The evening grew heavy. Most students and party members had already retreated to the hostels, but the air by the lake remained thick with unspoken words. Mira stood there, lost in thought. When she finally noticed Eron, she began to greet him, but he cut through the deafening silence before she could start.
"I was transmigrated in front of mana wolves twice my size," Eron said, his voice hollow. "I almost died. A girl saved me, but the guards took us hostage, beat me, and dragged us before the King. He gave me one choice: marry the princess, or I wouldn't leave alive. I gave him a condition: give me ten elite soldiers—the best of the elements—to act as her shield in the center of the war. I didn't want the throne; I just wanted to pay her back for saving my life by ensuring she'd never stand alone on a battlefield."
Mira stepped forward, her finger pressing against his lips to silence him. "Eron... I didn't ask for an explanation. I just want to know one thing: Are you happy?"
Eron froze. The question was a trap he didn't have an answer for.
"She is beautiful, gentle, and strong," Mira continued, her eyes searching his. "Everything you could wish for. But you don't look happy."
"I wanted this marriage to bring happiness to Mother and Ryn," Eron admitted, his voice trembling. "They've suffered so much because of me. Especially Ryn."
Mira's smile was calm, like their mother's, but there was a storm raging behind it. "You've never explained that. Tell me."
"You'll hate me," Eron whispered.
"I've forgiven you for everything until now," she replied firmly. "But if you don't tell me this, I won't."
The truth finally broke free. "I am the son of the kidnapper who killed Ryn's only friend. The man who stole him away when he was young." Tears finally blurred Eron's vision. "And yet... knowing that, he still accepted me. Your mother still adopted me and my sister."
"Stop saying 'your' mother," Mira snapped, her anger flashing. "She is as much yours as she is ours."
A heavy silence followed. To end it, Eron asked about the brother who haunted them both. "You said Ryn is here. Did you speak?"
Mira began to cry. "The first time I saw him, he came to protect me. He was smiling, Eron, but it was fake. It was the most convincing, exaggerated mask I've ever seen. I let him sleep on my lap, but even in his dreams, he was silently screaming. Not a scream you can hear—the kind you can't ignore. He was mumbling about Player Ranks and Systems... he looked truly broken."
"He's alone, Mira," Eron choked out. "He lost his body in a war he hated, only to end up as the General of an entire planet. I was ordered by the Sub-Commander to keep my mask on—to not weaken him. And now, even here, I can't even meet him. I just hope one day, we can live a happy, peaceful life again."
"We will," Mira whispered. "I hope."
Eron stood up, exhausted. "I have to go and talk to the Principal for some matters. Rest well; the tournament starts soon." He walked away, disappearing into the darkness toward the school.
Once his figure vanished, Mira looked toward the bushes. "You two can come out now."
Lysandria and Eron's wife stepped out. Lysandria looked pale. "How did you find us?"
"I heard a gasp when Eron spoke about the kidnapping," Mira replied.
Eron's wife sat beside Mira, wiping her eyes. "I was thinking my life was hell," she whispered, stabilizing herself, "but your whole family has been living inside its depths long before."
Lysandria looked at the water. "So... his true name was Ryn?"
"Yes," Mira said politely. "But never mention it in front of him or Eron. He loves to remain anonymous because it gives him peace."
"Do you think your home and brother would ever accept me?" Eron's wife asked quietly.
"They would," Mira said, "but they would take time to get out of the shelter they've made just to live with their siblings & mother. When they do, you will live a happy life."
Suddenly, Mira—who had been acting so calm and suppressed—finally shattered. She collapsed into sobs, the mask falling away. "Why did these days have to come?" she wailed. "We were the children who were supposed to be thinking of what we would do after exams and holidays... but we weren't even given one. We were suffering in loneliness and had to face it every day."
Lysandria and Eron's wife watched in shock as the girl who seemed so strong finally broke. Mira looked at them through her tears. "I have a request. If you ever find either of my brothers in trouble, and if you can't do anything... just listen to their words with a smile. Give them a hope, even if it falls. They have become so cold, but somewhere inside... they are still just kids like me."
Crying and talking until her strength left her, Mira finally fell into a deep sleep right there by the lake.