Chapter 38: Citrina’s Homecoming

Some narrative backtracking is in order.

It was the middle of night when Barbara reached Duke Yellowmoon’s manor with Citrina in tow. This caught Lorenz, who’d been pacing aimlessly about in the courtyard in thought, completely off guard, sending him into a hasty scramble to welcome his daughter upon her sudden return.

“Come in, come in,” he said. “What’s going on— Ah, you have company.”

As Barbara and Citrina entered the manor, three other men followed them in. They were fully armed, and each wore a mask with the same striking, snake-like design around the eyes. Lorenz was no stranger to the masks. They marked those enamored of the destroyer of order, the Chaos Serpents. Those who would gladly give their lives to further its ends.

Lorenz couldn’t resist a scowl. These men were not like the wolfmaster. There was a darkness about them. They reeked of decay and degeneration. The thought of his daughter being near such men was deeply unpleasant.

Citrina stood in silence, visibly upset. The haste with which they’d returned was evident in the dirt on her face and her disheveled uniform. She showed no signs of serious injury, but to Lorenz’s eyes she seemed on the verge of falling apart. With her head hung, she made no attempt to look up. His heart ached at the sight of her exhaustion, and he rushed to her side...only to be stopped by a blade that pointed itself at his nose.

“Wh-What is the meaning of this?”

“This girl, in her foolishness, has betrayed us, milord. She betrayed the Serpents,” hissed Barbara as she gave Citrina’s back a shove.

Citrina crumpled forward onto her knees like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

“Well, milady? Do you not feel that you owe milord an apology? Your stupidity has deeply inconvenienced him. How do you intend to atone?”

Citrina shuddered. She turned her face up to him at last.

“I’m sorry... Th-Thinking about friendship made Rina do something stupid. I put those worthless feelings first...and ended up helping Her Highness escape.” Tears fell from the dying embers that were her eyes. “I’m sorry...for being such a useless daughter.”

“Rina... Come on, let’s get you on your feet first.” Lorenz placed his hands on her shoulders. “What happened out there—”

“Thanks to milady’s foolish whims, we failed to assassinate Princess Mia,” Barbara spat.

“What in the— Assassinate Princess Mia?!”

Lorenz stared at Barbara in shock, but she only sighed.

“Such folly. We’ve shown our hand. An attempt on the princess’s life must not leave any witnesses. It is the simplest of concepts, but milady was so caught up with playing pretend that it seems to have gone right over her head. Had you obeyed the Serpents’ orders, you would have enjoyed a nice period of prosperity as a Yellowmoon, but instead...”

Barbara spitefully played with Citrina’s hair, twisting it around her fingers.

“W-Well, in any case,” said Lorenz, hastily trying to redirect the conversation, “what’s failed is failed. Not much to do about that now. Let us hurry up and make plans for escape then.”

“Escape? What escape?”

“Our escape, of course! You can’t possibly be thinking of challenging the empire through open revolt!”

“Of course not,” Barbara replied with a wave of her hand. “They will crush us, and that will be it. An entirely futile attempt.”

Even the Redmoons with their elite private army couldn’t hope to wage war against the imperial army alone. For the Yellowmoons, whose faction more resembled a loose rabble than a front—many who aligned themselves with the Yellowmoons did so with a sigh rather than a cheer—it would be suicide.

“Then why—”

“What, milord, is there to gain from escape? What will you and this pathetic daughter of yours do afterward?”

Barbara grabbed Citrina’s hair and violently yanked her face close to her own.

“Ow—”

Citrina swallowed a cry of pain and squeezed her eyes shut.

“What can you even do on the run?” spat Barbara. “What use will you be? Are we to train you in the arts of assassination and have you try again with the princess?”

She released Citrina equally violently before shrugging.

“Regrettably, I do believe this girl will never become a Serpent. Not while she entertains her silly fascination with worthless sentiments such as friendship.”

“Then... D-Do you propose we confront them here in the manor?”

“Do I? Let us consider your question. Do you believe these men will have a chance against her? After she has already defeated our strongest asset, the wolfmaster? No, their blades will not draw the princess’s blood,” she said, shaking her head at her followers. “Or do you, milord, know of someone who can best that cursed Dion Alaia in combat?”

“I...don’t believe so.”

“Then clearly, that is not what I propose.”

Barbara gave an unnervingly sweet smile before continuing.

“A small worm does not fight a lion by standing up to it. It will simply be crushed. A worm can only ail a lion from the inside.” She slowly turned toward Lorenz and held his gaze. “You Yellowmoons are worms, aren’t you? Poisonous ones, at that. As the oldest of the loyal, you should not accept a pointless death under the lion’s paw. Instead, you should make like the poisonous worms you are, and have yourselves ripped apart and devoured to spread your toxin through your foes. It is through that toxin you will stain the princess’s reputation and further the goal of the Serpents.”

Her smile turned gentle.

“Now then... Let us prepare, milord. Milady too. We must make ready to welcome the Great Sage of the Empire, and it would be disrespectful to do so wearing such filthy clothes. We shall greet her in a most peaceful fashion, on our best behavior, and wearing our prettiest things. Anything we can do to torment them further for the choice they must make is— Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “By the way, milord, where is Bisset?”

“O-Oh... He told me he was going out on an errand.”

“Goodness gracious.” Barbara chuckled. “Abandoned at last by even your butler. My condolences, milord. But fear not, for I, and all us Serpents, shall remain by your side until the very end.”