Lonia could feel that thread vibrating violently deep within her consciousness.
She recognized that warmth.
Now, the person who had been revered for who knows how long stood right in front of Rafina.
Wearing an old robe. Crouching down to meet her gaze. Asking if she was willing to learn from him.
A sour sting surged up Lonia's nose, as if someone had poured a spoonful of vinegar into her lungs.
She didn't know what this feeling was called.
She only knew her chest felt tight, her nose stung, her eyes burned, and there was one truth she was unwilling to admit.
She was afraid.
She was afraid Rafina would say “yes.”
She was afraid that once that word left her mouth, the oil lamp in the old archives, the sunlight filtering through the maple forest, the sweet stickiness of candied fruits, their weekly secret hideout, their late-night mental communication—everything she had painstakingly built up piece by piece over the last two years—would be easily replaced by this man in the old robe.
She was just a passerby.
An overly curious little princess of the Catori family who had accidentally stumbled into the old archives.
She and Rafina had known each other for two years.
Two years.
Yet that man, a figure Rafina had worshiped through the pages of books for countless years, only had to crouch down and say a single sentence to make Rafina's tail wag in loops she had never seen before.
Fina probably wouldn't have as much time to chat with her in the future.
She had to learn how to use magic, how to control it, and do things Lonia couldn't even begin to understand.
Meanwhile, Lonia would have to go back to attend those incredibly stupid gatherings, watch Fema throw tantrums over pastries, listen to Tia's sarcastic remarks, and have Ellie smear cream all over her hair.
Fina would meet more people.
Fina would have better friends.
Fina would have a much brighter future.
Lonia sniffled.
But she didn't cry. There was no such rule in the Catori family, and she absolutely could not cry in front of this guy called the Demon King.
The silence behind her lasted for a long time.
“I'm willing.”
Rafina's voice came from behind her.
Lonia clenched her fingers.
She had known this would be the answer. She had known it from the moment she saw Rafina's tail wagging in loops.
“But—”
Lonia's fingers froze.
“I have a wish.”
“Speak.”
“I want Nia to be able to come to Gloom Castle too.”
Lonia spun around, her entire face a picture of utter bewilderment.
Rafina stood where she was. She wasn't looking at the Demon King; she was looking at Lonia.
“Not every day.”
Rafina's voice continued, her pace slightly faster than usual, as if she were reciting a speech she had rehearsed many times in her head.
“Nia lives in the vampire territory, so she can't move to Abyss City. But... if possible... I want her to be able to enter and leave Gloom Castle freely. Without using the ventilation ducts, and without sneaking around. Me too—entering through the front door, coming and going as we please.”
Her arrow-tipped tail swished gently behind her.
“This is my wish.”
The Demon King looked at her, then shifted his gaze to Lonia, the little vampire princess who was staring at Rafina with an expression she herself couldn't name.
He laughed. It looked like he was laughing out of sheer exasperation.
“Damn, eight years old.”
He let out a breath.
“Well... a vampire, freely entering and leaving Gloom Castle. And a Catori vampire, no less.”
“...Yes.”
“Do you know what that means? The rules of the Ten Courts state that there is strict border control between the Vampire Court and the territory directly under the Demon King. Allowing the sister of the Vampire Court Head to freely enter and leave Gloom Castle is equivalent to making a public declaration to the Ten Courts...”
“I know.”
Rafina interrupted him.
This was the first time Lonia had ever heard Rafina interrupt someone.
In all their interactions over the past two years, Rafina had always been the one to listen quietly, wait patiently, and only speak after the other person had finished.
But she had interrupted the Demon King.
“If possible, I also hope someone can be responsible for picking Nia up and dropping her off... is that a bit too greedy?”
“Compared to your first request, that's nothing. Sigh, what a pain. The Vampire Court Head is hard to deal with... she's clearly just a kid, but she has more schemes than anyone...”
He didn't try to hide his words from Lonia at all, and his expression didn't change even when the latter straightened her spine like a hissing cat.
“I know it will be troublesome. But you said, within the scope of what you can do.”
Rafina looked straight into the Demon King's eyes and spoke with absolute seriousness.
The Demon King fell silent for a few seconds.
“Fine. I'll let the captain of the guard know. Lonia of the Catori family has free passage into Gloom Castle.”
He took another sip of water from the copper flask at his waist, drank it, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“Why hasn't this crappy world invented cola yet...”
After muttering this nonsensical complaint, he continued, “As for the lessons, we'll start next week. Once every three days, in the inner courtyard of Gloom Castle. No need to be too nervous; I'm not a strict teacher.”
He turned around, took two steps deeper into the maple forest, then stopped and tilted his head.
“Oh, right. I'll have someone move you to a larger room later. One that faces south, has windows, and gets some sunlight. Even if it's artificial, don't go expecting anything better.”
Without waiting for a reply, he continued forward. The hem of his old robe rustled against the fallen leaves as his figure vanished among the trunks of the maple forest.
Lonia stood frozen in place.
Her eyes were still wide open.
Rafina looked at her.
The reverent light she had shown toward the Demon King was gone, replaced by something softer, closer, something that only appeared when she looked at Lonia.
“...Nia.”
Lonia's lips parted, but no sound came out.
“Your nose is red.”
“...It is not.”
“It is. It's the same color as your eyes.”
“I said it's not, so it's not!”
Lonia rubbed her nose hard with the tattered sleeve of her cloak, only making the tip of her nose even redder.
Rafina watched her.
Then, her arrow-tipped tail reached out from behind her, its tip gently tapping the back of Lonia's hand.
Lonia's eyelashes fluttered.
Maple leaves drifted down from above. One landed on Lonia's shoulder, and another on Rafina's crystal horn.
Red against black hair, red against silver hair—it was exactly the same as their first reunion on the main street of Maple Town two years ago.
Lonia lowered her head, staring at the spot where the tip of Rafina's tail touched the back of her hand.
She sniffled.
“...In the future, when I enter through the front door, the very first thing I'll do is sweep all the dust out of your crappy archive. It's filthy.”
The corners of Rafina's mouth curled upward.
The tip of her tail slid down Lonia's hand, hooking around the pinky finger hanging at her side.
Thin, cool, wrapping around once.
“Then, it's a promise.”
“...Mm.”
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