It had been almost three weeks since Rei, Djeeta, Lyria, Vyrn, and Katalina left the island to attend the Festival of Falling Flame on Port Breeze Island. Including those three weeks, it mean everyone had already been here for nearly two months. They had postponed their journey to Estalucia to help Orchis and Apollonia rebuild their city, the former capital of Mephorash.
Currently, Orchis resided in the king and queen's chamber—a room once occupied by her parents. Now, as the new queen, she slept there alone. However, the chamber was far too large for one person, and the emptiness often made her feel lonely. To cope, she had started keeping a diary, writing in it every night until she felt tired enough to sleep.
Tonight, she sat at her desk, pen in hand, jotting down the day's events. She recorded the results of her inspections, the complaints and suggestions from her people, and her plans for tomorrow. Every day was packed with responsibilities, leaving her no time to rest—at least not until the city stabilized and her people could finally live happily again after a decade of abandonment and ruin.
Thanks to the combined efforts of everyone and the little bit of aid provided by the Erste Empire, Orchis was confident that the city would soon regain its former glory—or perhaps even surpass it.
"Especially thanks to him..." she murmured softly, her thoughts drifting to Rei.
Without his help, rebuilding the city would have taken years. His ideas had jumpstarted the city's economy, attracting more and more visitors to the island. The amusement park he had suggested was a really good idea, and the modified golems serving as staff for the park and various shop—like the maid café—had been a brilliant addition.
After a while, Orchis set down her pen and closed her diary. She leaned on the table, resting her head on her hands as she exhaled deeply.
"Haahhh... When are you going to come back...?" she whispered to herself, her voice tinged with longing.
She had yet to tell anyone about the feelings growing stronger within her each day. Every night, she dreamed of Orchid's memories—moments from the time when Rei, Lyria, and Orchid were trapped in another timeline. The dreams felt so real, as if she were experiencing everything through Orchid's eyes.
She felt Orchid's emotions, her connection to Rei, and the affection that had blossomed within her. The intensity of these emotions left Orchis wondering how Orchid had managed to suppress them while spending every day with Rei.
For Orchis, the feelings were overwhelming, almost suffocating. She missed him terribly, but as queen, she had to prioritize her people over her own heart—at least until the city and kingdom were stable.
But then, Orchis knew that holding in her emotions like this would eventually take a toll on her body and mind. The weight of her unspoken feelings was becoming harder to bear.
In the end, she decided to talk to Orchid about it. She felt more comfortable talking with her, as they were practically like twin sisters now. Many people even mistook them for being blood-related due to their striking resemblance—except for their eyes. Orchid's eyes were a bright sky blue, while Orchis's were a deep pink.
"Now, I need to make sure I have time to talk to Orchid tomorrow~," Orchis murmured to herself. She glanced at her schedule for the next day, rearranging things to carve out some time for their conversation.
With that, Orchis's day finally came to an end. She closed her diary, set it aside, and prepared for bed.
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But then, a few days passed, and Orchis still hadn't found the time to talk to Orchid. Her responsibilities as queen kept her too busy to carve out even a moment for herself.
Finally, Apollonia noticed that Orchis seemed distracted and unfocused. Knowing something was weighing on her mind, Apollonia offered to temporarily take over her duties so Orchis could address whatever was on her mind.
Grateful for the opportunity, Orchis began searching for Orchid. After asking around, she found her in the relaxation room, chatting with Maluel, Haluel, Sandalphon, and Rosetta.
"Hello, everyone. Can I borrow Orchid for a moment?" Orchis asked politely as she approached the group.
"Ohh, my queen~ It's rare to see you here at this time," Rosetta teased, her smile playful as she glanced at Orchis.
"Thanks to Apollonia, she's covering my duties for a while. There's something I need to ask Orchid,"
"I see, I see. At least I'm glad you decided to take a break," Malluel said, her tone warm and supportive.
"Yeah, we've been worried about you. You never take a break since becoming queen, so we're afraid you might collapse sooner or later," Halluel added, echoing her twin sister's concern. Both of them had been keeping a close eye on Orchis's well-being.
"I know everyone's been worrying about me, but this is for my people too. As their queen, I need to do this. I'm sorry for making you all worry, but please let me continue a little longer," Orchis replied, her voice filled with determination.
"You don't need to apologize like that. We'll definitely help you with your tasks~," Rosetta chimed in, her tone light and reassuring.
"Thank you so much," Orchis said gratefully.
With that, Orchis and Orchid left the room, leaving the other four to their conversation.
"Why do you keep reading that kind of book, anyway?" Rosetta asked, turning her attention back to Sandalphon after the two had left.
"Shut up," Sandalphon muttered, not looking up from the book Lyria had given her a while ago. She was still engrossed in its contents, clearly needing more experience when it came to matters of relationship.
"Why are you looking for me, sister? Is there something you need?" Orchid asked as she walked beside Orchis through the palace corridor.
The two had decided a while ago to call each other "sister," as they shared the same body and nearly identical appearances. However, they still hadn't settled on who would be the older sister and who would be the younger.
"Let's talk in my room. It's... kind of private, what I want to discuss," Orchis replied, hesitating slightly.
"Hmm," Orchid murmured, nodding in understanding. She continued to hug her rabbit doll, a constant companion whenever she wasn't in battle. The doll had been a gift from Rei and Lyria for her birthday a few months ago, back when they were still in another timeline.
Before long, the two arrived at Orchis's room.
After sitting down on Orchis's wide bed, Orchis hesitated for a moment, unsure how to begin. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.
"Sister... you remember when I told you that I have all your memories, right? Ever since you took over my body?" Orchis asked, her voice soft.
"Hmm, yes," Orchid nodded, her expression calm.
"And how I can also feel all your emotions..."
"Yes,"
"Wait, don't tell me...!?" Orchid suddenly exclaimed, realizing what Orchis was about to say.
"Yes... I can feel all your emotions inside me. Especially that tightness in my chest... Every day without seeing him, I feel like I'm suffocating. It keeps getting stronger, and I can't focus on my tasks at all..." Orchis confessed, her voice trembling.
"It's like I just want to stand by his side, talk to him, and be with him wherever he goes. How did you manage to hold yourself back like that? You're the same as me, right? It's been weeks since we last saw him. How can you still act so normal...?" Orchis finished, her hand resting on her chest, which was pounding heavily.
Orchid didn't answer immediately, leaving Orchis to wait nervously as the seconds ticked by. Finally, Orchis heard her giggling softly, her body shaking with quiet laughter.
"Fufufu... You know, sister, after becoming a Primal Beast, besides the power I gained, there's something else I got~" Orchid said, her voice teasing.
"Something else besides power?" Orchis asked, genuinely confused. Despite being half-Astral, she didn't fully understand the intricacies of a Primal Beast's nature.
Grinning, Orchid finally explained, "After I became a Primal Beast, I gained a special connection to my creator. I can feel where he is, what he's doing, and—like Lyria—I can feel what he's feeling~."
"So even if we're apart, I can close my eyes, focus my energy, and feel like I'm right beside him, going wherever he goes~" Orchid said, hugging her rabbit doll tightly to her chest.
"....." Orchis fell silent, processing what she had just heard.
She couldn't believe it. Orchid's feelings went far beyond what she was experiencing. Orchis began to feel grateful that she had gotten her body back before Orchid's emotions had reached this level....
"Anyway, sister, please don't tell anyone about what I just told you. I don't want people to think I'm weird..." Orchid asked sincerely, her voice soft.
"...Alright. It'll just be our secret as sisters," Orchis replied, nodding.
"Thank you~" Orchid smiled brightly, her expression easing.
"But if your feelings are already that strong, why haven't you confessed to him like almost everyone else?" Orchis asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
As soon as she asked, Orchis noticed Orchid's smile shift. Though she was still smiling, there was a sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there before.
"My feelings are... different, sister. If you've seen my memories, then you know everything Rei has done for me since we met, right?" Orchid said quietly.
"Yes, I've seen all of it," Orchis replied.
"Rei has helped me without expecting anything in return. From the moment we met, he rescued me from Freesia's clutches, freed me from being a doll and a tool, showed me the beauty of the world, introduced me to so many people, and introduce me to a lot of friends. He cooks warm, delicious meals every day, and most importantly... he's been loving and caring toward me. It's the first time someone has ever done that for me..."
"I don't want to overwhelm him with my feelings. I think it's enough for me to just stay by his side... especially after everything he's done for me. I still can't repay him for any of it," Orchid said, her voice tinged with sadness.
Immediately after Orchid finished speaking, Orchis pulled her into a tight hug.
"I see... Now I understand," Orchis said softly, gently caressing her sister's back to comfort her.
The two stayed like that for a few minutes before finally separating.
"What about asking Lyria for help?" Orchis suggested.
"No... I want to be the one to decide for myself. Rei always says I'm the one who needs to choose what's best for me, not other people," Orchid replied firmly.
"I see. Then, if you ever want to talk about it, just tell me. I'll listen to all your problems," Orchis said with a warm smile.
"Thank you, sister..." Orchid murmured, her voice filled with gratitude.
"Anyway... do you want me to remove the feelings I left inside of you? So you can forget about all of that?" Orchid suddenly asked.
"R-Remove my feelings?" Orchis repeated, caught off guard.
"Yes. The feelings inside your body are from my experiences with Rei. I feel bad that your work keeps getting interrupted because of me, so let me remove them for you," Orchid explained gently.
Orchis fell silent, her mind swirling with conflicting emotions. What Orchid said was true—these lingering feelings had been a constant distraction, pulling her away from her duties as queen. Logically, she should have been relieved. Removing these emotions would free her from the suffocating tightness in her chest, the ache that grew stronger with each passing day without him. It would allow her to focus entirely on her people and her responsibilities.
But then, memories of her dreams surfaced—vivid, beautiful dreams where she stood beside him, laughing, talking, and sharing moments that felt so real. Even though the longing was painful, there was also a warmth, a comfort that filled her heart whenever she thought of him. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, one that made her feel alive in a way she couldn't quite explain.
The thought of losing that warmth, of erasing those dreams and the emotions tied to them, made her hesitate. Could she really let go of something that had become such a profound part of her? Even if it hurt, even if it distracted her, it was also a source of happiness she didn't want to lose.
"Sister?" Orchid's voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.
"Eh? Ah... I-I don't know," Orchis stammered, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
Orchid simply stared at her sister, noticing how Orchis's face had turned a deep shade of red. Her flustered expression reminded Orchid of every other woman who had crossed paths with Rei before. It was the same look—a mix of longing, hesitation, and warmth that seemed to bloom whenever his name was mentioned.
"Hahhh..." Orchid exhaled deeply to herself, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips.