Afterimage (6)
Seraphina hugged , then left the room as if fleeing.
I heard the door she closed resonate with a soft thud in the hallway.
Inside the room, only the faint lingering scent of lilac she left behind and a disquieting silence remained.
I thought I should imdiately take care of the room request.
I stretched once, then neatly adjusted the clothes I was wearing.
My chest felt a little sore.
I put my hand inside my clothes and touched it, and a little blood stained my fingertips.
I slightly removed my clothes to check, and Seraphina's bite mark was clearly visible.
I sighed, then put my clothes back on.
And after walking for quite so ti, I headed towards the student council president's office where Levina was.
The hallway was unusually long and quiet.
It felt as if only my footsteps echoed on the floor.
The thought that the few people around would die aningless dog's deaths at the hands of Demons made it feel as if I could neither see nor hear anything.
I reached the vicinity of the student council president's office.
As I tried to go inside, the students guarding the door blocked my way.
They were faces I had seen before.
They were the ones who occasionally trailed after Levina.
"A worm such as yourself has no right to enter here."
The male student at the very front said, lightly pushing .
His voice and gaze were mixed with contempt and a slight fear.
"......Surely you don't like Levina, do you?"
"Why would I tell you such a thing……Hmph.
Anyway, I heard you caused a disturbance even when you were getting kicked out of the family.
The President is suffering because of a human like you……."
Without a word, I slapped the male student who had been babbling nonsense at the front.
The sound echoed in the hallway.
Perhaps I hit him harder than I thought, or perhaps because he was a timid bookworm like , the male student imdiately lost his balance.
I grabbed him by the collar, kicked him in the abdon with my knee, and then threw him down.
He gasped and choked, unable to properly steady himself on the floor.
I pushed aside the other students nearby, opened the door, and entered.
Sohow, I felt accustod to violence.
Perhaps it was because all the people around were like that.
Why, my fiancée is the kind of person who only ant to get a little angry but ended up destroying a mansion and burning down fields, after all.
The room was filled with the scent of docunt piles and old books.
The faint sunlight streaming in through the window felt much warr than expected.
And Levina, with a blood bruise on her neck and a light bruise on her face, was sitting at her office desk.
She was looking through docunts as if nothing was wrong.
"...You left it as it was."
"I'm not sure what you're talking about. Why don't you knock before you co in?"
Levina replied without taking her eyes off the docunts.
I sat down on a nearby chair.
The chair creaked.
"My goodness, I never thought anyone would like soone like you, Sis."
"They don't like ; they prefer the fact that I'm the young head of the Edelgard family and my outward appearance."
Levina replied.
Then she put down the docunts.
"Unlike so people, I'm not just presentable outwardly; I'm an object of admiration."
It was sohow absurd to hear such words from the very person who was only presentable outwardly.
"You could just apply so suitable dicine instead of going to the church, and it would subside, so are you going to leave it as it is?"
"Of all days, it's the day you're getting kicked out of the family, and it's a trace you left yourself. I should cherish it, shouldn't I?"
Levina raised her head.
Her grey eyes curved slightly. eting my gaze, she slowly smiled and lightly caressed one of the bruises on her face.
I put my feet on the table, took out a cigarette from my pocket, put it in my mouth, and lit it.
White smoke billowed up.
"If only listening to Seraphina, it seems quite surprising that you're using magic again."
"It's an absurd thing."
Levina replied.
She pushed aside the stacked books, stood up, and opened the window. A cold wind, unlike the sunlight, entered the room and dispersed the smoke.
"Nothing should have happened in the Forbidden Library.
It makes wonder if sothing else happened that I don't know about."
Levina continued, speaking softly as she watched the smoke fly out through the window.
"Perhaps it was good that I prevented you from learning magic or swordsmanship in the first place.
Even if I didn't know you would crawl your way up like this."
After that, as silence flowed through the room, the creak of a door opening was heard.
It seed soone had co, worried about Levina.
"......President?"
"Get out."
Levina said without even turning her head.
Then the door closed naturally once again.
"Anyway, why have you co, my brother."
Levina said.
She was still looking out the window.
"Can you get a room?"
"Why a room?"
Levina asked back.
Only then did she turn her body to look at .
"Seraphina seems to have been kicked out of her family, according to her."
Hearing those words, Levina's expression subtly hardened.
"You know?"
"I heard about it. But there's no way that child would do such a thing, and the rumors circulating were too preposterous, so I just thought they were idle gossip."
Levina replied, then sighed.
"So, you ca to to ask to get a room for your fiancée, who isn't even you and whom you'll soon break off your engagent with?"
Her voice was cold.
"Sis."
Her slightly cloudy grey eyes gazed at .
My reflection was faintly visible within those eyes.
I glanced around at the heavy wooden box containing a pen, which was on the table, then threw it near Levina.
The wooden box hit the wall, and perhaps because it contained an ink bottle, black liquid burst out.
Black ink blood like a flower on Levina's pure white blouse.
Black ink dripped from the edge of her blouse, staining the floor. The characteristic ink scent covered the sll of smoke and filled the room.
"Why should I?"
"You said you'd do it if I asked."
At my words, the corner of Levina's mouth lifted faintly.
As if she had been waiting.
"When did I? I don't rember saying such a thing.
You must have heard nonsense, poor thing.
Because so bastard dared to climb on top of his master and choke her, she couldn't say a word."
She leaned her back against the window, crossed her arms, and looked down at .
I stood up and approached her.
With each step I took, her eyes narrowed.
As I drew a little closer, she was backing away when her back t the bookshelf.
"Levina."
As I raised my hand, she flinched slightly.
Even so, she twisted one corner of her mouth into a sneer and let out a hollow laugh.
"You, a prostitude's illegitimate child, what do you dare to do to ?"
Her voice was filled with mockery.
"All you could do was crawl like a dog beneath , wasn't it? Isn't that right?"
Saying that, Levina kicked my shin and pushed back slightly.
"Seems so."
As I said that and raised my hand, Levina squeezed her eyes shut.
I placed my hand on her bruised face and slowly caressed it.
Levina slowly opened her eyes with a slightly puzzled expression and looked at .
"Don't touch ."
She grabbed my wrist and tried to pull my hand away.
So I pressed down hard with my thumb that was resting on her cheek.
Her head was pushed back and hit the bookshelf behind her.
"Augh…!"
Levina let out a short sound, as if in pain.
She tried to push away, then slowly looked up at . And as our eyes t, her face trembled slightly, and she made a tearful expression.
"D-don't look at like that."
"Then you just have to do everything I ask, don't you?"
Levina still didn't answer.
She rely kept her lips tightly sealed.
I sighed, then released the pressure from the hand that was pressing on Levina's cheek and pushed her away.
Then I turned my back, walked a few steps, and was about to turn the doorknob to leave the room.
"Lavin."
I heard a voice call from behind .
"Does it matter if it's a small room used by servants?"
"It doesn't matter."
I glanced back slightly and replied.
"And I'm going to visit the annex next weekend, so get a carriage."
Levina glared at .
Then she opened her mouth.
"If you take with you, I'll get it for you."
"What are you going to do if you co along?"
Levina firmly closed her mouth. She looked at with a slightly resentful expression, as if holding back tears, then slowly opened her mouth.
"You probably don't even know what it ans for you to go alone."
"Why, because your mother might kill ?
Do you think so knight will suddenly jump out and kill , then bury sowhere, or perhaps poison ?"
I slowly walked towards her and stopped in front of her.
"Don't call 'you'."
Levina said that, and reached out her hand to .
I slapped her hand away.
"Then what should I call you?
What should I call the human who held my hand, beat as if to kill , imprisoned , and prevented from learning anything?"
And I kicked her shin.
Levina staggered, almost fell, but grabbed the bookshelf and stood up again.
"Who would have known? No one would have expected you to stay still even after this."
"......Anyway, if you're going to the annex, co with .
I don't know what you'll do there, but I won't stop you."
"Do as you please."
Levina followed , then grabbed my sleeve before I could leave. After I turned around and t her gaze, she asked.
"Do you hate ?"
"I don't know."
Hearing my answer, Levina relaxed her grip on my sleeve.
"Lavin."
And then she slowly let go.
"Do you think anything will change if you act like this?"
"Yes, it does change."
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