apologize. I didn't scream. I didn't get mad. I didn't cry. And I properly apologized. But he got mad at me anyway, saying that my apology was annoying, that it was creepy that I wasn't crying, and that his arm hurt from hitting me so much. But even though I was hot all over and my body hurt and ached, and even though rain and mud and bugs were getting in through the holes in the bag and rustling around and crawling in my mouth and ears, and even though I wanted to throw up and my tummy was empty and I was freezing cold and my teeth were chattering and chattering and chattering and my mind felt like it was going to snapâ€” â€”for some reason, I recalled a certain passage over and over again. "Down, down, down. "Alice fell down a very deep hole." Um, when was it I read that, again? Was it back when Mama was still nice and pretty and smiled every day? Was it back when my original papa was still alive? Was it before the first time we moved? And after Alice fell down, down, downâ€” â€”what happened to her at the bottom of the hole? My head feels so heavy. I can't remember anymore. But it doesn't, hurt, anymore, so may be, th is, was for, the bes t ye, ahmay be, th,is, was f or the, best best est est? best? "Lady Vyade Ula Forstlast, you're alive?!" "â€”You murdered her?" Lute cried out in surprise and joy, but Vyade, uncharacteristically, didn't respond to him. She merely glared at the man in black, voicing her own question. She sat up straight, her body trembling in pain all the while. When she did, her red-haired, fox-headed protector slid off her chest. Valisisa fell to the floor with a loud, hard thump. Fresh blood slowly spread out around the first imperial princess. Elisabeth narrowed her gaze. The first imperial princess had dropped like a rock. Naught remains of Valisisa Ula Forstlast but a corpse, then. After coolly making her assessment, Elisabeth shifted her gaze to the second imperial princess, Vyade Ula Forstlast. Just as she'd said, she did in fact yet live. However..., thought Elisabeth. Those wounds are deep. By the looks of it, she was stabbed with a spoon. Elisabeth had drawn that conclusion from the ghastly state Vyade's chest was in. A large swath of her thin dress, fur, and flesh had been completely scooped out. Her ribs, as well as the pulsating organs beneath them, were visible. The blow that had caused that wound must have been excruciating. As she studied the wound, Elisabeth began thinking of how she could save Vyade. The beastfolk have little skill with magic. I could try healing her myselfâ€” No, such spells are hardly my forte. But there are no healers left in the residence, either. And even if escaping and bringing her to someone with enough talent to heal her were an option, given the burden the teleportation would take on herâ€” No, 'twould be meaningless regardless. No healer alive could mend a wound that severe. There was no point trying to lie to herself. The situation was beyond hope. Elisabeth had to plainly acknowledge the truth of the matter. Vyade was going to die. No sense in trying to save the doomed. Her men seemed to have realized that, too. When they'd found out the second imperial princess was alive, they'd immediately rushed forward, but upon seeing her wound, they'd all frozen in their tracks. Several of them crumpled to their knees. Hollow cries spilled into the air. "Oh... Oh, Lady Vyade..." Normally, it was the height of disrespect for a subordinate to omit the surname of a member of the imperial family. And sitting down in front of one's master when that master was gravely injured was the height of absurdity to begin with. But that was just how horrifying Vyade's wound was. The man in black seemed to realize the state the second imperial princess was in. Perhaps as a show of mercy, he made no effort to shake free from her grasp. After tilting his head to the side, he finally spoke. "There are a lot of people that could refer to. Who in particular is it you're asking about?" "My sister." A look of surprise crossed the man's half-visible face when Vyade gave her answer. With his free left hand, he rubbed the line where his mask met his skin. Leaving his right hand in her grasp, he responded. "If you had answered the first imperial princess, I was prepared to criticize you harshly for it, even though my deeds don't leave me in much of a position to do so. I wouldn't have looked fondly on your treating members of the imperial family differently from your subjects. Asking about your own family, thoughâ€”that's entirely reasonable. As a sister, you have every right to question me, and every right to despise me." The man's voice was tinged with respect as he spoke to the dying Vyade. However, it was also free of shame. "To answer your question, yes. I murdered your sister." "You killed Valisisa Ula Forstlast?" "I did. I killed Valisisa Ula Forstlast." Vyade asked. The man answered. And Elisabeth was struck speechless. Not at the answer. At the change in Vyade Ula Forstlast. The moment she heard the man's response, Vyade contorted the corners of her mouth. A fierce smile spread across her face, one full of grief and hatred and bloodlust and rage. It was an expression hardly befitting the Wise Wolfâ€”it was something you'd expect to see on a monster or a demon. The second imperial princess began speaking like a woman possessed. "Valisisa Ula Forstlast had the capacity of a dynast. Back before the end of days, she would have prioritized surviving even if it meant sacrificing me. But because we've entered an era of peace, she sacrificed her body to protect me. She determined that the fear and confusion over losing Vyade the Wise Wolf would threaten the stability our country has finally gained over these past three years. How truly gallant. Heh, although, it would seem that my wound is plenty fatal as well. Apparently, even my sister can make mistakes. Who would have thought?" Much to everyone's surprise, Vyade began laughing in amusement. With each chuckle, blood spurted violently from her mouth. But her fluid speech seemed hardly to be that of a dying woman. It seemed downright bizarre. Alice looked to the man, her eyes wholly frightened. The white ribbons on her hat began trembling as well. "Father...isn't it weird? Why is the dying dog talking so normally? She's all covered in blood, and yet... I think it's a little creepy." "Oh yes, this normally wouldn't be possible. It may not seem like it, young miss, but I'm trying very hard right now." Alice's face froze. She peeked timidly at Vyade. Vyade gave her a gentle smile. Ah, thought Elisabeth, nodding, so that's it. Vyade, ignoring the fact that Alice had just called her a dog, winked charmingly. "I needed to buy time, you see." "Hmm? ...Whaâ€”?!" Alice looked down, then let out a little yelp. At some point, light-silver ivy had begun coiling around her ankles. And the same had happened to the man in black. However, his expression remained unchanged. Vyade calmly let go of the man's wrist. "I wasn't able to stop your raid...so perhaps I'm in no position to talk. But if you wish to be on top, you need to constantly consider the possibility of having the carpet pulled out from under you." She quietly opened her palm. Sitting atop its pink pad sat a gorgeous, shining ring. "Right before she passed, my sister made sure to entrust this to me." While Valisisa was alive, it was the one ornament she had always kept on her person. That silver loop was where the ivy was coming from. A pink flower bud was sealed within the crystal at its center, like spring itself had been frozen in ice. And now that crystal had undergone a major change. The bud within had burst into magnificent bloom. The pink crystal-flower's gold center was glowing. As it did, tiny sparks burst off it as the compressed mana within whirled like a tempest in a teacup. *** Alice swung her teaspoon down and smashed it into the vines binding her ankles. However, doing so simply made a sound like she was striking dragon scales and caused her teaspoon to twist at an odd angle. That was largely what Elisabeth had expected to have happened. Those vines clearly had an abnormal hardness and flexibility to them. Alice bit her lip, visibly shaken. Vyade opened her mouth to speak to her men, her gaze fixed on Alice all the while. "Lute. My surviving soldiers. This will be your final order from Vyade Ula Forstlast. Take Madam Elisabeth and flee, now. And no matter what, don't stop running. I have no desire to get you caught up in what I'm about to do." "Wh-what are you talking about, Lady Vyade Ula Forstlast?! We could never abandon ourâ€”" "You would have me repeat my final order?! Run!" Vyade's sharp reprimand cut through the air, her intonation reminiscent of Valisisa's. Lute and the others reflexively straightened their backs. Unlike her dynast sister, however, Vyade followed up in a gentler tone. "You all are fine soldiers, but there is no meaning in protecting a dying woman. We are all children of our Three Kings of the Forest, and it is your duty to live long so you may continue serving the people." Even if she died, there were some things that went on. There were some things that had to. She urged them forth, her voice as tender as a sister's and as firm as a mother's. "Now go and don't turn back." All at once, the beastfolk soldiers cried out. They looked up at the ceiling and howled in unison. It was as though they were paying their respects to a star in the sky. Alice covered her ears, and her hat's white ribbons folded themselves over in kind. The man offered no response. Elisabeth stood wordlessly. The howls continued, then suddenly stopped. Then as their echoes yet reverberated, the beastfolk leaned forward and took off from the stairs and floor at a dash. The rookie was still on his back on the floor, but one of the Brigade's more veteran members grabbed him by the collar and pulled him along. "Come now, run!" "Pardon the impropriety, Madam Elisabeth!" Lute scooped Elisabeth up and slung her over his shoulder. As she obediently let him carry her, Elisabeth continued watching Vyade. The second imperial princess faced their enemies alone and opened her mouth once more. Blood spilled from it as she spoke. But this time, her words were not a last will made to her comrades. They were a bitter curse, spat at her foes. "For the crimes committed against my subjects, I would have you die a thousand times over. But most unforgivable of all, you murdered my sister. Valisisa Ula Forstlast was a precious treasure chosen by the Three Kings of the Forest, as was I. We were royalty, chosen by the Three Kings to serve as special pawns. We were this country's greatest treasures, as well as servants to its people." "...Hmm. While I'm still not fond of the special status you seem to assign royals, your recognition of your role as 'servants of the people' still merits praise... No, forgive me. I'm just talking to myself. Please go on." "I don't recall asking for your permission. But for those who destroy such treasures, the only fitting punishment is death. For such an act is unforgivable. Till the end of days, you shall never be forgivenâ€”and thus, you shall perish here and now." Vyade's fur, stained crimson, bristled with malice. Her blood pressure