Click. Click. Click.
Two girls walking down a shabby corridor.
Clara tried to stay as quiet as possible, moving her steps to distance herself from the voices of the people in the conference room, making sure they wouldn’t hear any conversation.
Sion followed, staring at the back of Clara’s head as she led the way.
“…”
She didn’t know where they were going, but she didn’t even have the strength to resist. Afraid of hearing an answer that would confirm her fears, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
She was being dragged along like a piece of paper blown by the wind.
Even as she walked, her mind felt numb. Nothing made sense.
Clara in front of her didn’t say a word, and it was driving her crazy with frustration.
In Sion’s mind, only the scenes she had seen played out. Nothing beyond that.
How could this girl possibly know the deeper circumstances?
Thud!
Clara stopped walking.
She looked around. There were no signs of anyone or any strange magical energy. Everyone was gathered in the conference room, after all.
‘This should be far enough.’
Feeling reassured, Clara turned to look at Sion and raised her head.
Now was the time to properly greet her.
But what kind of greeting was this?
Clara’s mouth dropped open in shock as she saw Sion’s face.
“S-Sion unnie!?”
“Ugh…”
Tears like jewels were dripping down the elf girl’s cheeks.
Her thin face, with lips tightly pressed as if trying to hold back her emotions, only added to the pitiful sight.
Lately, Sion had often felt sorrowful. But even when she did, it only ate away at her insides—no tears came.
She wondered if she had become so numb, so worn out, that she couldn’t cry anymore.
But that wasn’t the case.
Now, faced with a real shock, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
Rohan and Clara.
She had been holding on, trying not to let her mind collapse as she recalled the times the three of them had spent together.
But what if she had been played like a puppet all this time? What if the elders had been waiting for that day?
The possibility made her cry uncontrollably, even if it was just a hypothetical thought.
“Unnie…?”
“You can tell me… My life has always been like this… I’m prepared to accept it…”
Her words came out between sobs.
Unlike Rohan, Clara couldn’t understand Sion’s reaction and fidgeted nervously, tightly holding Sion’s hand.
“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? I’m sorry I’m late… Don’t cry…”
“…?”
Seeing tears welling up in the other girl’s eyes just like hers, Sion snapped back to reality in an instant.
“Unnie, why is your body so cold…? Your face is so pale…”
Clara took a step closer and hugged Sion.
The elf girl weakly moved her arms and wrapped them around the girl who was comforting and holding her.
In the midst of the confusion.
Sion felt it keenly.
‘A person’s embrace… is this warm.’
The cold that had seeped into her bones…
It feels like flying away in an instant.
No need for long explanations.
With just one action, you realize your thoughts are nothing but dark delusions and embarrassing misunderstandings.
“Sion unnie…! Oppa is here, so don’t worry.”
A delicate hand now strokes her back, saying everything will be okay.
Sion felt like crying for a different reason because of Clara’s kindness.
Isn’t she just the most lovable girl?
“Clara. I missed you… I was lonely…”
“I, I missed you too, unnie… Eek!”
Sion hugged Clara even tighter.
The warmth from the girl was so comforting, she didn’t want to let go. It felt like the warmth was seeping into her heart.
Just by being close, all the hardships she endured seemed to vanish. The cracks in her consciousness were neatly stitched up.
Sion continued to hold Clara in a silent embrace for a long time.
Startled by an unknown noise coming from the distant conference room, she finally let go.
Clara, meeting Sion’s gaze, smiled brightly with a red face. The main reason for her smile was that the gloomy aura had disappeared from Sion’s face.
“Even between girls, it’s a bit embarrassing…”
“…”
Sion also felt that. Rarely, she felt embarrassed.
It was a strange emotion, different from the shame of not being upright. She kept debating whether to pull up her mask or not.
“Unnie. How’s your body? Have you been eating well?”
At that, Sion said she was fine and pulled out a water bottle, taking a sip of water for the first time in who knows how long.
After quenching her dry thirst.
She asked the most important question.
“Clara. What was that situation earlier? I still don’t understand…”
“I was just watching what oppa was doing, so it’s hard to explain…”
Clara pouted her lips and tapped them with her finger, continuing to ponder.
She couldn’t give a clear answer because she didn’t know much herself.
Still, sitting by and watching wasn’t entirely without gain.
Clara did know one thing for sure.
“I think oppa is being mistaken for someone else. He’s acting like that person.”
“Mistaken? Acting?”
Clara assured that if Sion just sat and watched for a bit, she’d see that Rohan was acting.
Hearing that, Sion felt even more lost.
Clara’s explanation somehow continued.
“…That’s how we ended up here.”
“The end?”
“Yes…! That’s the end.”
“What?”
Sion couldn’t make sense of the condensed explanation.
From start to finish. Everything was full of questions.
It wasn’t that Clara couldn’t explain, but every sentence was beyond comprehension.
‘Pretending with the information he has? Did he collect it while dealing with the boss in the tunnel? What if he makes a mistake and gets caught?’
Sion was lost.
While sighing, I was also worried about Rohan.
Even if the method is bold, isn’t it a bit too bold?
And his actions were hard to understand.
Is it that the elders’ skill in guarding information can’t keep up with the times?
Or is Rohan just that good at extracting information?
“Sion unnie…”
“Hmm?”
While Sion was groaning and processing the conversation, Clara tugged at her sleeve to get her attention.
The girl leaned in close and whispered.
“B-by any chance, are the elves here your family members?”
“…”
“If, if they’re important to you…”
Sion understood what the girl was worried about.
If a situation arose where force had to be used, Clara was unsure how to handle it.
‘Family? The elders are my family?’
I’ve spent more time with them than with my parents.
Given that I’m of the Testarossa bloodline, they are people I should protect.
‘…or at least, that’s what I might have thought in the past.’
During the days of uncertainty, meeting Rohan and Clara broadened my perspective.
Thanks to them, I’ve seen and felt more. I realized the world is vast and I’ve been living in a well.
Relationships don’t become precious just because you’ve spent a long time together.
The bloodline that the elders deemed important wasn’t something that fed me.
“Clara.”
“Yes?”
“I like you, Clara.”
Hearing Sion’s words, a light of joy sparkled in Clara’s eyes.
The elf girl exchanged glances and continued.
“And I like Rohan too.”
“!?!?”
Clara’s expression was a mix of joy and confusion.
Sion, lost in her emotions, poured out her heart.
“I can’t forget the short days we spent together. I think of them every day. It was truly enjoyable.”
“Unnie…”
Clara could relate to those words in many ways.
“If you ask me now if the elders are my family, I wouldn’t know until I hear their hidden truths. Maybe I’ve been wrong from the moment I started saying this.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Anyway, what’s certain is… I have no reason to take responsibility for them.”
Sion thinks she has done her best, burning through golden days without enjoying anything.
She has no shame in her efforts, looking up at the sky.
Having heard a clear answer from Sion, Clara nodded in understanding.
She asked one more question, this time completely unrelated.
“Sion unnie.”
“Speak.”
“You… originally had Tigroba nationality, right?”
It was information she heard from Rohan on the way.
Sion nodded without hesitation.
Clara’s face was painted with a mix of emotions.
“Tigroba… does that mean you also practice polygamy…?”
“Hmm?”
When Sion asked back at the muttering.
Clara…
He slapped his cheeks *tap! tap!* to snap out of it. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.
“Ah, no… Let’s hurry back!”
*****
“You’re here.”
“…”
At Rohan’s voice, the Grand Elder let out a deep sigh.
Clara, who had returned to the conference room, quietly took a seat next to Rohan.
Sion, who followed behind, stood awkwardly among the elders sprawled on the floor.
‘Guess this kind of thing just isn’t my vibe.’
Seeing Sion at a loss, it seemed the misunderstanding had been cleared up. The story must’ve been roughly conveyed, as there was no hostility in her eyes.
The problem was that her movements were so awkward that Rohan would have to guide her properly.
“Levin Maxwell. How long are you going to keep me waiting? If you’re trying to test my patience, I’ll give you credit for your guts.”
“Ahem…! Princess, please take a seat.”
At Rohan’s threatening urging, the Grand Elder spoke up.
Sion, lips tightly sealed, took a seat.
“Princess.”
“What on earth is this chaos? Explain.”
The Grand Elder had no intention of explaining the situation.
He was just quickly moving forward with what Rohan had taken responsibility for.
“We’ll now share the story you’ve been curious about, Princess.”
“…Suddenly?”
Authoritative communication.
The Grand Elder didn’t answer Sion’s question, instead motioning with his wrinkled lips for her to listen quietly.
“You asked, Princess, whether Lord Seolho truly caused a tragedy for the Testarossa royal family.”
“…”
This was the part Sion had been so curious about and wanted a clear answer to.
Though it was a sudden topic for Sion, who had joined midway, it was a story she couldn’t miss.
“On the day you fled Tigroba with our elders, Princess, Lord Seolho only achieved victory. He didn’t take anyone’s life.”
“Then my father and mother…”
The Grand Elder and Sion’s eyes met.
Greed peeked through the wrinkles. There was no hiding it.
Sion’s face slowly turned red with anger.
The Grand Elder calmly revealed the truth.
“As you’ve guessed, I was the one who led the downfall of Testarossa.”
A cold silence poured over the conference room.
The atmosphere froze solid.
