When Luna heard Arlecchino say she had a request, she momentarily misinterpreted it, thinking it would involve something...
...something either pleasant and predictable, or something secretive and forbidden.
In the end, all Arlecchino wanted was for Luna to play a song.
Luna was somewhat disappointed, but she knew that Arlecchino currently saw her only as a special child.
"Then allow me to present a special piece," Luna said.
Her fingers pressed the keys, and the melody from her memories wove itself with perfect precision.
She wasn't playing the piece she had first attempted. Back then, she had understood nothing of music, simply playing by pure instinct.
Recalling every note from that initial performance would have been difficult.
Moreover, her attention had been largely focused on Arlecchino at the time.
Since today is the day I'm returning the music box, I'll play the piece from after I gave it away, Luna thought, her fingertips gliding across the keys.
Arlecchino closed her eyes and listened intently.
The rhythm was flawless, her technique refined. She was no longer the girl who would steal glances at Arlecchino whenever she made a mistake.
Arlecchino lightly brushed her fingertips across the corner of her mouth, pausing in silence.
Just now, Luna looked like she wanted to kiss me.
"Father?"
Arlecchino snapped out of her reverie. "Hmm?"
"I've finished playing. Were you even listening?" Luna asked, puzzled.
"I was lost in thought," Arlecchino replied.
Thinking about something... The way Arlecchino had just wiped the corner of her mouth sparked a guess in Luna's mind. She leaned closer to Arlecchino, brushing a hand across her cheek while her other hand pressed down on the Harpsichord keys.
"Is it something about me?" Luna asked with a gentle smile.
The melody, played with a single hand, flowed slowly and softly, draping the spilled moonlight in a hazy, ambiguous warmth.
The room remained unlit, and there was no need for artificial light.
Arlecchino brushed Luna's ear. "Yes."
"Were you thinking about the kiss from earlier?"
"Mm-hmm. But a child showing affection to a parent isn't unusual. I'm also glad you continue to open your heart to me so freely. In fact..."
Arlecchino tilted Luna's chin upward, first with her fingertips, then with the pads of her fingers. Her hand traced the graceful curve downward, feeling Luna's heartbeat at her neck.
"You once asked me if you were a special child to me."
"I answered yes, but I didn't realize that answer in that precise moment."
Luna's hand paused slightly on the keys.
She gazed intently into Arlecchino's eyes, surprised. "Really? When did you realize it?"
"When you chose to leave the House of the Hearth."
"!"
Luna's heart raced. Does this mean Arlecchino felt reluctant to let me go?
"Continue."
"Hmm?"
"The harpsichord."
Arlecchino glanced at Luna's hands resting on the keys.
"...Let's pause for now."
But Luna didn't heed Arlecchino's words. Instead of removing her hands from the keys, she curled her fingers around Arlecchino's, gently holding her palm.
Luna carefully leaned closer to Arlecchino's lips, the cool, fragrant scent almost unbearable. She knew that if she lingered even a moment longer, she would undoubtedly crave more.
On this rare night, she didn't want to mar the moment with any rash actions.
So she merely pressed light kisses against Arlecchino's cheek, again and again.
Arlecchino closed her eyes, gently stroking Luna's hair. "I received the report. You seem to have evaded Neuvillette's attack."
"Mm."
"Excellent. You're growing steadily, both in strength and in heart."
Arlecchino still sees me as a child, Luna thought, feeling a sudden surge of dissatisfaction.
Fueled by sudden dissatisfaction, Luna brushed aside Arlecchino's hair, tugged down her collar, and sank her fangs into the tender skin of her neck.
Arlecchino's eyes flickered open slightly, but she remained silent.
The sharp sting lingered on her neck, yet not even a crease appeared on her brow, as if she were merely enduring a kitten's playful nip.
"You're my special child, Luna."
The stinging pain intensified.
"Dissatisfied?"
Her warm breath seemed to answer her words.
Arlecchino remained unmoved by the pain. "I once raised a spider named Bambi. The affection one might expect from a cat or dog simply cannot be found in a spider."
"It never reciprocated my care, and consequently, I never developed any excessive attachment to it—"
Luna: "But you would still erect a tombstone for it, wouldn't you?"
"..."
Luna licked her wound. "I sense you would. Even if others claim you lack emotions, that you're cold and indifferent, I know that's not true."
Then she stabbed again.
Arlecchino murmured, "Yes, I did erect a tombstone for it—a wooden box, a wooden cross, and a small mound of earth."
"After all, no matter what, I was its master."
A subtle warmth spread from the wound. Arlecchino knew she was bleeding, yet she remained impassive.
"I didn't adopt you children seeking your gratitude."
Luna tasted blood in her mouth, her gaze lingering with satisfaction on the mark she had left on Arlecchino's neck.
"Are we 'Spiders'?" she asked.
"No. But I find raising spiders ideal in that we don't burden them with excessive emotions. It's a perfect, suitable relationship."
Luna buried her face in Arlecchino's hair. "Am I special?"
"...Yes."
"So... you have these 'excessive emotions' for me?" Luna asked, her cheeks flushing slightly.
A faint smile flickered at the corner of Arlecchino's lips.
"Precisely. Watching you grow fills me with pride and nostalgia."
"Seeing you master my techniques makes me want to reward you."
"In my eyes, you've grown taller. The childish blush on your cheeks has faded, replaced by an elegant and courteous smile, transforming you into the ideal lady everyone admires."
"I taught you the means to seize Fate. While the other children are still groping in the dark, you've already accomplished what no one else can—you've grasped Fate with your own hands, even manipulating the destinies of others."
Arlecchino pressed Luna's head against her, her cheek against her own.
"You are the daughter I'm most proud of."
Not "child," but "daughter."
Arlecchino whispered softly, "Welcome back, Luna."
Luna opened her mouth, but all the complex emotions churning within her could only coalesce into a soft, murmured, "Mm," as she closed her eyes.
After a moment of quiet closeness, Arlecchino patted Luna's back.
"Someday, when you catch up to me, stand shoulder to shoulder with me, or even surpass me... I want you to promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Luna asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Don't stop. You shouldn't settle for staying by my side."
This wasn't an order, but a blessing.
Luna smiled faintly. "Very well. But you can't settle for staying behind me then either."
"Of course."
Luna pulled out a silk ribbon and tied it around Arlecchino's neck. Even though Arlecchino's collar perfectly concealed the bite marks, she still insisted on tying it.
Then Luna walked to the window.
"It's about time. Allow me to return now... 'Father'."
She pinched a card and flicked it toward Arlecchino.
Arlecchino caught it, but before she could read it, Luna had already turned away, her smile radiant.
"Good night, Arlecchino."
Then she leaped into the moonlight and vanished into the night.
The card read: "Though the sun and moon may turn and the years may pass, my heart will never change. When I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you, I will claim your heart."
Signed: Phantom Thief Luna.
This was an "Announcement Letter" addressed solely to Arlecchino.
Arlecchino paused for a moment, then carefully folded the letter and prepared to return to her room.
Lynette, Lyney, and Freminet were still chatting in the living room. When they saw her, Lynette froze slightly.
"Father, your neck..."
Why is there a ribbon there?
Arlecchino touched her neck and replied, "Just a cat bite."
"...From our house?" Lyney asked, astonished.
The cats we keep shouldn't bite people.
"Yes."
Lynette's expression changed slightly. "I... I'll explain things to them..."
"No need."
"Eh?"
Arlecchino smiled faintly. "You can't tame that one."
Which one?