Night had grown deep. Lita had already finished making up Cecilia’s bed, and was now doing the final preparations before sleep.
“Before you get in bed, remember to put away your stone. There are some things I don’t wish to be made public.” Cecilia reminded her.
“Alright.” Lita agreed, then took out the record stone she had used to log her activities over the past few days and set it on the table, far away from the bedside.
Although she wasn’t sure how wide its recording range was, she figured such a simple tool probably didn’t have much power; otherwise, it’d be a bit exaggerated for every examinee to have a magical tool.
Then, Lita suddenly realized a rather critical issue.
Even though Cecilia had just said she didn’t want certain things exposed, that record stone hadn’t left her side these past days. Didn’t that mean everything—her and Cecilia drinking together, and even what happened afterward—had all been recorded, detail for detail?
No, drinking was one thing, but what about subduing Johnson last night? That must have been recorded too. She just didn’t know if the record stone could catch everything so thoroughly, even the mist she’d hidden in her palm.
Forget it. She’d deal with it step by step. With Cecilia around, she wasn’t too worried about failing the assessment anyway.
But if she couldn’t control her expression now, and Cecilia noticed something odd, she’d surely be subjected to another round of questioning.
Thinking this, Lita helped Cecilia onto the bed.
“Lie down.” Cecilia’s command was as concise as ever.
Lita took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. Cecilia immediately burrowed into Lita’s arms like a little bird, burying her head against Lita’s chest.
Shh.
Before Lita could say anything, Cecilia’s quiet hush stopped her, signaling that she should say nothing, so Lita could only close her mouth.
Since Cecilia had made her put away the record stone, she probably wanted to tell her something; she wouldn’t be sleeping just yet.
Lita still couldn’t quite understand why Cecilia liked hugging her so much.
She lowered her head to look at Cecilia, who had buried herself entirely in Lita’s arms.
Cecilia’s small head was completely nestled against her, only golden hair and a nightgown visible, an arm draped around her waist—Lita had no idea what kind of expression she wore.
Usually, Lita was a little wary of Cecilia’s scheming, but right now, Cecilia was just like a small animal begging for care, giving Lita no pressure at all.
On the contrary… she felt a bit more at ease.
If Cecilia felt the same comfort when holding her, then Lita could somewhat understand.
Lita reached out, gently resting her arm on Cecilia’s shoulder, and pulled the unresponsive girl a little closer.
After a long time, Cecilia wriggled like a bunny poking out of its burrow, slipped out of Lita’s arms, and rested her head on Lita’s arm.
“Lita.”
“Lady Cecilia, I’m here.”
“You actually don’t understand curses, do you?”
Without any preamble, Cecilia dove right into the topic, her pillow-side whisper carrying a secret most avoided.
Lita shook her head, her silver hair rustling against the pillow.
Cecilia paused for a moment, then said, “Curses are troublesome and hard to decipher. Even now, there’s very little research on them, and likewise, preparing a curse is extremely complex. Normally, no one would cast a curse on someone lightly.”
“Mm… I know that much.”
“Curses have conditions: to be cursed, you must have come in contact with something you shouldn’t—like putting on a cursed ring, opening the door of a certain tomb, or touching forbidden knowledge. Or, you’ve provoked someone you shouldn’t have.”
“Mm.”
“Curses are annoying, but most can be lifted. Some curses only make your shoes feel like there’s a pebble in them, or something stuck in your teeth. For these, just get someone to remove them, and most people would do so right away.”
Most, Lita noticed how heavily Cecilia stressed those words. Recalling how Promi had said earlier that Johnson’s beastification curse wasn’t hard to undo, she seemed to catch onto something.
“And as for the rest—those who have had an elaborate, hard-to-break curse placed on them, or who have gotten involved with such curses—who are they?” Cecilia posed the question, then answered herself: “Tomb robbers, those who break taboos, those involved with evil magi, or whose bloodlines have been tainted. Of course, it’s not absolute, but truly innocent people cursed this way are very, very few.”
Lita didn’t know how to respond. Although Cecilia was talking about Johnson, even Lita sensed a premonition that she wasn’t only speaking of him.
Humans always see themselves in others.
Lita had found it strange when Cecilia asked to hold her while sleeping, but now she seemed to grasp some subtle inspiration.
Before she could think further, Cecilia continued, “But in general knowledge, to ask about such things is to reopen wounds—and it might draw yourself into taboo as well.”
Lita’s brow furrowed in confusion, not understanding why learning about curses would lead her into taboo.
But Cecilia seemed to anticipate her confusion. “It’s because of the mysterious nature of these hard-to-break curses that most people avoid discussing them. No one knows how others were cursed, or if contact will bring bad luck onto themselves.”
“Even knowing that curses don’t actually spread by discussion, everyone still avoids probing their origins. It’s not about sympathy—it’s a kind of self-preservation, an unspoken rule.”
So that’s it—if curses were like illnesses, it’d be easier to understand.
Everyone with a toothache or cold takes medicine or goes to the doctor; at worst, they spend a few days in the hospital, and that’s that—nobody makes a fuss, and it’s fine when it’s over.
But some people catch incurable diseases—at this, the names of infamous ailments flashed through Lita’s mind—and it’s only natural for others to keep their distance.
For regular diseases, you can trace the infection. But because curses are shrouded in mystery, most people can’t find any pattern, so they just keep quiet.
That’s why Johnson was so hesitant to admit he was cursed.
That’s why everyone reacted so strangely when she asked about the origin of Johnson’s curse.
Maybe there wasn’t much malice in it—just a kind of unspoken rule—but to admit “this is all because everyone discriminates against the cursed” was indeed hard to say.
After all, the one Lita served was none other than the famed Princess of Curses, Cecilia.
Lita was silent for a long while before finally nodding again, the sound of her hair sliding on the pillow growing deeper.
Maybe out of sympathy, or simply because she thought it was amazing that Cecilia could talk about such personal matters in this way, Lita gently pulled Cecilia closer.
Cecilia’s shoulders trembled slightly, but she didn’t say a word.
Cecilia knew that her actions tonight were a bit childish. No, very childish.
People’s attitudes towards the cursed were an unspoken rule. Lita should’ve already known that, yet her attitude tonight told Cecilia she didn’t.
Though part of Lita’s presence was because Cecilia had forced her, it was clear that Lita’s feelings lately were free of ulterior motives.
Having grown used to others’ strange gazes, Cecilia hadn’t felt such pure emotion in a long time.
She could’ve kept quiet, let things go on as they were, so Lita wouldn’t learn this truth from her. That would’ve been best. Yet, Cecilia still wanted to tell her in her own words.
She wanted Lita to know how others saw the cursed.
But after saying this, maybe Lita wouldn’t give her such a reassuring embrace again?
Tonight—could this be the last time?
That was why Cecilia wanted one more hug, why her behavior tonight felt so unlike herself, so childish.
She had thought about how Lita would react after hearing all this, but hadn’t expected this response.
No—she had thought about it. She’d just written it off as a fantasy.
No one could truly accept her, yet here was a peculiar little thing, sneaking into her room, perhaps harboring secrets of her own, and willing to do so. No one would believe it if she said it aloud.
Maybe it was because Lita, by nature, was something so inscrutable and so distant from humanity that she could manage this?
Never mind. Hadn’t she already decided not to look too deeply into what Lita truly was, for now?
“Lita.” Cecilia called softly, just as she always did.
“Yes, Lady Cecilia. I’m here.”
Lita replied gently, raising a hand to softly pat Cecilia’s back, just like soothing a baby unwilling to sleep.
Idiot.
To say such unfair things at a time like this, as if she desperately needed comfort.
Cecilia let out a snort and elbowed Lita’s stomach.
“Get off! I don’t want to sleep with you anymore!”
“Ha…ha? Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
“No reason!”
Cecilia said, giving her another shove.
Anyway, there would be plenty of chances in the future…