Chapter 13 – Vienna (End), Luss (1)

 

After eating a simple lunch and saying goodbye to the children, we got on the carriage.

 

"Noona!" "Unnie!"

 

“You have to come back!!”

 

“Oppa!! You too have to come with Noona!”

 

“Hyung! Don't yawn so much next time!”

 

I waved.

 

I was tired from playing with the children.

 

I must have felt affection at that time, but now I felt a sense of resentment.

 

I waved my hand until the children were out of sight, then sat down.

 

Finally, it was over. Now I could go home and rest.

 

To be honest, I was going back earlier than expected.

 

When I usually went out with Vienna, I went back around the evening, I was really afraid of what I'd do then.

 

Right. When Vienna used the wish ticket, I was told to stay up all night and sleep until late the next day. With that thought in mind, I was returning earlier than expected.

 

Vienna too probably didn’t forget that part.

 

But if one thought about it again, I was not the only one who was tired. Vienna was also a person who always slept at a certain time, so it must not have been easy for her to stay up all night. She must have wanted some rest too.

 

- Rumble... Rumble...

 

As the carriage rocked little by little, drowsiness came quickly, as if I was in a cradle.

 

The normally uncomfortable carriage felt so comfortable.

 

I seemed to be able to sleep instantly if I closed my eyes.

 

“Vienna. I'll sleep. Wake me up later.”

 

I looked at Vieena as I spoke. She was already sleeping, curled up like a young cat.

 

The moment I saw her sleeping, I fell into dreams too as if a thread that was holding my body snapped.

 

****

 

I had a dream:

 

My long-time wish came true.

 

It was a dream of having a lover who understood and cared about me.

 

It was a dream that I had a girlfriend who made me happy.

 

I was so happy to spend time with her.

 

Her face was blurry and hard to see, but she was lovely nonetheless.

 

When I admired her beauty, she complimented me and whispered love.

 

Sharing hugs with her made me feel like I had the whole world.

 

I felt like I could do anything for her.

 

Rather, I wanted to do everything she asked me to do.

 

My long-time wish was to have such a lover. I only needed one.

 

I was ready to love her for the rest of my life.

 

****

 

“Wake up, Starchis.”

 

I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. It felt familiar.

 

“… Are we there, Vienna?”

 

I asked without even opening my eyes.

 

It was a pity that I woke up from such a good dream.

 

I also felt a little empty.

 

I had a girlfriend in the dream, but waking up from a dream like this really felt like a breakup...?

 

'Can I see you again?'

 

I sighed and laughed at the foolish thought.

 

“Yes. We are here.” Vienna answered.

 

I slowly opened my eyes.

 

Silver hair and silver eyes came into my vision; Vienna was right in front of me.

 

'But I slept right this time,' I thought.

 

When I came to my senses, I was lying on the floor of the carriage.

 

I stood up and brushed off the dust.

 

The headache had subsided a lot. But my eyes still hurt.

 

I rubbed my eyes and looked outside the carriage.

 

The sun had moved a lot to the west, but it was still before evening.

 

I didn’t seem to have slept long in the carriage.

 

But it didn’t matter. Because I could go home and sleep.

 

I got off the carriage, loosening my back a little.

 

“Starchis.”

 

Vienna called from behind. She held out her hand.

 

Why would she do that when she could just get off? There were no real princesses.

 

I held out my hand to her as I yawned.

 

Gently grabbing my hand, she got off the carriage.

 

But even after she got off, she didn’t let go of my hand.

 

I felt like I was committing a crime because I still had a vivid dream girlfriend, so I slipped my hand away.

 

“Vienna, what are you going to do now?”

 

Since we had to part ways now, I asked for the conventional regards.

 

I was not really curious about it, but it was weird to say ‘Okay, goodbye’ right away.

 

And her answer was enough to get my attention.

 

“…? I’m going to cut your hair.”

 

…? What?

 

What was she talking about?

 

“Ok? How? I’m going home.” I asked with a frown. Vienna also frowned along with me.

 

“What? Why would you go home? I still have time left.”

 

“What are you talking about? We both stayed up all night, so you too should go and rest.”

 

The headache that I thought went away after a short sleep came back.

 

“That… I meant to repay you because you worked hard yesterday and today!”

 

Well, I thought I should cut my hair now... But not today.

 

“It’s okay. You don’t have to reciprocate. And can’t you cut it next time?”

 

“So you’re saying you’re going back now?”

 

Vienna’s expression became increasingly serious.

 

“Vienna, I am so sleepy.”

 

“No!!”

 

She shouted at me.

 

But what did she hate so much about me being sleepy?

 

“It’s not even night yet! Why are you already going!”

 

This conversation... I think I did it with Lily Noona too.

 

“It's not like I can't go back before night.”

 

“Then why did I use the wish ticket? If we part ways now, it won’t matter if we met longer! We just changed the meeting time!”

 

“… You said you would let me sleep until late the next day if I stayed up all night with the wish ticket.”

 

“You slept in the carriage for a long time. No. I’m going to cut your hair, so follow me.”

 

She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me with her.

 

Why was she doing this?

 

If she didn’t repay me, was it that she would feel uncomfortable? It could be.

 

Did she still have more things on her to-do list? It could be.

 

Or maybe… she had other feelings?

 

…Probably not.

 

It was a conversation I had with Lily Noona, but our relationship was different from what I had with Lily.

 

I didn’t even ask if she liked me.

 

I hated having to fight like that one more time.

 

It was also Vienna who sang about meeting someone cooler than me... I would look like an idiot if I still asked her.

 

So yeah, she probably didn’t like me. If we fought as I fought with Lily-noona here for no reason in broad daylight, Vienna would burst into tears and things would become unnecessarily difficult.

 

And if I tried to soothe her anger by doing something, I didn’t know how much time would pass.

 

Because even though Vienna was the one who used the harshest words and didn't think twice before speaking in front of me, she was the one who gets hurt the most and cried often.

 

I didn't want such a thing to take place when I was exhausted both mentally and physically.

 

And I always hated to fight, unless I had to.

 

- Phew.

 

Okay. I just needed to stay still while I got my hair cut.

 

I didn’t have to do anything, right?

 

I decided to hold on for one last time.

 

“Then, if you cut my hair, then can I go back?”

 

“…”

 

Vienna, who dragged me roughly, didn’t answer.

 

So, this time, I pulled her towards me, tightening my arm.

 

She looked back at me, unmoving.

 

“If I get my hair cut, will you let me go?”

 

“…You want to part ways with me like that…?”

 

When she looked back at me, her eyes were full of tears.

 

I felt she had to be comforted here.

 

“That’s not what… I told you. It’s because I’m tired. It’s not that I really want to go away from you as early as possible... And why are you crying just because of that?”

 

I never thought I would see this absurd scene that I told my brother about again.

 

Once again, I realized that one shouldn’t try to understand Vienna with common sense.

 

“I’m not crying!”

 

She wiped away her tears.

 

“This is all because of Lily. She made you too tired on the first day.”

 

Vienna began to blame Lily Noona while biting her lips lightly.

 

'No…Both of you are to blame…'

 

“Anyway, do you promise?”

 

“…Can’t we just have dinner together? There is something I want to eat.”

 

Huh?

 

I was glad I made an appointment here.

 

Otherwise, I'd get my hair cut and almost eat her rice.

 

Had I done so, would I not have dozed off and hit my head on the table?

 

Again, I remembered how tired I was.

 

“What do you want to eat?”

 

“Uh…? That… That’s… Um… Potatoes?”

 

Vienna thought about something she wanted to eat.

 

Potatoes? She wanted to eat potatoes? Can’t she just eat that alone?

 

“Vienna.”

 

With my eyes down, I just uttered one word.

 

“Okay! Got it!!”

 

Vienna angrily promised.

 

Finally, I let out a deep sigh and followed her lead.

 

****

 

After getting my hair cut, I was finally back home.

 

My hair… I didn’t check how the new style looked.

 

Still, Vienna said she had a lot of experience cutting other people’s hair while volunteering, so it should be fine.

 

Vienna even seemed to think she cut the hair well; even after the haircut was over, she kept playing with my hair.

 

I was so tired that I couldn't help it and asked her to let me go.

 

-Tick

 

Turning on the magic light, a damp room full of my body odor came into view.

 

I opened the window to get the smell out.

 

It was now evening.

 

I came back home after a day, but it felt like coming back after a month.

 

Before going to bed, I opened the box of magic food to eat something.

 

… There was nothing to eat.

 

Right. Vienna ate everything Lily Noona had cooked.

 

I was too tired to go out and buy food.

 

Deciding that there was nothing more to do but sleep, I collapsed on the bed.

 

****

 

-Thump Thump!

 

“Chis, I’m here ”

 

A soft voice called me.

 

It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to wake me up.

 

Right. I remembered about the forced march of 5 days, and the last gateway of it: Luss.

 

How long did I sleep when I got home?

 

After all, I couldn’t even wash until she came.

 

I didn’t want to go, but it was a promise. Unfortunately, she might be disappointed in me who went out without preparing.

 

I sighed inwardly.

 

Luss was difficult to understand sometimes.

 

Of the three members of the party, Luss had known me the longest.

 

I had crossed many limits with her and had completed many missions.

 

If it was only in battle, I could tell what she was trying to do just by looking at her eyes.

 

Should I say that we as a team were good?

 

We were also each other’s best friends.

 

Also, perhaps because the time spent together was long, we reached the point where we could read each other’s minds and it was not limited to just battles.

 

Luss was especially good at reading my mind.

 

There were many times when I was surprised.

 

But that made me think of Luss as even more strange.

 

Why wouldn’t she understand me?

 

I didn’t understand, but...

If I tried to be as generous as possible:

 

Lily noona was a bit grown-up and lead me, so let’s say she dragged me around as a younger brother without knowing my condition.

 

Vienna was a bit childish, and if I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, she was the type of person who won’t let me go, so let’s just say she was immature in caring.

 

But what about Luss?

 

She could read my mind. She knew how hard it was for me. So why?

 

Was everyone bothering me on purpose? Nonsensical thoughts ran through my head.

 

- Clap

 

I unlocked the lock and opened the door.

 

With black hair and black eyes, Luss faced me in a neat outfit.

 

"How are you Chis? Long time no see… Huh?"

 

She looked at me and paused.

 

I awkwardly scratched my head.

 

“Sorry, Luss. I just woke up because I was so tired. I’ll wash up quickly.”

 

Before she could get words out of her, I handed her an apology.

 

But Luss waved her hand.

 

“… Huh? Ah! I’m not surprised by that. It’s not that, Chis, your hair is neat…”

 

“Oh, this?”

 

I wondered how it looked now.

 

“It’s okay?”

 

“Yes! Yes! Really neat and pretty. Where did you get it?”

 

Okay? I really didn’t want to get my hair cut though.

 

Maybe I should think of it as finding fortune in misfortune.

 

“This is what Vienna did.”

 

It was subtle, but I could see Luss was uncomfortable.

 

It was so subtle, if I hadn't known her for six years, I wouldn't have noticed at all.

 

“Luss that… What’s wrong?”

 

“Please turn back.”

 

Without knowing her reason, I showed her the back of my head as she said.

 

Luss’ hand stroked the back of my head.

 

“Ah… It looked neat from the front, but it’s a pity to see it this way”

 

After a while, she said sadly.

 

It seemed Vienna couldn’t make the back of the head pretty.

 

It might be my fault for dozing off.

 

“… Really? Well, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

 

“Still, it’s okay because it’s Chis. If it was someone else, it would have been weird already. It’s not your fault. I’ll do it next time.”

 

I turned around and saw Luss.

 

“Do you know how to cut hair too?”

 

“Yeah, I'll do it next time.”

 

I didn’t really care who did what.

 

She stared at me silently at the door.

 

“Oh! Sorry about that... Come in Luss. Though it is a bit messy.”

 

“Thank you. I know it is messy from the last time, so don’t worry about it.”

 

She said with a smile.

 

Luss entered the room and looked around.

 

She told me not to mind, but I was quite ashamed of my messy room.

 

Though I didn't feel the same when Vienna entered the room without permission before.

 

“Will you wait until I wash a little?”

 

When she was told to wait, she took her eyes off the room.

 

She looked at me.

 

She turned her head here and there, and carefully looked at my expression.

 

“Chis, but... you look tired. How about getting some more sleep?”

 

… Uh?

 

“What… What?”

 

“No, your face is emaciated. You look sleepy.”

 

“Lu… Lus…!”

 

'Are you the only one who knows me?'

 

I felt like I was going to burst into tears.

 

I felt guilty now for thinking about why she couldn't read my mind earlier.

 

“Really… You’re not kidding, are you?”

 

“Why would I play a joke like this, Chis?”

 

“Then can I really sleep a little longer?”

 

“That’s right. I’ll stay and wake you up.”

 

Luss slumped into a chair in the corner of the room.

 

Unlike Vienna, she didn’t even say that she can’t sit down because it looked like a pigs' farm.

 

Seriously, she was still the best friend I had known.

 

I parted ways with Vienna in the evening and slept ever since, so it wasn’t that easy for my body to recover already.

 

As she said, my body was pushed to its limit.

 

It felt like the level of fatigue I’d occasionally experienced in the dungeon.

 

Luss’ consideration did not end there.

 

“… Oh, is there anything you want to eat for breakfast? I will prepare it.”

 

“Anything… Luss… Anything.”

 

Like a soldier arriving at his destination after running a long distance, my body lost strength in an instant.

 

The tension in my body seemed to be relieved when she said that I could rest.

 

I fell asleep without being able to say thank you or sorry or anything.

 

But before consciousness faded away, a question came to mind.

 

Uh…?

 

If she was going to let me sleep again, why did she come now…

 

I fell asleep before I could ask the question or come up with my own answers.

 

****

 

Luss looked at the sleeping Chis.

 

How dare other bi*ches make him work so hard!?

 

He was always reliable, but now he was exhausted to the point where he looked a little sickly.

 

Luss could tell by watching him collapse when he was told that he could go back to sleep now; His body was pushed to the limit.

 

The reason was, of course, Lily and Vienna.

 

This time, they must have asked him for an even tougher request.

 

This was the result of their secret struggle.

 

They didn’t do this at first.

 

Because according to the Stachis Treaty, they couldn’t cross the line.

 

They were just looking for something that they could do within the range of not crossing the line.

 

When she enjoyed her first date with him, Lily and Vienna also asked him out on a date as if competing.

 

Then one day, Lily bragged about meeting Stachis two out of five days off.

 

She couldn’t lose to them either, so she begged to see him for two days straight.

 

Then, she didn’t want to see Vienna boasting about crossing her arms with his, so she somehow naturally grabbed his arms.

 

In this way, their fight intensified.

 

Step by step, they asked Starchis for something more than the previous days.

 

Little by little, without even realizing it, his burden was growing.

 

As a result, he met them at dawn and left them at night.

 

No, with this one step, they wouldn’t even part for the night. They would even stay up all night.

 

If he denied them, they got angry.

 

It was too late for them to realize that they always wanted more of his love.

 

A huge burden was placed on him and he never had a day off.

 

… Okay.

 

She came to her senses.

 

She noticed what he struggled with.

 

She noticed the life in his eyes draining day by day.

 

No matter how trustworthy he was, no matter how good he was, he was exhausted.

 

…But they couldn’t stop.

 

The moment one stopped, she didn’t know what would happen if this balance was broken.

 

The Stachis Treaty was a treaty that could be made only because everyone’s power was equal in the end.

 

If someone was sure they could step ahead and win his heart, it was clear that the treaty would then become just a piece of paper.

 

So she didn’t want to do this either, but she couldn’t help it.

 

He was having a hard time, but if she decided not to meet him, and in the meantime, if someone in the party succeeded in seducing him, would she be able to hold on?

 

All of her life... She'll love him all her life, but could she stand it if he didn’t give back her love?

 

“…That’s not allowed.”

 

Luss murmured softly.

 

In the end, her plan was to stay one step ahead of everyone else; to somehow build a closer relationship than Vienna and Lily.

 

And when she was sure, she would secretly break the pact and become his lover.

 

She won’t make it so hard for him then.

 

'Be patient for now, Chis.'

 

Today, she asked him to sleep a little longer, of course, it was because he was tired.

 

And it was also to look good in his eyes who was struggling.

 

But it was not the most important reason.

 

She was doing this because of Lily's behavior a few days ago: After putting him to sleep, Lily hugged him tightly and even made him breakfast; she was acting like his wife.

 

The anger Luss felt at that time was unforgettable.

 

She was pushed by Lily into the field of hugging him and feeding him.

 

She couldn’t stand it. She was anxious.

 

Luss got up slowly from her seat.

 

She walked carefully to the place where her love was sleeping.

 

Standing on her toes so that he wouldn’t wake up, she reached the bedside where he lay and looked at him.

 

This face... She had known it for a long time.

 

This was the face that came to mind when she closed her eyes.

 

As Lily had done, she slowly began to lie down next to him.

 

– Sayak, saek.

 

She slowly lay down next to him, focusing on his breathing.

 

Her legs were rubbing on their own.

 

Her heart felt like it would explode.

 

It made her wonder how Lily endured this.

 

Then she laid down on his arm.

 

It was like becoming lovers.

 

She slowly crawled closer and closer to his side.

 

Yeah… That’s it.

 

This was correct.

 

This was how their future should look...

 

... And if that other bi*ch did it, so should she...

 

...to not be left behind.

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