After everything, Luca shared his plan with his sister in a soft voice, choosing his words with care so she could understand. At last, she nodded, accepting it.
Luca watched her wipe her eyes, her voice stayed quiet. There was a kind of heaviness in the way she stood, like her tears had drained something from her.
And she kept her gaze lowered to the ground, refusing to lift.
"Let's go back, Sister," he said softly.
"Mm..." came her quiet reply, barely more than a whisper.
Luca smiled gently and stood. He helped her to her feet as she kept her face lowered, avoiding his gaze.
They walked home, passing through the city gate where countless homeless people lingered. Their presence was overwhelming, so many that they had become part of the scenery.
Luca couldn't help but think about the great famine that had struck this land. The impact was devastating. Given the technological advancements of this empire, he couldn't understand why such a crisis persisted.
Why couldn't they grow crops?
Why was agriculture failing so entirely?
By all logic, their advancements should have solved this problem. Yet they continue to struggle to grow anything on the land, leaving agriculture in ruin.
On my way back home, the silence between them on the walk back felt odd. Usually, Evelyn would fill the air with soft chatter. But now, she was far too quiet.
"Sister, is something wrong?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"N-no..." she answered quickly.
He tried to look behind him, curious. But his sister quickly hugged him from behind, hiding her face in his small back.
"Sister...?"
"D-don't look at me."
Through the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of her face over his shoulder. Because she was taller than him by about five centimeters, her attempt to hide her face was only partially successful. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes still puffy from crying, she was clearly embarrassed.
Luca understood and said nothing, wanting to ease his sister's embarrassment.
"Pfft..." But he couldn't help it, a soft chuckle escaped him.
"Lu!" she exclaimed, pinching his back in mock anger.
"Ow, Sister, I'm sorry." he said with a faint laugh.
Evelyn continued sulking with her flushed face and puffy eyes, while Luca tried his best to stifle his laughter at how grumpy she looked.
When they reached the bridge, Rin was waiting for them.
"Pfft—hahaha! What happened to your eyes?" Rin burst into laughter the moment she saw Evelyn.
"Rin! You too?!" Evelyn charged at her.
"Hahaha!" Rin darted away, giggling.
"Aaaahh! Don't run!" Evelyn shouted, chasing her. The two ran in circles until Evelyn finally tackled Rin to the ground and began pinching her waist.
"Ow! Owow! I'm sorry!"
"No."
"Help!" Rin called, turning to look at him.
But Luca avoided her eyes, and Rin, sinking into dejection, had no choice but to accept her fate.
After a moment, Evelyn released her.
"Huh, what a vengeful spirit you are," Rin said, pouting as she rubbed her sore waist.
"You still want more?"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty~" Rin teased, but Evelyn simply ignored her.
Soon after, the mood lightened and the two of them talked cheerfully.
Luca prepared a makeshift porridge using the bread he had bought earlier from the old merchant. Though it was just bread soaked in water, it was easier to eat than the usual rough and dry bread.
He handed a cup to Evelyn, who took it with a smile. Then he approached Rin, offering her one too.
Her eyes linger on the porridge before returning to him. Hesitation clouds her face as she slowly shakes her head.
"No, I... I didn't do anything" she said.
"Just take it. It's my treat, for getting a job," he said calmly.
"...Okay." She accepted it carefully, her usual carefree demeanor subdued by a rare awkwardness.
He smiled faintly at the sight and returned to sit beside his sister.
Luca took small bites, letting the bread soften in his mouth. Across from him, Evelyn and Rin giggled again, the earlier tension now gone. For a brief moment, everything felt normal.
It was fragile, but warm.
***
The mansion loomed like a pale monolith beneath a sky trapped in eternal twilight. Its granite walls pulsed faintly, as if something alive beat just beneath the stone.
Servants stood in perfect lines along the path. Not one breathed. Not one blinked. Their porcelain faces were smooth and blank, their eyes glassy, fixed on something unseen.
Behind the mansion stretched a garden. Flowers bloomed in unnatural colors that buzzed at the edge of vision. Some pulsed, others twisted inward, revealing wet, glistening cores, like wounds trying and failing to close.
A narrow river wound through the garden, and its surface was pitch black. Something slithered beneath, sending unnatural ripples across the water. As if a creature from a nightmare drifted beneath.
Now and then, the darkness puckered into wet, silent mouths that seemed ready to scream, or writhed into glimpses of trembling flesh that melted away before taking shape.
Low mist clung to the earth, blurring everything within. A veil, trembling, tried to contain horrors clawing to break free. Something pressed against the surface, as if something pushed from the other side.
In one of the mansion's lavish chambers, the girl known to some as the "Phantasm's Veil" sat alone in a velvet chair, her slender fingers propping up her chin while the other hand drummed a measured rhythm upon a polished ebony table.
Each tap seemed to echo longer than it should, as if the chamber itself listened.
She was breathtaking. Her silken yellow hair cascaded like woven sunlight. Her amber eyes shimmered with intelligence and a chill detachment, as if watching the world from a distant perch. Her figure was wrapped in robes of softness that outlined her alluring shape and flowing fabric that shimmered with every subtle movement, enhancing the otherworldly aura about her.
But her face was drawn in boredom, her gaze half-lidded as she listened without interest to the old man standing before her.
He swallowed hard, again and again, overwhelmed by her seductive curves. But he dared not overstep the invisible line between reverence and audacity.
"All that concludes my reports"
He had heard the owner of Phantasm would be coming to the capital herself, but he had not expected her to be this beautiful. Otherworldly, even. Still, he valued his life far too much to act on such thoughts.
"I see... You may leave," she said without emotion.
"Understood."
He bowed deeply and left the room, intending to return to his city by nightfall to continue the operation.
Alone again, the girl returned to her quiet rhythm, tapping her fingers softly against the table.
Why did the Matriarch entrust this plan to the Marquis?
If she handled it directly, Maximillia's child wouldn't stand a chance. It would be over in a single move.
She couldn't fathom the Matriarch's intentions. There had to be something more behind the decision.
But… what?
Her mind drifted away, merging with the restless mist that veiled the mansion's grounds.
She still cannot see through it.
Neither the fog nor the truths within would yield to her sight.