Knocks echoed on my door.

“Sir Feyt,” a familiar, gentle voice called. “It’s me, Eliza.”

Oh, breakfast time?

With no hesitation, I jumped off my bed with the speed of a cat hearing their owner pouring out its food. With nothing much to do, food was becoming more of an acceptable pastime as things went on. I opened the door to see Eliza, who was holding an envelope with the care of a merchant with their gold.

“Morning, Miss Eliza!”

“Good morning as well!” She replied with beaming a smile. She bowed slightly, then offered the envelope towards me with both hands. “A letter arrived for you just moments ago.”

Curious, I took it and flipped it over. Yep, it was from the village.

But how? Already? The letter I sent should’ve arrived just yesterday. It would at least take three days to get a courier from there to here, since they had more than one village to stop by.

“Also, Sir Feyt,” Eliza continued, tilting her head in that polite, maid-like way. “There’s a guest here to see you. In fact, she’s the one who handed us the letter.”

“A guest?”

Something clicked in my head, dots connecting themselves.

A guest who wanted to see me, who coincidentally was the one who delivered the letter.

It’s not her… is it?

“She’s waiting in the drawing room,” Eliza added. “The Duke has given permission for you to meet her there.”

The drawing room? Usually, the only stuff that was allowed there were welcoming esteemed guests, interviewing potential students, a place to hold my lessons, and such more. It was definitely not a room to welcome her.

So, it’s not her after all…

—

…not.

Sitting in the drawing room was a woman tapping her foot like a war drum impatiently while humming a familiar yet off-key tune.

She turned. Her eyes lit up like she’d spotted prey. I didn’t even have time to close the door.

“Oh! Feyt!”

“Fray, good to see—”

Before I could finish, she launched herself across the velvet couch like a missile and pulled me into one of her signature bear hugs.

Once again, I couldn’t breathe.

I already braced myself the moment I saw her, so it didn’t take me by surprise like the last time.

“Thank goodness you’re alright! When I saw the letter you sent Mom and Dad, I rushed here as fast as I could!”

“Y-Yeah… That tracks…” I groaned, the air in my lungs minimal as it was being squeezed.

After a while, she released her death trap and allowed me to breathe. I stumbled back, gasping silently for air. When my lungs were finally out of harm’s way, I was finally allowed to think.

She hadn’t changed at all.

Her clothes were the same traveling garb she always wore. Leather cloak torn at the edge, mud-scratched boots tied tightly, a heavy bag sat near the couch she sat on moments ago. Although it wasn’t exactly dirty or messy, her clothes still made her look like a rogue mercenary. It contrasted heavily with the pristine interior of the drawing room, but… that contrast just made me feel at home.

“Why are you here, Fray?” I asked, rubbing my ribs. “I thought you were still out running errands?”

“I was. But do you know how panicked everyone got back home when we read that letter of yours?”

“Really? I… thought I left most parts of it out.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You sure?”She raised an eyebrow at that. “You said, and I quote, ‘There was an incident, I had to stay in the infirmary for a few days, but everything’s fine now.’ Do you know what kind of panic that wording gives?!”

Okay… fair.

“Besides, I finished my errands early,” she said, plopping back down onto the couch as if it was hers. “I was back home for a week now when your letter showed up.”

So it really was just timing.

I couldn’t help but notice the warmth that was creeping in my chest. I hadn’t realized just how much I had missed her. Though I know everyone was okay already, it felt like I hadn’t truly relaxed until I saw her.

Fray glanced left, then right, then she cupped a hand near her mouth as her voice dropped low. “By the way, what’s up with the people here?”

“What do you mean?” I said, not bothered to match her tone.

“Well, I walked up to the front gate after asking around, and when I told them I wanted to deliver a letter, those two knights immediately surrounded me with swords half-drawn!”

I flinched. Surely, she had a mirror in that bag of hers.

There was no way our house could let someone dressed in like that just waltz in or hand things over without an inspection.

“It spooked me so much, I almost pulled out my stick,” she whispered to herself.

I wouldn’t even dare question what she meant by the stick.

“So… how did you get in?”

“Oh, yeah. Carine’s dad let me in.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Duh,” she nodded, her face blank as if it was a matter of course. “He knew me, right? So when we met each other at the gate, he immediately let me in and told me to wait for you here.” She turned away, scratching her cheek lightly. “He did ask a lot of questions, though…”

…

Before long, Fray and I were embroiled in a conversation. I sat on the couch opposite of hers, I mean, not that the couch was hers or anything. The small table in-between us had a tea set, a fully filled teapot, and a plate full of cookies. Eliza had brought them in earlier. Although I was about to insist that we were fine, I was cut off by Fray, who immediately plopped three cookies down the gullet.

In the end, Eliza left the room to give us some family time.

“So,” she started, folding her hands behind her head. “What happened, exactly?”

“Hm?”

She squinted and nearly pouted. “You know. That incident.”

Ah. Right.

“It was an attack on the mansion… A lot of people were hurt.”

I heard her breath hitch, her breathing rhythm disrupted for a moment. “So, did they get caught?”

I shook my head. “No. I almost had him, too, but he slipped away with some sort of scroll that teleported him away.”

“Teleport…?”

“Yeah,” I continued. “He was gone in the blink of an eye. We—I mean, I… collapsed from exhaustion right after.”

Fray didn’t respond right away. She leaned back again, this time more rigidly. Her hand idly tapped the couch’s edge in a steady rhythm, her lips drawn into a neutral line. It was as if she was taking this seriously.

“That’s the thing with scumbags. They’re cowards.” She adjusted her legs as her eyes glared into nothing. “The moment they get in a pinch, they’ll either beg for their lives or run away with all their might, letting their pride trickle down like tears along the way.”

The way she spoke… it was as if she spoke from firsthand experience. Knowing her, it might actually be true.

I didn’t comment. I could feel the tension in her shoulders, even as she tried to act laid-back. But then, almost abruptly, she pointed at my chest.

“Hey. Where’s the necklace?”

“Huh?”

“The one I gave you. For your birthday. Remember?”

“Oh.”

That necklace.

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling… peckish.

“I, uh… don’t wear it often,” I said, trying to smile it off. “I didn’t want it damaged from all the training and all.”

She stared at me. Like, really

stared at me. If her eyes were a knife, they would already have split me and the wall behind me in half.

Her eyes narrowed for one more moment before she let out a heavy sigh. “Please tell me you at least gave the other half to her.”

My breath hitched. The other pair was included in the same box, and she had specifically told me to gift it to Carine when I had the chance.

The problem was, I technically did gift it to myself. And I would rather not tell her that. I could practically hear the ideas echoing inside her mind.

“…No, I haven’t,” I lied as naturally as I breathed. At least, that was what I wanted to think.

But, it would seem she bought it.

She groaned, throwing her head back.

“Ughhhh, you’re a dense one, you know that?”

“What?”

Talk about an instant slander.

“Why did I bother spending so much for an artifact if you’re just gonna sit on it like it’s a chair?!”

“Hey, I didn’t sit on it—Wait, did you say artifact?”

“Ah.”

Time paused. She blinked a few times. Then her face shifted away.

“W-Well, I mean. I meant that… Uhh…”

I leaned forward, hands on the table. “Wait, seriously, tell me! Are those necklaces really artifacts?!”

Even without Carine’s eyes, I could see a single bead of sweat dropping down the side of her face. Her eyes flicked around for a while, as if looking for an answer. Then… her shoulders dropped.

“Look… just keep it close, alright? There’s more to that necklace than you think. But it only works if both people are wearing it at the same time.”

That’s… the first time I’m hearing of it!

“W-Wha does it do?”

A wide, all-too-familiar smirk crept onto her face. “You’re gonna have to find that out yourself!”

My eyes widened. “Don’t tell me, it’s a self-destruct necklace?!”

“What?! No! Why would I buy something like that?!”

Well, true. But with Fray, you couldn’t really know what to expect.

But still…

Those necklaces… Did they really have powers? I remembered wearing it as Carine for the party, heck, it was the reason why I handed it there in the first place. I didn’t feel any different, I think. But as Fray said, it won’t activate until both of us wear it at the same time…

I switched my focus to Carine, eyeing the jewelry box sitting at the desk. Inside, the necklace I had given myself, the other half of Fray’s gift.

Should I… try it?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep