Chapter 2: The Millennium Rose Hall

Part 1

“Wait just a little longer for me, Sister!”

Diana’s rushed voiced called from inside her room. Hester, who had long since finished getting ready to leave and had even fed her cat Mirabel an early dinner, giggled quietly.

“It’s still early. Take your time,”

Hester said before she began looking through the mail that she had been too busy to read this morning. As usual, there were bills, trivial advertisements, and the occasionally random invitation from the Magic Association.

But just then, Hester’s hands suddenly stopped as she was flipping through the mail.

“……The police?”

The last letter, sealed with a crimson stamp, clearly read, ‘Central Ingram Police Magical Crimes Department.’

 

* * *

 

Diana touched her skirt with extreme displeasure on her face as soon as she jumped down to the ground. Hester, who had climbed down from the carriage behind her, gave her a strange look.

“Were you uncomfortable?”

“No. I just feel like my skirt’s gotten shorter…….”

“You must’ve grown taller. I’ll buy you some new clothes.”

“No, it’s okay. It still fits.”

Diana touched the back of her neck as she smiled awkwardly. There was no way that she had grown taller. She had stopped growing at fifteen.

“It’ll be six soon. Let’s hurry, Diana.”

Hester began walking once she had checked the time using the clocktower at the center of Ambrose Square. Diana reluctantly followed after her.

They had promised to eat dinner with Cedric Jiles today. Diana had earnestly hoped that today would never come, or that time would at least pass in the blink of an eye when it did, but, alas, the hands on the clock moved no faster today than it had yesterday. She almost felt like time was moving twice as slow. Diana was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of meeting Cedric, and the fact that she would have to eat dinner with him made her stomach churn.

Why Cedric Jiles of all people?

Diana dragged her heels as she sighed. Cedric was the Jiles whom she was most uncomfortable with, other than Sullivan Jiles, who had never visited after he had become independent when Diana was young. Chesterty’s mischief might have gotten out of hand at times, but she was still nothing in comparison to Cedric. Diana couldn’t help but scowl just from seeing his signature in his letter, she wanted to turn around immediately and avoid his gaze if their eyes met unexpectedly, and any happiness she had felt while she had forgotten about him immediately subsided every time his name invaded her head. Cedric made Diana feel uncomfortable and awkward, if she absolutely had to put a name to her feelings.

How on earth had things ended up like this?

Diana had pondered over the question multiple times ever since they had met in front of the assembly hall. Diana had been seven, and Cedric had been six. Their first impressions of each other as children had been the absolute worst, but they had stopped clashing with each other as badly once they had grown a little older. Cedric had stopped making his sarcastic remarks at some point, and Diana’s nerves, which had always been on edge at first, had been grinded down and blunted with time.

Now that she looked back, they had actually gotten along most of the time, though it was impossible to say that they had been on the best of terms. Diana had always been uncomfortable around Chesterty, both now and in the past, but she didn’t have any problems with her, and yet, strangely enough, she could not help but resent Cedric bitterly. She couldn’t exactly say why that was, however, and that bothered her.

Diana hated it. She hated thinking about Cedric —it made her uncomfortable and awkward.

“Lady Hester.”

She heard a familiar voice. Diana, who had been focused on following behind her sister, turned around to meet Cedric’s gaze.

“Hi,”

Cedric greeted her first, cutting off the awkward silence. Diana simply nodded her head without a word in the lieu of a proper greeting. She curled her lips into somewhat of a smile, but she would rather die than actually reply.

“Have you been waiting long, Sir Cedric?”

“No, I’ve only just arrived.”

The uncomfortable mood only lasted for a moment before Hester and Cedric amicably began exchanging news about each other. Diana was unhappy about the fact that her beloved sister was getting along with Cedric, but she was also glad for it in the moment. She felt like she wouldn’t be able to breathe properly if she thought about how awkward it would be if she and Cedric were alone.

Cedric brought the sisters to a nearby restaurant. It was a fancy restaurant that towered over the Ambrose Square below and offered a great view. Diana had only lived in Wokingham for about two months, so it was only natural that she hadn’t known about it. She couldn’t have cared any less if Cedric, the young master of a wealthy house, was a regular here.

“……Have you ever been here before, Sister?”

Diana whispered to Hester, who seemed to be strangely familiar with the place. The answer she was returned shocked her.

“Yeah. I’ve been here a few times.”

With whom? Hester was one of the thriftiest people Diana knew, and Diana doubted that Hester had eaten alone at such a fancy restaurant just to put on airs. Diana was astonished, but her astonishment subsided when Hester continued,

“I’ve always wanted to come here with you at least once. I’m glad we’re here today.”

Hester’s words were always as lovely to Diana as was her face. Diana giggled quietly. She was in such a good cheer that she could even ignore the fact that Cedric had cast a strange look her way.

They were readily seated on the second story even though the restaurant was busy, perhaps because Cedric had made reservations in advance. Diana looked down erythroid sunset in Ambrose Square. She hadn’t felt anything special when she had been standing down there, but looking down at it from above felt so different. The large fountain and clocktower broke apart the twilight. She could faintly hear the musicians below playing from a distance because the windows were open.

“What do you want to order?”

Diana turned to the menu at Hester’s question and nearly shouted in her alarm.

‘W-w-why’s everything so expensive?!’

Keeping herself from exclaiming out loud was the best she could do. And even then, it was only because she was aware that Young Master Cedric, the son of a wealthy house, was sitting directly in front of her.

“Diana?”

Hester looked puzzled as Diana trembled without a word. Diana just barely managed to eke out a smile as she pointed to the topmost section of the menu.

“I-I’ll have this one…….”

“That’s a soup.”

“Yeah. I’m not very hungry…….”

“What?”

Hester glared a little, which was rare for her. She was usually the epitome of kindness, but she was very stern when it came to Diana’s bad habit of occasionally skipping meals. Ultimately, Diana did her best to hold back her tears as she picked out one of the cheaper main dishes on the menu. Then, Hester turned to Cedric and said,

“You’ve grown a lot since I saw you last, Sir Cedric. I recall that you were about the same height as me last time…….”

“It’s already been a year since then, after all.”

“Time sure passes quickly. It must have felt so strange to come back to the city after being at the border for so long.”

Hester and Cedric exchanged a warm conversation. Diana nibbled at her soup, which she guessed was about the same price as a week’s worth of Mirabel’s food, as she listened in.

“It is a bit unfamiliar……. But it’s not all that bad since I can spend some time away from Winter.”

“Now that you mention it, did you leave your dragon at home?”

Diana’s ears perked up when Hester asked. She, too, was curious about what Cedric had done about his gigantic dragon. He must have surely managed to hide it somehow, as the newspapers, which liked to talk about most useless things, wouldn’t have kept quiet about it otherwise.

“Winter’s in here,”

Cedric said as he pulled out a small ball. The sisters’ eyes were fixed at the center of the table.

“That’s…….”

There was an open sea and a small island inside the transparent glass. The island looked uninhabited, since it didn’t even have a port, and its tropical forest was slowly becoming a mess after a new predator had invaded. And, as the sisters had guessed, they found a tiny dragon the size of a fingernail as the studied the ball’s insides.

“You created a subworld inside a snowball.”

Hester said in admiration. Cedric lowered his eyes as he quietly replied,

“It’s an uninhabited island on the East Sea. Dragons are afraid of water, so it was the perfect prison.”

“I was wondering how you planned to raise a dragon in the royal capital……. More importantly, your magic looks incredibly solid. I’m impressed.”

Hester carefully picked up the snowball and admired it again. She asked him profound questions, as befitting of a witch with a love for learning, and Cedric answered her gently.

Diana was staring blankly into the snowball in the meanwhile.

Cedric’s snowball spell wasn’t particularly creative. The spell to create a subword inside an object and connect it to the real world was rather standard, if difficult. Of course, the spell had been cast perfectly, and it had been bold of him to teleport the gigantic dragon with coordinates alone, but it wasn’t special enough for a witch of Hester’s caliber to ask after so fervently with sparkles in her eyes.

The most astonishing factor here was Cedric’s age. Cedric Jiles had only just come of age at eighteen, and he was alarmingly skilled for his age —especially when you considered that most wizards his age could barely teleport using coordinates. Diana was a year older than him, and, while she had been able to see through the magical theory behind his snowball at once, she would not have been able to construct it so perfectly herself.

Diana smiled wryly. The Cedric Jiles of her memories had been an immature wizard. He had always possessed great potential, but he had lacked the skills necessary to control his overflowing magic in fine detail, and his spells had always felt somewhat incomplete. But Diana could not see any incompleteness in the snowball before her. Even her sister, a witch praised by all, had complemented him on how solid his spell was.

‘He must’ve practiced hard these last two years.’

The once-immature wizard had returned fully mature. Diana had lived with Cedric for over a decade, so she didn’t feel envious or competitive. But she did feel a bit dispirited. She had been practicing so desperately all her life, and yet Cedric had readily surpassed her in just two years. It was simply a statement to how omnipotent the stars’ blessings were.

“Here are the main dishes.”

The waiter took away her soup and laid out their main dishes. Diana stared down at the seafood dish —she didn’t even know what it was called. It was an expensive meal that she should be grateful to even get to touch, but it didn’t quite suit her tastes.

Hester whispered something about getting up just then. Diana stared at her sister’s retreating figure in a daze for a moment before she belatedly realized that she was now alone with Cedric. The realization came over her like she had been suddenly doused with ice-cold water.

This is awkward. This is so awkward, Diana mumbled to herself as she picked up her fork. Her gaze lingered on the window, then on the snowball, and finally on her sister’s empty seat —Hester didn’t look like she was about to come back anytime soon. Her wandering gaze ultimately landed on her dish.

I’ve come all the way here, so I should at least enjoy my meal. I came to a restaurant, so I should eat, Diana thought as she heartily stabbed her fork into some clam meat.

She heard a quiet voice coming from across the table.

“You don’t like seafood.”

Diana, who had been staring vacantly at her clam meat, slowly raised her head. Cedric was looking back at her quietly —he hadn’t even touched his fork yet. Diana hated his green eyes because she could never tell what he was thinking, both then and now.

“……Why do you care?”

she replied curtly as she brought the clam meat up to her lips. But her face instantly crumbled as soon as the fishy taste of seafood spread throughout her mouth. The unfamiliar and texture of the food only made it worse.

Cedric sighed quietly as he watched Diana chew on her clam meat with an uneasy expression on her face. Then, he reached out toward her without any hesitation. Diana flinched as his hand came closer, and Cedric took the chance to swap their dishes.

Diana looked down that the steak that he had placed in front of her. Then, her eyes turned toward the dish that was now in front of Cedric but had once been hers.

“What are you doing?”

Cedric didn’t reply as he slowly picked away at the seafood with his fork. The faint furrows in Diana’s brows only grew deeper. It didn’t take very long before Diana saw the lobster in the dish, which had been hidden behind all sorts of seafood and vegetables earlier.

She felt Cedric staring openly back at her —it was almost like he was bragging. Diana gulped as she turned away ever so slightly. The dead lobster’s disgusting eyes wouldn’t leave her mind even still.

“You used to never even go near seafood if you could help it……. I see you’re still putting up an act even in front of Lady Hester,”

Cedric said as he picked up his knife. Diana had been looking out the window for no reason when her eyes quickly grew thorny.

“An act?”

“Am I wrong?”

Diana huffed from the absurdity of it all.

“Aren’t you the one putting up an act? —you’ve been acting so nice with my sister. How did you endure it? —I’m sure your mouth must’ve tickled so much because you couldn’t quip back like you usually do.”

“Lady Hester and I are on polite terms. But you’re a different story.”

Cedric peered up at Diana with his eyes. He continued,

“I heard that you’ve been living together for two months now —how much longer are you planning to keep on the mask? You used to always talk about how you’d live with Lady Hester forever as soon as you became independent. Are you planning to put up an act forever too?”

“I’m not putting up an act.”

“It’s pretty obvious to me that you’re refraining from saying things out loud even though you’re raging inside.”

Diana gently bit down at her lip. Cedric boldly continued,

“Did you know? You look just like you did when you used to pretend to be my mother’s docile disciple when you’re with Lady Hester.”

Diana lost her appetite. She glared down at the table in irritation. The sound of silverware clashing against the dishes sounded almost heavenly in comparison to what Cedric had just said.

“……So what if I’m putting up an act? Since when did you start caring so much about others?”

Diana Sol and Cedric Jiles had lived under the same roof for over a decade. She was loath to admit it, but Cedric was one of the very few people in the world who knew her best. She could deny it, but then he’d simply mock her while hitting the nail precisely on the head. Diana’s lengthy experience living with him had taught her that much.

“I was only curious,”

Cedric replied quietly as he lowered his eyes again. He continued,

“You wanted to go to your sister as soon as you passed the promotion exam. You wanted to live with her forever. You always said that you would be so happy that you wouldn’t need Gellungier (the witches’ paradise) as long as you had your sister. You were so confident that I couldn’t help but be curious about how well you were living now……. But seeing you today makes me think that nothing’s really changed for you.”

Diana looked back at Cedric in agitation. She almost thought that it had been easier to bicker with him back when he had used to scorn her openly. But he was extremely composed now. It was almost as if he was only stating the obvious.

“You were curious about how I was living?”

“Yeah.”

“You?”

Cedric nodded without a word. Looking at his tidy features made Diana seethe in anger. She clenched her hands into tight fists as she stammered,

“Yeah, I’m sure you were curious. You were curious about what kind of decent life an idiot who only barely managed to complete her training after she had come of age could possibly live, I’m sure. But you’re not here just because you’re curious. You came here to sneer at me for living in the shadows, just as I’ve always done, even after I finally met my sister again. Are you sure you’re not here just because you wanted to tell me that nothing’s changed to my face?”

Her voice trembled at the end of every sentence. Cedric’s visage stiffened up ever so slightly.

“Diana…”

“You’re right. I haven’t changed at all. I’m living as pathetic a life as ever even after I started living with my sister, whom I love so much. But you know what? I’m still happier than I was before. I’m so much happier now than I was back when I was still living with you and Chesterty. I never want to go back to how it was before, and I still want to live with my sister forever.”

Her eyes became red as she glared at Cedric. She continued,

“What? Was that not the answer you wanted to hear?”

“It was.”

“What?”

“It’s the answer I wanted to hear.”

It was only then that Diana’s fierce expression began crumbling a little. Cedric was calm as he looked back at her. He continued,

“I’m glad you’re happier than you were before.”

“…….”

“I’m not quite sure what I should make of your expression right now.”

Diana quickly hid her astonishment. But she still sounded bewildered as she asked,

“You’re glad?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Am I not allowed to be sincere?”

Cedric replied peacefully as he stirred his dish with his fork. Diana stared back at him blankly before she suddenly shook her head.

“You and I never say things like that to each other and actually mean it.”

“But it’s not like we can’t if we want to.”

“Are you kidding me right now? Did you forget how we parted ways?”

“Of course not.”

Diana stared out into empty space as she hurriedly muttered,

“I really can’t understand you. How can you just act like none of that ever happened……?”

Abruptly, Cedric replied,

“Did you understand me back then?”

“What?”

“Do you know why I acted the way I did two years ago?”

Diana closed her mouth like a clam. Cedric smiled faintly as if he had expected it of her. He continued,

“You didn’t understand me back then, and you still don’t know why I’m acting like this now. Aren’t you even curious?”

Diana narrowed her eyes because she couldn’t understand the true intentions behind his words. She stole a glance at Cedric’s face, but he had erased every trace of the conversation they had just shared. What did you two talk about? Diana returned her sister’s kindly question an appropriate answer as she felt both delighted at the fact that her sister was back and uneasy because she had not been able to properly finish her conversation with Cedric, which she could make neither heads nor tails of.

 

One summer night when Gamberini, the Star of Pilgrimage, was exceptionally bright.

The manor in Bennevis, the religious city that was being dyed in the summer heat, was noisy late into the night. The manor was normally as silent as a grave because Barbara Jiles went to bed early in the evening and awoke at dawn, unlike most witches who fell asleep at dawn and woke up at noon, and it was rare for whispers to disperse inside the manor like a fog spreading into the night air.

“Mm, Daisy……. I’ll turn you into a broomstick if you keep that up…….”

The cool night breeze was blowing into a window. Chesterty was lying sprawled out over the sofa in the corner of the room, away from the moonlight, as she mumbled in her sleep. Her mumblings came and went just as they were about to be forgotten, and Cedric and Diana, sitting opposite of her, could not help but laugh.

“This is why I told you not to drink so much. You always end up getting hammered.”

Cedric clicked his tongue as he looked to Chesterty with pity. Diana was similarly sour. Chesterty was a heavy drinker who was recognized as such by the entire household, and she loved alcohol so much that she got herself dead drunk more often than one would think. They had witnessed Chesterty in a drunken frenzy more times than they could count with their fingers, but fortunately, her intoxication was relatively mild today.

“At least she’s quiet today. I was really afraid that Teacher might wake up a little while ago.”

Diana’s shoulders trembled. Chesterty had been roaming about the living room singing popular songs just half an hour ago. Barbara was a heavy sleeper, but Chesterty had been so loud that Diana had legitimately been concerned.

Barbara Jiles was generally a kind teacher, but she was so frightening when she was woken from her slumber that she could put the witch Ophelia Vega to shame. Diana had experienced hell once after accidentally waking up her teacher, and she did not wish to suffer the experience ever again.

“……What about you?”

Diana asked while sipping at her juice. It was only then that Cedric, who had been absentmindedly spinning his glass, turned to her.

“What about me?”

“You’re not drunk?”

“I think I’m still okay.”

Hmmm. Diana’s voice lingered in the air as she scowled at the bottle on the table. Its contents must surely have been delicious, considering how much Chesterty indulged in them. But Cedric immediately picked the bottle up no sooner than the thought had crossed her mind. He said,

“You were thinking something pointless again, weren’t you?”

“N-no I wasn’t!”

Diana quipped back irritably, but to no avail. Cedric ignored her and poured the rest of the bottle in his glass. And so, Chesterty’s precious bottle had been completely emptied out. Diana continued,

“This is honestly so unfair. How come I can’t drink when you can? You’re a year younger than me.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you remembered what happened the last time you were drunk.”

“Just what on earth did I do?”

Chesterty had gifted Diana chocolates for no real reason once half a year ago. It had been Diana’s mistake to let down her guard just because Chesterty Jiles had given her such a normal present. The chocolates had actually been whiskey bonbons, and Diana had doubted nothing as she finished the entire box only to wake up the next day with a splitting headache and Cedric looking disturbed whenever he looked at her.

“……I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Cedric looked uneasy, perhaps because he was remembering what had happened. Diana threw a fit.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Was I so indecent that you don’t even want to remember it, or is it because I did something weird to you?”

“Both, I think.”

“Really?”

She must’ve been truly indecent indeed while she was drunk if even the normally aloof Cedric Jiles was shuddering. Diana was sour as she turned away from his gaze. Why had she gotten drunk in front of him of all people?

“But anyway, don’t drink too much. You need to fly tomorrow. The northern border’s pretty far from here……,”

Diana said nonchalantly in an attempt to change the topic, but then she quickly shut her mouth. Her words sounded somewhat strange. It almost sounded like she was worried about him.

She quickly said something else as a chill ran down her spine.

“Actually, just drink the whole thing. It’ll be interesting to watch you suffering from a hangover tomorrow.”

“……You always have to get in the last word, don’t you?”

“Why so surprised? I learned it from you.”

“Are we really going to fight when we’re saying goodbye tomorrow?”

Cedric sounded a little sullen as he quipped back. He was normally more mature, so he must surely be at least tipsy if he was grumbling like a child. Diana was the only one present who wasn’t drunk, so she decided to be merciful for the first time in a while.

“I suppose you’re right. This is the last time we’ll see each other, after all.”

Cedric would leave for the northern border tomorrow. He had been looking for a place to train his dragon, who was growing fatter by the day, and a place to avoid the criticism from his relatives as Diana’s teacher grew sicklier, and he had ultimately decided to go to the northern border. Officially, he was going to fortify the border, and the king was probably extremely happy to be unexpectedly able to send the heir apparent to House Jiles there.

And so, this would be Diana’s last time seeing him. Cedric would have to work hard at the border for two years per the terms of his contract, which meant that their ill-fated relationship of ten years was coming to an end. Diana had thought that she would be so happy she could fly, but she actually only felt bittersweet. She had apparently formed some kind of love-hate relationship with him over the years.

Her eyes met unexpectedly with Cedric’s just then. His verdant eyes were as clear as glass, and they gleamed brightly under the moon. Diana felt anxious for some unknown reason.

“What?”

Cedric, who was silent for some time, slowly responded,

“Why is this the last time we’ll see each other?”

“……I’ll have passed the promotion exam and become independent too by the time you return. And then I won’t have any reason to see you anymore. That would make today the last time we’ll see each other.”

Diana made a bitter face. Cedric stared back at her quietly as he brought his glass up to his lips.

“You said that you wanted to live with Lady Hester once you became independent, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And she feels the same way?”

Diana furrowed her brows ever so slightly. She felt like she was being interrogated for some reason.

“Of course she does. She always tells me that she’s waiting eagerly for the day I finally become independent.”

“Aha. So that’s why you keep saying that you want to live with someone whom you’ve only exchanged a few letters with. That’s quite some trust you have there.”

“……Why are you like this?”

Diana’s visage had stiffened up. Cedric was very plainly mocking her.

“I’m just saying. You’re always so suspicious of everything, so I found it curious that you aren’t suspicious of Lady Hester.”

“Of course I’m not. She’s my sister.”

“You only see her once a year, if even.”

“What does that have to do with anything? Must I be suspicious of my one and only sister?”

“You said that you met Lady Hester for the first time just before you became my mother’s apprentice. You can count the number of times you’ve actually met her on your fingers, and it’s not like you exchange letters that often either —and yet you trust her just because she’s your sister? You’re not that unguarded, from what I know.”

Diana suppressed her surging fury as she calmly responded,

“My sister’s a trustworthy witch.”

“It’s not just that you want her to be trustworthy?”

Cedric remarked as his lips twisted. Diana raised her voice at him, unable to hold herself back.

“My sister’s different. I don’t know what you think you know about my sister, but she’s different from other people!”

“Is she? You sure you aren’t just deceiving yourself?”

“Hey!”

“Don’t get so fired up. My mother still thinks you’re her docile disciple. You’ve been tricking my mother for over a decade even though you live with her, and yet you trust your sister so much even though you only know her through letters.”

Calmly, Cedric continued,

“Or maybe she’s the one deluding herself about you. She thinks you’re a kind and docile younger sister. You’re good at playing the part, aren’t you?”

The tips of Diana’s fingers were quivering. She was so furious she was afraid that she might begin railing at him. Why was Cedric, who did not speak very much because of his childhood insecurities, suddenly acting up like this? She did her best to suppress her indignation as she tried to figure out the intentions behind his sarcasm, but her patience crumbled down when he began speaking ill of her sister.

Diana was accustomed to people speaking poorly of herself. But she was not accustomed to hearing people insult her sister. No one had ever held ‘Hester the Wise’ in contempt, and Diana adamantly believed that no one could ever possibly dislike her sister.

“……My sister isn’t like you.”

Diana barely managed to pry open her mouth. She continued,

“So what if I act kind and docile? Sorry, but I’ll be fine since my sister doesn’t belittle people and degrade them like you do. She’s not as twisted as you are. Did you really think that everyone in the world was like you?”

“So you think everything will be okay as long as it’s your sister.”

“I do. I’m going to be with my sister forever. I love my sister, and my sister loves me —so what’s the problem? There is no problem. You’re only hoping to find one.”

Cedric abruptly began scoffing quietly.

“Forever? Love? And how long do you think that’ll last?”

“……See? You’re hoping to find a problem between me and my sister.”

Diana shook her head in disgust. She continued,

“Just what on earth is your problem, Cedric Jiles? What’s gotten you in such a foul temper this time? Does it really bother you that much that I want to be with my sister forever? Does it bother you that much when I say I want to be happy? Do you just want me to be miserable forever?”

I’m plenty miserable even now. But Diana could not find it in herself to say this and let the words sink down inside her.

“But, what can you do? I’m going to go to my sister no matter what you say. I’ll show you that I can live well enough. I’ll love my sister forever, and my sister will love me forever too, so there won’t ever be a problem. We’re not going to split up like your parents did, so please just stop caring about me so much —I’m begging you. Don’t you ever get tired of this?”

His parent’s separation was Cedric’s trigger. Diana had never spoken a word about his parents until now, just as Cedric had never bothered her about Hester, but neither of them were holding back tonight. Diana had mentioned his parents as a warning.

A dreadful silence fell between them. Diana buried her face in her hands for some time before she finally staggered up. Her haggard mien was illuminated under the bright moonlight.

“I’ll head in first.”

How had it come to this?

It had already been a decade since Diana had been taken in as Barbara Jiles’ apprentice and she had starting living under the same roof as Cedric. They were rather distant for people who had grown up together like siblings and friends, but they had still made great progress considering how frigid their relationship had been as children. They ate together, talked together, and laughed together, so Diana had thought that they were at least on decent terms. She wasn’t entirely certain, but she couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it was like to have a friend.

She had been so determined to end their relationship on a good note.

“……I know what you think of me,”

Cedric suddenly whispered. He continued,

“But that’s not what I think of you.”

Diana didn’t return a reply. And so, that was how they had parted ways two years ago.

 

On their way back home. Hester stole a glance at Diana as she gingerly asked,

“How was it like to see Sir Cedric for the first time in a long while?”

Diana simply stared at her feet without a word. Hester sounded a little confused as she continued,

“I got up for a moment because I thought you two might find it difficult to talk if I was there……. Should I not have?”

Diana gently bit at her lip. Her sister didn’t know what kind of relationship she shared with Cedric. At best, Hester probably thought they were childhood friends who had grown up together. Her mistake was understandable.

But still.

“……I’m not that close with Cedric.”

Diana turned her head to avoid Hester’s gaze. She felt like there were thorns growing in her throat.

 

* * *