Rafina flipped a few more pages into the book.
Lonia couldn't understand the writing on them; the complex strokes looked like a tangled mess of thorns.
“What does this say?”
“Ah... it's the Ancient Demon language.”
Lonia turned the book upside down and examined it twice before shoving it right back into Rafina's arms.
“I never learned it. Read it to me.”
Rafina's gaze shifted from the page to Lonia's face, where a pair of blood-red, slitted eyes were filled with natural expectation.
Then she lowered her head and opened the pages.
“...This is about the God-Forsaken Era.”
Her voice was still very soft, but slightly louder than before. Her fingertip rested on a line of Ancient Demon script, moving slowly along the strokes.
“A long time ago, the Creator used Himself as a blueprint to fashion the physical body of the Ancestor of Humanity. Afterward, He gifted His ribs, hair, tears, and baby teeth to the ancestors of the other races, such as the dragons, elves, wingkin, and demons.”
“Then He distributed His authority to the ancestors so they could build the world together.”
“Once the world was completed, He reclaimed the authority He had bestowed upon all living things.”
Lonia sat down cross-legged, her dress spreading out completely in the dust as a focused expression appeared on her pale little face.
She had taken history classes before, of course, and her tutors had taught her these things. But that didn't stop her from wanting to hear Fina tell it again.
“And then?”
“And then... everyone started fighting. This began the Era of Strife.”
Rafina turned a page. The paper made a dry, crisp sound.
“The Ancestor of Humanity allied with the other ancestors to launch a rebellion. They stole the First Fire, banished and sealed the Creator in a place unknown to anyone, and scattered His authority across the world.”
“Afterward, the ancestors began to fight over that authority...”
“Then the Dark Tide appeared, bringing an end to the Era of Strife and ushering in the Era of Dragon Sovereignty, where dragons and humans ruled the world together...”
Lonia frowned.
“Why dragons and humans?”
“Because starting from that time... transmigrators began to appear...”
“The beastkin and demi-humans, who previously held low status on the continent, gained unprecedented power and standing because they were doted on by the transmigrators. Even the dragons, who had always embraced solitude, were dragged into marriage one after another by them...”
“Wow...?”
“So... after the Dark Tide was suppressed, it entered an era of joint rule by dragons and humans... until a man known as the Wild Hunt King rose to power among humanity. He waged countless wars, which directly led to the end of the Era of Dragon Sovereignty...”
“How many fights must they have had?”
The corners of Rafina's mouth twitched, and her thin tail wagged gently behind her.
“...The book has a map that marks the location of every major battle.”
“Show me.”
Lonia leaned her head right over, her black hair buns brushing against Rafina's shoulder.
Rafina's body stiffened, but she didn't shrink back this time. She merely tilted the book slightly, turning the yellowed, hand-drawn map toward Lonia.
The map was densely marked with crosses in faded red ink, each accompanied by tiny annotations. Lonia couldn't understand a single word, but she stared at the crosses with great interest.
“Are all these crosses battlefields?”
“Mhm.”
“What about these boxes?”
“...Also battlefields.”
“And this...”
“They're all battlefields.”
Lonia looked up, locking eyes with Rafina for a brief moment.
The distance between the two little girls was unusually close. Lonia could clearly see her own reflection in Rafina's crimson eyes—a black-haired, red-eyed brat with dust smudged on her face.
“You know so much.”
Lonia said.
Rafina averted her gaze, a very faint blush dusting the tips of her ears.
“...Because there is nothing else to do.”
Lonia didn't pry further. She focused her attention back on the book, pointing at a huge cross in the very center of the map.
“What is this biggest one?”
Rafina looked where she was pointing and remained silent for a moment.
“...The Plains of Holy Remains.”
“The Plains of Holy Remains?”
“The place where the Wild Hunt King fell... the Battle of the Plains of Holy Remains, which decided the layout of today's continent.”
The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting swaying shadows on the profiles of the two little girls.
The old library was so quiet that only the occasional rustle of turning pages could be heard, along with a low wail echoing from deep within Gloom Castle, though whether it was the wind or something else was impossible to tell.
Lonia suddenly stood up.
Dust showered down from her skirt. She patted her knees and looked down at Rafina, who was still curled up on the floor, the nearly burnt-out oil lamp reflected in Lonia's red slitted eyes.
“I have to go out for a bit, but I'll be back. Read the rest to me when I return.”
Rafina hugged the book and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only gave a gentle nod.
Only the tip of her tail perked up along with it.
...
Lonia returned to the side hall.
On the tray she had seen earlier lay a small dish of honey-preserved blood oranges, half a loaf of bread, and a cup of blood that had already gone cold.
Previously, she wouldn't have spared a second glance at anything other than the blood. This time, however, she ignored the blood entirely, stuffing the blood oranges and bread into an embroidered handkerchief she had dug out of her luggage.
Then she ran to the parlor and pulled a neatly folded black dress from the bottom of her wardrobe.
It was a spare outfit her sister had prepared for her.
The tailors of the Catori family never cut corners; even for a dress made for a six-year-old child, every single stitch was meticulously placed.
Lonia rolled the dress into a bundle and tucked it under her arm.
There were still no maids in the corridor. The two who had wandered off earlier were still nowhere to be seen, likely figuring that a six-year-old vampire princess didn't require much supervision.
Lonia had no complaints about this; after all, it suited her perfectly.
She followed her previous route, and when she reached the end, the iron door was still half-open.
Lonia squeezed inside sideways, and found Rafina still sitting in the same spot.
She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, the large book spread open on her lap, still at the same page.
The moment she heard footsteps, the silver-white head snapped up.
Lonia saw the arrow-tipped tail stiffen first, and then perk up very slowly.
“...You really came back.”
“I said I would, so of course I did. Members of the Catori family don't make empty promises. Once we say we'll do something, we do it.”
Lonia stepped over the scraps of paper, squatted down, tossed the dress tucked under her arm onto the floor, and unwrapped the handkerchief bundle between them.
“Here, blood oranges.”
Rafina's gaze fell on the dish of blood oranges, shifted to the half-loaf of bread, and finally rested on Lonia's face.
“...These are for me?”
“Who else would they be for, the mice? Eat up.”
Lonia stuffed some bread into her own mouth and began eating it in small bites.
Rafina watched her for a moment longer, then reached out and picked up a slice of blood orange.
As she put the fruit into her mouth, her crimson eyes blinked.
“...So sweet.”
“Of course they are, they're preserved in honey. Have you never had them before?”
Rafina didn't answer, but she picked up a second slice.
Lonia nibbled her bread while watching her eat. Once Rafina finished the last slice of blood orange, Lonia set her bread aside and picked up the bundle of black satin from the floor.
“Rafina, what you're wearing is too tattered. It doesn't look good at all.”
She shook out the dress, holding it up in front of Rafina. The satin gave off a soft, gentle sheen under the lamplight, the dark red gems resembling a ring of coagulated blood droplets, and the lace trim was so fine it was almost transparent.
Placed next to the old, crookedly patched dress Rafina wore, it was like a product of two completely different worlds.
“Here, we're about the same size. Try it on.”
Rafina stared at the dress, completely frozen.
“...I can't wear this.”
“Why?”
“This is... yours.”
“Yeah, it's mine. If I tell you to wear it, you wear it.”
Lonia stuffed the dress into Rafina's arms, declaring it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Rafina hugged the dress, lowering her head.
“...But what if it gets dirty?”
“If it gets dirty, you wash it. Are you going to put it on or not?”
Lonia stood with her hands on her hips, her chin tilted up.
“...I'll wear it.”
Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
“Then hurry up. Take the old one off.”
Rafina set the book aside and hesitantly placed the new dress on her lap.
She reached behind her back to untie the laces of her old dress, but the string was tied in a dead knot, and her short arms couldn't reach it.
She twisted her body and struggled for a long time, her crystal horns swaying in the light and her tail lashing anxiously.
Lonia let out a helpless sigh.
“You're so clumsy. Turn around.”
She crawled on her knees to Rafina's back and grabbed the tangled mess of laces.
The knot was tight and messy, as if it had never been properly tied, but rather just twisted together haphazardly.
Lonia dug her little fingernails into the knot, taking quite a bit of effort to finally pry it apart.
The back of the old dress loosened, exposing Rafina's back.
On her pale skin, the outline of her spine was excessively prominent.
“You're so thin.”
Lonia wrinkled her nose, her tone carrying a hint of disapproval, or perhaps something else.
Rafina slipped the old dress off her shoulders, crossing her arms over her chest. Although a six-year-old body had nothing that needed hiding, she still instinctively curled inward.
“...I've always been like this.”
“It's because you eat too little. I'll bring more tomorrow.”
Lonia picked up the new dress and stretched open the collar.
“Raise your hands.”
Rafina hesitated for a moment, then slowly uncrossed her arms and raised both hands above her head.
The satin slid over Rafina's silver-white hair, past her tiny crystal horns, over her narrow shoulders, and finally settled above her knees.
Lonia walked around to the front, sizing her up.
The dress was a bit big.
Lonia was better developed than Rafina, so the dress hung loosely on Rafina's frame.
The collar sagged to one side, exposing a bit of collarbone and half of her shoulder. The sleeves were slightly too long, completely covering her fingertips.
Yet, the sheen of the satin complemented her silver-white hair, and the dark red gems mirrored her crimson eyes.
Lonia tilted her head and watched her for a long while.
“...It's decent. A bit worse than me, though. After all, you're so thin.”
Rafina pinched the extra fabric at her cuffs, rubbing it gently.
“...Thank you.”
“Hmph, nothing to thank me for. My family has plenty anyway.”
Lonia sat back down and picked up her half-eaten bread to continue nibbling.
“Read to me.”
Rafina nodded and hauled the book back onto her lap.
The satin of the new dress was much slicker than the old cotton, and the book almost slipped off her lap, prompting her to quickly hold it down with both hands.
Even her tail wrapped around from her side to hook onto the bottom edge of the spine, helping to keep it steady.
She flipped back to the previous page.
“...The sister of the Elven King fell in love with the third son of the Human King. She was subsequently betrayed and died on the battlefield. This event directly caused the Elven King, who already despised humans, to completely sever relations with humanity...”
Lonia chewed her bread and listened.
Rafina's voice was a little louder than before.
Lonia found herself starting to read the unspoken things from that tail.
Twirling meant hesitation, drooping meant depression, and perking up probably meant happiness?
She noticed that most of the time, this tail was perked up.
She finished her bread. Brushing the crumbs from her skirt onto the floor, she nudged closer to Rafina, leaning her shoulder against the other girl's arm.
Rafina's voice paused for a beat, then continued.
Rate on N.U.
