[Ovelia’s POV]
My consciousness surfaced slowly, wrapped in a comforting warmth. I could feel strong arms encircling , a solid chest against my cheek. Still half-asleep, I hugged the warmth back, nuzzling closer. When I finally pried my eyes open, my vision was a blur of muted color and shadow. It cleared after a few slow blinks, focusing on a wooden wall panel.
A faint sense of dislocation tickled my mind. I wasn’t seated on a chair. My legs were draped over sothing. And I was hugging... a person’s back. I straightened up abruptly, my arms loosening as my gaze traveled up to find Ace’s face. It was very close.
"Ace?!" I blurted out, my voice still thick with sleep. A wave of heat flooded my cheeks. Without thinking, I brought my hand up and pushed against his face, as if I could create more distance by sheer force.
Ace’s hand shot up and closed around my wrist, firmly pulling my hand away from his face. "What are you doing?!" he demanded, his silver eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and irritation.
From across the table, I heard Ray let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"What a shy couple," Gale drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The embarrassnt crashed over , hot and complete. I covered my face with both hands, wishing I could disappear into the floor. As I shifted in my seat—his lap—I felt sothing. A distinct, hardening pressure against my thigh. Sothing that hadn’t been there a mont ago. I froze.
My breath hitched. Slowly, I lowered my hands. And I looked down.
Then my eyes snapped back up to Ace’s face. "Ace, your—"
He was already glaring at , his expression a perfect, silent command: I KNOW. DON’T. SAY. IT. The furious blush that stained the tips of his ears confird everything.
Without a word, his hands settled on my waist. In one smooth, effortless motion, he lifted straight up off his lap.
"Ace?!" I yelped, my feet dangling for a second.
I saw Gale snatch the fairy stuffed toy from my abandoned chair just as Ace deposited back into my proper seat with a sort of brusque gentleness. He then sat back down in his own chair beside , adjusting his tunic with a sharp, deliberate tug, his gaze fixed rigidly on the empty space in front of him. He said nothing.
"Your face is like a tomato, my lady." A familiar, gentle voice spoke.
I turned to my left, across the table. "Ann!" Relief and happiness washed through . She was back. But the joy was imdiately tinged with a cold, creeping mory: the mont before she’d left the room, I’d seen sothing... a clinging, black, fiery shape around her, and it had smiled at .
"What are you thinking? Just finish your pudding," Gale said, his tone brusque. He thrust the fairy stuffed toy back into my arms. I took it automatically, hugging the soft fabric to my chest, its familiar, silly presence a small comfort.
I looked down at the half-eaten bowl of pudding in front of . I was aware Ann carried dark mana within her; Lady Firera had told . But I wasn’t activating the familiar’s sigil. There was no way I could have seen such a thing. It must have been my imagination or a dream, I told myself firmly, clinging to the normalcy of the cooling dessert. Just a trick of the light and my tired mind.
I picked up my spoon. I looked at Ann, who was watching with clear, quiet concern. "Ann, are you feeling better?" I asked.
She offered a small, steady smile. "Yes, my lady," she said.
I smiled back, genuinely reassured, and took a bite of the pudding. It had lost its chill, but the creamy, balanced sweetness was still a small pleasure.
[Ann’s POV]
Lady Ovelia was eating, but her gaze was distant, her spoon moving slowly. She was lost in deep thought. I could see Sir Ace and Gale both watching her intently from their sides of the table. Even Sir Ray beside had his observant, orange eyes fixed on her, studying her with a quiet intensity he usually reserved for tactical assessnts. Did sothing happen while I was gone? Sothing more than just her falling asleep?
"Umm..." Ovelia began, setting her spoon down. She looked around at all of us, her red eyes clouded with a sad, anxious worry. "Did I... cry earlier? Or say sothing weird? Or embarrassing?" She asked the question as if bracing for a blow.
"No," Sir Ray answered smoothly, his voice calm and reassuring. He leaned back slightly, the picture of ease. "When Ann left, you just grew very quiet. After a few minutes, you fell asleep. That’s all."
"You almost face-planted into the table or broke your neck," Gale added without looking up from his empty bowl. "So Sir Chivalry over there lifted you up and put you in that awkward position to keep you from concussing yourself on the dinnerware." I saw Lady Ovelia’s face flush that bright, charming tomato-red again. I quickly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, pressing my lips together to stop a smile from forming.
"I’m glad it was just a dream," I heard Lady Ovelia whisper to herself, so softly I almost missed it. Then she looked directly at , and her eyes, which had been shadowed, suddenly sparked with their usual warm light.
"Wow, Ann, those earrings look good on you!" she said, her voice bright with genuine admiration.
"Where did you get them, Ann?" Sir Ace asked, his tone shifting to casual curiosity.
"The old woman gave them to ," I explained, my fingers rising to lightly touch one of the smooth, dark obsidian stones dangling from my earlobe. "She insisted I take them as thanks after I caught a pickpocket and returned her wallet."
"You’re really strong and kind, Ann," Lady Ovelia said, her smile warm and full of faith. She took another bite of her pudding.
"Stop talking and just finish your pudding," Gale cut in, directing his grumble at Lady Ovelia. "So you can enjoy what’s left of the festival while we still have ti."
"Really?!" Lady Ovelia’s face lit up, all traces of her earlier lancholy vanishing.
"Do I look like I’m joking around?" Gale retorted, crossing his arms over his chest in his signature pose of exasperation.
Lady Ovelia looked to Sir Ace for confirmation. He t her gaze and gave a small, definitive nod, a genuine smile finally touching his lips. "We have a little ti," he said.
My own smile faltered internally as Lady Ovelia’s praise echoed in my mind. Strong and kind. The image from the bathroom—my reflection splattered with phantom blood, holding a bloodied dagger, wearing that cold, satisfied smile—flashed behind my eyes. The scent of copper seed to ghost in the air for a second.
Do I deserve to be called that? I thought, the old, familiar guilt a cold stone in my gut. I was just doing my job. That’s all I’ve ever been.
[Ovelia’s POV]
I scooped up the last creamy bite of pudding and swallowed. "Done!" I announced, my voice cheerful.
"If we have nothing else to do here, let’s go," Gale said, already pushing himself to his feet.
In front of , Ray stood and carefully positioned his monocle back over his eye, giving the closed door a final, assessing look. The simple act transford him once more from a relaxed brother into a shrewd, observant strategist. I couldn’t help but smile. He really did look like a stern professor.
I glanced at Ann. She was smiling at , but the light didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was a shadow of doubt there, a hesitation I didn’t understand. She stood up, her movents as fluid and quiet as ever.
I also rose, clutching the soft fairy stuffed toy in one hand. Gale slid the door open and strode out into the hallway without a backward glance. The rest of us followed, a silent procession leaving the cozy, secret room behind.
Ace, who had been behind , fell into step beside . His hand found mine, his fingers lacing through mine with a firm, possessive grip. I looked up at him, surprised.
"I won’t let you get lost in the crowd again," he stated, his voice leaving no room for argunt. I had to stifle a laugh when I saw him—he had put his wire-rimd glasses back on for his disguise. Combined with his serious expression, he looked like a terrifyingly strict professor. Ray wasn’t the only one playing a role.
"Don’t laugh," he muttered, but his grip on my hand tightened, a warm, unyielding anchor.
"Hey, you two!" Gale’s impatient voice called from ahead. "We’re going to leave you behind!" We looked up to see him, Ray, and Ann waiting for us a little way down the corridor, a small island of patience in the river of festival noise.
Ace and I quickened our pace to catch up. As we did, a bubble of pure, bright happiness rose in my chest, pushing aside the last remnants of strange dreams and dark thoughts. The image was clear and perfect in my mind: the five of us, together, under the lantern-lit sky, enjoying the simple magic of the festival without fear, without separation. The image was so perfect, so fragile, I held it in my heart like a precious, stolen thing.
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