Chapter 54: With Closed Eyes Under the Shining White Shadow
“Master Acrea.”
Honey-blonde hair that seemed to capture the sunlight, gentle, cat-like eyes. It was no mistake. Sue had run into Acrea on the street. Interestingly, he wasn’t alone. Her gaze drifted downwards.
“Master Evan is here too… Blessings upon the empire.”
“Ugh, it’s that ugly girl again.”
Evan, holding Acrea’s hand, muttered with a sullen expression. Unlike his brother, he remembered Sue clearly, even though they had only met once.
“Evan, be respectful to the lady.”
Acrea gently reprimanded him, stroking his hair. But Evan just scoffed. He seemed to be acting out because his brother wasn’t there.
“Are you two here to enjoy the festival?”
“Yes. Are you on your way to see the Light Fairy Ritual, Lady Byron?”
“Yes! I’m heading there now!”
Sue nodded, forcing a smile, as always.
Acrea and Evan were both wearing ordinary clothes, just like Sue, as if they were truly just out for a stroll. It was strange to see them like this, after always seeing them in their elegant uniforms. But the clothes didn’t seem to suit them at all. Their faces were too striking, standing out among the commoners passing by.
‘Ah, so this is what they mean by ‘noble air’?’
Sue chuckled inwardly. She could now understand how the people of Emnon must have seen her.
“Then shall we go together? We’re also heading to Lake Libra. Evan insisted on seeing it.”
“I didn’t insist! And why do we have to go with her? I don’t want to.”
Evan pouted.
“It would be an honor to go with you, Master Acrea, Master Evan!”
She replied, feigning delight, but she wasn’t actually feeling delighted or honored.
She felt awkward around Acrea after their uncomfortable conversation at the dining hall, and Evan clearly didn’t want her to come along.
But she couldn’t refuse, considering they were going to the same place. She walked slightly behind them. Evan kept grumbling, but he never let go of Acrea’s hand.
‘But where did Fritz go?’
Sue finally thought of the obvious question. But they had already entered the park, so she didn’t have a chance to ask.
“Ugh, why are there so many people?”
Sue nodded in agreement with Evan’s complaint.
Lake Libra was packed with people from the entrance. Come to think of it, the Light Fairy Ritual was so popular that people would start lining up at dawn to get a good spot. Sue sighed, realizing her mistake. She wondered if she would even be able to see the lake, let alone the fairies.
“Excuse me. Coming through.”
It was fortunate that she had run into Acrea. He skillfully navigated through the crowd, using his handsome face and gentle voice, and secured a prime spot for Evan and Sue. Well, Sue was more like an afterthought, squeezed in beside Evan.
“As expected of you, Master Acrea!”
For the first time, Sue genuinely praised him. Evan suddenly stuck out his tongue.
“Ugh, when did this ugly girl tag along? …Ow, that hurts!”
Acrea patted Evan’s head a little harder than usual. Sue hid her smile.
“Haha… I apologize, Master Evan. Then I’ll go somewhere else…”
But Acrea stopped her firmly.
“No, you can stay here. No, stay here.”
“Why?!”
Evan glared at him, but Acrea didn’t answer. Sue, flustered, had no choice but to stay close to them and wait for the ritual to begin. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the Libra Light Fairy Ritual to commence.
“Ah, it’s starting!”
Two priests, two mages, and two knights, each facing the lake from opposite sides, chanted words of the empire’s everlasting glory and released their power towards the center of the lake. The priests released holy power, the mages released magical power, and the knights released sword energy.
The power converged in the center, forming a translucent sphere of light that rose into the air. The spectators, including Sue, cheered loudly. The sphere of light, unable to maintain its form from the concentrated power within, exploded with a bang. Sparkling crystals of light began to fall from the sky like snow.
And at that moment, small, unidentified creatures began to appear, not from the lake, but from somewhere else.
“Are those fairies?!”
Evan, excited, hit Sue’s arm without realizing it.
Sue stared at the mystical sight, speechless.
They didn’t look like fairies. They didn’t have wings like the fairies in books, nor did they have the shape of small humans.
They silently appeared, collected the crystals of light that had burst from the sky, and disappeared again, one by one. The lakeshore was filled with cheers.
The Libra Light Fairy Ritual came to an end, and the crowd that had filled the park gradually dispersed. Sue stood by the lakeshore, gazing at the empty night view. The crystals of light, and the small creatures that had collected them, were gone. The chilly air carried the sound of insects chirping. A sense of emptiness lingered, but the echoes of the crowd’s cheers still reverberated in her ears.
As the spectators left Lake Libra, a man, looking somewhat frantic, came running towards them.
“Evan!”
“Huh? …Brother!”
It was Fritz.
Evan, who had been throwing stones into the lake, recognized his brother’s silhouette in the distance, threw the flat stone he had been holding, and ran towards him.
“Brother! Why are you so late?!”
Evan threw himself into Fritz’s arms, his face beaming with joy. Fritz hugged him tightly, his eyes filled with love.
“Evan, did you have fun with Woo? How was the Light Fairy Ritual?”
“It was so much fun! And amazing!”
“Haha, that’s good. Woo, thank you for looking after Evan.”
Fritz, like the other three, was wearing ordinary clothes made of rough fabric. But it didn’t suit him at all, just like Acrea. He looked like an actor playing the role of a commoner.
Sue, who had been lost in the afterglow of the ritual, composed herself and walked towards Fritz.
“Good evening, Master Fritz! Blessings upon the empire.”
Fritz tilted his head in surprise as Sue curtsied.
“Sue Byron? Why are you with Evan?”
Acrea answered for her,
“We ran into each other on the street. Lady Byron was also on her way to see the Light Fairy Ritual, so we came together.”
“Ah, I see. I wanted to see the Light Fairy Ritual after so long.”
“You’ve accumulated too much karma to be leisurely watching the Light Fairy Ritual.”
“…Do you have to say it like that?”
Fritz grumbled at Acrea’s playful jab. She hadn’t talked much with Acrea and Evan, even when they were walking together earlier, but now that Fritz had arrived, Sue’s presence had completely faded.
Feeling a sense of loneliness, Sue quietly stepped back from the group. She didn’t want to be treated like a nuisance by Evan, and she wanted to walk along the lakeshore, savoring the lingering magic of the Light Fairy Ritual.
“How’s Enzhe?”
And then she heard it.
“…She hasn’t even come out of her house.”
Fritz tried to maintain a neutral expression, but his voice was heavy with dejection. Acrea chuckled wryly.
“Haha, that’s because you keep refusing to marry her.”
Sue flinched as their conversation turned to such a sensitive topic without any warning. They continued talking, either ignoring her completely or assuming she couldn’t hear them from where she was standing. She heard a deep sigh. It was Fritz.
“Sigh… Even if I refuse, we’re going to get married anyway.”
Fritz said, running his hand over his face, a shadow under his eyes.
“Then why are you refusing?”
“…I don’t know.”
Acrea, sensing his reluctance, changed the subject.
“Is Enzhe sick?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t been able to see her. But I asked her maid, and she said she’s fine. That’s a relief.”
‘Hmm… So that’s why Acrea was looking after Evan. Fritz went to the Lopetrefer residence to see Enzhe.’
Sue picked up a small stone and tossed it into the lake absentmindedly. It landed with a plop, and ripples spread out in concentric circles. As she watched the ripples, she realized that she wasn’t interested in their conversation at all.
‘They fought because of the marriage, as expected.’
“Shina, I know you like to act childish, but don’t do that to Enzhe.”
Acrea reprimanded Fritz like a nanny scolding a child. Fritz nodded silently, as if he had no excuses.
“Yeah, I regret it too. I didn’t think Enzhe would be upset for this long, and it’s the first time she’s reacted like this… She’s not going to be like this until the wedding, is she?”
Acrea smiled mechanically at Fritz’s sudden anxiety.
“The official wedding is still years away. You’re worrying for nothing.”
“…Sigh, this is the first time this has happened, so I don’t know what to do.”
Acrea replied calmly, unfazed, as he always did.
“It’s fine. They’ll make up.”
Sue was certain that Acrea’s persuasive tone was a result of years of dealing with Fritz.