"Lisbeth."
No response.
"Lisbeth."
The second time, her maid had to touch her arm.
She blinked, as if returning from somewhere very far away.
"Sorry… with everything that's been happening lately… I suppose I'm just tired. So many people on our side were working with the Lumen Cult… I wonder what the gods think of all this."
"They will understand, my lady. I don't believe they would doubt your devotion."
"That's not it. I've tried asking them if they know who was behind this, but even they don't seem to know—or they don't want to speak about it. I'm afraid… afraid that something will ruin everything we've been planning all these years."
"You shouldn't be alarmed. If the gods haven't said anything, it means everything is still as it should be."
…
Gods… a term that can refer to those who reached the pinnacle of power—or perhaps surpassed it. Whenever one visits a world, even when cultivation exists, that word always appears: those who break all boundaries. And this remote planet, far from the center of the universe, had its own version of them.
For Cassian, who had met many who called themselves that in the past—only to end up dying by his hand—they were nothing new. But that this world had its own… well, I suppose that was to be expected, given the presence of a clergy.
…
Days had passed since the incident in the Academy's dining hall; rumors spread everywhere, reaching the ears of certain interested parties.
"Your Majesty, I've heard that the marquis's daughter seems to have grown closer to her fiancé. We thought she would only use him as a shield, but if she's changing her mind…"
"It will change nothing. We have already made an agreement with Lucratis: my son will marry one of their princesses. We will become allied empires, and the war will not happen."
"Besides, he does not want Cassane for anything romantic. However, if she were to lose her purity, it could become problematic. Make sure that does not happen."
…
Cassian raised his arms, yawning, but quickly froze when he noticed the person standing in front of him.
Margery was glaring at him, as if he had committed an unforgivable offense.
He looked back at her, confused; he didn't remember doing anything recently that could have upset her this much.
"An hour!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. "We were supposed to go with Elric and Rosalind to receive Father and the others. But between your maid, who won't even let me get near you, and you, who seem to have completely forgotten… I don't know what's worse."
"Right, Alexandro's arrival," he murmured, scratching the back of his neck with a lazy smile. "I guess time passed too quickly, and before I knew it, it was already time."
Margery let out a sigh of pure frustration and grabbed his arm, dragging him down the hallway.
"Less excuses and get ready! Elric is already at the main gate trying to look important in front of the knights, and Rose won't stop throwing jabs at us if we arrive after her."
…
When we reached the gate, we quickly spotted Elric waiting. It seemed the potion he bought at the auction had helped him reach the Fourth Circle, though his rush to stand out would likely lead to stagnation in the future.
Fortunately, we didn't have to listen to him, as Rosalind arrived shortly after; she looked much more rested than the last time we saw her.
"Let's go," she said. "Father mentioned they've already settled into a residence belonging to the Windsteel Marquisate. It seems Cedric arranged it for them."
Hearing that was a small surprise, but considering our county was within their lands—and that we were, technically, going to become family—I suppose it was to be expected.
When we arrived, some of the staff welcomed us and escorted us to a room where part of the family that owned this body was gathered.
"Cassian!" the little girl shouted excitedly.
Bethany, her twin pigtails bouncing at her sides, jumped to her feet and ran toward me as soon as she saw me. I lifted her into the air with the same enthusiasm.
"How have you been, little one?" I asked with a smile. "I hope you didn't behave too well during the trip—that wouldn't be good."
I said it knowing my words weren't exactly appropriate, but in a world suffocated by labels and noble etiquette, the last thing I wanted was for Bethany to turn into another Elric.
She let out a small giggle, hiding her face against my shoulder.
Alexandro ignored our brief interaction and immediately turned to his firstborn.
"Elric, you've reached the Fourth Circle at just twenty years old—you are truly worthy of being my heir."
My father had been stuck in the Fifth Circle for a long time, so seeing two of his children seemingly close to surpassing him filled him with obvious pride. Meanwhile, Eleanor did not seem pleased with what I had said to Bethany, but she did not dare oppose it openly.
"Do you love Cassian so much, Beth, that you forget your older sister, whom you haven't seen in so long?" Rosalind suddenly interjected, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
Since they shared the same mother, Rosalind clearly expected little Bethany to see her as the closest family, unlike the cold relationship they had with Elric.
The little girl, still hiding her face against my shoulder, tensed at the sound of that voice and immediately asked to be put down.
"Big sister!" she exclaimed, jumping into another embrace.
All traces of dissatisfaction vanished instantly from Rosalind's face at that.
"The main banquet will be on Friday night. You may attend the festival in the days before, but I expect everyone to be present and not do anything that could endanger our family's honor."
Elric nodded proudly, while the rest of us listened in silence.
We chatted for a while about the upcoming event—mostly etiquette matters and the schedules we were expected to follow.
We would be staying there overnight, but before dinner, I made sure to step outside to get some fresh air.
These gatherings always left me with a complicated feeling. In my previous life, I never truly had a family—much less sisters who cared about me. I was born with responsibilities from the very beginning, and expectations that only grew heavier with time.
It was then that a voice, breaking the silence of the night, startled me.
"Taking a breather?"
Cassane Windsteel appeared behind me, those blue eyes of hers looking as if they could freeze you in place.
"You could say that. I didn't think you'd come as well," I replied indifferently.
"My father asked me to come check if you had settled in properly."
A lie—a very obvious one—but I didn't let it bother me. I didn't respond, and my silence didn't seem to please her.
"Are you going to ignore me?"
"Why did you really come here, Cassane?" I asked, tired.
"I really don't understand you, Cassian…" But she couldn't continue; the cold around her suddenly intensified.
A pained groan followed immediately. She, clearly accustomed to this, quickly took out a familiar object: the Frost Pearl. It seemed to suppress the symptoms slightly, barely stabilizing her.
"You should try letting the cold become part of you, Cassane. If you keep rejecting it, you'll only keep hurting yourself like this."
She frowned, visibly confused and irritated.
"And what do you know? If I do what you say, I'll freeze to death."
I remained silent.
"It's just advice. You don't have to follow it if you don't want to."
Her posture relaxed when she realized she had overreacted.
Then she seemed to remember the real reason she had come to the residence her father had arranged for us.
"The emperor's birthday is in a week. I'll ask my father to cancel our engagement after that," she said firmly. "I don't want to drag you into what comes next."
I opened my eyes in surprise.
"So you're not planning to use me anymore?" I caught myself in time, remembering I shouldn't know anything about Lucas, so I added, "Well, I suppose with Julius out of the picture, there won't be many suitors bold enough to bother you."
She fell silent, and for a moment, the coldness in her gaze seemed to falter.
"Would you go against an empire for the woman you love?" she whispered, almost inaudibly.
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I would do that—and more—for her."
She didn't seem to expect a response; her eyes grew misty, and she lowered her head, trying to hide it. Then, gathering herself, she forced a smile.
"Of course. It's obvious you would do that if you love someone."
It didn't take long for her to leave without looking back…
I remained there, watching the direction she had gone for quite some time, turning her words over in my mind. There was a time when I did things that bordered on madness for a woman—the same woman who died because of it.