OHNIR – Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Guidance
“You can tell I don’t like the Royal Capital.”
The black-haired girl smiled faintly. Though her features held a childish beauty, her eyes were utterly weary, like a wild cornflower battered by wind and frost, forced to bend. Every passerby couldn't help but sigh in pity or long to hold her in a comforting embrace.
Kelusta’s fingertips trembled slightly.
She looked at Lux hesitantly, pressing her lips together, but ultimately restrained herself from making a move just yet.
Lux, however, didn’t notice her expression. The young girl of mysterious identity was lost in her own thoughts, sighing with the gravity of an adult. She lowered her eyes, absently smoothing out her dress—which looked simple but was made of expensive material—and spoke in the detached tone of an observer:
“The Royal Capital is like the eye of an ocean vortex. It appears to be the calmest point, but it’s surrounded by surging undercurrents that never cease. The slightest misstep will get you dragged in and torn to shreds. There is no room for error.”
“Everyone living there must be on constant alert. Regardless of status or age, as long as you are in the capital, you are destined to become a pawn in the games of the master strategists.” Lux looked down at the fine gray gravel by her boots, paused, and continued, “No one can truly control their own destiny. Even as a marionette, the inability to see even a glimmer of light in the unknown future is enough to exhaust you, body and soul.”
In Nobili, where the royal family and the aristocracy stood side by side, not even His Majesty the King could say with certainty that he would not become a disposable piece in some great noble’s scheme.
If that was the case for the highest authority, what hope was there for the First Ducal Family, completely controlled by the Goddess of Deceit?
What she yearned for… perhaps there was no hope of ever achieving it in this lifetime.
Just as Lux was lost in these thoughts, she suddenly felt a pair of slender, soft arms wrap around her shoulders.
A sweet-smelling figure snuggled into her embrace. A face, still cherubic with baby fat, pressed intimately against her collarbone. Just like the little kitten from before, she was docile and lovely, even nuzzling unconsciously.
The black-haired girl stared in surprise at the little girl who had suddenly hugged her, her earlier despondency forgotten. She hadn't been in such close contact with anyone since she could remember. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and her fingers rested on the other girl’s shoulder, hesitating whether to push her away as she called out in a rush, “Ruth—”
Kelusta looked up with a grin, her golden eyes full of light, causing Lux’s heart to skip a beat.
“You’re a bit like my mother, Lux.” Under the girl’s stunned gaze, the brown-haired child’s eyes curved into crescents. With a voice as crisp as a warbler’s song, she earnestly listed her observations, “She loves the ocean like you do, and free-spirited little cats, and a life without constraints… For both of you, doing what you want to do is the most important goal in life, isn't it?”
“…I am unwilling to have my fate manipulated by others,” Lux said softly. “From that perspective, I am indeed very similar to Aunt Ricana.”
She looked down into the pair of pure golden eyes before her. They shimmered with a liquid light, like a shallow stream flowing with honey.
She had heard… that Ricanarias Amirium, the woman who had renounced her noble status and privileged life, resolutely casting aside her glorious inheritance to live quietly in this remote town, also had such beautiful eyes.
As she stared, almost lost in that sweet stream, the girl in her arms suddenly blinked. Her expression grew slightly serious, and her tone, contrary to her usual self, became as calm as Lux’s had been moments before.
“—If you don’t want to be controlled, to be a pawn that others can play with as they please, then do everything you can to get what you want. Take your destiny into your own hands.”
As she finished speaking, she broke into another sweet smile at the astonished Lux, as if her previous composure had been an illusion. Her expression was simple and sincere, her eyes filled with nothing but the black-haired girl’s reflection.
Kelusta hugged her, resting her chin on Lux’s chest like a little doll. She looked up and said matter-of-factly, “My friends and I used to play a game of crab fighting on the beach. But the crabs we caught would always, when we weren't looking, pinch our hands with their claws and scuttle away so fast that no one could ever find them again… So I think, as long as you are strong enough, no matter who tries to control your life—it’s only temporary.”
Lux fell silent, quietly meeting the brown-haired girl’s gaze.
She had never imagined that a commoner child, who had never experienced the pressures of power, could utter such profound words without batting an eye.
The inheritance of blood was truly fascinating… Perhaps even Ricana couldn't have imagined that her daughter would instinctively grasp the crucial tenets of the “nobles’ rules of survival.”
However, Kelusta was unaware of the depth of her own words. She was still focused on comforting her companion, whose mood had stabilized somewhat.
She placed her fingertips on the nape of Lux’s neck, stealthily stroking her soft, long hair before quickly curling her fingers as if caught doing something wrong. Her face remained earnest as she said, “So, Miss Lux, please work hard to become even stronger!”
“Because only by becoming truly strong can you, and everyone you want to protect, attain true freedom.”
Those two sentences seemed to possess a magical quality, effortlessly touching her heart. Lux’s eyes widened slightly, her deep blue pupils filled with astonishment and clarity, like a handful of clear seawater sparkling in the sunlight.
After a long moment, the black-haired girl finally smiled. Her eyelids half-lowered, her expression softened, but her smile now held a newfound, indistinct depth and ambition, as if she had been awakened, making her already exquisite face even more vibrant.
“You’re right.”
She said it plainly, reaching out to pull the understanding little girl into a tight, genuine embrace.
“I will keep working hard, just as you hope… I will neither run from my origins nor fear the future that awaits me.”
“—My dear Ruth, I hope that when I truly break free from my ‘shackles,’ you will give me a gentle hug just like today, as a celebration. Will you?”
Kelusta closed her eyes, relaxed, and rested her head securely on Lux’s shoulder. “Of course,” she whispered. “I promise.”
The Maity family’s cottage was situated directly across from the Breviou home, right on the edge of the vast golden beach at the westernmost end of Seaside Town. It had a red roof, brown walls, a stone-brick and wood door, and windows veiled by lush, dense plants.
The house faced the sea and had a spacious garden. Part of the verdant greenery was rooted in the dark soil to the east, while a variety of colorful flowers swayed gently in the sandy soil to the west. Due to its proximity to the ocean, the residents could hear the low, rhythmic crash of the waves even from inside.
Although the craze for the Golden Beach Roses had gradually cooled with time, Kevit still hadn’t gone to see Kelusta for several days.
His mother had told him that the Breviou family was hosting very important guests recently, and Kelusta probably wouldn’t have time to climb trees and catch fish with him.
Kevit could only sigh at his bad luck—lately, either he was busy or Ruth was. It had been a long time since they had a proper, fun day together.
But in the welcoming town of Seaside, everyone agreed that “guests come first.” So, Kevit didn't act childishly by running to the wooden house on the east side and shouting, “Hey, wanna go play in the water?” Instead, he stayed obediently at home and began secretly planning a carefully prepared reunion gift for his childhood friend.
—Even though they had been apart for less than a week, a little ceremony in life was still important.
How about… a painting for her?
Ruth’s mother was probably one of the best artists in the entire kingdom… As for his chaotic stick-figure battles, she definitely wouldn’t be impressed.
Or maybe… a bouquet of flowers?
No, no, he had just lost the biggest Golden Beach Rose to her the last time they competed at haggling in the seafood market. Giving her the same type of gift again would lack originality.
Well, in that case, he would just make her something by hand. That should be fine.
Kevit Maity had neither inherited his father’s business acumen nor his mother’s superb gardening talent. However, before awakening his wood magic, his most outstanding talent lay in his hands, which were said to have a golden touch.
From the small, tightly woven fence in his family’s garden to the magnificent sandcastles on the beach, Kevit had a calm and determined personality. Once he set his mind to something, he had to do it perfectly. Any handicraft that came from his hands could basically be called an exquisite “work of art.”
Because of this, when his merchant father occasionally sold his creations along with his other goods, they often fetched unexpectedly high prices.
Ever since he resolved to “give Ruth a reunion gift,” Kevit had been collecting a large pile of smooth, intact, and brightly colored shells from the shore. He spent his days holed up at home, working so hard that he forgot to eat or sleep, losing a noticeable amount of weight. Mrs. Maity didn't know what to do with her stubborn son and could only pre-order a large bag of crabs from Old Rake, hoping to restore some color to Kevit’s increasingly sallow face.
But today… even if that bag of crabs hadn't been cooked yet, he was destined not to be able to work on his gift uninterrupted.
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