G6 and her three servants took the long path back to the West Villa. She led them on a circuitous route, claiming she needed to walk before sunset. Her mind was elsewhere, trapped in Witherby's riddle.
'A price and a prize for a second dawn.' echoed in her mind.
Second dawn means this life. Prize: those skills, magic. Price? For what?
For this life? She scoffed. They are fucking charging me for something I did not ask for?
'The vessel nears its purpose.'
A memory surfaced, sharp and unbidden. Her father's voice, cold and absolute.
'You are not born to dream.'
'You are born to cleanse.'
A strange, sharp sensation pricked her heart—a feeling so foreign she could not name it. Not pain, not sadness. A profound, weary ache.
Hmm. Guess nothing matters.
Why do I even bother?
I have only one purpose.
That is all that matters.
A bitter, resigned thought. The chain-rose tattoo behind her ear burned with a sudden, sharp intensity—a phantom scolding for this moment of vulnerable emotion.
"Lady Reise seems… troubled," Lilia whispered to Tina.
Tina did not answer, merely studying her mistress's profile. The shift in energy was palpable, and unsettlingly familiar. The chilling stillness before a storm.
"She is merely fatigued," Edmund interjected smoothly. "It is for the best she will not spend her entire day in the arena anymore."
No one dared approach her. No one questioned her sudden interest in Utility Magic. They followed in silence.
Inside the Main Villa, the grand foyer was still, the servants gone. Only lively sounds from the kitchen echoed.
"What is going on?" Lilia murmured. "An hour early for dinner."
"Have the residents of Annex-Uno returned?" Edmund wondered.
Their answer came in footsteps. A woman emerged from the kitchen with a service cart. She stopped, noticing G6.
"You have returned, Lady Reise," she said, offering a deep bow.
Who is this?
"Who?" G6 asked, blunt.
"Forgive my manners, my lady. I am Janin, the wife of Head Chef Alistair. I returned yesterday from my maternity leave."
"Call me by my name," G6 stated, moving to ascend the stairs.
"Ah, Lady Reise… the other residents, along with guests, await you in the formal dining hall."
"There is a dining hall?" Genuine confusion flickered.
"Yes, Lady Reise!" Lilia chirped. "You always eat in your rooms."
"It is typically reserved for formal family gatherings," Janin clarified.
The word triggered a flash—not of Reise, but of G6. A younger self, alone in a concrete corner after training, mechanically eating nutrient paste. A reward. A ritual. Never a family gathering.
"Family." G6 repeated the word. It left her lips flat and empty.
Her delivery made Tina, Janin, and Edmund exchange an uneasy glance. Her voice was its usual cold monotone, but the weight behind that single word was immense.
"Shall we proceed?" Tina asked gently, guiding her away.
G6 followed, silent.
I bet it is those annoying nobles.
I am not in the mood.
Tina opened the ornate double doors.
A scene of opulent leisure: Prince Dio leaned against a large window, pensive. Keith focused on balancing a water droplet on his fingertip. Earl was immersed in a book. Brenda and Zen in quiet, intense discussion.
And Eliza. Sitting primly at the far end, her gaze fixed adoringly on Dio.
G6's eyes locked onto her. A predator's analysis.
Her eyes are practically sparkling. Her whole expression is that of a child coveting a shiny new toy. She is, without a doubt, 'in love' with him.
Her thoughts spiraled. In the book, Dio was smitten with her. So were Keith and Earl. That was the plot.
But seeing this in person now…
Nothing is adding up.
The only consistent things are the first encounter of ours in the gazebo, and some information.
Even the Royal Collegium is not mentioned in the book.
A critical question: if the tension between Dio and Eliza is not as the book described… what truly happened the night the original Reise saw them talking?
What drove her to kill herself?
What fucking drove her to drag me into this?
Her mind was a battlefield. The riddle, the ledger, the headache, this gathering—a tidal wave of unstructured intel. Draining. She was an operator running blind in hostile territory.
"Oh, Reise!" Keith's cheerful voice snapped her from her thoughts.
Instantly, the room's attention shifted to her. "Lady Reise!" Brenda called, moving closer but keeping her distance—a testament to G6's unspoken boundaries. "Are you alright?"
Is that concern real? Or just the one I planted? G6 simply stared back.
"Glad to see you are well," Zen added.
"Reise!" Keith bounded toward her. "It is strange to see you in a gown! I have gotten used to your training gear!" He reached out to ruffle her hair.
Tsk. Who am I to question if these fools are genuine to me?
Do I even know what genuine is?
The G6 from the training grounds was gone. The impenetrable fortress was back. Her hand moved in a blur, slapping his away with a sharp crack.
"What are you all doing here?" Her voice was a flat sheet of arctic ice.
"We were worried about you," Prince Dio stated, his gaze intense.
"I said I am fine. Now, leave."
The atmosphere chilled. They had grown accustomed to the slight thaw in the arena. This felt like a regression.
"Are you truly alright?" Prince Dio pressed, softer.
"Lady Reise…" Tina interjected. "Alistair went to great lengths." She gestured to the cart.
"So?" G6's retort was sharp—a command to convince.
"He prepared all your preferred dishes."
A small tug on her gown. Lilia clung to her, eyes wide and pleading.
A beat of silence.
"Then start serving it," G6 relented. She moved to the head of the table and sat.
It was a starting pistol. Earl and Keith claimed the chairs on either side of her. Zen sat next to Keith. Brenda slid in beside Earl. Boxing Dio out.
Prince Dio took the seat next to Brenda. Eliza rose and glided to sit beside him. "I hope you do not mind my presence, Lady Reise."
"I invited her," Earl said, diplomatic.
"I do not care. Just sit."
The servants began setting the table. Eliza's voice cut through. "Are you not meant to have the table set before guests are seated?" she chided her maid.
"Forgive me, Miss Eliza. We believed Lady Reise would be longer."
"It is rather ill-mannered, especially before His Highness."
"Silence." G6's voice was louder, cutting the room. Everyone stared. "Just put the plates down. I do not need a lecture. If you wish to do some discipline, do it on your own time."
"I-I only meant it was disrespectful," Eliza flustered.
"Scolding someone publicly is also disrespectful." G6's patience was a thread. She glared at the servants. "All of you, get out." She pointedly spared her own three.
The servants hesitated.
"We will take over. Thank you." Edmund was smooth. "Janin, assist us."
Janin nodded. The other servants scurried out. Edmund, Tina, and Lilia moved into action—swift, precise, silent.
The tension was palpable.
These oddities are bothering me.
Should I just ask Snow White what he talked about with Eliza that night?
A quick, analytical glance at Eliza, demure beside Prince Dio. In the novel, Dio fell for her because she was his peaceful escape. So why is Snow White acting like he does not give a damn?
"Lady Reise, which fork?" Lilia asked, holding up three ornate forks.
"Are you kidding me?"
"But you must choose! Different forks for every course!"
"Lilia, put them down. I can use 'those useless forks.'"
Lilia obeyed. Janin placed them. Lilia's stomach growled.
Right. These three have not eaten since I bolted my lunch.
"Janin, bring three more meals."
Her servants froze.
"We could not," Tina refused.
"Not necessary," Edmund added.
"Do not worry about us!" Lilia chirped, smile not hiding her hunger.
G6 stood. "Then, enjoy your meal." She made to leave. Keith caught her wrist.
"Do you want me to force-feed you that plate?" Her voice was low, dangerous.
Keith grinned. "Please, sit. It is fine with us… right?" He looked to the others.
"Indeed. There is plenty of room," Prince Dio stated. "Now, unhand her."
Keith stuck his tongue out but released her.
"Sit down, Reise. You are unusually… agitated," Earl observed.
"Please, do not mind us! We do not intrude!" Brenda smiled.
"We Nocturnes are rational guests," Zen added.
"Trying to say something?" Keith shot back.
"Merely stating a dry head is beneficial," Brenda retorted.
"Shut up, nerd! Eat a dictionary!" Keith snapped.
The familiar chaos returned. They are an odd bunch.
G6 sat, fixed Edmund with a stare. "Sit. And eat. Forgive my oversight. You missed lunch because of me."
"We will not refuse." Edmund bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness, esteemed Pillars."
"We will help Janin!" Lilia chirped.
"Back shortly," Tina said.
As they turned, G6's voice stopped them. "If you value the people in this room, you know your way back. Correct?" A layered threat. No hiding in the kitchen.
Tina turned back, a genuine smile. "You are too kind, my lady."
"You know, sometimes your kindness sounds like a threat," Keith teased.
"Why are you sitting next to me?" G6 asked. "Trying to ruin my appetite?"
"We promised to stay by each other." Keith's earnestness made Prince Dio, Earl, and Brenda look at him sharply.
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Have you forgotten? When we were kids, you always said, 'You are so fun, Keith. Even when you tease me—'"
A small, controlled ball of fire flew from Prince Dio's fingertips, singeing the tablecloth.
"Stop lying, you idiot," Prince Dio snapped.
"You know how she felt about Dio before," Earl added sharply, then stiffened.
"Shut up." Keith was serious. "Fine, she never said it. But she was nice to me before!"
G6 studied him. Her mind, a lie detector, scanned his micro-expressions. He was not fabricating this.
Him and the old Reise were close. That much is true. But it seems like she showed no depression before they left for three years.
The witness to Reise's change… is Tina.
"Shut up. Not interested in your claims." G6's dismissal made Keith pout.
"What were you doing at Aunt's place anyway?" Keith asked, curiosity overriding his sulk.
G6's gaze swept over him, then the others leaning in—especially Prince Dio.
"I told her I would spend my afternoons elsewhere."
"Leaving? I thought you were buried in paperwork!" Keith's disappointment was genuine.
"Not reviewing proposals?" Earl adjusted his glasses.
"You are a Collegium employee. Expected to remain on premises," Prince Dio stated, protocol.
These idiots. Whining about game rules.
"You cannot stop me. Even my boss sanctioned it."
"Aunt is too easy on you!" Keith grumbled.
"True," Earl added, a hint of playful jealousy. "She never favored Pillar heirs before. You are the exception."
I guess I have to speak their language.
"Then why don't you marry her son in my stead? You could be her favorite too." G6 deadpanned, looking at Earl.
Instant effect. Prince Dio's eyebrows shot up. Keith burst into laughter.
"Earl! I thought you only had eyes for ladies! Is that why you reject offers? Your interests lie… elsewhere?" Keith teased.
"Brother Earl…?" Zen whispered, actually believing it.
"I will ensure your next meal is dirt and gravel," Earl threatened.
"Well, perhaps that improves my chances with Lady Reise!" Brenda interjected.
Prince Dio's head snapped toward her. "What are you babbling about, you unhinged woman?"
"Shut up, you pile of sh—" A sharp kick from Earl under the table cut her off. His eyes flicked to Eliza.
"Aw!" Brenda rubbed her shin. A clever glint. "Lady Reise, a question?"
"What?"
"You are the sole occupant of the entire second floor of main building, yes?"
Right. Alone on that huge floor.
"Yes."
Brenda smiled. "Actualy… I live thirty minutes away. The Collegium dorms are… awkward for a woman." She let the implication hang.
Hmm? Does she wants to live here with me?
That's not a bad idea.
A convenient tool delivering itself to me?
"You can stay here if that is where you're going. I do not mind." G6's voice held a sudden warmth. Everyone glanced at her, surprised. Brenda had not even finished.
Brenda's eyes widened and seemed sparkling.
"R-Really? Not an intrusion? But, I need Her Majesty's consent…"
"My boss is cool with it." A sharp, predatory smile.
"Ah, I see what you are doing," Keith mused. "I will move in too."
"You live here." G6 shot.
"In Annex-Uno! Not the same!"
"Absolutely not!" Brenda fired.
"Highly inappropriate for an unrelated man," Earl stated.
"Then I suppose I can relocate," Prince Dio interjected.
"Equally inappropriate for a betrothed man before vows," Earl countered.
"Then was not her sitting atop you earlier the pinnacle of impropriety?" Prince Dio's jealousy broke through.
Earl flushed. Keith grinned. Brenda fumed. Zen looked embarrassed.
Eliza drowned. Silently. A placid smile frozen on her face as this intimate dynamic swirled without her. An artifact. Tolerated, never included.
"Shut up, eat, and then leave." G6 picked up her fork.
Silence fell. The clatter of cutlery. Thick, unspoken tension.
Seizing a lull, Eliza gently cleared her throat. "The preservation magic on these winterberries… a true blessing from Eldrin. His grace allows even the lowliest to partake." Hopeful, fearful.
A beat of silence.
G6's voice, flat and devoid of all respect, cut through.
"Who is Eldrin?"
Every head swiveled. Utter, horrified disbelief. The highest blasphemy.
A slow, cold smirk spread across G6's lips. "I am just kidding."
Eliza flinched, composure cracking. She shrank back, silenced by the casual cruelty. A deliberate desecration. A knife for her alone.
"You almost got me, Reise…" Keith's tone failed to lift the heaviness.
The door opened. Lilia, Edmund, Tina with another cart.
"Apologies for the delay." They moved to a smaller table. "For our comfort."
"I do not care. Just eat"
"A letter from Her Majesty!" Lilia chirped, handing it over.
G6 tore it open.
'Ensure Tina can do your job. Three days to prepare her. Earl proofreads. Glad you are getting ready for married life.
—The Queen.'
"What the hell?" G6 crumpled it.
"What is wrong?"
"This 'getting ready for marriage'? Tina!"
Tina took the letter, read it. Adjusted her glasses. Her gaze turned analytical. "Is that not why you are going? If not… what is your purpose?"
The others watched, confused.
G6 felt cornered. Seeing this, Edmund stood.
"Of course, that is the reason." He moved close, whispered. "My lady, it is traditional for a noblewoman to study Utility Magic to manage her household. The perfect cover."
G6's eye twitched. "You suggested this?"
"Flawless alibi."
He stepped back. All eyes were on her.
G6 forced her expression into compliance. "Ah. Preparing for this… stupid marriage." Contempt dripped.
Tina and Edmund sat.
"Did she call Dio stupid?" Keith whispered.
"No. Do not start, Lord Keith," Zen chided.
"So, you are going to Utility Magic," Prince Dio pieced it together.
"What? You want to be a good wife?" Keith teased.
"Hmm… unsurprising and yet surprising," Earl mused.
"So you do still love Dio, Reise?" Keith's challenge.
The word hung.
Love?
At the word, G6's hands stilled. A smile touched her lips—not of warmth, but of deep, acrid bitterness. The smile of someone dissecting a beautiful lie.
"Love?" she began, her voice low and carrying.
"Does marrying someone mean you love them? Sometimes, it is politics. A whim. A transaction. A… need." She let it sink in, gaze distant.
"Or, you are just each other's option."
"If true love existed," she continued, voice sharper, "a man would not seek another woman's bed the moment he grows bored. He would not ask his wife for permission to take a concubine, treating her like business."
She looked around, grey eyes cold and analytical. "Love is a chemical reaction. A delusion. You cannot swear you will love tomorrow. You might wake up and realize it was never love. Just infatuation. Convenience. Fear. Or youthful folly."
Her words were not from heartbreak, but a lifetime of clinical observation. Data.
"You cannot say love and make it truth. Feelings are unreliable data."
A pause. Chilling silence.
"Love is subjective."
"Love is not a blessing. It is destruction."
Silence. Profound. Crushing.
The room fell in cold silence.
No one would have thought that a woman who used to scorn every woman who lingered near the Second Prince in the name of love—now spoke of it like nothing but a poison she never had taken and never would take.
Eliza brought a hand to her throat, ashen. Her foundation shook. She looked at Prince Dio.
He offered no anchor. His intense gaze was locked on G6. Not anger. Razor-sharp focus. Dissection. Not a broken heart—a broken soul. The most fascinating, dangerous puzzle.
The feast was ash. The elegant hall, a mausoleum.
G6 surveyed the wreckage with detachment. Data.
They do not understand, yet strangely they do at the same time.
She had been robbed of the chance to even understand feelings. Her father's lesson, carved into her bones: You were not born to dream. You were born to cleanse. A sin-bearer.
Her humanity had been the first discard.
The moment had passed. But they all finished their dinner with the same cold, heavy feeling that the one in the center carried.
But the echo of questions of the unknown lingered.
A haunting testament to the person who might have been, had the world not needed a Reaper.
—To Be Continued…—