Chapter 15
As soon as they arrived in the reception room, their eyes met,
and Theo noticed Ellis gripping her own trembling hands.
Theo wondered if, since this would be the last time, he should at least be a little kinder to her.
“What is it?”
He decided to act like himself until the very end.
He thought that treating her kindly just because this was the end would be even less respectful to her.
Of course, Ellis had expected that.
“Theo, I heard you broke off our engagement.”
She said it to Theo with a calm expression.
Seeing her like that made Theo feel a little guilty.
He knew she truly loved him.
But returning that love was impossible for him,
and simply trying not to hate her had been the best he could do.
Still, seeing Ellis's face right in front of him made it impossible not to feel a little guilty.
She was a Verdia, but she was also a victim.
“…Yeah.”
“You can still take it back.”
“What?”
“The broken engagement. You can still take it back.”
“That's impossible.”
Thump
“Why?!”
Ellis's reaction was rather sharp.
It was unlike her, and showed how much she cared about him.
But…
“Are you—the Verdias—really asking me that?”
“…”
“You haven't already forgotten my little sister, Ashley, have you?”
Ashley Llewellin, Theo's younger sister and the youngest daughter of House Llewellin.
She had golden hair just like his, a beautiful face, and a bright personality, too.
Ashley Llewellin had been the family's treasure.
And apart from his stepmother, she had been Theo's only family.
“You took a child like that away from me.”
“But that was an accident…”
“An accident? Do you really think so?”
Ellis couldn't say anything in response to Theo.
“It was good that you were protecting Ashley. She'd liked you since she was little, and the disaster happening at that time was probably just a coincidence.”
“…”
“Then why was everyone in your family safe and unharmed, while only Ashley died?”
“Why are you still alive and well, while only Ashley died?!”
Ellis recalled what had happened that day.
Three years ago, she'd come to the territory to see Theo. He'd been away for a while, training with a sword, so she'd gone sightseeing with Ashley and had enjoyed herself quite a bit.
A disaster, or in other words, a monster wave.
That was what happened—until it swept over Llewellin.
“You were with her, so why are you alive without a single scratch, while Ashley died with her body too badly mangled to even be properly preserved?!”
As far as Theo knew, there had been more than ten soldiers sent to escort Ellis and Ashley that day.
They were all safe, but Ashley alone had died?
Theo couldn't accept it.
So even though they should have been focused on recovery after the disaster, he had done everything he could to uncover the truth about Ashley's death. But all he got in the end was that it had been a freak accident.
“You said it happened suddenly. As if it had been targeted from the start, that monster killed Ashley—and Ashley alone.”
“…”
“Ellis Verdia. You're hiding something from me. But you people are going to keep refusing to tell me anything.”
“Theo… Please.”
“So I don't want anything to do with you ever again. If you love me, forget me.”
Theo's feelings had always been the same.
Ellis was simply the one who couldn't accept them.
“Go home, and don't come here again.”
Hearing his words, Ellis thought to herself.
Her father Kerenes's prediction had been spectacularly wrong.
Theo was waiting for a chance to attack Verdia?
‘No. Theo…’
‘He doesn't want anything more to do with House Verdia.’
Not because he was afraid, but because the family was too vile to bear.
House Verdia was so dreadful to Theo
that he wanted to avoid it.
If that wasn't the case…
“Do you perhaps love that woman?”
At Ellis's sudden question, Theo couldn't understand what she meant. But a woman instantly came to mind.
The strange woman he'd pretended to embrace in front of Ellis to provoke her,
who had ultimately been so startled by it that she'd run off.
That woman was Edel.
Theo nodded.
“Yes, I love her. I'm even preparing to marry her.”
It was a lie, but he thought saying that was the right way to make her give up on him.
“I see.”
But Ellis responded as if she'd expected him to say that,
then picked up the letter paper she'd placed on the desk beforehand and held it out to Theo.
“What is it?”
“An invitation to my birthday party.”
“I no longer…”
“Our engagement may be ending as you wished, but I want to spend at least this year's birthday with you. And once the party is over, I'll truly forget you.”
“…”
In the first place, Theo had used his dissolute lifestyle as an excuse to break off the engagement.
No matter how much he hated Verdia, Ellis was still his childhood friend.
From Theo's perspective, it had been the least he could do for her.
‘Even so, it will still tarnish her image as a noble lady, if only a little.’
That's what breaking off an engagement meant among nobles.
Of course, people sympathized with her, so it wouldn't matter much.
But if Theo attended the birthday party with her, that would change things.
That's why he was going to refuse her request.
“That would be difficult…”
“Don't worry about rumors. I'll keep it modest, with only the people closest to me. Everyone will hear that I was jilted anyway, so it won't seem strange.”
“Please, Theo…”
Tears glimmered in the corners of Ellis's eyes,
and seeing them made Theo hesitate.
If she'd be satisfied with something as small as his attending the party and give up after that, then perhaps he could…
“Really, this is all…?”
“Don't worry. It'll truly be the last time.”
Feeling the sincerity in her words, Theo reluctantly nodded.
“All right.”
“It's a week from now. I'll be waiting for you.”
Then Ellis rose from her seat, bowed elegantly to Theo, and left the room.
* * *
“So, are these all the orcs?”
“Y-yes, y-y-y-yes!”
“Why are you so scared?”
“L-look over there.”
Hm? I looked where Magpie was pointing.
“Die! Die! Kyahahahaha!!”
There was a witch…
Her tails and hair were standing up like they were on fire as she stomped on what used to be an orc, turning it into a meatball.
My little sister, but seriously, she's scary.
“Lazuli, stop. It's already dead.”
“Kyahahaha!”
I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen.
At this point, it seemed less like trauma and more like she'd just been really stressed out.
Good grief, I had no choice.
I quietly crept up behind my little sister, who was still stomping on the orc,
Grab
“Eep?!”
I wrapped my left arm around her waist and stroked her head with my right hand,
“Hehehe…”
And just like that, she turned back into her usual self.
“Big Sis!”
“Gah!”
Not only that, she turned around and hugged me, too.
Good grief, who did she take after to be this affectionate?
What if she starts hugging other men so casually, too?
Absolutely not. I raised her, after all.
I gently pushed Lazuli away and grabbed her cheeks.
“You can't act like this with anyone but me, okay?”
“I don't do that. You're the one who does, Sis!”
Ugh, I have no comeback for that.
“Um, could I join you, too…?”
“You stay out of it.”
“That's so meaan.”
How could Magpie try to get between us? Anyway…
“Still, that took quite a while.”
“Yeah… There were more than I expected.”
I was in the forest, so I couldn't know the details, but it seemed like at least a week had passed.
Honestly, I thought it would be over quickly.
There were far more orcs than I'd expected.
Why had so many orcs led their horde all the way here?
“I heard before that a dragon appeared in the west.”
“A dragon?”
“Yes!”
The ultimate monster in fantasy stories? So dragons existed in this world, too.
I'd heard about them while studying, but the way people talked about them made them sound like legends from my past life, so I'd thought they might not even exist…
“Then did those orcs come here to escape the dragon?”
“Hmm, maybe?”
“Hmm… Dragons must be incredibly strong, right?”
“I guess so?”
Scary. Let's make sure we avoid it.
“Let's head back for now. And I need to go back to Theo now.”
“Already?”
Lazuli's expression instantly turned crestfallen at my words.
“Weren't you just telling me to hurry back?!”
“You said you were glad I was here. And I never said that.”
Did she?
“Anyway, my heat's settled down, so I should go back for now. Honestly, I've been pretty worried.”
“…Then carry me all the way home before you go.”
“All right.”
Poof
“Kyuung!”
Pfft…
As soon as I gave her permission, she turned into a fox and jumped into my arms.
Honestly, she's so cute, even if she is my little sister.
“Well, Magpie, I'll see you later.”
“I-I want to come, too!”
“I'm going to spend some time alone with my little sister first.”
“Eeeeh.”
I did feel a little bad seeing Magpie look so disappointed.
Good grief, I had no choice.
Holding my little sister, I reached out with my right hand and gently stroked Magpie's head.
“I'll come again later.”
“Promise. You have to come back soon.”
“Yeah, I will.”
I could get here in no time by using the orb, anyway.
After saying goodbye to Magpie, I went home and headed for my little sister's room.
I had a room of my own, but since I'd been sticking close to my little sister, this one felt more comfortable…
Poof
As soon as we arrived in the room, Lazuli returned to her human form.
But…
“Are you leaving right away, Sis?”
“Yeah, but put some clothes on.”
“You're always embarrassed about the weirdest things, Sis.”
You don't know it, but I consider that a very good thing.
Maybe this embarrassment is the last bit of masculinity I have left.
…Though, since I don't feel that way when I look at my own body, maybe I'm just embarrassed to see someone else's naked body.
I'm just a woman now—
“Nooo!”
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing! Anyway, I'm going now.”
Still, what should I say when I get there…?
Should I say something urgent came up at home and I had to take care of it?
Or…
Just then, Lazuli grabbed me by the collar.
“What?”
“Sis, just in case,
you know I only have you, right?”
My little sister looked somehow uneasy.
“Of course I do. What's wrong?”
“I only have you, Sis. So I hope you'll put me first, too.”
“Of course. You're the most precious person to me.”
Do I really have to say that for you to know? I've risked my life for you so many times.
But since my little sister was this worried, I couldn't just leave,
so I took Beady out from inside my clothes and handed it to Lazuli.
“Is this enough?”
What Lazuli was worried about wasn't me getting into danger, but me using the orb.
Honestly, as if that would happen.
If I didn't have this, I'd turn into a fox, wouldn't I?
“Then how will you travel?”
“I can get around to some extent even without it.”
Now that I had nine tails, I could use my skills without Beady's help and not have any real trouble.
I had plenty of spiritual energy, though it might be a little more troublesome.
I didn't want my little sister to worry, either.
“Anyway, I'm going now, okay?”
“Yeah. You have to come back soon.”
“All right!”
Well then, shall I go?
…
…
…
By the time I arrived at the mansion, it was already dark.
“This is a problem…”
There would be plenty of servants around, of course, but honestly, it'd be better to go during the day, when everyone was there, and get mobbed all at once than to be chewed out all day long…
I'll just sneak into Theo's room.
My heat's over anyway, so I should be fine now.
Poof
“Kyuang”
Just in case, I'd better stay in fox form and make sure my tail looks like only one. Good!
I quickly hopped over the mansion wall and ran toward Theo's room.
Since it had been a while since I'd transformed, the low perspective felt a little strange. Still, perhaps all those years living as a fox hadn't been for nothing, because I adjusted quickly and soon reached Theo's room.
Then I carefully pressed myself against the wall and approached the window of his room,
Thank goodness, the window's open!
Slink
Theo's room, which I'd sneaked into, didn't seem any different from the last time I'd seen it.
And when I peered at the bed,
Theo was sleeping peacefully, just like before,
and for some reason, I began to feel uneasy.
Is he actually relieved that I'm gone?
This won't do. I should stay in fox form and watch him for a bit instead of going back first thing tomorrow morning.
Having reached that tentative conclusion, I hid under Theo's bed.
I wanted to sleep on the bed, too, but honestly, I thought I should keep a little distance from Theo. And it would be a problem if our eyes met when he woke up.
But then…
“Kyu?”
There's someone here.
It was dark, so the other person seemed unsure whether they could see me clearly,
but my night vision let me see their face perfectly.
It was a woman. And one I'd never seen before…“W-who are you?!”