Ceria’s mind was in turmoil.
It was a situation she couldn’t possibly understand. Her thoughts were tangled like a knotted thread, making coherent thought impossible.
Ceria could only endlessly question herself within.
Why?
Why were I-an and Delphine together in the dead of night?
The door was firmly closed, revealing only a slim crack. Most people wouldn’t be able to guess what was happening inside, but Ceria was already a highly accomplished swordsman.
The smallest hint, the faintest light, was enough. Ceria could already sense the scene inside the room as if she was looking at it directly.
She could feel the intertwined bodies of the man and woman.
Her azure eyes trembled violently, and the shaking grew stronger with each passing moment.
“Feels like a lie… When I first met him, he acted like a monk.”
“Isn’t the problem that this monk was the one who ended up on top?”
It was a soft laugh, laced with sweetness.
Though her vision was blocked, a vivid image was imprinted onto Ceria’s retina. The two figures on the bed exchanging intense glances.
Their clothing was half-disheveled. This was not a guess, but a certainty.
Shaking uncontrollably, Ceria unconsciously brought her fingers to her lips.
Why?
They were the ones she loved the most.
Ceria had nothing left. After the arrest of her father, Duke Yuridina, her only remaining family was her sister.
Or perhaps a senior bound by a connection deeper than blood.
Those two were having a secret rendezvous.
Her heartbeat felt like it was wearing away. It was as if she couldn’t think at all.
In her blank mind, she could only mutter words of disbelief.
It can’t be, it can’t be.
But her accelerating breathing tickled her eardrums.
In the pitch-black stillness enveloping the corridor, her senses became extremely acute, clearly picking up on the situation indoors.
The breathing of the two figures could almost be felt.
It was the breathing of beasts.
The distance between the two was shrinking.
It was like waiting for the executioner’s blade to fall, Ceria instinctively realized.
This is the guillotine.
“…So, do you dislike it?”
“No.”
An innocent voice overlapped with a teasing reply.
Their lips slowly moved away from each other.
As their breaths intertwined, just before their flesh would overlap,
Before long, the man who had abandoned his resistance gave a faint smile.
“How could I dislike it? I’m your husband, aren’t I?”
Ceria felt as if she was about to vomit black mud.
Though she tightly shut her eyes, not wanting to see, her overdeveloped senses vividly replayed the scene indoors.
Her heart wanted to run.
But her legs, trembling like a newborn fawn, wouldn’t obey. Moreover, she was afraid of revealing her presence by making a sound.
She didn’t know why.
But Ceria didn’t want to show herself.
No, deep down, she knew.
While she trembled and bit her fingers, she was all too aware of how pitiful she must look, crouched in front of the door.
She was pathetic and wretched.
So Ceria earnestly whispered.
No, please not.
But contrary to her prayers, an unfamiliar sound pierced her eardrums.
The lewd sound of mucous membranes intertwining, exchanging saliva.
Ceria covered her ears. Though the voices subsided, the sounds from inside the room remained indelible.
Flesh meeting flesh.
Ceria felt like she was losing her mind at the feverish sighs and the heat produced by their union.
“Hhnn…”
Moist, sticky breaths escaped through clenched teeth.
Even then, Ceria was questioning herself.
How, how can this happen?
It was the woman who had always been her older sister since birth.
And it was the man she had fallen in love with for the first time.
Ceria still remembered.
The retreating figure of her senior who had gone to fight the monster in her place when she had sprained her ankle.
His gentle kindness that silently embraced her pain.
The necklace that still faintly glowed around her neck.
It was impossible to forget.
It was the first warmth she had ever felt. It was a precious memory that had gifted her with the humanity she had lost after her mother passed away.
She adored and respected him.
She couldn’t sleep whenever he was hurt, and every time flirtatious women approached him, it felt like fire was coursing through her veins.
So how should Ceria react now?
The moans of ecstasy pierced her sensitive hearing. Even without seeing, the trembling of her skin conveyed every movement of the two.
The gestures of a woman craving affection.
The body of a man reciprocating her advances.
She felt like she was going mad.
“Hhnn, hhnn…”
In the midst of this wave of heat, Ceria unearthed a distant memory.
“Be careful.”
It was a lazy-eyed girl.
Golden hair, crimson eyes – the Yuridina family’s seal that Ceria had never inherited.
It was right after they had lost their mother.
“If you can’t prove your worth, you might end up like that.”
To the girl who had just lost her mother, those words became a stake that would never fade.
Even the cold smirk on the lips of the golden-haired girl lingered.
“You must always win.”
It was a derisive smile that didn’t suit her age.
Even now, Ceria didn’t know who that smile was aimed at.
“It’s because we’re Yuridinas.”
Ceria felt that curve as if it was slicing through her chest.
Her consciousness surfaced again from the past to the present.
The squelching sounds from beyond the door reached her ears. A woman twisted her body, emitting moans of pleasure.
With a crunch, Ceria bit her thumb.
The sweet tang of blood soaked her tongue.
The metallic taste sliding down her throat was pleasurable. Only then did Ceria feel her mind clearing.
She gasped while thinking.
Ah, that’s right.
The wound she thought had healed thanks to her senior. The nightmares might not have disappeared, but she believed she wouldn’t wake up shivering anymore.
That wasn’t the case.
Her sister’s advice had been right all along.
She should have been more cautious.
She should have won.
Still, there was one question that Ceria could not abandon.
Did her sister have to do it this way?
“Hn, yes… ha! Sir, sir! Ju, just a little… Hnn?!”
It was a voice melted by relentless stimulation.
Delphine’s voice was steeped not only in pleasure but in happiness.
Yes, the happiness of a woman.
Ceria clenched her teeth again, crunching her finger.
The blood and flesh trickled onto her palate. Strangely, the pain wasn’t too severe.
Rather, it felt like the aching sensation was cleaning the residue in the blood vessels of her mind.
That tingling, refreshing feeling.
Ceria’s consciousness wandered back to her childhood.
Her sister had always been like that.
“Ceria, let your sister eat first before you touch the dishes.”
Even at mealtime every day, her sister got the portion.
“Senior Delphine is the legitimate heir. Unlike Miss Ceria…”
The family’s affection went to her sister.
“This sword was supposed to go to your sister.”
Even the sword she had so desperately wanted was her sister’s, wasn’t it?
And yet, there was still something left to take.
She had always given in.
The only thing she couldn’t give up was the victory at the Hunting Festival. It was like a bookmark in her otherwise arduous life of defeats.
The single precious jewel of first love that one could have in a lifetime.
But even that, was it being taken away from her?
I don’t have anything left, do I?
Hadn’t she given up everything already – the family, the family’s affection? And hadn’t she also sworn unwavering respect and loyalty?
And yet.
And yet, if this was how it would turn out,
“Hn, hnn?! Ju, just… hnn, ju, just, no… ha, ha, ha! I won’t tease anymore… hnn?!”
Quite some time had passed.
Ceria silently crushed her fingers while holding her breath.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
As the night deepened, as dawn passed, and as I-an and Delphine fell into a stupor-like sleep after their climax,
Ceria endured like a rock standing against waves of cries and whispers.
Once she confirmed that both I-an and Delphine had fallen asleep, she got up.
Her body swayed once but otherwise was fine. Ceria stumbled along, gripping the wall as she walked down the corridor.
Leaving behind a whisper no one would hear.
“There’s no other way but to kill them…”
Her once clear blue eyes were now filled with a chilling coldness.
Basking in the warm sunlight, I let out a lazy sigh.
It was already afternoon.
I had woken up in the morning and had to hastily leave Senior Delphine’s bedroom. It would be disastrous if I were noticed by the Imperial Intelligence Department, and I still had a full schedule.
The war was over.
But that wasn’t my responsibility.
As the tactician who had to devise the strategy, I had my burdens to carry.
This was why I was sluggishly moving now.
Last night was somewhat strenuous.
Thinking it might be the last time for a while, even with the hangover, our night had been unusually intense.
The lingering fatigue was proof.
Even so, I carefully coughed and straightened my clothes out of respect for the person I was meeting.
Of course, obstacles weren’t completely absent.
“Master!”
A bounding shadow approached from far away.
Just seeing that oversized hooded hat told me everything. With a wry smile, I called out to my reliable comrade, hoping she would modify that troublesome title.
Senior Elsi, please refrain…
“Where are you heading today? Surely you’re not going far? Or did a certain woman ensnare you?”
As always, it was a futile attempt.
Elsi ignored my request and bombarded me with questions.
Each one was filled with worry for me.
Well, except for the last one.
Anyway, I was grateful for Senior Elsi’s care.
“I am on my way to meet someone, but it’s not a woman.”
Elsi tilted her head in confusion.
And after a moment, she squinted suspiciously.
The expression on her face clearly read doubt.
“…Is that really true?”
“Shouldn’t I be offended if I was lying?”
It was quite unfair, as I hadn’t told any lies.
It was almost like being questioned by a lover who suspected infidelity.
Regardless, Senior Elsi didn’t drop her suspicious gaze until the moment I was about to reveal my destination.
Then, a new inquisition came from Senior Elsi’s small mouth.
“What about Ceria, that girl?”
“…Ceria?”
It was now my turn to counter her questioning.
My bewildered gaze prompted Senior Elsi to peer at me thoughtfully.
Looking to prove my innocence, I didn’t evade her gaze.
Neither of us backed down, and we ended up getting so close that our breaths almost touched.
Finally, it was Senior Elsi who conceded.
The moment our breath mingled with our skin, the girl jumped back a few steps, her face flushing bright red upon realizing the situation.
“Wha, wha, why did you get so close?!”
“Yet, all I did was stand still.”
It was a lie.
But for a perfect victory, I decided to be shameless.
“Anyway, what are you talking about? Ceria is wrapping things up on the frontlines, isn’t she? I heard she’s arriving today…”
“Didn’t she already arrive?”
As if trying to cool her reddening face, Senior Elsi fanned herself while speaking, unable to meet my eyes.
“So I thought you were looking for that brat again. It seemed like you were trying to hide something from me…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her stammering excuses.
If I were meeting Ceria, why would I hide it from Senior Elsi?
Before I knew it, my hand pressed down firmly on Senior Elsi’s hooded hat, subtly making it look like I was petting her.
She didn’t resist.
Instead, she lowered her head with a calmer expression, though she fidgeted with her fingers out of shyness.
“You don’t need to worry so much, Senior Elsi. There aren’t many women as good as you in the world, are there?”
“…Then what about Delphine, that girl?”
My words hit a snag.
Looking back, I was still under suspicion.
Hence, I had to cough awkwardly and add another explanation.
“As you know, the situation of the Yuridina family is difficult, so I won’t be meeting Senior Delphine for a while. And since I have ties with the Imperial Court…”
“Then who exactly are you meeting?”
“An elf.”
At my single word, Senior Elsi’s tongue froze mid-question.
A look of chagrin passed through her eyes, and her expression was almost apologetic.
“I’m here to see Pope Eyong.”
Including the village’s elves, of course.
I sighed wryly and lowered my head.
I realized something as I faced my second farewell.
The more it hurts, the more people try to hide their wounds.
And the deeper the scars will be on their hearts.
It was a sorrowful yet painful realization.
Elsewhere.
“Are you here, Ceria?”
At the highest point of the Yuridina estate, in the head of the household’s study, a reunion between the two sisters unfolded.
“Yes, sister.”
The golden-haired woman wore a composed and gentle smile. However, the traces of last night’s pleasure could not be erased from her crimson eyes.
It was evidence left by their passionate night.
In contrast, the face of the gray-haired girl was veiled in deep shadow, her deep blue eyes as cold as the sea.
Though called sisters by the world, they were opposites in both color and disposition.
It was a meeting of gold and silver.
