Sophia had her back to the door, crying in her mother's arms; obviously, she hadn't noticed that her father had already mustered the courage to take the first step and open the door. But when she looked up for a moment at the people around her—wiping away the tears that still streamed down her face—she saw that both her mother and everyone else in the room were frozen, their eyes fixed on the doorway leading to the room where Noah was.
Sophia slowly turned around while continuing to wipe away the persistent tears, and when she noticed that the door was already open, she abruptly stood up and ran toward the room. As she ran, the tears she had been trying to dry kept streaming down and dripping onto the floor with every step.
Sophia's mother had no choice but to follow her into the room, while her father—seeing her cross the threshold—shouted,
"Sophia!"
And, just like his wife, he followed her inside.
The room was no longer as it had once been—every wall had been perforated from top to bottom. Besides the walls, the plants, pots, and clothes inside had been completely destroyed.
But the strangest thing of all was that the bed, and Noah himself, remained entirely intact—or nearly so, considering that all of Noah's clothes had been torn to shreds, leaving only his sheets behind, and even the blankets that once covered him had suffered damage.
Upon entering the room, Sophia immediately headed for the bed and, when she reached it, felt an immense relief at seeing that, apparently, the boy was all right—much to everyone's astonishment, and with good reason. However, when she realized he was practically naked, and knowing that her mother and father were just behind her with nothing at hand to cover him up, and that her mother was only a few steps from the door, Sophia—already on her way to fetch something—shoved her mother out of the room.
"Wait, what are you doing? Is he all right?" Mrs. Radiance demanded as she was pushed.
"Yes... but I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to see him like this," Sophia replied bashfully as she pushed her mother further away.
"What? And why not?"
"...Let's just say he isn't dressed properly," Sophia whispered into her mother's ear.
"Ah, I see... I also think it's best if no one else comes in here—especially not me or your father," her mother replied, then left the room on her own.
As she walked away, Sophia saw her father running toward the room, but before he could enter, she shut the door, leaving only Noah and herself inside.
"Okay, now you all can go back to work," said Mrs. Radiance, holding the door with a gentle smile.
Upon hearing this, all the staff dispersed, each returning to their posts. Some left in silence, while others grumbled about being stuck outside for so long without even getting a glimpse of what had happened inside—or if the man the young lady had brought was even alive. As one maid made her way along the veranda, she was gently called over by Mrs. Radiance. When the maid approached, Mrs. Radiance stepped away from the door and whispered in her ear,
"You saw the clothes the boy was wearing here, didn't you?"
The maid was pleased that her mistress remembered her—she had delivered a few cloths to the master just a few hours earlier. Nodding in agreement, the maid listened as Mrs. Radiance continued,
"Could you do me a favor? Find an outfit similar to that and bring it here for my daughter. It doesn't have to be the exact color—something similar will do just fine... Oh, and remember, don't tell anyone about this, especially not my husband."
"Yes, ma'am," the maid replied, offering a small bow before her mistress and then walking away.
Mrs. Radiance knew that if her husband discovered that Sophia was now with a naked man in the room, he would probably barge in—and even if that young man survived that strange incident, he would hardly be so fortunate now.
"Since everyone's gone, may I come in now?" asked Sophia's father, walking toward the door and raising his right hand.
"What!? Of course not. We're going to head to the room right now," replied Mrs. Radiance, positioning herself in front of him.
"But, and..."
"No buts. Do you really think it's acceptable for a general to be roaming around in his pajamas?!" Sophia's mother exclaimed as she turned her husband away and pushed him apart.
"What, but I'm in my own house."
"Even so, it doesn't matter. How would you feel if the city's leader was seen in his pajamas?"
"..."
"Understood? Change your clothes and come back here. Let's go."
"But... okay, okay, stop pushing me. And hurry up—I want to see what state that young man is in... I mean, what state my daughter's room is in."
"Hmm, I know..."
The maid whom Mrs. Radiance had sent to fetch some clothes for Noah quickly went to the area where the clothes washed the day before were kept—a space filled with several shelves lined with various garments. She began searching for clothes that at least resembled the torn blouse she had seen on the bed and the pants that still covered Noah's body.
After a few minutes of searching, she found a set. However, unlike the clothes Noah had been wearing, the blouse and pants she discovered were mostly blue with just a few white details on the chest—flowers—and a waist band that was also white.
Since her mistress had said that color wasn't the most important factor, the maid took that outfit and promptly delivered it to the young lady, as ordered.
As the maid hurried along, another maid—carrying a basket of fruits—asked,
"Hey, why are you in such a rush? Did you forget something? Need some help?"
The young maid smiled and replied,
"Don't worry, I'm just taking these clothes to someone; it's nothing too important or difficult... I'm very grateful, but I think it'd be a huge waste of time if you helped me with this."
"Huh...? Okay, then... if you say so," the young maid said as she continued on with her basket of fruits.
After she left, the maid sighed and continued toward the room where Sophia was.
On the other side of the door, Sophia—who had been listening—closed her eyes and sighed; then she turned and walked slowly toward the bed, noticing that her parents had already left.
After taking a few steps, she opened her eyes... and all the calm she had mustered vanished. Right in front of her stood Noah, unconscious and almost naked, with only a few scraps barely covering him. After looking at him for only a few seconds, a wave of shame washed over Sophia, and she quickly covered her eyes with her left hand, confused that she hadn't felt that same reaction when she'd seen him before.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!..."
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
Hearing the knocking, Sophia removed her hand from her eyes so she could speak to whoever was outside. She took a deep breath to steady herself—but a quick glance made her feel embarrassed all over again. When she opened the door, she only did so just enough to block others from seeing inside.
"...What happened?"
Sophia asked, trying hard to cover the crack in the door.
When the young maid appeared at the door, she managed only to say,
"Wow!..."
As she gazed, enchanted, at the breathtaking beauty on the other side—being new on the job, she had only seen Sophia or her masters up close a few times, and each time it was as brief as a blur.
"Huh...? Is there something on my face?"
Sophia asked, noticing that the maid was staring fixedly at her.
"Wha...? Ah, no, no, no... Sorry...I just came to deliver these clothes," the maid said, handing the clothes over to Sophia and hurrying away, feeling embarrassed by her own actions.