34

"You're already leaving?"

A girl with bright green eyes spoke.

Her name was Charlotte de Magstitia.

She was the second princess of the Great Karaz Empire.

The one she was speaking to, with such respect, was none other than the hero of this empire.

"I've taken care of everything, so it's time for me to go."

It was Athena.

She had been staying in the imperial palace for five days now.

Having completed all of the emperor's orders, there was no longer any reason for her to stay here.

"Don't you usually stay for at least a week? Why are you leaving so suddenly this time…?"

Charlotte, who was secretly saddened by Athena's impending departure, tried to hold onto her, but Athena's resolve was firm.

"There's someone I really want to see."

Thinking of Hera, Athena's face softened with a small smile.

Seeing this, Charlotte couldn't hide her shock.

"Some… someone you want to see?! C-could it be a lover?"

Had Athena ever longed for anyone before?

The fact that someone who had never shown interest in others now wanted to see someone was astonishing.

Could it be that she had a lover?

A hero's lover? That would be an event that could overturn the entire imperial palace at any moment.

But Athena shook her head, signaling her denial.

"No. It's a much deeper relationship than that."

Charlotte was thrown into even greater confusion.

"A d-deeper relationship?"

Deeper than a lover?

C-could it be… a husband?

Had she gotten married?

When?

To whom?

"…Wh-who is this person…?"

But instead of answering, Athena flicked her forehead lightly.

"Ouch!"

"Now's not the time to be worrying about things like that. Weren't you planning to claim the throne?"

"…I have everything under control."

Two years from now, she would enter the academy.

A place where all kinds of talented people gathered.

Charlotte was determined to build her own power there.

"Hmm… Well, fine. By the way, is there a magic tool shop nearby?"

Athena, who had quickly lost interest, suddenly asked about the location of a magic tool shop.

"There are plenty of them near the imperial palace, but…"

"Then recommend the best one."

"Yes… but, why do you need a magic tool…?"

At Charlotte's question, Athena showed a playful smile.

"There's someone I want to give a gift to."

Was it for her lover?

It seemed like her relationship with that person was quite intense.

'I'll have to find out more later.'

The one receiving the hero's love.

Charlotte thought there was no harm in getting close to that person.

***

A quiet room.

So quiet that the atmosphere felt cold.

The only sound was the faint breathing of a woman.

A women silently watching another woman.

The brown-haired maid, Alina, was gazing at Hera, who was peacefully asleep in bed.

Her eyes were swollen from how much she had cried. Dark tear stains spread across Hera's face, and her lips were pale.

Yet even in such a state, her beautiful appearance remained, evoking a delicate feeling that stirred the desire to protect her.

"…I'm sorry, miss."

Even if it was by her master's order, the one who carried it out was still her.

The fact that she had inflicted an unforgivable wound on Hera hadn't changed.

'One day, I'll have to pay for my sins.'

All sins eventually reveal their true nature.

Just like the sins her parents had committed.

They were not merchants. Although she had told Hera that she followed her merchant father, it was all fabricated.

Her parents were scum, despicable enough to sell their own child to a brothel for money.

They were trash who would discard their child for profit.

Because of them, she had lived a life worse than livestock.

But one day, while she endured, she met Bordin by chance.

She had come to the brothel seeking information and took an interest in her.

She had liked that she shared the same look in her eyes as him, and he took her in.

Thus, her life was completely turned upside down.

She had been living a not-so-bad life under Bordin's care.

Bordin told her to call her Master and taught her various knowledge needed for life.

Among the various pieces of knowledge, what Bordin mainly taught her was the skills of an assassin.

She later learned that Bordin was actually a famous master in the underworld, known for taking contracts.

After spending a few months building strength under Bordin, the first thing she did was find her parents and kill them.

She slit herfather's throat, cutting off his breath.

She poisoned her mother's drink, stopping her heart.

It was a revenge she had been holding onto for years.

However, what greeted her after accomplishing the revenge she had dreamed of for a lifetime wasn't a sense of fulfillment, but an overwhelming emptiness.

Standing over the corpses of her parents, she realized she no longer had a purpose in life.

To such a person, Bordin planted a new goal.

She conveyed her plan, and she decided to join in to repay the favor.

That's how she came to enter Athena's mansion.

'I'm not sure why here, though…'

She didn't know exactly what her master was plotting in this place, but it didn't matter. All she had to do was follow the orders given to him.

In fact, up until now, she had carried out every command without hesitation.

From disrupting information to murder.

Yes. She had done all of it without a shred of emotion.

But why?

Why did her heart ache every time she saw the young lady sad?

Was it guilt now, of all times?

If that was the case, she needed to rid herself of this feeling as quickly as possible.

This guilt was nothing more than a meaningless and repulsive hypocrisy.

Nothing she did now would heal the wounds she had caused her.

She shook her head fiercely, clearing her thoughts.

Soon, the hero would return.

The hero would heal the young lady's wounds.

Then, the young lady could live a happy life.

'…Can she really be happy?'

The feelings the hero held for the young lady were more akin to obsessive fixation than pure love.

Could the young lady truly find happiness in such obsession?

She looked at Hera, who was sleeping soundly beside her.

She had a faint smile on her lips, as if she was having a pleasant dream.

All she could do was quietly pull the blanket up over her.

"…Sleep well, my lady."

At least in her dreams, she hoped she could be happy.

***

"Say 'ah,' sis~"

Lily held out a spoonful of food to me.

As I opened my mouth wide, she slipped the spoon into my mouth.

"Mmm… It tastes even better because it's from you, Lily."

"Hehe."

Seeing her happy smile made me smile as well.

"Aren't you two getting along a bit too well? It's making me jealous."

"Ah, sis."

Dania pulled up a chair and gently sat next to me.

"How's the food? Is it to your taste?"

"Of course. Your cooking is always delicious. It never fails to impress me."

"Oh my… Did you hear that, Lily?"

Lily looked at her sister with a somewhat sullen expression.

They seemed to have been having strange tensions like this recently, as if they had been fighting.

"What's the plan for today?"

Dania asked, avoiding Lily's sharp gaze and turning to me.

What were we planning to do today again?

I couldn't quite remember.

"Hmm… Maybe we'll go on another monster hunt?"

It was what we did almost every day, after all.

"Haa… I'm worried. You're going to get seriously hurt one day."

"Oh, sis. I'm strong, you know! Ordinary monsters are no problem for me."

I gave a small smile to Lily, who was pouting slightly.

"And Lily has grown a lot too. Right, Lily?"

She seemed momentarily surprised by my words but soon widened her eyes and responded brightly.

"Y-yes! From now on, I'll protect you, Hera!"

Her sweet words made me feel even better.

"You're so reliable, Lily."

"Hehe."

We both smiled brightly at each other, and Dania let out a short sigh before standing up.

"Well, as long as you two are okay, that's all that matters."

She started clearing the dishes and tidying the table.

I tried to get up to help her.

"Ah, let me help you. Huh…?"

I couldn't move my body.

It was as if something was holding me down. My body was stuck to the chair, unable to rise.

Dania looked at me and smiled softly.

"No, it's fine. I'll clean up. You just sit and rest."

Thump-

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling spread through me.

An inexplicable sense of anxiety began to take control of my body.

"Ah… no, sister. I… I'll help too…"

My body trembled, and my words didn't come out properly.

Seeing my strange condition, Lily looked at me with a worried expression.

"Are you okay, sister?"

-Are you alright, miss?

An unknown voice layered over Lily's nearby voice.

"Ha… hah."

Suddenly, as if I had forgotten how to breathe, I couldn't breathe normally.

"Un… sister!!"

-You don't look well. Your expression…

"I can… help too…"

-Ha… why are you like this lately, miss?

-To be honest, you're not good at this, are you?

-Just…

-Just stay still, miss.

"Hrk!"

My vision darkened as if the world had briefly gone black.

When I opened my eyes again, the familiar sight of a room came into view.

"It was… a dream…"

A weak voice escaped my lips.

I dragged my heavy body out of bed and approached the mirror, seeing my pitiful reflection.

My skin, pale to the point of looking ghostly white.

Under my eyes were tear stains, already dried up and streaking down my face, while my lips had turned blue.

I looked utterly worn out.

I hadn't eaten properly for a while, and my already slender body seemed even more gaunt.

I didn't know how much time had passed since then. I couldn't tell whether it was night or day.

At first, the maids had been concerned about me, but now, they seemed to have given up. No one came to visit my room anymore.

I felt lonely.

Lonely, yet I couldn't bear the thought of facing anyone. It felt like such a contradiction.

Whenever I encountered people, it felt as though I could hear their mockery of me echoing in my mind.

"…I want to sleep more…"

Even though I had slept until now, sleep continued to overtake me.

In any case, there was nothing else I could do but sleep.

Because I was a useless person.

As I buried myself into the bed, it felt as though my body was sinking.

When I closed my eyes, there was nothing but pitch-black darkness around me again.

I just wanted to disappear, unnoticed, like this.

As the darkness slowly began to envelop my body…

Bang-

"Hera~ I'm back… what? Why is it so dark in here?"

The sun.

Like a sun, her golden light flooded my room, illuminating it brightly.