Cold breeze blew in the vast open garden. There, a small table with a woman seated with her child gazed upon the stars.

“Do you know what those are..?” Emilia asked as she pointed to the stars in the night sky. Lazarus, who was seated on her lap, furrowed his brows.

“I don’t know…what are they?” Lazarus replied, his eyes beaming with curiosity as he looked at Emilia who smiled,

“Those are clumped up mana that float to the skies. Some say they are the mana of people that passed, and they watch over us.”

“Really!?” Lazarus’ eyes sparkled. She knew that amazed look. He was looking at her like she was all knowing and it pleased her. She loved it when Lazarus got excited, as it excited her as well. His smile was her happiness.

This was a blessing only a parent could have. To share these precious moments with her child.

“You know…” Emilia said softly, tightening her embrace on Lazarus. “When it’s time for mommy to go someday, know that I will watch over you from the stars.”

“Go..? Go where? Are you going back to that place so soon?”

Emilia just smiled and patted his head. “No, it’s nothing.”

She wondered, even when Lazarus would grow up. What would he do? Sure he was manaless, but this child was kind. Perhaps his habitude would win some people to his side, and if not, maybe he’d get married to someone who would appreciate him and see him for who he was.

Emilia suddenly felt something wrapping around her waist, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“I love you mommy!” Lazarus hugged her and it melted Emilia’s heart. She hugged him back. Her heart, overflowing with affection.

“Bye mom…”

!?

Emilia shot her eyes open and reached out, then she frowned.

It was morning. She was on the bed, her heart pumping and sweat dripped down her forehead.

“Just a dream..?” Emilia muttered. Her beating heart slowed to a calm. “It was just a dream… Lazarus is–” she felt a pit in her stomach. And she looked down.

That’s right… he was exiled.

How was he doing?

He might be lonely. Everlune, the place where they hid Reisha, was quite isolated and had walls-up to prevent outsiders from looking inside. It was a fairly large place and had an ample supply of fruits that Lazarus could eat without a problem.

Still… just eating fruits and dry food wasn’t really appetizing. Just imaging Lazarus by himself tore at Emilia’s heart.

She wasn’t aware the child she loved so much had already been torn to shreds by wolves in another place.

Feeling a bit melancholic, Emilia got-up and dressed herself. On the table, she noticed an unopened letter. Then she looked beside the bed, and there she saw several opened letters and their contents on the floor. She was re-reading all the letters that Lazarus wrote for her that night just to ease up her loneliness.

“Right…” Emilia muttered as she looked at the unopened letter. It was one of Lazarus’ letters to her as well but she didn’t manage to read this one. As she contemplated it’s contents and was swaying between opening it and not, she somehow fell asleep.

Maybe it was best to read this letter elsewhere. Somewhere less gloomy. With that thought in mind, Emilia headed outside.

The sun rises as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue on the horizon. As darkness surrenders, every color changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy.

A soft and cold wind blew. The shrubberies rustled and her long skirt swayed.

No one was here. Perhaps the maids were still asleep? It was still dawn after all.

Emilia stood there, staring at a small marble table with a single chair in the middle of the palace garden.

The image of herself sitting on the chair with Lazarus on her lap appeared…she sighed.

She could go and see Lazarus herself in Everlune but it was agreed that she would go once every few months to see him. And right now, it was only just a week.

Then there was the problem with Reisha. She had already recovered from the disease, and had her birthday party. However for most of the part, she always seemed to be distracted and would ask about Lazarus. Emilia lied, of course and decided to tell her after the party.

The day after, she finally told Reisha. After finding out that Lazarus was exiled, Reisha was so shocked that she lost consciousness.

After she woke up, Reisha locked herself in her room for days. She kept on asking Emilia ‘Why? Why my big brother? Why? Why? Why?’ from behind her door but Emilia could only plead for her to get out. She never did.

Reisha refused to eat anything and sometimes cried. With enhanced hearing magic, Emilia was able to hear Reisha sobbing herself to sleep, saying ‘It’s my fault big brother is gone…’

It has been three days since she locked herself in her room and refused to eat anything.

Emilia was getting worried, but the maids were somehow able to let her eat. When Emilia found out, she immediately went to Reisha’s room only to be met with flying plates and silverware, telling her to ‘get out!’. Then she refused to eat again for a day.

It was clear that day that seeing her would just worsen Reisha so Emilia avoided going near her room.

Emilia sighed. Not only has she not been able to stop thinking about Lazarus and how much she missed him and was worried for him, Reisha seemed to hate her a lot now. Especially after she found out that Emilia agreed to her beloved brother’s exile.

Emilia sat on the chair and put the letter on the table.

When had Lazarus sent this? She always made time to read his letters but maybe she was busy that time that she set the letter aside? Emilia couldn’t exactly remember when but she realized after thinking for a while that it was futile. The contents wouldn’t change even if she knew when it was sent.

Emilia gently removed the cover and read the letter,

[

‘Hey mom. I know why I’m here but I still feel lonely sometimes. But when I think about how I’m protecting everyone just by being here, it makes the loneliness not so lonely anymore! Still… I really hope I get to see you soon. I really miss you Mom.’

]

Emilia felt a ball in her throat. He was a gentle child that should never have been met with this kind of fate. She put a hand on her mouth to stop her emotions from spilling out.

She missed how he would run and hug her. She missed how Lazarus would complain when she hugged him.

Emilia stood up. She wanted to run to him and see him now. Everlune was far from here but it should take her a week on horseback if she went now. Veyron was also in the castle handling some affairs so he should be able to protect Reisha then…

Emilia shook her head. She shouldn’t be that selfish.

-’Perhaps…’-

Emilia left the palace gardens and went with a single destination in mind.

After going up a flight of stairs and turning a few corners, she found herself in-front of a room with a wooden door with intricate carvings.

Will his room still look the same? The image of her beloved child sleeping flashed through her mind. She shook her head. Heaving a sigh, Emilia pushed the door open.

Her eyes widened.

Another person was already there. Sitting on top of Lazarus’ bed.

Upon seeing Emilia, her brows creased to a defiant frown.

“What are you doing here?” Reisha spat. Emilia couldn’t find the words to speak. She had not seen Reisha for three days so she never expected her daughter to be in Lazarus’ room.

“You have no right to be here!” Reisha, whose eyes were reddened and tired, stood up and stomped forward, a ball of blue light gathered in her open palm as she threatened. “Leave…” the frost blue light in her palm pulsed. “Or else.”

Emilia flopped her mouth open and closed. Never had she imagined a day when Reisha, her beloved daughter, would threaten her. Emilia just wanted to see Lazarus' room. Reisha had no right to deny her of that wish. She frowned.

Reisha stood firmly and met Emilia’s scowl. She needed to protect what was left of the most precious thing to her from the very person who took him away from her.

“Reisha… I understand if you still hate me. However, that does not give you the right to refuse me access to Lazarus’ room. I merely wanted to–”

Reisha fired the frost ball. Emilia’s eyes widened. The ball of blue light wheezed through the air and she couldn’t react. It exploded near her feet into a crackly misty explosion and everything in the floor except where Emilia stood were covered in frosty spikes a few feet tall, just inches away from hitting Emilia’s stomach.

Emilia looked at Reisha who had casted another frost ball spell again. But this time, it was bigger. It could even be lethal to Emilia who didn’t have her mana barrier on.

-’She’s willing to go that far..?’- Emilia was stunned. She never expected Reisha to fire that spell at her.

“You took my big brother from me…You exiled him…I just thought, you of all people wouldn’t have agreed to it. But you did.” Reisha said softly, tears flowing from the corner of her cheeks. Her hands, shaking as she continued, “And yet you have the audacity to come to his room? Leave.”

Emilia could see the hurt in Reisha’s eyes. But she wasn’t the only one hurting. It was unfair. But at the same time, she understood. Reisha, who trusted her mother, would never expect that her mother would agree to her beloved brother’s exile. Even Emilia was disappointed in herself… but at the same time, it was ultimately for the better. It wasn’t an easy decision.

And so, Emilia kept her mouth shut. From how her daughter stood defiantly in-front of her, it was clear that Reisha was willing to fight to the death to protect the room of her beloved big brother…from her.

Emilia suppressed the rising emotions coming from her chest that threatened to burst forward and simply walked away, closing the door behind her without a word.

Emilia had initially disagreed with Lazarus’ exile, and that there should’ve been better ways. But when she saw how bad Reisha’s fever was getting, she reluctantly agreed.

She had wanted to scream ‘I didn’t want to do it!’ or ‘It was for you!’ but she couldn’t. If Reisha heard that, she might’ve lunged at her. She was still a child high on emotions so it was best to leave.

Emilia knew Reisha wasn’t willing to listen to the very person who robbed her of her big brother whom she loved so dear.

Emilia sighed. “I-..I only wanted to see his room.. So why-..?”

It wasn’t like she wanted to agree to his exile. She had to. Reisha probably couldn’t understand the issues Emilia herself was dealing with as she was still a child. But still…

If it was Lazarus…

Emilia felt a throbbing pain from her chest as she imagined that he would simply force a smile. That’s how that child always was. And yet, she did that to that very kind boy.

…

“Enough…” Emilia muttered.

She was told she could see Lazarus after a month’s time but she could wait no longer. The pain was too much to bear.

Emilia headed to the master bedroom and went to her wardrobe. She reached to the farthest corner and pulled a piece of string. Then she heard a click.

She pushed some of her clothes in the corner aside and there, a large rectangular outline could be seen.

She used her nail and dug into the outline and forced it open. Inside the hidden area was a big rectangular box.

Emilia placed the box on the bed and pressed the corners. She closed her eyes and applied a bit of her mana, and a glowing rune circle appeared. The box clicked and the runic circle disappeared.

Emilia opened the box, and there a couple of items lay. Silver gauntlets and silver leg protectors as well as an unassuming brown robe. In the corner of the box were carefully segregated gold, silver and copper coins.

“I have to see him…”

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