Chapter 36
“ARE you going to explain the meaning of this to me? Hmm?”
“…I am so sorry…”
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Rhad escorted Yuki to Corona’s inn where she attempted to soundlessly slip inside. Her attempt was thwarted by the daunting statue of Vigo she bumped her nose against. Face sternly locked in a scowl, he waited for Yuki’s answer. Evidently, he wasn’t going to let her through the foyer until she said something.
Having failed to devise a plan to effectively explain herself, Yuki came clean about everything she did. She rattled on about how she spotted Knights laughing and charged after them into a bar like a raging maniac. Fueled by her anger, she lashed out until she discovered they weren’t Knights but a militia that kept the morale of its troops up by infrequent visits to the local bar. And then she divulged how Fol had no relief measures in place for the Ten Day Fever.
Vigo listened to her from beginning to end with a furrowed brow and sighed heavily when she finished. “I understand what it is you want to say. Regardless, I’m very angry with you.” Glared down by his ashen gaze, Yuki stood at attention with her hands behind her back.
“I-I’m r-really sorry!” she stammered out.
“I realize you did what you did out of compassion for the people of Fol. But you know, you should at least have some idea of what the consequences are when you disappear without telling us.”
Hearing how they panicked and searched after they discovered she was missing left Yuki feeling ashamed.
“You should have at least said something to us. Letting your feelings and thoughts build up until you act rashly on them does no good for anyone. Make sure to speak up when you have something to say. I’m drained from Selena taking her frustration out on me,” Vigo lectured. His scolding lasted for about an hour.
“Haah. If you didn’t come back over something like this and died out on the road somewhere, I’d be heading to the gallows with a noose around my neck,” Vigo eventually grumbled.
“Why’s that?” Yuki asked, not understanding the meaning of the words he let slip. He responded by messing her hair up.
“Aah, well, you know? Rifaenotis will hang me for it,” Vigo said finally and spun around and marched up the stairs.
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THINKING about her foolish choices left Yuki with nothing but regrets as she opened the door to her room. Despite knowing she was running from reality, she wanted to sneak into the room without seeing anyone and fall asleep. Selena greeted Yuki on the other side of the door with open arms.
“Welcome back, Yuki! Were you yelled at by Vigo?!” she asked as she captured Yuki in her arms and squeezed.
“S-Selena?!”
“You’re pretty adorable when you’re depressed, Yuki,” effused Selena.
“I guess…”
“Oh dear. You really are down in the dumps, aren’t you? Did someone say something mean to you?”
Yuki gave her head a small shake. “They didn’t. I’m just such a big idiot.”
I did something stupid again. I ruined the militia’s morale. How can I apologize to them? Her thoughts circled around those three things.
“…Yuki, you’re as pale as a ghost,” Selena consoled gently, sympathizing with her. But Yuki knew she shouldn’t let herself be placated by her kindness. “Did you fail at something?”
Yuki couldn’t see Selena’s face with her head down, but she heard the sympathetic tone. Taking her silence as a confirmation, Selena added, “You’re still young. You’re going to make more mistakes than you can count or remember. There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes. Regretting them is pivotal to growing and avoiding the same mistake in the future.”
Selena rubbed her back as she held her silence. “Tell me, Yuki, what do you think is most important when it comes to making a mistake?”
“…The most…important thing?” she repeated.
Apologizing? Or having the other party forgive you? Various things seemed as if they could fit, but none matched what she thought was the correct answer. She slowly lifted her face from Selena’s chest.
Selena grinned and softly said, “You finally looked at me. The most important thing, dear, is what you do afterwards. You can’t turn back time to redo your mistake, which leaves you with considering the best course of action you can take after it’s happened.”
Selena stroked Yuki’s hair.
“Failure and mistakes plant the seeds of success in us. They’re a lesson to never make the same blunder twice.” Until that point Selena spoke with a serious tone and expression, but then she suddenly grinned broadly. “Aww! I still can’t get over how precious you are! The way you stumble with a pale face is cute too! Your guilt ridden expression is tantalizing! And I have a headache from all the painfully true stuff I just spewed!”
“Whaaat?!”
Selena squeezed Yuki once and picked her up. With nothing under her feet, she wrapped her arms around Selena’s neck.
“It’s time for you to sleep today, Yuki! I bet your thoughts are going to keep you up, so I’ll have Vigo make you a killer sleeping pill. Prepare yourself for a bitter experience!” Selena rambled on, not wanting to give Yuki the time to mull things other. “Are you listening to me? Get a nice long rest tonight. Sleep a ton and then sleep some more until your body and mind are refreshed. Then you can think about things. Nothing good comes from people thinking about stuff when their mind is too stressed to be rational.”
Giving Yuki no room to refuse, she set her down on the bed. “I mean it. No good comes of acting on something when your mind is overloaded and emotionally distraught,” she admonished wagging her finger in front of Yuki’s nose.
“…Are you speaking from experience?”
“Oh dear. Did such rebellious words come from this little mouth here? I’m begging you, don’t learn from Rifaenotis’ example and take the atrocious path of pointed retorts!”
“Uh, I only asked because you were the one who said it was painfully true.”
“You’re hallucinating now! Your exhaustion is getting the better of you!” Selena deflected and lifted Yuki off the bed with one hand to pull down the blankets with her other hand. She put her back down and brought the blankets to her neck, tucking her neatly inside.
Patting the bulging blankets, Selena smiled and soothed, “Are you in a position where you can worry about others right now, Yuki? GET. TO. SLEEP. All jokes aside, you really look out of sorts. You’ve been working nonstop after all.” She brushed the hair from Yuki’s face.
“Yeah…”
Anemia or lack of sleep brought a chill to her hands and feet—her body was in desperate need of sleep. Selena strained a smile and used the palm of her hand to shut her eyelids. “All right, shut your eyes.”
Giving in to what she was told, she closed her eyes.
“Good night, Yuki.”
“Good night, Selena.”
Yuki’s consciousness melted into darkness.