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Chapter 116

After the quarrel with Leo, I found myself unable to go back early, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

Like someone with half a mind lost, I wandered around aimlessly. As it began to rain, I didn’t stop my aimless wandering.

In fact, I welcomed the rain. It felt good to cool my overheated head.

I entered the house, soaked like a wet mouse, close to midnight.

Boom!

A thunderclap made me squint my eyes slightly as I brushed aside my damp bangs. My hair was drenched from the rain.

‘Most people seem to be sleeping.’

I slowly picked up on the faint sounds within the mansion. I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary commotion in the house, so I entered quietly.

‘I’ll just wash up and go to bed…

I didn’t want to wake the servants at this hour just to take a bath; I planned to just wash off the dirt and wounds and head straight to bed.

I pressed my eyebrows together as I made my way to my room.

And the familiar presence grew stronger as I got closer to my room.

‘Is someone awake?’

I sighed. It was obvious they would worry if they saw me like this.

But I couldn’t just turn around, so I hesitated but continued to my room.

“…..Sister?”

As I approached my room door, a faint voice called out. The only one who could call me that. I sighed internally.

“…..Aria.”

My younger sister, Aria, stood there.

The light spilling through the slightly open door illuminated the dark hallway. Aria’s eyes sparkled in that light, a contradiction of twinkling stars in her soft sky-blue eyes that held the morning sky’s clarity.

Those eyes, which I cherished the most, looked troubled.

“Why are you so late? I was worried.”

I momentarily fell silent. It was not unfounded for Aria to be concerned.

‘Sister? What’s going on……!’

The sight of me returning home last night after my first battle with Zigmund was simply a mess.

I had returned battered, which caused quite a stir in the house.

‘This is problematic.’

I had barely convinced my family to let me go out today with the excuse of a prior engagement, and I was reluctant to show up looking like a wreck again.

Aria, narrowing her eyes at my hesitation, stepped forward.

“Why are you standing there? Come here…”

“Wait a moment.”

I reached out to stop Aria from approaching. She paused, wide-eyed, staring at me.

‘… Is this the first time?’

Thinking back, it was the first time I had stopped Aria from coming closer.

Seeing the trembling look in her eyes, as though she didn’t understand why, guilt pricked at my heart, but despite that, I took a step back.

“……Why, aren’t you coming?”

“I can’t because I look terrible right now.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

With her gaze fixed on me, Aria strode forward confidently.

Her eyes glistened with an unusual light, binding me like chains, rendering me unable to move in place.

“Don’t back away from me, Shushu sister.”

Her sweet voice was as melodic as ever, but the emotion behind it was heavy. Surprised by the weight in her tone, I blinked a few times and regained my composure as I felt Aria’s gaze scanning my body.

“You’re hurt again.”

Her cold voice interrupted my thoughts. A chill ran down my spine, and I struggled to find words, but Aria was quicker.

“Don’t say anything, just come inside.”

Aria swiftly turned and headed toward my room.

‘This is a disaster…

I sighed inwardly.

Even at a glance, Aria’s attitude was cold.

Whoosh.

Bright light engulfed my body. The healing power, one of the forces closest to nature itself, made me feel comfortable merely by touching my skin.

As the light slowly healed my wounds, I discreetly peeked at Aria.

“……I’m not angry, so stop worrying about it.”

Aria sighed as she tended to my various minor injuries. Despite her words, I still felt guilty and deliberately wore a more droopy expression.

“I said I’m not angry, so why do you keep acting like this…”

Ultimately, Aria’s previously cold expression softened into a smile as she handed me fresh clothes while I sat there, exposed from the healing.

I sighed in relief and slid my arms into the clean attire.

“What happened?”

Aria’s quiet question made me hesitate after starting to button my shirt. Her tone seemed to convey she didn’t expect a response, which pricked at my heart.

It felt like Aria had grown used to my silence.

She had asked the same question yesterday when I returned home in tatters. What had happened?

‘How do I tell Aria about Zigmund?’

Explaining my fight with Zigmund would mean speaking of him, which was a great tragedy in my life. I didn’t have the courage to tell Aria about it.

‘I thought I could be open here, but… I’m still hiding things from you.’

How pathetic of an older sister I was. Always coming home injured and causing concern, yet I couldn’t even share why.

Guilt swelled in me, and I ruffled my bangs roughly.

“I… fought with a friend…”

It felt wrong to answer in silence like I did yesterday, so after a moment of deliberation, I finally blurted it out.

It wasn’t a lie, but I knew it was an overly unfriendly explanation.

Yet, at just that one sentence, Aria’s expression brightened as if satisfied to have received a response.

“Who is that friend? No, um… did you resolve things?”

Aria, who initially seemed poised to ask something direct, hesitated briefly before firing a not too intrusive question at me.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

“…. No.”

While Zigmund was the main reason for my injuries, it was Leo who complicated my feelings.

I closed my eyes tight, struggling to sort through the jumble of my thoughts.

“Aria, what if…”

Suddenly, speaking to Aria, I wondered if her wisdom could help unravel this complex situation since she was so perceptive compared to my rigid self.

“If a really close friend believes it’s okay to harm innocent people for their own sake, and you fought with them, what would you do?”

I still found it difficult to witness someone dying right in front of me. If it was because of my actions, it would be even more painful. Even preparing for war, I felt that way.

‘But war can’t be helped, yet… those people are all innocent.’

Going against a war that was meant to protect people and harming civilians for petty reasons was an entirely different matter for me. No matter how much I reasoned with Leo, I couldn’t bear to witness such acts happening before my eyes.

‘For Leo, Leisha means… so much.’

Yet I could understand Leo’s perspective.

To him, Leisha was closer to a savior than just a parent. It wasn’t hard to understand why he would rush to follow Zigmund.

“……Sister. Can I be honest with you?”

Lost in thought, staring blankly at the ground, I felt Aria’s gaze on me as she slowly opened her mouth. As I looked up, she wore a serious expression.

“I think like that friend. I believe it’s okay to harm others for my own desires.”

Her voice was infinitely clear, saying so without a hint of hesitation. My breath caught as I faced her unwavering blue eyes filled with sincerity.

‘……Aria has never been taught by Karasho.’

My heart sank at the thought that my most cherished Aria had boldly spoken words that directly contradicted my beliefs, but I soon steadied myself.

In the confrontation with Leo, amidst the unexpected events, I had poured out my emotions carelessly. Yet here, drenched in rain, after thinking for a long time, my mood had changed.

What I learned about the value of life came from Karasho. Both Leo and Aria must not have had a teacher like him, so I must understand they might be different from me.

“I think happiness is like a pie. There may not be many slices of pie, but there are many people who need to share them. To eat even one slice of pie, one has to contend with fights and competition.”

Aria’s voice rang clearly as we locked eyes without a hint of distraction. I didn’t agree with her opinion, but listening to her counter my thoughts made me realize once again.

‘You’ve really matured.’

The child who would nod and smile at anything I said now looked me straight in the eye and offered a different opinion. This change had begun since arriving at the Crisis Duke’s residence.

‘Just as I have changed… Aria has grown and matured too.’

That realization touched my heart.

Aria, who was once like a fairy, could do nothing without my help, was now growing as an adult, having experienced so much.

“Honestly, I’m indifferent to innocent people dying. If they’re not dear to me, why should I care?”

Aria’s voice continued on. While somewhat shocking, I didn’t interrupt her.

‘I never knew you felt this way.’

It was the first time I learned Aria could so confidently refute my opinions.

I realized I had been ignorant about how much Aria had grown, and I wanted to understand her more.

Drawing in a small breath, Aria gazed at me. The sky-blue eyes I loved no longer looked so innocent.

Those chilled eyes accurately reflected her unwavering heart and affection toward me.

“But because you dislike it, I don’t want to treat life lightly. That’s why I’m trying to follow your way. The most important thing to me is you, sister. I don’t want you to be upset because of me.”

Her clear voice seeped gently into my ears. I gazed dazedly into Aria’s affectionate eyes.

My broken heart began to rebuild, healing slowly.

“Because you are more precious than my beliefs.”

I began to think that perhaps Aria’s love for me might be even greater than my love for her.

Aria was different from me. She valued her loved ones over her ideology. Unlike me, who had aimed my sword at Leo due to my beliefs.

‘What is the right thing?’

I fell into deeper confusion.

Did I truly make the right choice in sending Leo away?

Ultimately, I had chosen my beliefs, but I still didn’t feel certain. As I hung my head low, Aria approached and cupped my face in her hands, lifting my gaze to meet hers.

“What are you worrying about? You are always right, sister. I have never seen anyone as righteous and straightforward as you. So when in doubt, act according to what you feel is right. That’s the correct path. If someone can’t follow you, then they were never really yours to begin with, so cut the ties.”

Aria’s voice held firmness. Her words felt like a solid answer to my confused heart.

Telling me to cut ties with Leo.

‘How could I do that?’

I recalled Aria’s bright green eyes that had shone so earnestly at me. I was sure of one thing, if nothing else.

I couldn’t cut Leo out of my life.

“……I guess he’s someone I can’t cast aside.”

Aria, shrewdly reading my expression, murmured softly. Her sigh, mixed with a wry smile, brushed against my hair.

“You want to reconcile with that person, right? You want to remain friends.”

I quietly nodded.

The anger I had toward Leo for his reckless attitude had now settled. What truly remained was my desire to reconcile with him.

As Aria gently patted my head, she continued to speak.

“People’s beliefs take time to harden into habit. Perhaps he also wishes to follow you but finds himself unable to do so. If you want to keep him close, I think you have to understand that aspect.”

Her words were undeniably correct.

I couldn’t rashly disturb Leo’s beliefs that had been forged over time. Wanting to change them would simply be a form of deception.

If I wanted to stay with Leo, I had no choice but to accept even the aspects of him that conflicted with my beliefs.

‘Can I really do that?’

I recalled the tyrannical figure of Alexandros Atara.

I doubted my ability to keep such a person close, but I quickly steeled my resolve.

‘I can do this.’

Leo is my friend. I had declared that I cherished him and had to keep my word.

“I will always support you. You know that? The most precious thing to me is you.”

Whispered softly, Aria embraced me tightly.

Overwhelmed by my feelings, I pressed my face into Aria’s embrace, feeling as though I might cry.

In this world where everything else might crumble, I had my ally who would stand by me.

 

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