The room was dark, but not submerged in pure darkness. She turned her neck and looked down at a narrow beam of light on the floor just beyond her feet. The door to another room appeared to be cracked open. Light leaked in from that slight opening. A cold, blue light.
What is that?
She was struck by an intense wave of dizziness when she tried to get up. Nauseous, she sank back into the blanket. Soft warmth enveloped her chilled and sweaty body. She was lying on what should have been a very comfortable king-sized bed covered in exquisite blankets and fluffy down pillows. One she was unfamiliar with.
“What?”
Where am I? What is this place? Why am I here?
Panic slowly sunk in. Euphemia’s stomach churned and bile rose up the back of her throat.
Calm down. Panicking won’t get you anywhere. What do you remember last? I was having dinner with Ronaldo and Mister Haydn…and then…
She remembered dinner reaching the main course. They were in the middle of an enthusiastic conversation about movies when her wineglass was topped off.
The wine?!
“I see you’ve come to.”
Someone had come to stand beside Euphemia while she had her eyes squeezed shut to stop from throwing up.
“…What?” She opened her eyes. Haydn was standing beside the bed. “U-Um, why am I…?”
“Oh, it’s all right. You just had a little too much to drink and fell asleep. I carried you to my suite on the floor below the restaurant. You can rest easy.”
I can’t rest easy! How could I have humiliated myself in front of Erica’s rival like this?! Euphemia panicked.
“I-I’m sorry…for the trouble! I will head right home,” she said in a flurry.
“How will you do that?” Haydn asked, his voice flat.
“By helicopter… What time is it? We planned on leaving at ten, right? But is it just me or does it seem like it’s raining?”
If it’s raining, then it’s well past midnight?
“It is… It’s just past four in the morning. I made the decision that it was best for you to go home tomorrow since you were sound asleep. There aren’t any helicopters that will fly in this downpour,” Haydn said, crushing any hope that she could leave now.
No wonder why it felt sticky. It’s always like that at this hour. Just how drunk did I get to lose consciousness? I was being so careful not to have more than a glassful.
Euphemia cringed and felt miserable for having screwed up royally once again.
But I didn’t even drink a whole glass… The waiter came over and refilled it once I reached the halfway mark… I don’t remember finishing that glass.
“I-I’m sorry, but I need to contact my sister…”
“Don’t you worry about that. I will handle matters with Mayor Saionji,” Haydn said.
“You are going to contact her? By the way, what happened to Ronaldo?”
“Oh, him. He is resting in another room. He fell asleep like you.”
No way. Ronaldo drank himself unconscious too?
Ronaldo could hold his liquor better than most. Euphemia was starting to sense that something troubling was afoot. But she felt so dizzy and sick to her stomach that she struggled to think straight.
“I-I see. I’m sorry we both inconvenienced you so… I promise to make it up to you a-at a later time… E-Excuse me, but where might my purse be?” she asked, her tongue dry and causing her to stutter.
“Your purse? It’s in this room over here.” Haydn’s voice lacked any tone.
“Oh, thank you. I wanted to send a message to a friend on my IHT…”
I’ll let Zelaide know what happened. He might come get me first thing. And I’ll take the chance to secretly send a message to Erica, just in case…
Euphemia barely managed to slide out of bed and stand. Bile threatened to come up her throat, her head spun like a top, and her legs wobbled. But she had to push through.
Concentrating on putting one unstable foot in front of the other, she staggered into the adjoining room.
This room was also spacious, and although it was dark without the lights on, there was one big light source illuminating the space.
A huge monitor faced the door and a bunch of smaller ones lined the walls around her.
What played there was—
“See this? It’s a Bijour. Ain’t it cute?”
Headlights illuminated the dark Wilds and the backs of two men. They had their hands on a woman.
“H-How…did you get one of these?!”
“This area here seems soft… Plus, it’s in view of the camera.”
“N-No… Stop it… Stop it!”
The woman’s face crumpled with fear on the screen.
“Don’t screw with me!”
The video stopped playing and the room darkened without the flickering lights.
The last image from froze on the monitors, illuminating Euphemia in its blue glow as she stood there in shock.
“…Wasn’t it a splendid film? This is what I have been dying to show you,” a velvety voice whispered next to her ear.
✦ ✦ ✦
Euphemia was speechless.
“But there isn’t anything worth watching after that. I always stop it there. After all, the rest of the footage is ruined by that loathsome Beast Blood. I really ought to properly edit it soon…”
“…Mister Haydn?” Euphemia squeezed out from her parched throat, her voice trembling.
“It’s Zig. Please call me that, Euphemia… Your name is beautiful as well…”
“What in the colonies is this…?”
“You can’t tell? It’s video footage of you from that time… Let me rewind it for you.” Haydn pressed the replay button. All the monitors in the room began playing again.
“…These unintelligent buffoons obscure the view, but don’t you think your terrified face is a pure work of unadulterated art? Not to mention…this expression here!” Haydn paused the video.
He stopped on the image of Euphemia pinned under the men, her shirt ripped open. It was the moment Euphemia, driven to despair, resolutely raised her free hand to slit her own throat.
“Aahh…it doesn’t get better than this…” Haydn cooed.
The video began to play in slow motion. Haydn intently watched the largest monitor, his euphoric expression lit up by the blue backlight.
“You were prepared to die here, right? Your eyes in this instant were…breathtaking. I have watched it hundreds of times and it still gives me chills… Say, Euphemia?” Haydn stepped closer. “I want to see this face again. In person. I have prepared the perfect stage for you. Sleep for now. I will have taken you somewhere even better by the time you awake…”