Sleeping in her room, curtains closed, windows opened, wind gliding the curtains along, pushing them wide open.
Morning light spilled across Luna's face as she lay sprawled in bed. Frowning, she opened her eyes.
"Mmmmm…" Luna pondered, her eyes barely awake, drooping up and down.
White Death… Sigh. I really am going to suffer, like Aux said… Oh well…
Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, looking out at the old oak past the balcony.
At least give me some strong powers, please, goddess!
Ah… as if you'd give me that… heh.
Crawling out of bed, she walked up to the doors, opening them and peeking out at her personal knight, Theo.
"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.
Glancing down, he nodded in affirmation. "Good morning, Lady Luna. What can I do for you?" he asked in a gentle voice.
"Can you please bring Aisha here? I need to change my clothes."
"Please."
"Of course, my Lady. Please wait in your room. I'll bring her as soon as possible," he said, walking off into the corridor on the red carpet.
Luna chuckled as she realized how Theo actually behaved toward her.
Coming back into her room, she sat down on the sofa, waiting for her maid, Aisha.
Looking up at the white as clouds ceiling, she couldn't help but think
Aisha… What is she? Chuckling, she continued with a smile. Her whole demeanor is… really disturbing in a weird way.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"My Lady, I've brought Miss Aisha," Theo announced.
"Come in," Luna replied.
Theo opened the door, and before it even fully swung open, Aisha stormed in, asking,
"What can I do for you, my Lady?" with a blush and wide smile.
"A… I need to change clothing, please?" Luna, caught off guard, responded like a question.
"Ah, of course, my Lady! I'll do anything for you!"
"Then please wait a while, I'll bring you the perfect clothing that will definitely fit you!"
Saying so, Aisha walked to the closet to the left of the bed, stepping inside and looking around.
Theo and Luna watched her go at her eagerness to work.
She scanned the rows of dresses on hangers, sliding each one by one to the side, before finally picking one that blended in.
A dusty lavender dress hung on the hanger, its soft folds able to catch the light, just enough to imagine how it would set off pink hair and make gray-blue eyes shine like mist under moonlight.
Aisha smiled with a pleasing grin as she made her way back to Luna, the dress held in front of her.
"I found it! I found the perfect one, my Lady!"
Walking up to Luna with the dress, she gestured toward Theo with a wave of her hand.
"Please leave now, Theo, as I need to help Lady Luna change."
Baffled by Aisha, he left, staying by the doors outside the room.
Aisha placed the dress on the sofa beside Luna. Clasping her hands, she said,
"Now… My Lady, let's start the changing," with a fulfilling smile and a blush she tilted her head.
Ah… the change of personality…
"Okay…" said Luna reluctantly.
"Please stand still, my Lady!"
Luna nodded in affirmation as Aisha went behind her, undoing the knots of her dress.
…
Aisha hummed softly as she placed the final ribbon on Luna's back, perfectly complementing the dress.
"Yes! Perfect, my Lady! This dress suits you perfectly!"
"Is that so?" Luna spun around, her dress swinging with her.
It does look good. Somehow, I find it hard to tell what dress is good and what's not.
Swinging once more, Luna exhaled softly as she turned to Aisha.
"Thank you, Aisha, for dressing me up so well!" she said with a smile.
Aisha looked down, her face blushing and a hidden smile behind her long black hair.
"...Thank you, my Lady," she muttered under her breath.
I have no idea what to explore around… This place looks amazing.
Maybe…
"Thank you, Aisha. For the rest of the day, you can take the day off," she said cheerfully.
Aisha's words didn't come, she only nodded.
"You can stay here if you want. I'll go for a walk around the palace."
"Then have fun."
Luna walked out of the room past Theo, skipping down the corridor, as she thought of that smile Aisha had
I did tell her she could stay in my room… but the way she loved the idea, it was creepy. That smile… Chills ran down Luna's spine as she made her way down the corridor.
Running along, she found it all intriguing. Every corridor in the palace looked the same,
Like a lavish hall stretched ahead, its polished marble floor softened by a deep crimson carpet.
Sunlight streamed through tall windows draped in heavy red curtains, casting warm, dappled light on walls adorned with intricate patterns.
Ornate moldings, gilded frames, and delicate sconces lined the space, their reflections dancing softly on the gleaming floor.
It was amazing to her,
But after a while, it came off as boring.
Luna's face softened as she ran past a room with a smile, catching a glimpse of a conversation from inside.
She skidded to a stop, walking back to the barely open doors to peek inside.
There they were, Reed and Nyx, conversing about a topic she didn't understand.
Reed sighed, looking at Nyx.
"...That's why we can't report it yet. There is no proof behind it." Reed said calmly with a commanding tone
"Yes… There are the sacrifices, kidnappings, and pillaging, yes it happened,"
"but we cannot tie it up to them. Yes, we know it's them, but we don't have any proof to show that it's them."
"Yes, I know it, Father. But that is true… and still, we can't leave them alone. Even if we cannot tie it to them, with what we have now, we can still report them," Nyx argued.
"Son, you…" Reed, disappointed, added,
"That's, if we report to them with what we have, they'll just brush it aside as bandits' doing.
And the second time we report, they won't take it seriously."
"At times like this, son… you have to think."
"Think rationally." he pointed justly
"I know, Father, but this is madness…" Nyx said, clenching his fists.
"They are kidnapping innocent children from our duchy just to kill them off for their forsaken ritual!" said Theo, swallowing the truth.
"Goddess knows why! Even if… If we cannot rely on outside help, then we should deal with it using our own forces."
Theo looked at his father for approval, but seeing his disappointed expression, he lost faith in his words.
"Son… Learn," Reed said respectfully.
"Yes, if we do that, we will deal with them in a short time.
But what will happen in the long run? We'll lose forces, thus opening us up to their vicious attacks.
Therefore, we have no choice but to wait patiently and gather the necessary information for the report," he explained in a steady, commanding voice.
"I understand, Father… that there is no other way but just to wait."
"Then can't we hire outside mercenaries to at least try to do the bare minimum with the situation?" Nyx asked.
Reed's face was steady and composed as he listened carefully to his suggestion.
"I get that there is nothing we can do. Mercenaries are no fix, just a means to stop the short game.
But the short game might be the way for now. The way they kidnap human children and use them as necessary sacrifices…
They slaughter the adults, pillage, and burn the surroundings to destroy any evidence."
"It's disheartening to see that…"
Hearing the door creak, Reed raised his hand to signal Nyx to stop.
Looking toward the doorway, he saw Luna peeking through. His demeanor softened.
"Luna, my dear, come in. Sit here," he said in a soothing voice.
As Luna was about to come in, Reed said to Nyx in a quick tone,
"We'll continue this conversation at a later time."
With a smile on his face, he turned to greet Luna.
"What brings you here?" Reed asked, pulling out the chair beside him from under the table.
Luna slowly walked toward them, their presence commanding, like commanders amid war on their high chairs. Compared to Luna, they were like giants.
Their intimidating presence to a child trapped in a decaying body could only send chills down the spine.
"I had nothing to do," Luna said as she jumped and sat on the chair, her legs not even halfway to the floor.
"That's all?" Reed chuckled as he tucked in the chair, then leaned back, looking at Luna's face from over her head.
"It brings me joy that you came here to me, thinking of me."
Right…
Luna leaned back in the chair, avoiding Reed's eyes.
"What were you talking about?" she asked.
"We were having a conversation about political stuff, nothing to worry about, dear."
"How is your day going?" Reed asked, walking to the drawer nearby. He took out a sheet of paper and a box of crayons, handing them to Luna.
"Thank you… I just woke up and was dressed by Aisha, and that's all," she said, grabbing the sheet and crayons.
"Of course…" Reed gently smiled.
"Draw anything you like, as we'll be working out political things. Is that okay?"
"Okay," Luna nodded as she began to scribble on the paper with her black crayon.
Luna, immersed in her drawing, found solace in it. It soothed her, a distraction from the news that she had an incurable disease.
But one thought returned again and again, like a thorn in her side:
Sacrifices? Kidnapping? Why would people do those things to other people…
Swinging her legs back and forth, she couldn't help but add,
It's scary when people have no sympathy for others…
With that thought in mind, she drew a crude picture: Reed and Nyx by her side, Reed holding her right hand, Nyx her left.
And there was Theo, facing her, his back turned as if guarding her, looking out for danger.
Where is Theo anyway?
This drawing took much longer than she had expected.
Time slipped by as she grew drowsier and drowsier, the coloring stage draining what little strength she had left.
I really… have no stamina in me, she thought.
Reed, mid-conversation with Nyx, noticed Luna about to fall asleep. He stood up, walked over, and gently scooped her into his arms.
Turning to Nyx, he said, "Take her to her room, Nyx."
"I have a lot to do, so please, if you may." His tone was gentle.
Nyx nodded.
"Yes, Father. I'll take her to her room… so please, can we continue our conversation about that later?"
Reed returned to his chair, glancing back at Nyx.
"Of course," he replied calmly.
Now fully asleep in Nyx's embrace, Luna stirred faintly. He couldn't take his eyes off her.
As he walked down the corridor filled with morning light, he used his handkerchief to shield Luna's eyes from the bright windows.
He feared it might wake her.
As he continued down the hall, he spotted Aria stepping out of Luna's room, a trace of disappointment on her face.
But when she saw Luna in his arms, she marched toward them with a small smile, extending her arms. She gestured for him to hand Luna over.
Nyx hesitated once, but Aria insisted.
Knowing what would happen if he refused again, and not wanting to wake Luna, he gave in.
"Thank you," Aria whispered, turning back toward the room.
With the door wide open, she walked in and gently tucked Luna under the duvet, placing her in comfortably.
Nyx stood there, quietly amused by what he saw.
She never treats me that kindly… She really has a soft spot for her, he added inwardly.
He watched Aria kneel by Luna's bed, humming a melody. With a quiet smile, he stepped up to the door and slowly closed it behind him.
Leaving the two alone, he chuckled, then made his way back to his father at a brisk pace.
…
In Luna's room, Aria continued humming softly.
She leaned in and whispered gently,
"Soon, I need to go back to the academy… hehe, I'll take you with me. And there's no 'no' for an answer, hehe."
In a gentle motion, she caressed Luna's hair and kept humming that certain song, the one their mother used to sing to them.