Volume 1, Chapter 51 – Angel

In a room less than twenty square meters in size, an elf girl with long black hair tied into twin tails sat facing a silver-haired girl dressed in a dark blue gown. The silver-haired girl was noticeably older than the elf girl, and the two looked more like sisters than friends.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere in the room was far from warm. Even though the morning sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air, the only sounds were the clinking of utensils against plates. Even breathing and chewing were barely audible, as if the slightest additional noise would make the already awkward atmosphere even more unbearable.

The two sitting here were, of course, Fia and Claire.

The reason for the awkwardness was simple: both were troubled by the kiss from the previous day. Fia didn’t know what to say, while Claire found it difficult to broach the subject.

If Anastasia had been there to share breakfast—hot milk, sliced bread, and fried meat—the mood would surely have been livelier. But Anastasia, inspired by Fia, had hurriedly finished her meal and left to gather intelligence on the city guard of Aurora. Thus, only Fia and Claire remained at the table.

It was an opportunity to apologize, but how to even begin?

Claire was at a loss.

Though she could have taken the easy way out—pretending the kiss was merely a desperate act in the moment, devoid of any personal feelings—that would have been dishonest and against her principles. She couldn’t bring herself to say something so irresponsible.

And so, she remained silent, not knowing how to start.

The tension was so thick it felt suffocating.

Thinking this, Claire picked up her wooden cup of milk and glanced at Fia over the rim. At the same time, Fia, seizing the moment when Claire lifted her cup, was also secretly studying Claire’s expression.

Their eyes met.

And then quickly darted away.

It became even more awkward.

And now, it felt rude too.

If she weren’t mature enough, Claire would have already stood up and excused herself to get some air. With more experience, she might have even played it cool, teasing Fia to ease her own embarrassment. But while she knew what she could do, she had no idea how to actually do it. Knowing and acting were two entirely different things.

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Just as the atmosphere grew so heavy it seemed to condense into water droplets, Fia, as if unable to bear it any longer, finally broke the silence.

“Um… last night, I thought of some ways to break the curse.”

As she spoke, Fia set down her utensils and, without waiting for Claire to respond, pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from her dress pocket.

“I came up with two possible approaches. The first is to eliminate the curse at its root. The Goddess of Life isn’t the only deity in the world—what she can’t answer, perhaps the elf gods of my homeland can. Aside from seeking divine intervention, I also thought about testing whether my blood could dissolve the curse.”

“The second approach is to address the curse’s symptoms—what I mentioned yesterday. Claire’s curse manifests as being forgotten and feared by others, but its effects weaken if the person has known Claire for a long time. In other words, if we can expand Claire’s influence so that people within a certain area see her frequently, the curse would effectively be neutralized.”

“Though it sounds difficult, it’s not impossible. The simplest way to make Claire’s presence unforgettable is for her to achieve something remarkable—like attaining a high-ranking position or even erecting a statue of herself in the city center. That way, people would find it hard to ignore her and would constantly be reminded of her existence. Of course, this would be nearly impossible in the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis, where the Church would never allow Claire to become a public figure, let alone build a statue in her honor.”

Fia hadn’t been idle last night. Since she couldn’t sleep, she had gotten up and brainstormed ways to break the curse, jotting down numerous ideas on paper. Though all of them were hypothetical, every discovery began with assumptions, and Fia didn’t consider her efforts wasted.

“Did you come up with all this in one night?”

Looking at the neatly written Milcandis holy script on the paper, Claire momentarily forgot her embarrassment and instead marveled at Fia’s work.

To devise so many feasible solutions in a single night was no ordinary feat. What’s more, some of the ideas were downright horrifying—like suggesting Claire commit mass atrocities to become a feared witch, ensuring she’d be remembered (though this option had been scribbled out, leaving only fragments of the text visible).

It was hard to believe such ideas came from an underage elf. She seemed less like a living, feeling being and more like a purely rational entity, coldly pursuing results.

“Mhm.” Pausing her explanation, Fia nodded slightly with a hint of pride. “In short, no matter which method we choose, the first step is to leave the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis. What do you think, Claire? Should we aim to eradicate the curse or just mitigate its effects?”

“I…”

Claire hesitated, the words catching in her throat.

It wasn’t because the choice was hard, but because there was something else she needed to address first.

She didn’t know why Fia wasn’t angry, but that didn’t mean she could pretend yesterday’s incident never happened. An apology and a plea for forgiveness were necessary.

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And now, Fia had even set aside her own feelings to help Claire find a way to break the curse. If Claire just let things slide without addressing her actions, the guilt would only grow over time, making it harder to face Fia—someone so radiant, while she herself felt so unworthy. That sense of inferiority would inevitably drive her away.

Claire raised her head and looked at Fia, who sat across the table with her twin tails draped over her shoulders.

In those ruby-like eyes shone an earnestness so pure it was almost blinding. Fia was wholly focused on solving the curse, her gaze unclouded by any ulterior motives. In those clear eyes, Claire could see her own faint reflection, wavering slightly.

It was the first time in her short life she had seen eyes so transparent. She had met people who wore their hearts on their sleeves before, but none had ever directed such openness toward her—because the moment anyone saw Claire, their expressions were always filled with fear.

If someone were to ask Claire now what the most beautiful thing in the world was, she would answer without hesitation: Fia’s eyes.

So pure they were almost painful to look at, as if they contained the entire world—no, as if they were the world itself.

“Claire?”

Fia’s prompting snapped Claire out of her daze. Seeing Claire frozen, Fia leaned halfway across the table and waved a hand in front of her face.

“Ah, I—I’m fine.”

“It’s not about whether you’re fine or not. I’m asking which solution you prefer.”

—If I don’t say it now, I might never get another chance.

Claire had that premonition.

She steeled herself, sat up straight, bit her lip lightly, and finally forced out the words.

“…Fia, I need to apologize to you.”

“Apologize?”

Her voice nearly stuck in her throat, but Claire pushed through.

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“Yesterday, in a moment of impulse, I… I did that to you… I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to earn your forgiveness?”

“Huh?” It took Fia a moment to process Claire’s meaning, but when she did, her cheeks flushed red, and she averted her eyes to the floor. “N-no need to apologize. I didn’t really mind. It was to avoid the soldiers, after all. Honestly, unless absolutely necessary, I’d rather avoid hurting anyone. But… if it happens again, C-Claire should warn me first, so I can prepare myself.”

Clearly, Fia hadn’t taken it to heart.

Her fidgeting shoulders and cheeks red enough to squeeze out water all screamed as much.

Claire was about to say, “It wasn’t just to avoid the soldiers; I lost control of myself” was promptly swallowed back down.

She straightened her posture further, her words coming faster now.

“Are you really not upset? I—I did something like that, and we’re both women…”

Ahem. Fia cleared her throat, hiding her blush. “It’s fine. Honestly, it would’ve been worse if you were a man.”

The thought of being kissed by a man was unthinkable. Besides, Claire was kind, considerate, and stunning—a big sister type that perfectly matched Fia’s preferences. Yesterday’s incident was practically a blessing from the gods.

The weight on Claire’s shoulders finally lifted, and her tense posture relaxed.

As long as Fia didn’t hate her, there was still hope. She hadn’t lost the only person who wouldn’t forget her over a moment of impulsiveness.

Of course, being forgiven didn’t mean Claire forgave herself. She straightened up again, composed herself, and spoke deliberately.

“Even so, I must make it up to you, Fia. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive myself. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“We can talk about that later—ah, actually, you could teach me some simple, practical magic. Like something that can hit a target from five hundred yards away? That way, when people ask who taught me magic, I can say it was you. With the influence of an elf princess, maybe a lot of people will start remembering you.”

Fia spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But this wasn’t compensation, it was Claire owing Fia even more.

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She wasn’t just an elf princess. She was an angel sent by the gods to bless Claire.

Staring at Fia’s delicate features and fair skin, Claire couldn’t help but think so.

“Anyway, Claire, you don’t need to dwell on yesterday. If you really feel like you have to make it up to me, just teach me magic without holding back. I’ll be a diligent student. Now, back to the curse—do you want to tackle the symptoms first or seek answers from another god?”

“No…”

“No?”

Fia tilted her head.

“There’s no need.” Claire’s furrowed brow smoothed out, and a relieved smile spread across her face. “At least while we’re in Aurora, let’s set the curse aside.”

Because instead of distant, indifferent gods, an angel had already descended beside her.

Claire didn’t voice such a sentimental thought aloud.

She had once begged the gods for answers, but they had remained silent. Now, despite her selfish actions, Fia was still devising ways to help her. If Fia wasn’t a flawless, pure-hearted angel, then gods didn’t exist at all.

“I don’t understand. Claire, you’ve been suffering from this curse for so long…”

Instead of answering, Claire simply smiled gently.

“There’s plenty of time ahead. Rather than worrying about the future, let’s focus on the present. Let’s finish breakfast first. Later, I’ll teach you some magic—but we’ll have to avoid Anastasia. If she finds out I’m teaching you, she’ll throw a fit.”

“If you say so, then fine. We’ll set the curse aside for now.”

Smoothing out the paper on the table, Fia and Claire resumed their breakfast. Unlike before, the atmosphere between them was no longer awkward, becoming as ordinary as any other morning meal.