It was supposed to be just a short visit.
Karina had received word that several professors she was once acquainted with had gone missing. Among them was Professor Dahlia, someone she had been particularly close to.
With this in mind, she was granted permission to leave the Dominion and bring her squadron to Aetherion in hopes of making a difference.
But after a week, she had made no progress with not a single lead. It proved much more difficult than she thought. And now, her short visit was nearing its end.
She had to return.
However, there happened to be an event that coincided with her final day in Aetherion.
The Imperial Throne Ascension.
She hadn’t been invited to the actual banquet, of course. But that didn’t matter. Her Dominion-issued certifications were enough to get her past the guards. That alone was sufficient.
Because there was someone she wanted to see.
Someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.
And indeed, she had seen him.
He intermingled among nobles, smiling, laughing, conversing like he truly belonged there. As if their exchange nearly a year ago meant absolutely nothing. Karina had watched him from afar, and her heart twisted in a way she hadn’t expected.
He was speaking with Margaret too, who looked even more beautiful than Karina remembered.
And Vanitas…
He was so different now.
Gone was the cold, stoic professor she once knew. In his place was a man who looked refined, approachable, and charismatic, even. She had heard rumors of his social charm before, but seeing it firsthand was another thing entirely.
He was utterly captivating. It made sense how quickly he climbed the social ladder.
Or maybe this was who he had always been.
And that hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Still, she had seen what she came for. And with it came a rush of emotions she thought she’d buried. But more than anything, she longed to rise above her pitiful past. To become someone who was no longer looked down on and pitied.
And now, more than ever, she was certain of one thing.
She absolutely despised Vanitas Astrea.
And yet…
Why does seeing him again hurt this much?
Riiing—
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of her communication crystal ringing in the pocket of her dress.
Karina quickly accepted the call.
——Lieutenant Maeril! Where the hell are you?
Lieutenant.
She had risen far from the days when she was merely a cadet. But now she was speaking to Colonel Muller, her current superior. One of the few who had accompanied her to Aetherion.
“Apologies, Colonel,” she replied quickly. “It was more difficult to slip away from the event than I thought. The ceremony took longer than expected.”
——Haa… it’s fine. Take your time. But next time, answer the damn call. If something had happened to you, I can only begin to imagine what the Vice Admiral would do to me.
“Don’t worry, sir. Even if something does happen, I’ll bear the responsibility. My uncle won’t do anything to me.”
——You say it so simply just because the Vice Admiral dotes on you. But what about me?!
“I’ll protect you, sir.”
——Like hell you will! Anyway, where are you? Tormenting people again?
“N-No, sir. It wasn’t anything like that. I was just…” Her eyes drifted back toward Vanitas. “..Preoccupied.”
A pause crackled through the crystal.
——Alright. When are you coming back? We’re scheduled to depart by midnight.
“Right now,” she answered. “I’ll return right now, Sir.”
And with that, she turned away.
* * *
It was only for a fleeting second. When he called out to her, several heads turned in his direction. But just as quickly as the familiar sight of Karina entered his peripheral vision, she vanished.
As if she had never been there at all.
“….”
Vanitas paused mid-step, feeling his mind racing with uncertainty. Was he seeing things? Was he mentally ill now? Schizophrenia? Really?
But the biggest question was…
Was that really Karina?
He wasn’t sure.
His heart told him yes. His instincts screamed yes. But his eyes told him no. From what he saw, it could’ve been someone else. And in the first place, Karina should have no access to this place. She had no noble ties within Aetherion.
No, unless his hunch was correct. If Karina had leveraged her connection to the Neuschwan Military Family, then it was possible. Even if she wasn’t blood-related, that connection would be enough to earn her temporary noble status under Zyphran recognition.
That kind of certification would be more than enough to get her past the guards.
“Shit.”
He clicked his tongue in frustration, scolding himself for thinking he could relax tonight. The tension that had eased returned with a burning pressure underneath his skin.
Still unsettled, Vanitas turned away and made his way back toward the veranda, where Irene was standing quietly as she gazed out at the distant horizon.
Several noblewomen were nearby, murmuring amongst each other, but the moment they noticed Vanitas approaching, they scattered and returned inside.
“You bastard,” Irene muttered, still staring off into the distance.
“….”
Vanitas offered no response.
He simply pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tapped one free, and lit it. A soft click of flame, then a long inhale.
Smoke curled lazily around his face as he exhaled..
“Give me one,” Irene said, extending her hand without looking at him.
Without a word, Vanitas pulled another from the pack and placed it in her palm. Irene lit it, took a drag, and leaned against the railing beside him.
“So?” she asked. “Did you come out here to see me? Or are you just here for the smoke?”
“….”
Still, Vanitas said nothing.
Irene turned her head slightly, frowning as she watched him from the corner of her eye.
“What’s up with you?” she said. “You’ve been a lot less tense these days. I honestly thought you were becoming a completely different person. And now, look at you—you’re back to that same expression again.”
She exhaled a puff of smoke.
It was true. Lately, Vanitas had changed. He joked around more in public and carried himself with an air that made him seem approachable, even if his face rarely showed it.
Irene had chalked it up to some kind of delayed social growth, maybe late-stage emotional development. Some odd form of belated puberty, maybe.
But now, that version of him was gone. As if everything had reverted to how he was when they first met again.
“Something happen?” she asked.
“….Do you have access to the guest list?”
“No. And I don’t think there is one. Why?”
“I think I saw Karina.”
“….”
Irene’s mouth hung slightly open for a moment. She had heard of Karina straight from Vanitas himself. His assistant who had left him several months ago. Why he was still so hung up on her, Irene had no idea. She couldn’t even begin to guess the depth of it.
So, she had done her own research.
Karina’s face… was something that deeply unsettled her.
And now, maybe… just maybe… she could finally understand why Vanitas seemed so affected.
“….Are you sure you aren’t schizophrenic?” she asked.
“I thought so too. Maybe I was just seeing things.”
“You know… that Karina girl…” Irene took a drag from her cigarette, then glanced sideways at him. “Don’t you think she kind of looks like my mother?”
“What?” Vanitas turned toward her, eyes widening slightly. He was clearly taken aback.
His thoughts drifted back to Karina’s face. The Karina he remembered was rather short, but the woman he saw tonight seemed taller and slightly more mature in presence.
And then, without meaning to, his mind wandered to his memories of the late Imperial Queen, Julia Barielle.
“.…That’s absurd,” he said.
“No, I really do think so. The hair and eyes might be different, sure. But the facial structure? It’s there. They look… a little uncanny.”
“….”
Irene exhaled and gave him a side glance. “Now, I’m not one to accuse you or anything, and shit, this is kind of disgusting, but the way you’re acting right now… did you maybe harbor some feelings for my mother?”
Vanitas’s frown deepened. “What the hell are you even saying?”
“No, no, hear me out,” Irene insisted. “My mother was undoubtedly beautiful. Many people hated her for becoming Empress instead of the woman everyone expected, the daughter of the Clementine Duke Family. But Father chose her. He picked my mother from the Barielle Earl Family. Even if people despised her for it, no one could deny how beautiful she was.”
She paused briefly, then continued.
“They used to say she seduced him. That she lured him in during their university days, when all the noblemen fought for her love.”
“….”
It was a story Vanitas had never heard before.
“So… it wouldn’t be that far-fetched, would it?” Irene continued. “A boy as young as you back then… smitten by an older, beautiful woman who was always kind to him?”
There was a beat of silence.
“You know,” Vanitas muttered, flicking his cigarette. “You’re talking too much.”
Irene frowned but said nothing more.
Still, in her mind, she was certain. Vanitas wasn’t letting go of Karina, not because of who she was now, but because of who she reminded him of. Her mother.
“The Empress is looking for you,” he said after a pause.
“.…”
“I’ll go with you,” he added. “So it won’t be too awkward.”
“Haa… Fine.”
She stubbed her cigarette against the marble railing, exhaled one last puff, and turned toward the banquet hall. Vanitas followed beside her with his hands tucked into his pockets.
When they returned, Astrid was already standing with Franz and Olivia, engaged in what looked like light conversation.
“I’ve brought the package, Your Highness,” Vanitas said smoothly, offering a shallow bow with one hand to his chest as he subtly gestured toward Irene.
“You—” Irene started, but before she could say more, Olivia stepped forward quickly.
The Empress gently clasped Irene’s hands between her own and bowed her head slightly.
“I’m so sorry, Princess Irene,” she said earnestly. “I know you meant well. I took your position into consideration too. But don’t worry, we’ve already apprehended the culprit. It won’t happen again.”
Her grip tightened just slightly.
“So please,” she added, “I wish for us to get along.”
“Ah… I…” Irene stumbled over her words, visibly taken aback.
Her posture stiffened, unsure of what to say in front of the emperor, the empress, and, of all people, Astrid. She wasn’t expecting such directness. And certainly not from Olivia.
“N-No, I’m the one who should apologize, Empress,” Irene said quickly.
While she wouldn’t fall for this transparent act of humility, Irene was smart enough to know this wasn’t the time to challenge it. One mistake was already on her. A second, and she’d be branded a blatant fool.
Olivia’s eyes shimmered, as if on the verge of tears. Irene hesitated, then hugged her gently and patted her back. The exchange of apologies and reassurances continued until the tension around them slowly began to dissipate.
“And don’t worry about what the others are saying,” Olivia added. “I’ve already told them the truth. They shouldn’t be speaking behind your back now.”
“Ah… yes.” Irene nodded, though she wasn’t convinced. People had been talking behind her back long before this incident. That was nothing new.
Then, all of a sudden, Olivia alternated her gaze between Vanitas and Irene.
And just like that, she dropped a bombshell.
“By the way, I heard from my husband. Congratulations on getting engaged, Marquess Astrea and Princess Irene.”
“What?!”
“Ah…”
Crash—!
Irene screamed. Vanitas muttered something under his breath. Astrid, who seemed visibly shaken, dropped the plate in her hand along with the cake she’d just been eating.
“E-Empress, there must be a m-misunderstanding,” Irene stammered, trying to contain the sudden tension.
Her eyes flicked to Astrid, whose expression she couldn’t even begin to read.
“The M-Marquess was just joking,” Irene added quickly.
She turned to glare at Vanitas, who simply cleared his throat and looked away, feigning indifference.
But when she looked back at Astrid, her blood ran cold.
“…!”
Astrid’s eyes were hollow.
Irene rushed to her immediately, feeling panic rising in her chest. “Astrid, believe me! It’s not true! I’d rather die than marry this man!”
“….Sister.”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations,” Astrid replied with a smile.
But that smile was the most terrifying expression Irene had ever seen on her.
“Astrid—!”
* * *
“Professor… aren’t you going to comfort her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Astrid seemed entirely different today, you know? And I think that’s because of you.”
Vanitas had been on his way to grab another bite when Sophia suddenly approached him and struck up a conversation. It wasn’t the first time they’d spoken privately, but he hadn’t expected her to confront him at the banquet of all places.
“I don’t see what happened that was so wrong,” he said.
Sophia sighed. “Professor, how would you feel if your sister was secretly dating her professor?”
“That doesn’t really apply to me,” Vanitas replied flatly. “First of all, I would never allow Charlotte to be in a relationship with a professor. Secondly, didn’t you hear? It was a joke.”
“Sigh. Men are so dense.”
Vanitas immediately wanted to walk away. He knew exactly what her implications meant, and he had no intention of entertaining it.
Was it his problem?
No. But should it be?
Well… maybe.
Astrid’s reaction earlier had clearly shaken her. Whether or not it would affect her studies was still not his problem. And if it did, he would handle it like he always did.
That was his job as her professor, after all.
But what bothered him more was how friendly everyone had been lately. Too friendly. All this sudden warmth and familiarity from people he hadn’t considered close was starting to rub him the wrong way.
He could let it go with Irene, considering she had special needs of some sort, but for even Sophia, who used to be terrified of him, was clearly comfortable talking about relationships with him?
“Sophia,” he said.
“Yes?”
“I read your recent paper on Water Parrots. Do you know who rejected it?”
“Who…?”
“Me.”
“Ah… w-why… I worked so hard on th—”
“It was 99% magic-assisted,” he said bluntly. “Write your own papers next time. I’m being lenient because you’ve always been a bright student. But if it happens again, I’ll have to consider academic probation.”
“S-Sorry, professor…”
With that, Vanitas turned and walked away, leaving Sophia standing there with her shoulders slumped, looking as if she’d just been caught committing a crime.
The entire night, Vanitas had mingled with several nobles. Silas was there too, and they often interacted until he returned with his noble friends.
All in all, the evening was rather enjoyable, until Charlotte got herself drunk on wine.
She had always been weak to peer pressure, and once again, she caved under it. Vanitas, of course, scolded piggy—Margaret for not keeping a proper eye on her.
It was supposed to be her responsibility, after all.
Most of the night, however, had been spent with Julienne Grenthal. She was undeniably beautiful and charming.
But there was something about her that left Vanitas… uneasy. If he thought about it too long, he’d be willing to bet she was the kind of woman who’d insist on being on top in bed.
Not that it mattered. That wasn’t important right now.
Days passed after that chaotic evening, and soon enough, the time came for his next major obligation.
The League of Spirits Gambling Tournament.