[Why are you suddenly pulling your hair out?]
"There are times like that in life."
[What does that even mean? You've gone strange, Master.]
"Someone like you, who only understands the satisfaction of killing, wouldn't get it."
[Hey, that's just my nature, alright?]
Echi ignored the grumbling and got up from bed. The diligent Alice had already left for early morning training.
She opened her wardrobe and considered the day's dress. After rummaging through the options, she pulled out one with sheer lace fabric layered over a deep purple lining.
"I'll need summer dresses soon. I should ask to have some sent from home."
Maybe she should go shopping too — fashion trends must have shifted. What boutiques were there in Azenka? The thought crossed her mind while she was pulling on her stockings, and then she stopped.
She was thinking about shopping. Naturally, casually, like it was an ordinary thing to do. How many years had it been since she'd thought like that?
Come to think of it, she had also grown used to lingering in bed after waking. Before — in the years she had erased — sleep had been nothing more than closing her eyes for a moment. Even right after returning, lying idle had felt unbearable.
Echi lifted her head and looked into the mirror. A twenty-year-old woman looked back at her. She draped on the petticoat, tightened the corset, and kept her eyes on her reflection.
The eldest daughter of the Roaz family. A young countess who loved beautiful things and enjoyed dressing up. No longer an unnamed demon of the cursed sword — Echinacea Roaz.
At some point, the self she had lost after being consumed by the cursed sword had come back.
But she hadn't reverted to the ignorant girl she had been before. She had changed — enormously.
If something could be obtained through effort, she had learned to throw everything at it. She had mastered restraint and patience. Even in moments of fury, she trained herself to keep part of her mind cold. The way she saw people had shifted. She had become more honest, and more guarded.
Through those years, she had barely slept. Rarely felt happiness. She had lived only for her goal, never allowing herself anything beyond bare survival. She had witnessed terrible things and done things that bordered on unforgivable.
Had she not done all of it, she would never have been able to gather the scattered Giosa in just nine years after Azenka's fall.
She had been transformed, down to her bones, down to the depths of her soul. And yet — she hadn't forgotten how to be happy. She hadn't lost herself entirely.
Now that her long-parched heart had found room to breathe, things that had been lost were returning to her.
She wanted things again. Enjoyed things. Desired things. She laughed more. Since coming back, she had smiled more times than in the entire nine years before.
Not everything was resolved. New problems had appeared. She was still learning things she hadn't known. The future held countless variables, and she still didn't know what to do with the feeling she had finally put a name to.
But even so — the present was so much better than the past she had erased. Echi smiled faintly as she pinned a jeweled clip into her hair.
'I should set aside time to go shopping. Who should I go with? Nicole hates shopping. Would Alice like it? What about Senior Fatima?'
Going with them would surely be fun. The mere thought of it made it hard to stop smiling while she applied her makeup.
Then, as she finished and stood up, another thought surfaced.
'What kinds of styles does Yurien like?'
The moment she realized what she was thinking, her face went hot with embarrassment.
The emotions she had suppressed for so long had finally bloomed, and they were too sweet and tender to control. Her heart swelled wildly, refusing to be contained.
She imagined him calling her pretty, the way she had said it to him.
"Uwaa. Uwaaa…"
She made a strange noise and covered her face with both hands. Her face turned bright red. She fanned herself and stomped in place until she felt more like a person.
Then her gaze fell on the black mark on her right palm. Always there. A stain left by nightmares.
Echi's expression went cold in an instant. The heat that had rushed to her face vanished. She stared at the evidence of the cursed sword in silence.
[Why are you staring? Something to say?]
"No, just…"
She picked up a pair of deep purple silk gloves, matching the dress, and pulled them on. The mark disappeared beneath them. A long-held breath left her.
Her reflection caught her eye in the mirror. Echinacea Roaz — polished, composed, concealing the demon of the cursed sword.
'All of Yurien's expressions — they were meant for Echinacea Roaz.'
At the birthday banquet, he had said he noticed her. He had called it personal interest. Setting aside the situation with his engagement and everything surrounding it — if she only considered his attitude toward her — 'Echinacea Roaz' might have a chance.
She did not dare wish for it. She must not.
But she didn't want him to find out. Never. With a desperation that bordered on obsession.
She was more afraid of watching his expression change — the moment he knew — than she was of being hunted for possessing the cursed sword. She couldn't explain that with logic. She simply felt it.
Echi tightened her right hand and left the room.
She visited Nicole, who was staying at the Order's headquarters. When she told her she would be leaving the next morning on a long mission with Commander Yurien, Nicole pushed up her monocle in disbelief.
"At this time, a long-term mission? More than a week? Up to a month?"
"Mm-hm."
"That's absurd. If anyone understands the current situation most clearly, it should be him. How can he just leave instead of making a decision?"
Nicole ran a hand through her hair, frowning.
"Echi, haven't you heard anything? What exactly is he going for?"
"He wouldn't tell me the mission details."
"…Hah."
"Anyway — both the Commander and I will be away from Azenka starting tomorrow. I'll leave things in your hands, unni."
"Don't worry about Lady Diassant. I'll handle it… Actually, the Commander assigned a Giosa owner as her personal guard today. That's likely connected to why he had to leave."
"Which owner?"
"Dame Teresa. Sir Baron is a man, and also the vice-commander, so Dame Teresa was the better choice."
The engagement was one thing, but if Lady Diassant were killed, the imperial family might use it as leverage to press Yurien even further. Knowing the lady would be protected by Teresa brought Echi a measure of relief.
That was the rational part of her thinking.
Beneath it, an emotional question was forming — what kind of person was Lady Diassant? What was the nature of her relationship with Yurien? Before she could ask, she redirected herself.
"Hey, unni."
"Yeah?"
"In your opinion — who do you think planted the cursed sword? The Second Prince's faction, or the Crown Prince's?"
"…Even if we find out, what can we do about it?"
"We still need to know. We can't just live without knowing who tried to destroy us."
Echi's tone was calm, but there was something chilling beneath it. Nicole was quiet for a moment before answering slowly.
"Honestly, I think the Second Prince's faction is more likely. But I can't be certain — there's no proof. Everything I've told you is based on what I've gathered from inside the Mage Tower, from the wizards, and from the state of the capital. To find out more, we'd have to investigate the imperial palace directly."
"No. Don't go near the palace. That's too dangerous."
If they were caught investigating the imperial family, it would mean treason. Far too risky. Echi did not want to lose Nicole again.
There were other ways to investigate. But a person lost once could never come back.
She smiled slightly.
"I think this is far enough. Thank you, unni."
"No need to thank me."
Nicole shook her head and leaned tiredly into her chair. In a drained voice:
"If I found out who planted the cursed sword in Roaz, I wasn't planning to let them go either. But now I can't find out, and I can't do anything about it. All we can do is be careful to avoid further danger. I'm sorry, Echi."
"You have nothing to apologize for. It's because of you that I know all of this. And I know you're already doing your best — even taking on the responsibility of protecting Lady Diassant. So please — be careful too."
Echi gently placed her hand over Nicole's where it rested on the table. Nicole flinched slightly, looking down at where their hands touched, then murmured:
"You've really changed."
"Is it strange?"
"No. I always thought of you as a kid, but now… somehow…"
Nicole studied Echi's face. She had lost weight, making her look more delicate rather than stronger — yet she no longer seemed like someone who needed protection. Looking into those vivid violet eyes, Nicole felt an odd sense of reassurance.
Was it because she had become the master of the cursed sword? Had that changed her this much? If so, it was a rather bitter thought.
"…You've grown up, Echinacea Roaz."
"Of course. I've even had my coming-of-age ceremony."
"I thought you'd need at least five more years to mature."
Echi pouted at the teasing, which made Nicole burst into laughter. For a while, they set aside the heavy topics and just talked.
After lunch together, Echi borrowed an item from Nicole and left. She had already told Alice last night; the next person to update was Fatima — she needed to let her know in advance that she'd be missing club meetings for a while.
Echi crossed the Order's headquarters and headed toward the academy. But before she could leave the building, she walked into a familiar figure in the corridor.
"It's been a while, Echi."
"Senior Baraha."
The first time they had met since the appointment ceremony. She had been bedridden afterward, then busy with club meetings. Now that she was an official squire, she no longer attended preliminary squire training, so there was no regular reason to run into him.
Baraha looked her over and smiled faintly.
"Recovered from the illness?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you."
"I wanted to visit at least once, but the Lord has been working me into the ground."
He sighed. His tired tone made her glance at him properly. Dark circles under his eyes. A towering pile of documents tucked under his arm.
Given his size, she hadn't noticed at first — but if she had been the one holding them, they would have blocked her entire field of vision.
Echi stared at the mountain of papers with an overwhelmed expression.