The first thing Ciel saw when she opened her eyes was Eugene’s face. She simply blinked a few times when she saw how his eyes, which appeared indifferent at first glance, contained subtle concern.

“Was I in the way?” She spoke without thinking.

She didn’t know why she had been sleeping until now. Her memory had cut off at a strange point. She remembered Princess Scalia attacking in a frenzy, how Dior blocked her, and… how they had exchanged fierce blows with each other. Afterward, Dior had collapsed for unknown reasons, even though he hadn’t suffered any wounds. Then, Princess Scalia had raised her head and…

She didn’t remember what happened afterward. Nothing. She tried her best to remember, but it just wouldn’t come to her.

“No, you weren’t,” Eugene answered calmly.

“You’re lying,” Ciel accused.

She could see Cyan standing a little distance away when she turned her head. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was staring at the far side of the snowfield. She could see how his jaw and neck muscles were flexed because of how hard he was clenching his teeth. Ciel knew exactly what her brother was feeling right now, and she could sympathize with it.

The two of them were twins, and they had been born into the prestigious Lionheart family. The two were quite talented and skilled. The only problem was that they had been born into an era together with a monstrous talent. If they had been brought up normally without rushing and had never been caught up in unexpected, impossible events…

“You don’t need to be considerate,” said Ciel as she stood up. The Phantom Rain Sword Javel, which she had been holding right before she fell asleep, was resting in its sheath and hanging on her waist. Ciel couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Showing that kind of consideration only hurts me more. It’s fine. I already know how ridiculously strong you are.”

She had stubbornly insisted on crossing the snowfield with Eugene, never imagining that something dangerous would take place. After all, what could possibly threaten them? An ambush of monsters? That couldn’t be considered a threat, could it? Ciel and Cyan were sitting at Four Stars of the White Flame Formula, and even throughout the Lionheart’s long history, not many had reached Four Stars at the age of twenty-one. This was an undeniable fact.

It meant that they could pride themselves on how strong they were. So they mistakenly presumed their safety. Even forgetting the fact that Eugene was a literal monster, this journey couldn’t pose much of a threat to them. If a monster stood in their way, Ciel could simply swing her sword in his stead. She had been looking forward to hearing obvious compliments from Eugene, like, ‘Wow, you’ve improved a lot.’

“Wait a minute,” Eugene called out.

Ciel felt disgusted by herself. She knew exactly what kind of expression she was wearing now, but she couldn’t possibly predict her next change in facial expression. She wasn’t familiar with what she was feeling, and the same was true for her expression as well. So Ciel jerked around and turned her back to Eugene.

‘I’m pathetic.’

It had been sudden and unavoidable. It had been inevitable that Ciel was absolutely useless and helpless in that situation, that she had collapsed too quickly, serving only as an obstruction or a hindrance to Eugene. However, the proud lady of the Lionheart clan did not want to accept the inevitable fact. Her pride was hurt, and she felt absolutely humiliated.

She knew it was impossible for her to get ahead of Eugene, but she didn’t want to get in his way. Even if she couldn’t stand proudly by his side, she wanted to keep pace with him from behind. But what was this? This was far from keeping pace with him. Instead, she had only gotten in his way. She couldn’t stand herself for being so pathetic and weak.

“Ciel,” Eugene called out.

Unfortunately, Ciel wasn’t in a position to respond. She was so desperately trying to keep her wobbly lips under control that she didn’t even want to answer him. She felt her eyes quivering and her vision blurring, as well as her nose tingling.

“Don’t look at me. Don’t even come near me,” Ciel managed to say while suppressing her sniffles.

The more she thought about it, the more pathetic she felt. In fact, it was the first time in her life that she felt this miserable and helpless. Ciel approached Cyan while snuffing the shivering of her shoulders.

Cyan had opened his eyes a little earlier than her. He had already moved past the stage of despairing in humiliation and now was feeling enraged at his own weakness. Cyan removed his gaze from the other side of the snowfield and glanced at Ciel’s face. His sister was shedding tears with pursed lips.

As her older brother, he wanted to say something to cool or comfort her heart, but… he couldn’t. He was the same as her, unable to part his lips. He knew that he would only cry out in anger if he relinquished control of his mouth. In the end, Cyan only patted his sister’s shoulder without saying anything, but that was enough for his baby sister. Ciel sobbed silently for a while, and Cyan quenched his sadness and anger while clenching his teeth.

Eugene didn’t say anything to the twins. Had they held him back? He didn’t think so. It was essential to be mindful of who they had been against — Noir Giabella, the Queen of the Night Demons. She wasn’t an opponent with whom a battle could be fought in the first place, and even Eugene himself had not attempted to fight against her.

However, if they had been forced into a fight, Eugene couldn’t have left Ciel and Cyan unprotected, and Eugene didn’t try to deny this fact either. Even if they did not share any blood, they were siblings who had known each other for nearly ten years. Once the two of them somewhat regained their composure, Eugene explained what had happened. When the two heard about the Queen of the Night Demons, they couldn’t do much but stare with their jaws wide agape.

“So… Duke Noir Giabella… of Helmuth took control of Princess Scalia’s body to say hello?”

“Yes.”

“But it was all a joke?”

“That’s what she said, anyway. Well… it feels like… shit, but no one died, right? So it means that this really was just a joke for that crazy woman, nothing that could be considered significant.”

Eugene felt neither the heart to defend Noir Giabella nor the right reason. But he had to state the facts. Yes, it had been an offensive, incomprehensible act, but for Noir, this had been nothing more than a playful greeting.

“…She must have been quite curious about us. Why, the founder fought directly with the Queen of the Night Demons, and… you two are set to become the next head of the Lionheart family as the direct descendants,” said Eugene.

“You don’t have to say such words to make me feel better. The Queen of the Night Demons was here to see you,” Cyan said with a snort.

The world knew Eugene as the second coming of the Great Vermouth, and there was no way Cyan was oblivious to this fact. He chewed on his lips while experiencing complicated emotions.

“So…” Cyan said after taking a moment to cool himself off. “Was Duke Giabella satisfied after seeing you?”

“What?” asked Eugene.

“I asked if she was satisfied with you,” repeated Cyan.

He was staring at Eugene with calm eyes. Hidden deep beneath his gaze was a mixture of immaturity, humiliation from being disregarded, as well as resentment towards his own deficiencies. However, he was managing to hide his true, squirming emotions by taking on a dignified look.

“I’m not sure if she was satisfied, per se, but she did say she liked me,” Eugene answered smoothly.

“That’s enough,” said Cyan with a nod. “It’s better to gain recognition than to be ignored by an enemy of our great founder.”

“That’s a commendable thing to say,” Eugene complimented in a rare fashion.

“Did I say something strange?” asked Cyan.

“No, you didn’t say anything strange. Anyways, this event… well… I don’t think there’s a reason to tell anyone. No one was hurt, and there’s no need to let things grow out of our control, right?” said Eugene.

Both Cyan and Ciel nodded in agreement. They both were convinced that Noir Giabella was a maniac and that they could not possibly understand her with common sense.

(And so on…)