“...Why do you think so?”
At Aila's question, the look of confusion on Cloud's face grew stronger. The evidence was the trembling of his hazel eyes.
“Well... these days, he doesn’t even eat with me, and he doesn’t even meet me often..."
She lowered her head, pretending to look sullen. But she continued to watch Cloud's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
She could tell at a glance that he was quite embarrassed. Her strategy seemed to be working.
“That’s... not your fault, Miss.”
Cloud, who had been silent for a long time, finally opened his mouth.
“Then why?”
Aila tilted her head once again with a pitiful expression. She felt a little creeped out by herself, but she had no choice but to do it to get information.
“...”
Instead of answering her continued, awkward questions, Cloud simply kept his mouth shut.
It wasn't easy to get information from Cloud just by pretending to be a little pitiful.
“Why aren’t you telling me? Is my father disappointed in me after all?”
'Disappointment'.
It was the word she feared the most when she was young. No, in fact, she had been afraid of that word until recently.
A magic spell that Byron and his men used whenever they wanted to manipulate her as they pleased.
But now it would be Aila herself who would use that spell to control Cloud.
“That can’t be true. The young lady works so hard for the master.”
Cloud, who had been keeping his mouth tightly shut, opened his mouth in surprise at those words.
'Yes. So tell me why quickly.'
Isn't this poor girl trembling like this?
Of course, she wasn't Byron's biological daughter, but just a tool, so she wasn't Cloud's daughter or anything, but he was the one who foolishly developed feelings for the tool first.
So, don't you have no choice but to use that feeling?
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you why my master is like this, but it’s not because of you. That’s the truth. Please believe me.”
Cloud, who seemed to be thinking for a long time, finally opened his mouth. Unfortunately, it was not an answer that Aila liked.
'Tch. That doesn't work.'
As expected, she was a man of great integrity and honesty. In fact, he had tried it knowing from the beginning that it was unlikely to work, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
By the way, how can he ask her to trust him with such sincere eyes? Isn't that a really funny story?
Of course, she didn't doubt the sincerity of what Cloud had said. There was almost no chance that it was her fault from the beginning. She knew that.
'But how can I trust you? You are the one who raised me to be an assassin to kill my father.'
She got up from her seat, feeling like she was going to laugh.
“Yeah. I guess there’s nothing I can do. Then let’s train now. I’ve rested enough.”
It would have been unbecoming of Aila to show tears or pretend to be more pitiful here.
Byron hated seeing her cry, so she tried to avoid it, except when she was upset with him.
At times like this, it was more like her to work harder.
And also, it was good that she showed enthusiasm to stimulate Cloud's guilt.
"... Yes."
And just as Ayla had intended, Cloud made a guilty expression.
It was a really strange feeling. It was quite amusing to see Cloud moving as she intended, but at the same time, it was also unsettling.
It was because she wondered what was different about her, who could control people's hearts with the palm of her hand, and Byron.
It seemed like she felt a little guilty.
But she tried to put that feeling down, along with the dagger she was swinging.
She was too busy trying to save her own life to even think about the feelings of others, especially her enemies, who were trying to take her life.
It was that night.
After finishing dinner and receiving Laura's meticulous hair care from early evening, Aila sat on her bed to go to sleep.
She's definitely physically better than before since she doesn't meet Byron, who drains her energy every time they meet, and she doesn't wander around every night, cutting down on her sleep.
She felt tired today for some reason.
'Taking advantage of people's emotions also depends on one's constitution.'
She wondered if she gained something, but it felt like she just wasted her emotions without gaining anything, so it was even harder.
How on earth did Byron do this his whole life? Did he feel even a little bit of guilt towards her?
No. If that were the case, then she wouldn't have planned such a shameless thing in the first place.
Aila was lying in bed with those thoughts in her mind.
“What brings you here?”
Just as Laura was about to lock the attic door and go out, she heard a startled voice, as if someone had come looking for her.
“...I would like to talk to you for a moment, young lady.”
Aila sat up abruptly as she recognized the voice answering Laura's question.
Because it was the voice of Cloud.
'Why at this hour?'
Aila's heart pounded with anticipation. She was expecting that the fish traps she had set up during the day would finally catch some fish.
“What are you talking about?”
Laura's voice was sharp, as if she was worried that her overly affectionate uncle might mess things up.
“It’s about training. It’ll only take a moment. I’ll lock the door, so give me the key.”
But that didn't mean she dared to disobey Cloud's orders. The sound of keys clinking was heard, followed by the sound of Laura's footsteps moving away.
Aila didn't see Laura's face, but she knew she would have a resentful expression on her face. She'll just run to Capella and tell her about Cloud's visit.
“...Cloud? What are you doing here?”
Although she already knew Cloud was coming by the sound of voices, Aila opened her eyes wide and looked surprised as if she didn't know.
Cloud approached Ayla's bedside and, without saying anything, placed something in her hand.
"What's this?"
She tried to open her hand, but Cloud covered her mouth with his finger and said, “Shhh.”
“Please unfold it after I leave. What I gave you is a secret.”
Cloud spoke with a serious and solemn expression. The more he spoke, the more question marks appeared on Ayla's face.
What on earth are you telling me in such a secret way?
“Then good night, my lady.”
Cloud returned with a vaguely satisfied expression, as if he had achieved the purpose of coming to this attic just by conveying this unknown something to her.
Of course, he didn't forget to close the trapdoor and lock it.
Aila, left alone, finally opened her fingers to see what Cloud had given her.
And then she couldn't stop the laughter from leaking out.
'Candy?'
Even though she was raised as an assassin, a child is still a child. Byron, who always swung his whip fiercely, occasionally gave her a carrot, and this was that carrot.
Bead-shaped candy.
But now, Cloud had handed the candy to her without her knowledge.
'I didn't pique his sympathy just to get a piece of candy.'
Isn't it so vain?
'Well, sometimes this kind of thing is okay.'
Aila put the candy in her mouth while looking out the window at the quiet night scenery. As the candy rolled, sweetness spread through her mouth.
At that moment, she really felt like she had returned to being a child.
A wolf's howl was heard far away in the forest.
After that, Aila continued to pretend to be pitiful and tried to get information from Cloud.
But unfortunately, Cloud didn't seem to have any intention of offering her anything more than sweet candy.
Because of that, she couldn't help but remain curious as to why Byron was so depressed and alone.
A few days passed like that.
As she was training with Cloud outside the ruins as usual, she happened to spot a bird that looked familiar sitting on the wall.
‘...Is it the same species as the bird from before?’
It seemed vaguely similar to the bird that Cloud had quickly snatched up a while ago.
At the time, Aila couldn't see the bird in detail because it happened so quickly, but from what she remembered, it seemed similar to the bird sitting on the wall in terms of size and feather color.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, she saw something like a note tied to his ankle.
'Cloud doesn't seem to have noticed yet.'
How could she have seen that note first without Cloud knowing?
She seemed to be consumed by longing, for the clue to a mystery she had been unable to solve for a long time was right before her eyes.
But maybe she was too greedy.
Cloud looked back with a puzzled expression. It seemed he was curious as to why Aila kept looking over Cloud's shoulder.
'...I made a mistake.'
She shouldn't have made tea. Aila swallowed her regret inside.
“Please practice alone for a while, miss.”
Cloud, who had discovered the bird, walked towards the bird, leaving her behind. Aila pretended to focus on swinging her dagger and watched Cloud out of the corner of her eye.
As if Cloud was waiting for the board to notice his presence, the bird stuck its leg out as he approached it.
Cloud, who had unwrapped the note and checked it, entered the building without hesitation.
Probably to report the contents to Byron.
'If I go to the window now, I might be able to hear the conversation...'
Aila looked around hastily.
Laura, who had gone to help her mother prepare dinner, was not nearby, and the guards standing far away were not paying any attention to her.
As long as she didn't try to go too far, the guards wouldn't notice what she was doing.
'Yes. Let's go then.'
At Aila's question, the look of confusion on Cloud's face grew stronger. The evidence was the trembling of his hazel eyes.
“Well... these days, he doesn’t even eat with me, and he doesn’t even meet me often..."
She lowered her head, pretending to look sullen. But she continued to watch Cloud's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
She could tell at a glance that he was quite embarrassed. Her strategy seemed to be working.
“That’s... not your fault, Miss.”
Cloud, who had been silent for a long time, finally opened his mouth.
“Then why?”
Aila tilted her head once again with a pitiful expression. She felt a little creeped out by herself, but she had no choice but to do it to get information.
“...”
Instead of answering her continued, awkward questions, Cloud simply kept his mouth shut.
It wasn't easy to get information from Cloud just by pretending to be a little pitiful.
“Why aren’t you telling me? Is my father disappointed in me after all?”
'Disappointment'.
It was the word she feared the most when she was young. No, in fact, she had been afraid of that word until recently.
A magic spell that Byron and his men used whenever they wanted to manipulate her as they pleased.
But now it would be Aila herself who would use that spell to control Cloud.
“That can’t be true. The young lady works so hard for the master.”
Cloud, who had been keeping his mouth tightly shut, opened his mouth in surprise at those words.
'Yes. So tell me why quickly.'
Isn't this poor girl trembling like this?
Of course, she wasn't Byron's biological daughter, but just a tool, so she wasn't Cloud's daughter or anything, but he was the one who foolishly developed feelings for the tool first.
So, don't you have no choice but to use that feeling?
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you why my master is like this, but it’s not because of you. That’s the truth. Please believe me.”
Cloud, who seemed to be thinking for a long time, finally opened his mouth. Unfortunately, it was not an answer that Aila liked.
'Tch. That doesn't work.'
As expected, she was a man of great integrity and honesty. In fact, he had tried it knowing from the beginning that it was unlikely to work, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
By the way, how can he ask her to trust him with such sincere eyes? Isn't that a really funny story?
Of course, she didn't doubt the sincerity of what Cloud had said. There was almost no chance that it was her fault from the beginning. She knew that.
'But how can I trust you? You are the one who raised me to be an assassin to kill my father.'
She got up from her seat, feeling like she was going to laugh.
“Yeah. I guess there’s nothing I can do. Then let’s train now. I’ve rested enough.”
It would have been unbecoming of Aila to show tears or pretend to be more pitiful here.
Byron hated seeing her cry, so she tried to avoid it, except when she was upset with him.
At times like this, it was more like her to work harder.
And also, it was good that she showed enthusiasm to stimulate Cloud's guilt.
"... Yes."
And just as Ayla had intended, Cloud made a guilty expression.
It was a really strange feeling. It was quite amusing to see Cloud moving as she intended, but at the same time, it was also unsettling.
It was because she wondered what was different about her, who could control people's hearts with the palm of her hand, and Byron.
It seemed like she felt a little guilty.
But she tried to put that feeling down, along with the dagger she was swinging.
She was too busy trying to save her own life to even think about the feelings of others, especially her enemies, who were trying to take her life.
***
It was that night.
After finishing dinner and receiving Laura's meticulous hair care from early evening, Aila sat on her bed to go to sleep.
She's definitely physically better than before since she doesn't meet Byron, who drains her energy every time they meet, and she doesn't wander around every night, cutting down on her sleep.
She felt tired today for some reason.
'Taking advantage of people's emotions also depends on one's constitution.'
She wondered if she gained something, but it felt like she just wasted her emotions without gaining anything, so it was even harder.
How on earth did Byron do this his whole life? Did he feel even a little bit of guilt towards her?
No. If that were the case, then she wouldn't have planned such a shameless thing in the first place.
Aila was lying in bed with those thoughts in her mind.
“What brings you here?”
Just as Laura was about to lock the attic door and go out, she heard a startled voice, as if someone had come looking for her.
“...I would like to talk to you for a moment, young lady.”
Aila sat up abruptly as she recognized the voice answering Laura's question.
Because it was the voice of Cloud.
'Why at this hour?'
Aila's heart pounded with anticipation. She was expecting that the fish traps she had set up during the day would finally catch some fish.
“What are you talking about?”
Laura's voice was sharp, as if she was worried that her overly affectionate uncle might mess things up.
“It’s about training. It’ll only take a moment. I’ll lock the door, so give me the key.”
But that didn't mean she dared to disobey Cloud's orders. The sound of keys clinking was heard, followed by the sound of Laura's footsteps moving away.
Aila didn't see Laura's face, but she knew she would have a resentful expression on her face. She'll just run to Capella and tell her about Cloud's visit.
“...Cloud? What are you doing here?”
Although she already knew Cloud was coming by the sound of voices, Aila opened her eyes wide and looked surprised as if she didn't know.
Cloud approached Ayla's bedside and, without saying anything, placed something in her hand.
"What's this?"
She tried to open her hand, but Cloud covered her mouth with his finger and said, “Shhh.”
“Please unfold it after I leave. What I gave you is a secret.”
Cloud spoke with a serious and solemn expression. The more he spoke, the more question marks appeared on Ayla's face.
What on earth are you telling me in such a secret way?
“Then good night, my lady.”
Cloud returned with a vaguely satisfied expression, as if he had achieved the purpose of coming to this attic just by conveying this unknown something to her.
Of course, he didn't forget to close the trapdoor and lock it.
Aila, left alone, finally opened her fingers to see what Cloud had given her.
And then she couldn't stop the laughter from leaking out.
'Candy?'
Even though she was raised as an assassin, a child is still a child. Byron, who always swung his whip fiercely, occasionally gave her a carrot, and this was that carrot.
Bead-shaped candy.
But now, Cloud had handed the candy to her without her knowledge.
'I didn't pique his sympathy just to get a piece of candy.'
Isn't it so vain?
'Well, sometimes this kind of thing is okay.'
Aila put the candy in her mouth while looking out the window at the quiet night scenery. As the candy rolled, sweetness spread through her mouth.
At that moment, she really felt like she had returned to being a child.
A wolf's howl was heard far away in the forest.
***
After that, Aila continued to pretend to be pitiful and tried to get information from Cloud.
But unfortunately, Cloud didn't seem to have any intention of offering her anything more than sweet candy.
Because of that, she couldn't help but remain curious as to why Byron was so depressed and alone.
A few days passed like that.
As she was training with Cloud outside the ruins as usual, she happened to spot a bird that looked familiar sitting on the wall.
‘...Is it the same species as the bird from before?’
It seemed vaguely similar to the bird that Cloud had quickly snatched up a while ago.
At the time, Aila couldn't see the bird in detail because it happened so quickly, but from what she remembered, it seemed similar to the bird sitting on the wall in terms of size and feather color.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, she saw something like a note tied to his ankle.
'Cloud doesn't seem to have noticed yet.'
How could she have seen that note first without Cloud knowing?
She seemed to be consumed by longing, for the clue to a mystery she had been unable to solve for a long time was right before her eyes.
But maybe she was too greedy.
Cloud looked back with a puzzled expression. It seemed he was curious as to why Aila kept looking over Cloud's shoulder.
'...I made a mistake.'
She shouldn't have made tea. Aila swallowed her regret inside.
“Please practice alone for a while, miss.”
Cloud, who had discovered the bird, walked towards the bird, leaving her behind. Aila pretended to focus on swinging her dagger and watched Cloud out of the corner of her eye.
As if Cloud was waiting for the board to notice his presence, the bird stuck its leg out as he approached it.
Cloud, who had unwrapped the note and checked it, entered the building without hesitation.
Probably to report the contents to Byron.
'If I go to the window now, I might be able to hear the conversation...'
Aila looked around hastily.
Laura, who had gone to help her mother prepare dinner, was not nearby, and the guards standing far away were not paying any attention to her.
As long as she didn't try to go too far, the guards wouldn't notice what she was doing.
'Yes. Let's go then.'
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