It had been four days since everything went down.

The whole estate had gone kind of quiet since then. Everyone involved, or even those who weren’t, were still trying to gain some kind of normalcy after everything. After the Saint—Lady Clara—left, I soon realized the carnage extended beyond the dance hall. I noticed the countless faces of butlers and maids in the infirmary with us. Including… Eliza.

Apparently, after Mother broke through the rusted bars and took out the knights guarding her, she searched the whole house for me, Carine. Every servant who came across her either tried to calm her down or try to block her way. And that… was how the mansion’s infirmary was packed to the brim with butlers and maids.

They weren’t as badly hurt as the ones in the dance hall, though. Even under that state, Mother still knew to hold back… And that was what terrified me. She was still, in a way, herself. But it was twisted by an utterly distorted belief. When she finally reached the dance hall, her mind was twisted so much, she didn’t even realize she was hurting us until the end.

I already figured that bastard had a way of controlling others through his words. It was clear with how distorted and disorienting his words were when he tried convincing me to talk things out.

That was a Talent, I was sure of it. Which is more of a reason for me to be frustrated with myself. How could I let such a dangerous person walk away? For the past three days, at least once, the thought that I could’ve done more crossed my mind, and it would linger for hours.

But I wasn’t going to accomplish anything by lamenting.

I needed to focus on what I could do at the moment.

As I mentioned before, things had gone quiet. Most of the staff were resting in their rooms, recovering at their own pace. A few of the tougher and luckier knights were already back to work, patrolling around more aware than ever, while others took the opportunity to request a break, which Father gave without a question.

Leila was still bedridden, though. After I was allowed to walk around—in a way—as Carine, I visited Leila a few times, to help keep her from being bored out of her mind. Compared to her past self, she flashed a small but faint smile a lot more often. If she could do it, perhaps Carine could too.

As for me?

I was fine… half fine, actually.

Feyt’s body recovered in about… a day? I was pretty much able to sprint around whenever I wanted if I wanted to. But the doctors insisted I stay for another day, probably just in case this was one of those “suddenly healthy before death” kind of thing.

It didn’t help that I spent the entire second day wondering if he was right. Thankfully, he wasn’t.

Now that it was the third day, I was discharged but was told by the doctor to limit any activities for now, which was understandable. I moved out of the infirmary just as the others were moved into their own rooms for recuperation.

Now… about Carine.

Like Feyt, she was allowed by the doctor to walk around. But it was less of a “Yeah, you’re good. Be careful though!” kind of way, but more of a “Yeah, you might need to learn how to walk again.”

The pain on my chest, my thighs, and my back was still there. It wasn’t as prominent, but boy, do I feel like a grandma walking around like this.

I walked around mostly just to stretch my legs as the doctor ordered, and would visit Leila every few hours or so. Other than that, I also visited the library, but weirdly, I wasn’t in any mood to flip pages. After finishing two or three books, I left the library out of apathy and hadn’t visited since.

I wasn’t sure what to do with myselves beyond that.

That lingering sense of “what the hell do I do now?” kept bothering me. My bodies were still affected by that tragedy, both physically and mentally. I wasn’t sure if we would even go back to training this month.

Then…

It came.

The news I had been waiting for.

A knock on Carine’s door. It was sharp and urgent.

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“W-Who is it?” I said, lifting my aching body off my bed.

“I-It’s me, Lady Carine! Ressa!”

Ressa?

As one of the maids who weren’t hurt too badly by Mother, I noticed she had taken it upon herself to help around the estate. As a result, she had always looked a bit too tired or restless these past few days.

But… I had a feeling that trembling in her voice wasn’t from sprinting around, even if that was a factor.

I opened the door cautiously, peeking out before opening it fully for Ressa. Ressa didn’t waste a single second.

“Lady Carine, the Duchess is awake! S-She wants to see you,” she said, really forcing herself not to wipe the sweat off her brow.

I sighed in relief.

I gave a nod and had her lead the way.

—

At around the same time, Feyt’s door was knocked as well.

“Kid—Ehem, I mean, Sir Feyt?”

“What is it, Anton?” I said, not bothered to even face the door as I lay on my bed.

“W-Well, I have an order. Can we speak face-to-face?”

I raised an eyebrow, flicking a wild side-eye to the door. When did Anton get so timid? Where was that smug voice? That flamboyant, almost brattish tone that carried with every syllable? It creeped me out, to be honest.

Now he talked like he was scared of breathing wrong.

I reluctantly got off my bed and opened the door for him. He greeted me with… a wide…almost genuine smile that chilled me to my very bones.

“Sir Feyt. Lady Reyna has awoken, and she has summoned you. Would you please follow me to her chambers?”

—

I was making my way through the hallways from both ends. Being led by Ressa as Carine, and by Anton as Feyt. Both of my faces were scrunched up from the tension of meeting Mother, and also a healthy dose of confusion.

I understood why Mother wanted to see Carine. But why Feyt? Could she have summoned Feyt to say sorry personally? I wondered. But I had a feeling this was something more than just that.

…

Carine had arrived first, with Feyt arriving seconds later. Before long, I was standing in Father and Mother’s bedroom. The room was dark, the high-grade Luminite lanterns toned down by a significant amount. The room was quiet, the walls echoing only four breaths.

Both of myselves.

Father, who sat on a chair beside the bed, was across from us.

And Mother, who sat upright, holding her head low. Though I can see her face clearly as Carine, the window made Mother appear only as a silhouette in Feyt’s eyes.

“Mother… Are you alright?” I took the initiative to break the awkward silence.

She didn’t answer.

Father looked at her with worry, silent as well.

Then, she opened her mouth.

“Carine… Have I… hurt you?”

My breaths hitched, the pain lingering on my thigh popping up at the worst time. I wasn’t sure if I should be honest or give a white lie. But just as I was hesitating, she let out a small… single scoff.

“Your silence told me everything.” She raised her head up, facing the still, glowless chandelier hanging above the center of the room. “I hurt you. I hurt you and everyone with my own hands. I need to accept that as truth.”

I opened my mouth to say no. She’s wrong. She hasn’t hurt me. She wasn’t herself. All of that, or any versions of that.

But… a part of me wasn’t sure if I could just lie to her like that. Especially after a lie led her to this path.

Moments later, Mother faced the balcony windows. She took a deep breath. That was when I noticed that her hands were digging into her own blanket, trembling.

“I have to admit. That man was right.”

Both of my heads tilted down in confusion.

“I thought I could protect you, Carine. That I alone would be enough to keep you safe. From anything. From anyone. But ever since that day, ever since you were kidnapped… I noticed time and time again, I had no one to blame but myself.”

Mother’s voice was calm, almost serene. But her trembling hands, the slight sound of her gritting teeth… They all told me otherwise.

“When that man approached me… he aimed for that weakness. The doubt that I could protect you, to be the only one to help you grow until you could stand on your own. That doubt was amplified day by day as incident after incident happened. In the end, I broke. I fell into desperation and wanted a way out, the easy way out…”

Mother turned to face me, but before she could do so fully… she hesitated, then held her head low, breathing out slowly. “I realized now… I am weak. I cannot protect you by myself. No one can. I will not always be by your side, and I accepted that truth far too late.”

She finally lifted her head, and this time, her eyes were clear and forward as they turned towards me… Feyt.

“But you…” she said, her voice shifting slightly. “You were there for her… Not once did you step away, even when you had the chance.”

I instinctively took a step back, pointing at myself. “M-Me?”

She nodded slowly. “I remember it all. The entire fight. I remembered how I was blinded, confused by my own thoughts… I remembered Carine’s expression, fierce and determined to stop me. But most of all, I remembered you….” She lifted her hand, pointing straight at Feyt. “Every strike I threw. Every opening I made. Both of you worked so seamlessly together, it was… mesmerizing.” Mother flashed a small, gentle smile.

I didn’t think my fighting style would get that kind of reaction. I didn’t have a chance to look at myselves fighting, I merely followed the flow. But were our movements really that mesmerizing? I wondered.

But my train of thought was cut short.

“I acknowledge it, Feyt,” Mother said, her tone calmer and more… herself. “I thought the story of you saving her at the cave was a lie. But after seeing—No, facing—your resolve myself… I have no choice but to admit that I was wrong about you.”

I felt both of my bodies stiffen, unsure of how to react to the sudden praise.

“That’s why… I will grant you your wish,” she said, retracting her hand. Her grip on her blankets softened as her breathing turned calm.

“From this day forward, I will be the one to train you… personally, so that you may one day be worthy to stand beside my daughter.”

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