I shoved my chair back so hard it screeched against the floor, and before I even realized what I was doing, I was out of my room and into the mansion’s wide hallway.
My footsteps echoed sharp and fast, like I was trying to stomp the floorboards into submission, and right around the corner; Anshur was there, her expression unreadable when I snapped at her without breaking stride.
"Where’s Eirlys?" My voice ca out harsher than I ant, more of a demand than a question. She tilted her head slightly, unbothered, and gestured toward the balcony at the end of the hall.
I didn’t even thank her. I was already moving, heat in my chest, a lump forming in my throat that I refused to acknowledge.
And there she was, Eirlys Sonder, the ever-unshaken, poised older sister, lounging on the balcony like she was posing for a painting.
She had her bathrobes on, loose silk draped elegantly over her shoulders, the wind teasing her long white hair while faint notes of classical music drifted from the speaker at the other corner side. S
he looked untouchable, like nothing in this world could bother her. Which made even angrier, because everything was bothering .
"Eirlys." I stord onto the balcony, voice rough, the words spilling faster than I could control. "Hailie’s been killed in-ga. The invulnerability failed, it just failed! Did you guys roll out an update that prevents your system or sothing?"
She looked at with an uneven expression, so I got even more mad.
"Do you even get what that ans? More than two weeks of hardwork, gone! The babysitting, grinding, the quests, the dungeons we clawed through and it’s who’ve taken most of the damage, not her, is gone. Not to ntion the money poured into her gear, I just spent 2000 gold coins, do you know how much that this early in the ga?" My hands shook at my sides as I spoke from sheer frustration. "And now I don’t even know what the hell to do!"
I... Shouldn’t have done this, Eirlys didn’t deserve to catch my frustration, she had nothing to do with this, but I feel like she’s the only one I could talk to right now.
And... I caught myself looking where I shouldn’t, her chest, frad loosely by her robe, her pale thighs catching the warm mansion’s light as she leaned back with infuriating serenity.
Even now, even in this mont where I should’ve been furious, my stupid brain was distracted. I clenched my jaw and forced my eyes away, hating myself for even noticing.
Eirlys Sonder, however, was exceptionally calm. She didn’t flinch, she didn’t gasp, she didn’t sit upright, or demand explanations. No, she just turned her head slightly, the calm in her eyes unshaken. "How’s your headache?" she asked, soft, as if we were discussing tea over breakfast.
"...What?" I blinked. "What??? Who cares about that? I’m fine!"
My words snapped sharper than I wanted, but I refused to let her derail .
"We need to talk about Hailie, she just died in-ga and you’re asking about headaches? Are you serious?"
Her sigh was almost inaudible, the kind of sigh that carried both patience and judgnt. Then she finally turned her gaze fully on , her voice steady as polished glass.
"Cory... Yesterday after dinner, Hailie ca to . She asked to remove the invulnerability setting."
...
" What did you say?"
"She wanted the authentic playing experience, and I agreed she needed one," Eirlys continued, her words deliberate. "Hailie promised not to complain when anything bad happened, and she promises she’d log out if it’s too much for her to handle."
At that point, I didn’t know what was going through . It was unreasonable and unfounded anger that I shouldn’t have let out.
"Does she know how good she has it? Do you? Anyone else with half the brain could make perfect use of her admin-perks" My fists curled so tight my nails dug into my palms, "And you just let her? You just... agreed? What kind of sister are you? Do you even care that she—"
"She’s playing to have fun," Eirlys interrupted , not raising her voice, not losing composure. "My family invested our blood and tears into the VR program, and a part of the reason was for her to walk again, she wants to feel what it’s like to walk, and to struggle in life, to win or lose on her own terms. If vulnerability is what makes her happy, then tell , Cory Jay Smith, why should I stop her?"
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My chest burned with sothing halfway between rage and helplessness.
"Why? Because she’s Hailie! Because she’s not supposed to..." My words caught in my throat, coming out jagged and weak... In fact, I didn’t have a reason.
Deep down, I just wanted to have an immortal healer that could help in my biddings. Selfish, innit? But it took forever to get that through my head.
But for now, the strength left my legs before I realized it, before long, I sank down onto my knees, the polished marble of the balcony digging cold against them.
My fists hit the ground once, twice, until the sting shot up my arms, but it wasn’t enough. My scream tore out of , raw and bitter.
"Damn it, Hailie! Damn you guys!" My voice cracked as I cursed her na, the sound ragged in the open air, my frustration spilling over into a kind of desperate grief.
Movent at the edge of the balcony caught my eye. Anshur had returned, silent as always, watching break down from a careful distance. Others guards, butlers and whatnot had started to gather too, faces peeking curiously from the hall, the mansion’s usual stillness disrupted by my outburst.
"Ms. Smith," Anshur approached us, her low voice finally cut in, unyielding. "May I escort you back to your room?"
I didn’t argue. My body felt hollow, my throat raw, my pride shattered in pieces on the floor.
"Please make sure she got a good night sleep." Eirlys said, basically saying that I couldn’t leave my room until morning.
When Anshur moved closer and offered her hand, I didn’t take it. I just let the evil maid guide back, step by step, away from the balcony, away from Eirlys’ calm gaze, away from the music still playing like nothing had changed.
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