Emilya was having a little trouble falling asleep, so she decided to take a walk.
When she left her room, the corridors were silent and dark.
All the servants and guests were asleep.
She began wandering through the halls, watching the moon through the windows.
The quiet of the night brought her a sense of peace.
When she looked back toward the corridor, she noticed a figure standing in front of the great hall.
As she cautiously approached, she realized it was Maria.
The young girl looked shocked and deeply shaken.
She backed away, trying to leave discreetly, but bumped into Emilya, who was now standing behind her.
The two nearly fell over, but Lucius appeared behind Emilya and caught them both.
— What are you doing?
Lucius asked in a whisper.
— What are you doing here?
she shot back.
— I couldn’t sleep.
So I went out for a walk, and that’s when I saw you two.
Are we all insomniacs tonight?
Emilya thought.
— And what are you doing here?
Lucius asked.
— I was taking a walk too, and I ran into her.
She looked like she was in shock, Emilya replied.
She turned toward the young girl and asked if she was all right.
Maria turned toward them, apologized hurriedly, and then went back to her room.
Emilya didn’t understand the sudden change, but she didn’t think much of it, assuming it was simply the stress of leaving.
In the empty corridors of the castle, Maria was crying bitterly, her heart torn between what she had just learned and her love for her father.
She entered her room, collapsed onto her bed, and continued to cry.
All night, she wondered what she should do: resent her father or forgive him for such an atrocious crime.
Torn between those two feelings, she couldn’t fall asleep until the sun began to rise.
Her maids had come to wake her, but when they saw how deeply she was sleeping, they took pity on her and decided not to disturb her.
By around eleven o’clock, the young girl still hadn’t woken up, so her father went to check on her.
— Maria, may I come in?
He waited for a moment before the young girl came out to open the door.
She greeted him somewhat awkwardly, as though she didn’t know where to stand.
She cleared her throat for a moment before politely greeting her father.
In her father’s eyes, she simply seemed a little stressed.
She invited him inside, and the two sat facing each other.
He wore the same gentle expression, the side of him she had always known.
But now, she could no longer see him in quite the same way.
Still, she did her best to keep a neutral expression and act as she normally would.
The count was the first to speak.
— You know that today is the anniversary of your mother’s death, don’t you?
The smile on her face faded for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.
— Yes, I know.
It’s a little sad that I’m leaving tonight too, she said, already feeling nostalgic for the childhood memories she had made in this castle, for the few memories she still had of her mother, and for the promise she had made to her.
Her father looked at his daughter proudly.
— Don’t worry.
Even if you can’t come back here anymore, this will always be your home, he said awkwardly.
Maria looked at her father and couldn’t help but laugh, but tears soon welled up in her eyes.
— Oh no, don’t cry, sweetheart, he said, trying to comfort her.
You know, your mother and I will always be with you.
You know the saying, “Out of sight, but never out of mind…” — We’ll always be together.
No matter where we are in the world, we’ll still be a family, she completed through half-sobs.
The two embraced and stayed that way until Maria calmed down.
She cried like that for about ten minutes.
When she finally stopped, her eyes were swollen.
Her father teased her about it before asking for some ice.
She lay down on the bed, and her father stayed by her side.
The two reminisced about the twelve years they had spent together, as well as the years they had shared with Isabel.
— Do you remember when you were little and you got sick?
— Of course I remember.
Especially how you came running in a panic as soon as you heard the news.
And then you stayed up all night watching over me, she said, a smile returning to her face.
— We had some good times.
I loved and cherished you with all the love I could give you.
— I’m going to miss you so much, Dad.
After their tearful exchange, he left the room.
Maria was left alone.
She couldn’t stop wondering how the man who had raised her, the man she had always known as her loving father, could have committed such atrocities.
She refused to believe it.
That afternoon, she began getting ready for the banquet that evening.
Emilya, Lucius, and Melvis were doing the same.
Melvis didn’t feel comfortable in the clothes the servants had given her.
She was wearing a dress that was heavier than the long skirts she was used to, and the corset was so tight she could barely breathe.
On top of that, the dress was in pastel pink and beige, colors she wasn’t used to wearing.
But she decided to make an effort for Emilya and said nothing.
Emilya, meanwhile, stared at herself in the mirror, unable to believe her own eyes.
Lucius, for his part, thought he looked pretty good.
The three of them then made their way to the ballroom in that state of mind.
Melvis was the first to enter.
She stepped into the room, but no one seemed to pay any attention to her.
So she settled into a corner, waiting for Emilya.
Suddenly, she heard people beginning to whisper as they looked toward the staircase.
Lucius was coming down the steps, and all the young girls in the room had their eyes fixed on him.
He swept his gaze across the room before noticing Melvis standing in the corner.
She gave him a glance before looking away.
He paid it no mind.
He looked around again, as though searching for someone, but the moment his foot touched the ballroom floor, he was swarmed by a crowd of young girls.
He didn’t know where to turn.
They were practically pushing each other just to find out his name.
— Please, slow down!
Don’t push each other, Lucius said.
— What’s your name, young warrior?
one of the girls asked.
— My name is Lucius, he replied with a smile.
His slightly messy brown hair, striking green eyes, youthful face with its calm and observant expression, and warrior’s build had quite an effect on the young girls in the room.
But suddenly, the ballroom fell silent.
Everyone turned toward the staircase.
She was the third to make her entrance: Emilya.
She descended the stairs with elegance, as though she had done it all her life.
Most of the men had stopped whatever they were doing just to look at her.
She wore a black and burgundy-red dress with a slit on the side.
The colors of the dress suited her hair perfectly and brought out the golden color of her eyes.
She finally reached the ballroom and was looking for Melvis when someone approached her.
— Good evening, miss.
May I know your name?
he asked.
She looked at him for a moment, then simply walked past him.
She spotted Melvis in the distance and headed toward her.
Lucius soon joined them, but they were immediately surrounded by the guests in the room.
— You were incredible against the champion!
some of them exclaimed.
Others wanted to know Emilya’s name, her age, or asked her all sorts of similar questions.
Melvis stepped aside so she could laugh at them as they struggled to keep up with everything happening around them.
Emilya maintained a stoic expression, but was panicking internally, while Lucius was uncomfortable with all the attention.
The last person to make his entrance before Maria was the count.
He called for silence before beginning his speech.
— My dear guests, thank you all for coming in such great numbers tonight to attend the final ball and my daughter’s departure before her engagement.
I would also like to thank the city’s new champions, who will escort her to the capital.
He gestured toward them, and the crowd applauded.
— And now, please welcome my wonderful daughter: Maria.
Everyone applauded her.
She, too, descended the staircase.
She wore a purple dress with golden trim that matched the color of her eyes perfectly.
Her blonde hair was carefully styled.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone’s attention was focused on her, Lucius took Emilya’s hand, and the two slipped away.
Back in the ballroom, Melvis realized only afterward that they had disappeared.
She began looking for them.
All the guests had gathered around Maria to congratulate her and ask her questions about her future husband.
Lucius had taken Emilya out onto one of the castle’s balconies.
The two of them were out of breath.
Once they had finally caught their breath, they both burst out laughing.
— I didn’t know you were so popular with the young ladies, Emilya said with a laugh.
— When I think about the way you ignored that guy when you entered the room, I can’t help but laugh, he replied.
After laughing for a while about their entrances into the ballroom, they sat down on the edge of the balcony, and Lucius was the first to start talking.
— You know, I’ve been wondering about you since the beginning… he began.
Emilya looked at him curiously.
— What do you mean?
— I’d like to know how you lost your memories.
I mean, what happened before and after you came to my house?
Emilya froze at the question.
She hesitated to answer.
— I… I want to understand you, so I’d like to know more about you.
But if you don’t want to… — All right.
I’ll tell you.
Three years ago, before we went to your house… I died for the first time.