Volume 1, Chapter 25 – Fia’s “Future Plan”

The unpredictability of life was a truth Fia knew well.

She was not skilled at comforting others—to be precise, she had never done it before. Though she had witnessed countless similar situations and knew the usual reassurances—”It’s alright,” “There was nothing you could do,” “No one could have predicted the trap”—she found it difficult to utter those words.

Part of it was the awkwardness of speaking to them, and part was the feeling that she was merely repeating empty phrases, emotions skimming the surface without genuine sincerity. No—perhaps she was just being dishonest with herself.

In the past, she would have pretended not to notice, waiting for Anastasia to recover on her own.

Fia’s breath hitched for a moment.

No.

This time was different. She had been given a chance to start over her life, precisely because she had been dissatisfied with her bleak past. Now, she had to make choices unlike before—only then would she be worthy of the blessed circumstances God had granted her, placing her in the role of the elf princess. So, even if it felt awkward, she had to take a brave step forward.

Just as Anastasia had embraced her when she was hesitant, she too needed to respond to Anastasia with warmth.

Quietly, carefully, Fia reached out and took Anastasia’s hand.

Unlike the firm yet gentle touch from their first meeting, Anastasia’s hand was now clenched tightly, trembling with suppressed force.

Anger, regret, self-blame—

A storm of emotions raged within her grip.

Yet even so, Fia held Anastasia’s hand with the delicate, slender fingers of the elf princess.

Honestly, it was embarrassing.

Actively holding a woman’s hand—Fia had never even considered such a thing before. Though it might be inappropriate, the word “harassment” flashed through her mind uncontrollably. If she weren’t the elf princess, she’d probably have been slapped into the nearest wall by now.

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Flustered, Fia only dared to hold Anastasia lightly, keeping her grip loose enough that Anastasia could easily pull away if she wanted.

But Anastasia didn’t shake her off. Instead, her shoulders trembled visibly, the anger and guilt in her blue eyes receding like a tide, replaced by overwhelming disbelief.

“Dofilia…”

She had reverted to using Fia’s full name.

It seemed she only did so in moments of deep emotion.

Still, Anastasia was undeniably beautiful—though not quite at the level of the elf princess, she was still a woman worthy of admiration.

The fact that Fia had taken the initiative to hold such a beauty’s hand was… well, mortifying.

Wait, now wasn’t the time for such thoughts.

Anastasia’s tense hand was softening. Now was the moment to press forward.

Suppressing the urge to turn away in embarrassment, Fia maintained a serious expression, widening her crimson eyes as she spoke softly.

“I don’t blame you, Anastasia. We haven’t lost anything, have we?”

“Of course we have! We lost the chance to escort you out of the city! I—I ignored you because of others!”

As if struggling to hold something back, Anastasia pressed her lips together, her eyes slightly reddening.

She was being unusually stubborn…

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Fia understood Anastasia’s feelings. She knew this wasn’t something that could be resolved with just a few words. But if she didn’t do everything she could now, she would regret it later—just like Anastasia, who was now tormented by self-reproach for not doing her best.

There was only one option left.

Fia sighed inwardly.

She didn’t want to deceive Anastasia, but right now, the priority was keeping her from spiraling into guilt.

Quickly shifting to an expressionless mask, Fia looked up mysteriously, her gaze fixed on the Unsinkable Moon.

“Anastasia, everything has only just begun.”

Since Anastasia still hadn’t recovered, Fia continued.

“Last night, while you and the others were discussing in the room, I happened to overhear your conversation. From then on, I doubted the authenticity of the rumor that the elven royalty was imprisoned in Aurora. If Aurora truly held an elven royal captive, they would have kept it strictly confidential—something our group, having only arrived in Aurora a few days ago, couldn’t possibly uncover.”

At this, Anastasia lifted her lowered head, confusion gradually replacing her distress.

“Then why didn’t you—?”

“You’re wondering why I didn’t point it out immediately, right?”

Anastasia nodded slightly.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Fia couldn’t help but puff her chest slightly in pride, but she quickly suppressed it, replacing it with an air of “everything is going according to plan.”

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“I had two considerations. First, I couldn’t be certain the information was false. If Aurora really was holding royalty captive, we couldn’t ignore it. Second, even if the rumor was a trap and we couldn’t leave Aurora, there was still something else I could focus on—the Unsinkable Moon.”

“Though I’ve lost my memories and no longer know what the Unsinkable Moon truly is, you’ve already told me one thing: it’s the sacred treasure of the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, normally kept in their capital to protect the Pope. This time, they brought it out specifically to deal with me.”

“In other words, the Holy Kingdom believes that only their sacred treasure can minimize casualties while maximizing gains. So, if our whereabouts are discovered again, they will undoubtedly deploy the Unsinkable Moon once more. Looking back now, things have indeed unfolded as I expected.”

“But isn’t that terrible?”

Anastasia’s brows furrowed, unconvinced.

Fia maintained her composure and nodded lightly.

“Yes, it is. But it’s also an opportunity. They can only ensure we don’t escape by deploying the Unsinkable Moon—which means we now have a chance to examine the Holy Kingdom’s treasure up close. Having fallen for it once, I can guarantee it won’t harm me again, but I can’t say the same for others in the future. To prevent tragedy, I must investigate it.”

“Investigate…? You want to approach the Unsinkable Moon directly?”

“Exactly. This is a rare opportunity—we can’t let it slip away.”

As she finished, Fia discreetly observed Anastasia’s expression. The latter now looked completely stunned and awed.

The elf princess’s long-standing reputation must be working in my favor, Fia thought with relief. In Anastasia’s eyes, the elf princess was a woman of extraordinary wisdom, almost godlike. Without that image, such a bold lie would never have been convincing. The real princess had probably made similar grand claims before—except she had always followed through, while Fia was just bluffing.

“So your goal was the Unsinkable Moon all along…” Anastasia swallowed hard, her voice lowering as if deep in thought. “Indeed, without it, the Holy Kingdom would struggle to stop you, a seventh-tier magic caster. To keep us from escaping, they must continuously pour mana into the Unsinkable Moon to keep it aloft. This is a rare chance. I—I apologize, Your Highness. I didn’t consider you as part of our combat strength before.”

Fia raised a hand, signaling for Anastasia to stop apologizing.

“No need. It couldn’t be helped. We’ve known each other for less than a day—there was no time to understand each other. You’ve already done more than enough. Investigating the Unsinkable Moon will require careful planning. For now, let’s find lodging and try to send word that we’re still alive.”

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“Understood, Your Highness.” Anastasia stopped walking and bowed deeply, drawing curious glances from passersby. “I was lost in my own despair—I should have consulted you more.”

“Good. Now, let’s go. Relying on you feels nice—I quite like it, actually. For the future, I’ll need you to teach me more about this world.”

Seizing the moment, Fia tightened her grip on Anastasia’s now-relaxed hand and flashed her a radiant smile.

Anastasia was momentarily stunned by the flawless expression—one Fia would never have shown in the past.

That was precisely why it was so charming.

Even an amnesiac Fia wasn’t panicking—so why was she drowning in guilt? She was only adding to Fia’s unease.

I’ve been a disgrace as an older sister.

With a complicated expression, Anastasia returned Fia’s grasp.

—Seems like it worked.

Seeing Anastasia’s calmer demeanor, Fia quietly sighed in relief. Though it was a lie—one constructed after the fact—it had achieved a good result, freeing Anastasia from her self-reproach.

As for the Unsinkable Moon, Fia planned to investigate it just enough to satisfy Anastasia. She had no real interest in it.

However, what Fia didn’t know was that Anastasia had interpreted her words in a completely different way. And it was this very misunderstanding that would lead to an outcome both vexing and amusing in the future.