Chapter 9: I Want You to Stay with Me

The sky was dark, the rain cold, and the shackles heavy.

Honor?

Pride?

Heroism?

Such things no longer mattered.

“In the name of the gods, I hereby declare you guilty.”

The King’s sentence was light in words, but when it fell upon her, it was heavy enough to shatter her spine.

The pen dipped in Magic Ink piercing her lower abdomen did not hurt as much as a blade cutting flesh, yet its weight was enough to crush her heart into fragments.

She rotted away in a cramped, damp alley, yearning only for the scattered rays of sunlight filtering through the rubble.

She prayed that one day that faint, almost invisible light would envelop her.

She longed for a pair of hands to pick up the broken pieces of her heart.

She hoped that someday someone would support her fractured spine.

Ophelia…

Anna opened her eyes to a blurry light.

“Awake?”

Ophelia’s cold voice whispered in her ear.

“Mm.”

Soft and springy sensations touched the back of her head.

Anna turned her face to the side, inhaling the crisp, pleasant scent of cedar.

That Ophelia… was actually giving her a Knee Pillow?

“Don’t move.”

Anna caught sight of the clumsy Bandage wrapped around her left hand.

Ophelia forcibly turned Anna’s head, laying her flat across her lap.

Her brows were lowered, and tears clung to the corners of her eyes, still wet.

Noticing Anna’s gaze, she wiped her eyes and revealed that usual icy expression.

Anna reached out her hand, as if to lift a mask, gently stroking Ophelia’s jawline.

Her fingers traced along the bone structure upward, brushing past the earlobe, threading through the strands of hair, and resting at the nape of her neck.

Ophelia unusually did not stop her.

“From today on, you have to finish your Milk every night.”

“Mm.”

“And every Routine Meal must be eaten completely.”

“Mm.”

“And also, and also…”

Suddenly, Ophelia’s tears overflowed uncontrollably.

She covered her mouth, struggling to keep her sobs from escaping through her fingers.

It wasn’t the first time she had cried in front of Anna, but it was the first time she cried so fiercely.

“Ophelia.”

Anna softly called her name.

“…”

“Miss Ophelia.”

Anna’s fingers gently brushed the corners of Ophelia’s lips.

In this room that belonged only to the two of them, no one else would know what happened here.

So, a little indulgence was surely allowed, wasn’t it?

“Miss Ophelia, stop crying.”

Anna steadied herself on the bed edge with her Bandaged left hand.

She straightened up and kissed the tear rolling down Ophelia’s cheek.

“You’re my mistress, aren’t you? Besides, I fainted because of anemia. It’s not your fault, Miss Ophelia.”

Anna kissed along the tear streak, finally resting a kiss on her jawline.

She nuzzled her head against Ophelia’s chest as if acting spoiled, then suddenly pushed her down onto the soft bed.

Anna’s fingers slipped precisely through Ophelia’s fingers, tightening their grasp.

They stared deeply into each other’s eyes at such close proximity.

Gazing into those ocean-blue eyes, Anna suddenly felt time slow down, her heartbeat seemingly skipping a beat.

“Sometimes, Ophelia, you can lean on me.”

“Anna…”

Ophelia murmured hesitantly.

In her memory, Anna was gradually merging with another Sword Hero she once knew in her childhood.

Could she really… rely on Anna now, just like she had on that person before?

She had been bullying Anna, relying on debts and slave contracts.

She always forced her own will on Anna, causing her to get hurt and faint.

She had never truly helped Anna, yet grew resentful when others did.

She was utterly awful…

But Anna, you are the victim dragged down by me.

Why do you show me such tenderness?

Anna, Anna.

Don’t hate me… don’t leave me…

I just… I just don’t know how to cherish you.

Because no one ever cherished me before.

Anna…

Ophelia often felt like she was walking on the edge of a cliff, one misstep away from plunging into an endless abyss.

Once, a light had shone, guiding her, but that light was lost in conspiracies long ago.

She had wandered alone in the darkness until one day she heard of the fallen Sword Hero.

She had watched every fight of the so-called sinful former hero, observed every request for the entertainer who worked in the tavern without selling herself.

She faintly saw the shadow of an old acquaintance in that hero.

Finally, she could bear it no longer.

She bought off Anna’s debts, approached her, possessed her, and used the noble cause of helping her return to the battlefield to bind her.

She thought that would keep Anna by her side, but Beatrice’s interference filled her with dread.

Beatrice gave Anna what she could not.

She feared Anna would seek refuge in that woman’s arms.

But she could do nothing right.

She only knew how to carve her mark on Anna’s body; she couldn’t even teach her to solve problems properly.

“Anna, Anna…”

Ophelia’s sobs wouldn’t stop.

“I’m here, Miss Ophelia… my mistress.”

“By your side.”

“Haven’t I always been here?” Anna shook their tightly entwined hands, “See, I’m holding on all along.”

Ophelia bit her lower lip.

She meant more than just this moment.

“Miss Ophelia.”

Anna wiped the remaining tears from Ophelia’s eyes, cradled the face that was barely bigger than her own, and placed a fleeting kiss on her lips.

“My debts are so heavy. Magic is hard to learn. The Past often haunts me in my dreams. Honestly, I’m about to be crushed.”

Ophelia’s breath caught, her heart plummeting in an instant.

She feared Anna would beg her to let her go.

“No…”

“So,” Anna interrupted the words left unsaid.

“So, Miss Ophelia… you’ve tied me up so tightly, where else could I possibly run to?”

Anna pressed close to Ophelia’s face.

Forehead to forehead, nose touching nose, their breaths intertwined, indistinguishable.

“From the moment Miss Ophelia pulled me out of the tavern… I have nowhere else to go.

I won’t go anywhere, Miss Ophelia said she would take me, stay with me, back to the place where my Past is buried.

I believe in you, Miss Ophelia. As long as you need me, I… will strive to be your ‘useful sword.’”

“Eh?”

Ophelia was stunned.

She felt like Anna had struck her down in an instant.

Suddenly, she threw her arms around Anna tightly, as if wanting to crush her and carry her inside her chest.

Her face buried deeply in Anna’s neck, her cries muffled against their pressed bodies.

“Not ‘need’…”

“What?”

“It’s ‘want.’ I want Anna to stay by my side. Is that okay?”

Such a small thing… of course, it went without saying.

Anna gently stroked the back of Ophelia’s neck, eyes moist.

“All as you wish, Mistress.”

Her kiss landed on Ophelia’s forehead like a seal of a vow.

The room fell into a long-forgotten silence.

Perhaps from exhaustion, Ophelia laid her head on Anna’s shoulder and gradually fell asleep, her breathing calm and steady.

Anna gently lifted Ophelia, laying her flat on the soft bed, then sat on the edge.

Her fingers absentmindedly swept through Ophelia’s hair.

She leaned close, wanting to listen to the peaceful breathing.

“Mother… Mom…”

Ophelia seemed to murmur unconsciously.

“I found her… found the one I want to rely on… I won’t lose her again… Mom.”