Chapter 095: An Unusual Morning (Patreon)

[Knock, knock, knock]

The sky was still hazy with the last of dawn's dimness when a knock sounded at Pandora's door.

Mindful of propriety and too embarrassed to share the bed, Louliana had fallen asleep slumped over the table instead. Caught between sleep and waking, she jolted upright at the sound like a startled rabbit.

"Coming..."

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she made her way toward the door. Passing the bedside, she couldn't help but glance over at the girl who should still be dreaming...

"?"

Then came a soft rustle. She saw Pandora leaning against the bed, smiling right at her, and her steps stopped short without her meaning them to.

Seeing this, Pandora let out a helpless sigh. "Don't just stand there. Go on."

With that, she rose to her feet and folded up the blanket.

With a soft click, the door swung open, and what greeted her eyes was a brightly lit corridor.

"Breakfast is ready."

The voice that followed felt both familiar and somehow strange.

"Breakfast is ready."

In the scattered light from outside, Pandora could just make out the short blade at the speaker's waist.

"Phantom?"

Looking at the tray she carried, Pandora couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

Phantom just smiled. "Who knows what our lord was thinking, insisting I bring this over myself. Nothing to be done about it—orders are orders, after all. Though, getting to serve breakfast to such an adorable little miss is an honor in its own right, don't you think?"

Without waiting for Pandora's reply,

"I'll leave breakfast here. Just leave the tray when you're done—someone will come clean it up."

From this angle Pandora could only tell that Phantom seemed to bow slightly, but by the light spilling in from outside the hall, she made out what sat on the tray.

Just as she was about to leave the room, Phantom turned back to look at Pandora.

"The closer you get to the Holy Capital, the shorter the daylight hours run here. My lord and Luluo are already waiting in the parlor."

With that, she said nothing further and left the room outright.

Once her figure had vanished, Pandora noticed the enchanted crystal set into the wall.

"Six thirty..."

A time that didn't match the pitch-black darkness outside the window at all.

She had no intention of turning on the lights, though—having just woken up, she wasn't fond of strong light.

Coming back to herself, she handed one portion of the breakfast to Louliana, who was still standing there in a daze.

Not quite sure what to say, Louliana simply ate while staring at Pandora, lost in a small trance.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing... it's nothing!"

"Honestly..."

But by the time the two of them finished eating and stepped out the door, they realized...

Phantom had never actually told them where the parlor was.

"Excuse me..." With no other option, Pandora called out to a passing maid. "Could you take us to the parlor?"

At that, the maid who'd been stopped simply froze in place, looking as if she hadn't quite processed the request.

"O-of course."

Fortunately, thanks to her regular training, she snapped back to herself in time.

Before long, led by the maid, the two of them arrived outside the parlor door.

"Thank you."

As the maid turned to head back, Pandora politely thanked her once more.

[Knock, knock, knock] [Click] The door swung open.

Looking at Phantom's perfectly composed face, Pandora couldn't help but sigh.

At that, Phantom raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, but thought nothing more of it, walking straight over to stand beside Shadow, the two of them flanking the doorway.

At that moment, Luluo, standing by the window, waved.

"Morning."

"Mm, morning."

After a bit of small talk, Pandora took her seat and glanced over at Vestra, who was reclining on a nearby sofa, sipping a small drink.

"Drinking this early?"

Vestra just shrugged at that.

"How should I put it—call it an after-meal dessert."

"Dessert..."

"You seem to have some serious misconceptions about what 'dessert' means."

"Ah, well, wine dissolves sorrow, and once the sorrow's gone, what's left is sweetness. So calling it a sweet treat isn't wrong at all—though I don't have much sorrow to begin with..."

Hearing this, Luluo walked over and sat down on the sofa as well.

"He's always like this. Don't mind him, miss."

"Mm."

After last night's conversation, she'd more or less come to accept his eccentric, rambling manner.

Just then, Vestra suddenly sat up straight.

"Alright. The reason I asked you here before you leave is that there's something I'd like to discuss."

Pandora and Luluo said nothing more, both settling into a serious posture.

"I wonder if the two of you know how things currently stand in the capital of the snowy plain."

At his words, the two of them shook their heads in unison.

"Ah..." Vestra let out a sudden sigh. "I suppose you two are both busy with weighty matters, so it's only an idle man like me who'd bother keeping track of something like this."

At that, Luluo was the first to voice her confusion. "What's going on? Don't beat around the bush, just say it plainly."

Hearing this, Vestra nodded, then closed his eyes. "The current Holy King is worn thin in body and spirit, and on top of that, he's reached his final years. So the throne of the Holy King is about to change hands—that much is common knowledge."

As he spoke, he opened his eyes again to gauge their reactions.

"Of course, with such a major event underway, plenty of people are unconsciously overlooking another big event set to take place in Inorandum, within the capital of the snowy plain."

"A big event..."

"Mm. Namely, the once-a-century Week of Gules."

Hearing this, Luluo nodded sharply. "Ah, that's right—I wouldn't have even thought of it if you hadn't brought it up."

That drew a wry remark from Vestra. "See? This is exactly why only an idle man like me notices these things."

"If it falls around that date..." Luluo, however, paid the jab no mind, growing more serious instead. "We really do need to be careful."

Beside them, Pandora was utterly lost, having no knowledge of this subject whatsoever.

Of course, caught up in the mood, neither of the other two noticed her confusion.

"As you both know, most of Gusteko's sacred sites look calm as still water on the surface, but..." Vestra drained the last of the wine in his cup and let out a breath. "It only takes one spark for the true nature of that water to show itself—whether it's a rushing, living current, or something stagnant and dead..."

Looking at the dregs left in his cup, he smiled and filled it once more.

"That's why someone like me doesn't much care for this kind of festival—rare as it is to see..."