Chapter 57 - Volume 2 (1/2)

Well then, the progress after all that. Just where should I start?

First of all, it seems I completely collapsed there due to the utmost mental strain as well as my still unclosed wounds, and then I was taken to the White Lily Court. When I finally opened my eyes again in the medical office of the White Lily Court, I was surrounded by my parents, my brother, and my wet nurse. It was just like that incident when I was 9 years old, and I couldn’t help but be so confused, ‘what happened?’

My usually calm parents had their eyebrows raised; in contrast to that, my usually strict wet nurse was moved to tears, scolding me, 「Depend on others more!」 I moved my gaze to my silent brother, seeking help. He put on a soft smile on his face that is undoubtedly very popular with the ladies, and then, said, 「Please reflect on what you’ve done, Sister.」 How did he have the nerve to say that……. No, nevermind. There’s no way I was wrong for thinking ‘isn’t it fine to just stick up for me at least in times like this?’ Hey, brother, your sister is sad.

Apparently he sharply noticed my objecting gaze, deepened his smile even further and continued, 「Please calm down. I’ve already punished the person who should regret this even more.」 What was that? ‘What do you mean?’ I asked with my gaze, but he only smiled, saying nothing.

‘Just what does that mean?’ I internally tilted my neck in puzzlement when all of my family members reluctantly went home, saying, 「Visiting hours end.」 Lying on the bed, I looked at their retreating figures. With nothing to do, I absentmindedly leaned on my pillow, idly looking up at the white ceiling.

‘What happened to Lunamerie? What’s Celves doing?’ Even though I couldn’t know the answers to that despite how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t help but wonder.

With my eyes closed, what came to my mind was Lunamerie’s cloudless smiling face. Had she always wanted to kill me underneath that lovely smile, sweet as a violet flower? And not out of emotions like hate or loathing, but just because I was a simple obstacle in the way.

……I think in the end, she was just a child. An immature, childish kid that didn’t understand the difference between right and wrong, that didn’t know the importance of life. Just because she wanted it, she would try to take someone else’s life for just that reason alone. I can’t understand that heart of hers, and I don’t think I want to. But, even so.

「Am I too soft?」

Even though she made me go through all that, I couldn’t find it in my heart to hate her.

I mean, isn’t that right? Is there someone who can truly hate a child throwing a tantrum? At least, I don’t think she’s detestable. I just pity her. She probably wouldn’t want someone like me to pity her, she probably wouldn’t even understand why she’s being pitied in the first place. But even so, I can’t help but sympathize with her. The reason she was like that was because the people around her allowed her to do those things. The blame also goes to the people who didn’t show her the right path to walk on in the first place.

But that’s that. The many words she said to that man are the only things I can’t forgive. Certainly, his magical power towers above everyone else’s, and he possesses beautiful looks. But so what? That’s all there is. Besides that, he’s nothing more than a living human being. And he can’t be called perfect by any standards, he’s a human being as complex as a ring of tangled wires. But despite that, Lunamerie only looked at his appearance and said she wanted him. How could I accept that? It’s no joke. There’s no way I could have given him up.

Ah, enough already with talking so indirectly, I’ll say it frankly. In the end, it’s just that I didn’t want to hand him over, all the other reasons are just postscripts. I can do nothing but scornfully laugh at myself for being like this. No matter what anyone says to me, no matter what anyone does to me, right now I have no intentions to give up the right of standing beside that man to anyone.

「——Filmina.」

I opened my closed eyes at the sudden voice that hit my ears. That beautiful voice, unusually filled with worry, so pleasing to the ear. I look there to see as expected, that gorgeous androgynous face, beautiful like a night fairy. There isn’t a single flaw on that perfect fac—……. Wait, what?

「Edi?!」

「Don’t shout, it’ll hurt your wounds.」

For a moment I doubted my own eyes. I blinked countless times, checking the face of the man standing beside me, but there’s no change. I instinctively tried to raise my body up but he stopped me; but I can’t be so easy going now. I forcefully manage to raise my upper body from the bed. My wounds hurt incredibly hard but it wasn’t the time for that.

「H-how can I not shout at this?! What happened to your face?!」

I was shaking so much I ended up stuttering. That’s how surprising it was. It was a shock.

Yes, on his face, his face that always attracted everyone regardless of gender, on that face was a scar as if he’d been hit. It looked too difficult to joke about, far too painful for me to laugh it off and say something sarcastic like 「You’ve turned into such a handsome man now!」 His left cheek seemed to have been hit, the left end of his lips were cut and bleeding. His cheek was clearly red, it seemed like it’d turn into a bruise if left alone. The man himself looked calm but it must hurt. Despite that, far from using healing magic – he hadn’t even put ice to it or anything, just ignoring it. Then, he sat down in the bedside chair, meeting my gaze and replying to my question.

「Fernan hit me.」

「Fernan?!」