The inn, the Royal Trinity, was a nice hotel.

The beds were soft, the food was warm, and luckily, her neighbors were silent.

Still, none of that stopped her as she stared at the ceiling instead of falling asleep.

She sweated like a criminal on trial.

Her body did not seem to know what her mind did. No one was coming to take her back.

———————————————————

Even as the sun rose she couldn’t fall into a deep sleep.

She took lunch in the evening, with the bags under her eyes her sole acquaintance.

An arm touched her shoulder. It was startling, but it wasn’t anything to jump over. That would use energy.

“Aureum?”

“Felixia? How?”

“I asked around! You caused a lot of worry back home!”

Felixia whacked the back of Aureum’s head. It was a bit past playful.

“I was just enjoying… uh.”

To say the hotel would cause undue concern.

The sights? She lived here.

Uh.

“My freedom! Just enjoying a spot of freedom!”

Smack!

Her little sister, who was taller, had smacked her head again.

“You’ve been acting crazy these past few weeks, and now you give nonsense excuses! You’ve been gone since yesterday morning! We thought you had gotten kidnapped!”

“…I’m an adult, though—please don’t smack me again!”

Felixia, whose favorite hobby was dancing, with her mana focused on strengthening her body, even playful blows hurt.

Aureum had hoped that time could heal all ugliness, but time wasn’t working fast enough. It was time to try doing something herself.

“Look, Felixia,” she said, grabbing her sister's elbow, “I know I’ve been causing a lot of concern since, since my pearl broke and my engagement ended.”

“It isn’t exactly clear if the engagement is over until the lordling replies to us though?”

“It’s over!”

“It’s not over just because you want it to be?”

“But it is? What other outcome could you imagine it to be?”

“…”

“Anyways, Felixia, I want you to know that I’m not trying to cause trouble at home. I’m just trying to… sort out what to make of my new life. I’m sorry you’re dealing with the growing pains.”

“All right. I can understand that. Logically.”

Though not emotionally, huh.

Felixia pulled a chair across from Aureum. The olive branch had been accepted, however half-heartedly.

Aureum smiled with glee, all morose behavior gone.

“With that said, I’m thinking of taking some time away from home.”

“What nonsense.”

“I need to go on a journey to find myself.”

“Tch.”

“A sabbatical from all the troubles in my life.”

Aureum’s smile got wider as Felixia’s frown became more severe.

“You’re going to try and go to Hale Mountain to form a wind pearl again.”

“That’s…”

An excellent idea. Hale Mountain? It’s certainly close enough. Tall too, though not the tallest…

“See?! I can see it on your face! And right after all that nonsense about being apologizing.”

“I may have dressed it up for my own amusement, but I do need to figure things out.” Her smile faded as she sighed. “I thought it would be pretty easy to ignore everything, but it feels these days like. Like a dress that’s too tight.”

“Are you saying that about our home? Your home?”

Aureum thought her vague implications would pass Felixia by. Too bad.

“Oops, that was way too honest. My bad, my bad.

What I’m trying to say is I’m seeing what might happen if I stay, so I’m thinking leaving would be better. For me, but maybe also for you.”

If I keep kicking a hornet's nest, it may as well be one far from home.

Aureum took a sip from her drink.

“So you just go because you want to go?!”

“Isn’t it that easy?”

In reality, it wasn’t that easy. Her past life hadn’t been easy, and this one was already showing her its rough sides.

Must just be life. My life at least.

Felixia glared. It was fascinating to watch her little sister calm herself down. The whole process of it showed on her face. The flaring nostrils and twitching eyelid. At the end of it, Felixia just huffed.

“Maybe I understand, some, of what you’re doing. A little bit. But in the middle of all of it, do you think I can let you go alone? I don’t even know if you’re in your right mind—

It’s a bit too late to swallow that last bit, Felixia.

“Besides, we have to tell Mom and Dad we’re going too.”

Felixia easily sidestepped questions of why she shouldn’t come along by mentioning a bigger problem. She implied her addition implicitly instead.

A true merchant’s daughter, if she could control her expressions.

Aureum noted it without comment.

I guess it didn’t occur to her that I meant leaving longer than Hale Mountain. Or maybe she’s just choosing to misinterpret my meaning.

Well, I should wait and think it through more. I might think differently tomorrow.

Aureum played at having fallen for it.

“Don’t tell them! They’ll never let us go.”

“If they wouldn’t let us go, maybe we shouldn’t go.”

“Felixia, you should learn how to live outside of your little square life before you become a real adult. You’ll regret being so restrained when you have more responsibilities.”

“Nonsense. People only say such crap as an excuse to act out as kids. But being an adult isn’t about how old you are, but how you act. How can children who keep acting out become true adults?”

Felixia.

Loosen up. Your dream is to become a dancer. An entertainer. Smile a bit more.

And don’t use some philosophic-sounding words as a roundabout excuse to lecture me!