It wasn't easy at all to convince the assembled military officers of the risky plan, but after Arvid meticulously laid out the entire strategy with all its contingencies and safeguards, they eventually and reluctantly agreed to proceed. The meeting somehow concluded without any bigger incidents or major disagreements arising later, though the tension had been palpable throughout.
After that extended military session finally ended, Arvid and I had a quiet dinner together, just the two of us. Even during that peaceful meal, I could see that he looked like he desperately wanted to say something important but kept seeming to decide against voicing it. He would open his mouth, then close it again, clearly conflicted.
"What is it?" I finally asked when I couldn't ignore his obvious internal struggle anymore. "Just say whatever you're thinking."
At my direct question, he looked at me somewhat stiffly, then nervously wet his lips with his tongue before finally speaking. "Is there something wrong?" he asked cautiously, then immediately hurried to interrupt his own question before I could answer. "I mean, you've been physically clinging to me and following me around literally the whole day. It's not that I dislike it at all—please don't think that. It's just unusual for you and I'm concerned—"
He was starting to babble nervously.
I let out a heavy sigh. Now I had made him worry about me unnecessarily. That hadn't been my intention at all.
"I'm sorry," I told him in a low, somewhat ashamed voice. He fell silent, carefully taking in my words and waiting for me to elaborate.
"I was being paranoid and irrational," I admitted honestly, still not looking up at him. "I was suddenly so afraid of what would happen if I were to lose you. The fear just overwhelmed me completely and I acted without thinking clearly. It must have been difficult and strange for you too, having me shadow you all day."
I had been genuinely unstable emotionally, acting without real judgment on how to properly handle things, responding only to my turbulent emotions rather than logic.
"There's absolutely nothing for you to be sorry about," Arvid said firmly, his voice warm and reassuring. "It's actually the complete opposite. I'm genuinely so thankful that you care about me enough to worry, that you want to be near me."
He paused, then added more vulnerably, "For the longest time I honestly thought my love was entirely one-sided, unrequited. I mean, you still technically haven't given me a direct answer to my confession back—"
I had to interrupt him before he could finish that incorrect statement.
"I did give you my answer," I told him clearly, finally looking up to meet his eyes. "It was back in Gorei castle, after the trial."
He looked at me completely dumbfounded, clearly having no memory of this.
"No, you didn't—" he started to protest.
"De Yeras Oepe," I said the phrase clearly. "Do you remember me saying that to you?"
His expression shifted as he clearly did remember hearing those foreign words, though he obviously hadn't understood their meaning at the time. It had been right after Yasmine was caught and executed, when he had told me the tragic story about the Dergu peoples misdeeds.
I let out another sigh at his continued confusion.
"It's in the Ancient Mitul language," I explained. "The translation to Arthia is…" I paused, gathering my courage. "I love you."
---
I had to excuse myself immediately after that confession, practically fleeing from the room as if running away from my own words. Arvid didn't chase after me—he was far too shocked and stunned to even think of pursuing me. And honestly, I didn't want him to follow anyway. I needed space to process my own mortification.
I had gone to bed much earlier that night than usual, essentially trying to sleep off the crushing embarrassment I felt. I genuinely didn't even understand why acknowledging and voicing one's own feelings out loud felt so much more intimidating and vulnerable than even the physical intimacy of mixing flesh together. It made no logical sense, but the emotional truth of it was undeniable.
I wanted desperately to talk to Aiona about these confusing feelings, but she had been oddly and completely silent ever since she had told me she would show me what had happened in her traumatic past life. Every single call I made to her consciousness went entirely unanswered, met only with silence. It was weird and somewhat concerning, but there was nothing I could do about it. It simply was what it was.
I was far too excited and anxious about what Aiona would show me to fall asleep naturally, despite my physical exhaustion. So I resorted to the old childhood method of counting the visible stars I could see through the opened balcony window, letting the repetitive mental task slowly lull me into sleep.
---
Suddenly, without any transition, I was awake. As my eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness surrounding me, the first thing I saw was an absolutely massive chandelier suspended above the bed I was lying in. It was constructed entirely from gleaming gold and clear crystals, and it caught and reflected the warm sunshine streaming in through tall windows—creating beautiful iridescent rainbow shadows that danced on the other side of the massive white room.
This definitely wasn't my room. I had clearly woken up in someone else's chamber. But whose room was this? And more strangely, the body I currently inhabited sat up in the bed completely on its own, without any command or intention from me. It was moving independently, doing things on its own. I felt exactly like a passive observer, just seeing through its eyes and experiencing its sensations—just like I had experienced back in Gorei when I saw the world through Arvid's body.
After I looked down, my gaze fell on the deep brown skin of the hands resting on the white sheets. That's when I knew definitively whose body I was currently inhabiting. This was Aiona's body, her physical form when she had been alive.
"You are awake, Mistress," a gentle, melodious female voice suddenly spoke from somewhere behind me.
I—we—turned around to see the owner of that pleasant voice. A warm, affectionate feeling immediately filled my borrowed heart at the sight of the girl standing there. She had beautiful brown skin and wore a style of dress I had never seen before in any region I'd visited. The garment felt distinctly ancient and old-fashioned, from a time long past.
The top part of the dress was cleverly made by crossing two pieces of fabric against each other in an X pattern—somewhat similar to certain Chang'an clothing styles I'd seen, but executed as a much simpler, more practical version. The skirt portion flowed freely and comfortably. Her dark hair was braided in one simple, neat braid that fell down her back.
"Yana," Aiona's deep, distinctive voice replied with obvious happiness and genuine warmth. "You're already back from visiting your family? I didn't expect you to return so soon."
Aiona's body stood up from the bed and walked directly toward the young servant girl.
"Yes, Mistress," the girl called Yana looked up and told Aiona with a sincere smile. "I didn't want to impose on them any longer than necessary. They have their own lives and responsibilities. So I've returned to my duties here."
"Welcome back, then," Aiona said warmly, returning the smile. Then, to my absolute shock, she stepped forward and hugged the girl affectionately.
That casual, warm interaction was dramatically different from the Aiona that I knew and had come to understand. The version of Aiona I knew was often arrogant, deeply distrustful of humans in general, and maintained strict emotional distance. This version of Aiona standing before me was friendly, warm, and openly affectionate—completely alien to my experience of her personality.
The scenery suddenly changed around me without warning. Now we were standing in what appeared to be a busy port. There were several large ships visible on the distant horizon, and several more currently docked at the port itself. One vessel had already completely unloaded its cargo of goods, and numerous workers and ship crew members bustled about energetically, hurrying the unloading process along.
"Did we really have to come out here ourselves, Mistress?" the girl Yana asked from beside Aiona, sounding slightly concerned. "Surely you could have sent—"
Aiona's body turned toward her servant and patted her head affectionately, almost like a mother would comfort a child.
"Well, this particular shipment comes all the way from the western kingdoms," Aiona explained with obvious determination in her voice. "And the last time I sent Garam to acquire something valuable for me, he disappointed me greatly with his absolutely shallow taste and poor judgment. Because of his incompetence, I almost lost that beautiful chandelier you saw in my room to another buyer. I can't let that happen again. This time I'm inspecting the shipment with my own eyes to choose properly."
"But His Majesty the King said you shouldn't—" Yana started to protest, clearly concerned about propriety or safety.
"Oh look, it seems like they're almost done unloading!" Aiona interrupted excitedly, clearly not wanting to hear about whatever the king had said. "Let's go down there now!"
She grabbed the surprised girl's hand enthusiastically and started running down toward the port from their elevated vantage point, pulling Yana along.
As soon as Aiona slowed her pace and approached the busy merchants more sedately, they immediately recognized who she was. Every single merchant and worker instantly fell to their knees as if worshipping a living deity, their heads bowed low in reverence.
"We welcome you, Mistress of the Night!" they proclaimed in perfect unison, their voices carrying awe and devotion.