Epilogue
A FEW DAYS HAD PASSED since winter break started. Olivia was in her room, prepping for her dungeon crawl.
“I have all my tools, my bag’s packed, and I think I’m good on weapons,” she muttered to herself, checking off her list mentally.
“Is there any real reason you need to go dungeon crawl right now?” Kyle asked skeptically as he assisted her. “Our trip with Prince Julius is the day after tomorrow.”
That didn’t leave Olivia much time; she understood that. Still, she had good reason to go on this mission—namely, Kyle. She needed to bring in extra income periodically to pay his wages, even if that meant shouldering more pressure and sacrificing what little free time she had to study.
“I have some expenses I need to take care of, so I want to earn what I can, while I can,” she replied.
“Just, please, don’t get injured and end up in the hospital, all right?”
Olivia nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ve done this a number of times.”
She tried to look confident in front of Kyle, but the truth was that she’d only visited the capital’s dungeon on a handful of occasions for class. She’d never ventured in very deep, only scouring the top floors for metal and gemstones to earn a little extra.
Dungeon crawling with a few other people was normally most efficient. Unfortunately, there were no male students Olivia felt she could call for help. Most of the female students didn’t bother to go into the dungeons, and she knew they hated her anyway, so she couldn’t invite them.
“Why not ask that man who helped you during the school trip? He seemed naive enough to lend you money.” Kyle didn’t even try to hide his derision for Leon. He likely thought less of him because he compared him to Julius and his friends.
Admittedly, when it came to finances and physical attributes, the prince and other scions outshone Leon. He wasn’t nearly as refined and elegant as they were, either. Most women at the academy would’ve picked Julius and his friends over Leon without hesitation. But Olivia thought Leon far outdid everyone else in one respect: kindness.
Leon was the only person who’d bothered to help her when she needed it most. She knew that Julius and the others would’ve stepped in, too, had they been there, but that would never have impacted them negatively. What if, as Leon had been, they were faced with a situation in which doing the right thing would only cause them problems? Would they still follow their moral compass? Frankly, Olivia didn’t completely trust that they would. And in fact, it was their fault she’d lost so much valuable studying time.
I know I shouldn’t think like this, but I simply can’t help finding them annoying. Festering negative emotions welled up inside her. As ashamed of them as she was, she couldn’t stave them off.
Logically, Olivia understood that the prince and his friends treated her well. They’d helped her a lot, too. But if she considered it truthfully, weren’t they at the center of all her problems? She couldn’t help thinking the answer was yes.
Noticing the way her expression had suddenly clouded over, Kyle fidgeted. “So, um…” he started.
“Hm?”
“Uh…would you like me to help out? I could at least carry your things for you.”
No clause in Kyle’s contract stipulated that he was responsible for assisting with any dungeon crawling. In the past, he’d proven the type to use his contract’s fine print to shield himself from extra work. Yet this time, he was going out of his way to offer her help, knowing the dangers involved.
Olivia was too amused to stop herself from giggling. “Are you sure? Even though it’s not laid out in your contract that you have to?”
“Y-yeah. That doesn’t matter. I’m offering it to you as an extra.”
“Thank you, Kyle, but I’m sorry. I think you’re still too young to go dungeon crawling.”
He sulked at that. “I could carry things,” he protested weakly.
“The sentiment alone means a lot to me. Really, thank you,” Olivia said.
She hefted her heavy rucksack over her shoulders and started out the door.
✦ ✦ ✦
Several female students watched from the hallway as Olivia left her room, careful to keep their distance so she didn’t notice them.
“What about Dolly and Donna?” one whispered.
“They ran back home. They’re too scared of Bartfort.”
“Seriously? Cowards.”
The girls snickered, mocking the pair who’d bailed on them.
“Well, whatever. We can do this without them just fine.”
The scheming group watched from the window as Olivia strolled past and headed toward the school gate.
“It’s part of our duty as aristocrats to punish cocky commoners like her.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I was staying at an inn within the Offreys’ former territory for the night. Of course, Marie popped in to visit; she was now sprawled on my bed. When I glanced out the window, I noticed a few snowflakes starting to fall from the sky.
“It’s another cold day,” I remarked. Not in my room, fortunately, since I had a wood-burning stove to keep toasty. Still, everyone milling around outside sported a thick coat.
Luxion’s gaze moved quickly to Marie. “I am pleased to see that you like your engagement ring so much. All the research I did to pin down your exact preferences seems to have paid off.”
Both the precious metal of the band and the inlaid gem were imbued with magic, making them ridiculously expensive. Luxion had reworked the design numerous times before coming up with the finished piece.
Thankfully, Marie loved it. Hoisting herself up, she held out her left hand to show off the ring. “It looks amazing on me, doesn’t it?”
“That goes without saying,” said Luxion. “It was a special piece I prepared expressly for you, after all.”
“That’s not the answer I was looking for. All I wanted was for you to say, ‘Yes, it suits you.’”
It took Luxion a moment to process her words. Then he replied, “Yes, it suits you.” He wasn’t usually one to tell people what they wanted to hear, but he (understandably) hesitated to ruin her good humor.
“Thank you,” Marie said, satisfied. She glanced around the room. “This inn the Roseblades set you up in is a lot more dated than I expected.”
She was absolutely right about that, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. “At least call it rustic,” I said.
“My point is, this is the exact kind of place you’d expect to see ghosts. I’ve got a sixth sense about these things, so I know.”
I quirked a brow at Luxion, certain he shared my doubts. “I’m skeptical,” I said.
“Indeed,” Luxion agreed. “Marie slept soundly through the entire incident with the Saint’s necklace.”
“Yeah. I’m not buying this sixth-sense stuff.” When the necklace spirit manifested, she’d been completely oblivious. It was hard to believe she had anything remotely close to psychic abilities.
Luxion and I snickered, and Marie stuck out her bottom lip. “I’m serious! There’s got to be spirits in this inn!”
“Knock it off!” I snapped. “Or I’ll be too scared to sleep in here tonight!”
“Pfft. You’re a chicken.”
“No, I’m not! Look, I just don’t like that you can’t defeat—” My voice lodged in my throat. A chill ran down my spine, and I broke out in goosebumps. At the same time, cold sweat suddenly beaded on my skin. The abrupt tremors shooting through me could only be a bad premonition. Having experienced that before, I felt very keenly that this one was intense.
“Huh? Are you really that scared?” Marie asked worriedly. “Sorry. I was just kidding. There’s no spirits.”
I shook my head, but couldn’t speak. I pressed my hand over my mouth.
Luxion scanned my body. “Your heart rate suddenly increased, and you are perspiring. Master, I think you should rest for today.”
“Yeah. Good idea.” Marie nodded. “Get yourself under those blankets, and go to sleep. Your complexion looks awful. Have you got a cold or something?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said numbly, finally managing to speak.
Why did I have this intense sense that something was terribly wrong? Had I overlooked something extremely important? I racked my brain, starting to panic.
Marie looked around the room again.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, finally shaking off the feeling.
“Mmm…I sensed something strange. Maybe this room really does have some kind of shady history.”
I sighed deeply. “Don’t worry. You have absolutely no sensitivity to these things.”