Chapter 29
SELENA gazed at the sky with a light cape wrapped around her shoulders to make up for the thinness of her nightgown. Stars twinkled across the night sky. There were so many stars she felt as if she might be able to catch one if she reached out her hand. The sky gave the illusion there was nothing she couldn’t obtain.
She should have been in bed by this hour. Vigo said they would leave the encampment early the next morning. She knew she should get to sleep soon, but her mind’s wanderings wouldn’t let her.
A black glow came from her finger—Vigo was looking for her. Knights and Masters could use their rings to find each other. Surprised, she turned around, and Vigo appeared with heavy footsteps.
“…Should you be up this late?” she asked him.
“What can I say? I’m a habitual night owl.”
The days when they stayed up until dawn with Lidy came rushing back to Selena. Back then, they still didn’t know the horrors of war and spent every day having fun. Memories of those radiant days were her treasures.
She smiled, knowing he was awake looking for her. “How’s Yuki?”
“She was asleep last I checked on her.”
Yuki—the small, innocent girl who knew nothing of the world and who Selena had slapped. If only she could remain in her innocence without knowing, but Selena had to go and taint her with vile darkness. Shock rounded her big eyes as they misted and then, as she tried to work through the cruel reality they forced on her, she clung to Selena. Over and over again she apologized through her tears.
“…I wronged her. She’d be better off not knowing.”
“She had to learn it sooner or later.”
“Still! …I could have worded it better.”
Regret clung to her since the afternoon, rendering her sleepless. But she forced a cheerful expression to keep Vigo from catching on to her misery.
“Anyway, is it okay not to tell Touta anything?”
“Hm? Yeah. We don’t have any proof.”
Touta was under the assumption Rvydom’s princess had died.
Selena didn’t know much about Yuki. She didn’t pry either because Vigo asked her not to. Asking questions led to questions. Too much information brings hesitation. Selena was her Master’s sword and shield—and dog. All was well as long as her Master lived. Other Knights may have differing opinions on the bond, but this was how she viewed hers.
Vigo stated Yuki was Rvydom’s princess. But because the girl was unaware of her own status, he wanted Selena to feign ignorance to keep her from ever guessing. Selena was one thing—she could lie. But she doubted Vigo could get away with it when his face immediately gave away his lies. He was never very good at poker because of his easy to catch tells. However, he didn’t seem to be having any issue keeping this secret—Yuki had yet to press them on it. No questions meant no need to lie to her.
“To be perfectly honest, I’m half in doubt. I’d believe it right away if she had violet eyes.”
“Really? I believed it as soon as you told me. I mean, they are eerily similar. Her smile looks just like his, and the way she takes everything in and broods about it is what he used to do too.” Selena closed her eyes as she recalled her former king. She smiled bitterly when the blurry figure in her mind no longer took the shape of a person.
A beautiful starry sky filled her vision when she looked up.
Looks like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight after all.
The sorrow twisting Yuki’s sweet face made the memory of the person she was struggling to remember all the more vivid.
“They really are alike.”
✦ ✦ ✦
YUKI slowed her breathing and the door behind her quietly closed. Several seconds later, the footsteps grew quieter. Once the sound was completely gone, Yuki exhaled. She pulled the thin blanket over her head and curled into a ball on her bed.
My thoughts are a mess. I don’t want to think about anything anymore…
Regret and self-hatred filled her and overflowed as tears until her eyes swelled and her tears ran out. The tears stopped, but her heart and mind weren’t relieved of their burden. She hated war and didn’t want it to take place. But it had, and the Ten Day Fever plagued the continent.
Everyone is suffering so much.
According to Touta’s information, skirmishes were still taking place on the frontlines despite the temporary cease-fire.
How can they wage war?
The wars taking place had hurt more people than they could ever put a number to. Tita and her family were but a small sampling of the victims created by war.
Tita had resided in Maruk during the cease-fire. For all the cease-fire did, the battle still raged under the surface because Rvydom never surrendered. Living in the ravages of war for years would scar anyone, especially a girl as young as Tita. The severity of Tita’s situation never dawned on Yuki until now.
The people rummaging in the trash in Cele might have been victims of the war too. Once she started thinking about it she couldn’t stop. People could have lived a happy and peaceful life if not for war. But without war, Rvydom will lose its identity as a country.
Rvydom paid a high price for losing the war. Now the people were rising in revolt to take back what was theirs.
I know that’s all they can do. I understand it, but I still can’t agree with them.
“I can’t stop the spread of the Ten Day Fever, but I can strive to put an end to the war.”
Pasch’s words before they parted at the orphanage came back to her. Rvydom’s independence meant fighting his country.
We can’t do that.
She was against attacking Maruk but also didn’t want Rvydom’s people to continue suffering under their hand. All Rvydom had left now was their roiling hatred for Maruk and their love and respect for their deceased king and princess.
What’s the best way to go about this? Yuki wrapped her arms around her legs and squeezed. She wished hiding under the blanket in a fetal position could hide her from her worries. I don’t know what the best thing to do is.
How great it would be if she could shut her eyes, forget everything, and sleep.
Hey, won’t you tell me? Tears stung her dry eyes again. The person she wanted to ask was no longer around. His face and voice were mere memories now. Could he have the answers to the questions tormenting her?
What should I do?
After all this time, she finally found something she could do in helping the sick and made lots of friends along the way. The more she learned about Aridol, the more it stirred her heart like a storm threatening to blow her sense of being away. She clenched her right hand and hugged the middle finger to her heart.