THE leaves began to change color and fall off the trees—the season had switched to fall. Yuki arrived in Aridol just as the flowers started to bloom across the land—early spring. Being separated from Luca and the others happened as the heat started setting in—the early summer. By the time she realized it, several seasons had come and gone.
With a thin shawl wrapped around her shoulders, Yuki opened the balcony door. Frigid air swept into the room. Fresh air filtered inside the room brimming with her frustration and gloom.
Sighing, she stepped out on the balcony and gazed at the sky dotted by stars. The night sky warped as she looked at it through sleepy, lazy eyes. Drowsiness incessantly beckoned Yuki. Every waking moment was marked by a strong pull to return to sleep. But she didn’t want to sleep.
Someone knocked on the door to her chambers.
“Come in,” she replied without looking. The door creaked as it opened. Boots clacked against the marble behind her. Still, she kept her eyes on the stars. “Sorry for calling you to see me at this hour.”
“Nonsense. I am actually honored to have you summon me. It makes me aware of how much trust you have come to put in me, Lady Yuki,” said a clear, sweet voice.
Deeply inhaling the chilly air, she turned around, putting her back to the stars. “I have something I want to say to you.”
“…What can I do for you? The events of the morrow are already—”
She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek. What should she say? There was much she wanted to tell him, but vexation niggled at her as the words she sought always eluded her at important times.
“…Rhad, you told me not to put my trust in Selena and Vigo,” she started, piecing her thoughts together as she spoke. “I’ve thought about a lot of things since you said that. What do they actually want to do? What do they want to make me do?”
Yuki’s heart pounded in her ears. An icy breeze whisked passed her as though it were trying to drown out the sound.
“I really did think about it from different angles… Are they actually only using me as a nifty little tool like you said? Even if they are, I can’t say I’m much different when I used them as a method of safe travel from Rvydom to Adolunde.” The wind whipped up her hair and wove its way through her locks and brushed by her ear.
“Rhad, you told me not to put my trust in the two of them, correct?” she repeated, searching for his confirmation.
“I did,” he replied, standing in the balcony doorway.
“I know you said as such out of concern for my well-being. But I can’t do it. Even if they are just using me, I care for them. I want things to remain as they have been forever.”
“…You have an eccentric sense of loyalty and trust.”
Disdain seeped through his smile, but she pretended not to notice. “I’m a master of baseless trust after all.”
“Do you believe the world is devoid of bad people?”
“I don’t,” she answered with a smile. “Papa—my father used to say humans possess good and evil inside them. Just that the scale weighs more heavily on one side for everyone.”
When did Kaito share his advice with Yuki?
Papa said those words when I tried to quit archery.
Participating in tournaments meant standing in the public’s eye. A child whose appearance hadn’t changed for years taking part in tournaments was a source of fear for those who didn’t know better. Cruelty from heartless people eventually wore Yuki down and made her want to quit. They disparaged her as not being human and cursed at her to get out of the limelight. She endured the curses, the bullying, and the poor treatment until their malice escalated to the point of hindering the tournament itself.
“Despite everything they have done, Yuki, you mustn’t hate those people,” Kaito instructed, hugging his crying daughter whose archery bag had been torn to shreds.
“…It is frighteningly simple to hate someone. But nothing good will come of such hatred. So I will remain liking those two. Even if they have ill intentions towards me, I will believe in their good,” she proclaimed. Getting it off her chest was refreshing. “Anyway, even if they are using me, they only did so to help patients infected with the Ten Day Fever. Besides, had I known about my power sooner, I would’ve still wanted to use it for the sick.”
That’s right. Why did I worry so much over this?
Rhad took her challenge with an embittered expression. “Can you still say that when doing so is eating away at your life?”
“Excuse me?”
“The more you use your power the greater the drain on you. You are exhausting your stamina and your lifeforce… Are you still willing to save people you don’t know at the cost of your life?”
His question had a familiar ring to it.
“Die for your country and your people.”
Those cruel words somehow warmed her heart. Pasch loved his people and country so much he thought the guilt and price of sacrificing one person could save them from war. Yuki wondered what he was doing now. She smiled to herself. Things were different now. She had interacted with the people of this world. Their warmth and kindness were things she knew.
“If using this power brings happiness to the people of this world, I’ll happily make use of it. I’d be satisfied even if it results in my death.”
Because I have nothing outside of this power.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yuki had neither friend nor family in this world who would mourn her death. The people on Earth wouldn’t even know if she died. As it was, they might have already written her off as dead.
“If I came to this land for such a reason—should it be my fate—I’ll happily accept it.”
Because I feel an anomaly like myself will finally be accepted somewhere by doing so.
“…You told me because it’s killing me. Thank you.” Moved by his kindness, her cheeks softened into a smile. “Should I die, be sure to let Selena and Vigo meet Luca. This is a must. Promise me?”
Rhad’s face contorted as a deeper bitterness filled him. Staring at her like she was an unbelievable fool, he spat, “I will not allow you to die until you wake Prince Luca.”
“Then you’d better hurry up and make it possible for me to go where Luca is sleeping,” she grinned and turned on her heel, dismissing him. Once again, she turned her eyes to the stars not unlike the ones seen from Earth.
For the longest time she had searched for the reason she was sent to this world.
To save those afflicted with the Ten Day Fever and…rescue Luca.
Would rescuing Luca lead to him cooperating with Rvydom and putting an end to the wars plaguing Aridol?
If that’s the reason why I’m in this world, then—