The Princess & The Twilight Blade

Chapter 14

“Everyone, meet Audrey Mays Celestine. She’s from the Principality of Trazkel on a special exchange program.” Lydia’s voice rang through the student council room as I stood nervously beside her. I had always wondered where Lydia spent most of her time. The council room felt comfortable, with dark, vertical wood panels on the walls and a plush red and silver carpet. A large, rectangular oak table sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by high-backed chairs of the same material, and a desk for the president sat furthest away from the large double doors.

Everyone present stood off to the side of the main table. Today was my first day assisting the student council, and I wanted to make a good first impression. More than that, since everything happened, it would be the first time I interacted with Sasha. I did my best to cover my anxiety as I stepped forward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to working together!” I couldn’t calm the beating in my chest, and my head drifted downward. I had avoided eye contact with my sister since she entered the room, but I could tell her gaze hadn’t left me, even as Lydia spoke. I didn’t want to know what expression Sasha wore right now. I’m scared…

Suddenly, something warm touched my back, and I turned to glance at my girlfriend. Lydia had a gentle smile, her eyes filled with warmth. Her support seemed to push my head up again as I took a calming breath. Everything will be okay.

The world seemed to stop as I finally saw my younger sister up close for the first time in three months. When I saw her at the opening dinner party, I could tell that she was putting on a convincing act. Back then, she hardly looked like the sweet, slightly awkward girl I knew. But at this moment, as we locked eyes, I finally saw the girl I considered my only family. All the fears I had of Sasha looking at me with hate or contempt seemed childish as the urge to wrap my sister in a tight embrace overtook me. Lydia pulled on my hand as I subconsciously took a half step forward, and she gave a subtle shake of her head. Right… now isn’t the time.

“Are you alright, Sasha?” Lydia voiced the concern I could not because my sister looked to be on the verge of tears from the moment our eyes met. Sasha’s green eyes widened in realization as she hurriedly wiped at them with a handkerchief.

“O-Oh, My apologies! I-I’m not sure what came over me!” She quickly composed herself before a sad smile appeared on her face. “Pardon my outburst. I am Sasha Rose, the second daughter of House Rose. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, lady Celestine.” My heart stung at the distance I felt between us.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Lady Rose?” I asked.

“Yes, Thank you for the concern. You… resemble someone I miss dearly, and I’m afraid I let my emotions get the best of me.” Her soft-brown hair swayed as she shook her head. I moved toward her again; this time, Lydia made no move to stop me.

I gave her a gentle smile as I spoke. “If you find it acceptable, may I call you by name?” She slowly nodded her head. “Great, then I’d like you to do the same for me.” This seemed to make her hesitate, but she agreed in the end.

“Then, I look forward to working with you, Aud… Lady Audrey.” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and looked down in embarrassment as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“So do I, Sasha.” For now, this is enough.

***

After that, the atmosphere was a bit stuffy, but the other two members also quickly introduced themselves. The brown-haired boy was named Brandon and, from what Lydia had told me, was quite outgoing. The girl with pretty black hair and eyes was Yuzuki, who was also an exchange student. The two seemed to get along quite well, judging from how Yuzuki stomped on his foot after he had asked if Lydia and I were dating. He is really straightforward. We didn’t come out and say it, but we also didn’t deny it.

After introductions were taken care of, I spent the day learning how to complete the less urgent paperwork the council handled. Honestly, after spending the last two months mainly doing physical tasks, sitting down and chatting while completing paperwork was a welcome change of pace. Time passed quickly as Lydia and I fielded all sorts of questions from the other three, and I also asked all kinds of questions to get to know them better. Brandon’s father was the head of the Hermosa trading company, one of the most successful companies in the kingdom.

“My father named it after my mother,” he said fondly. An uncomfortable feeling pricked my heart as he happily talked about his family. “Our company mainly peddles luxury goods such as cosmetics, though we can procure almost anything on special request.” He shot me a wink. The royal family handled most of my needs, but it was something to keep in mind for the future.

Yuzuki was a daughter of the Hina clan in the Yamada Islands, and her family seemed to be very high up in the government. “I’m the second oldest; my older brother is set to take over once my father retires.” She wanted to be more than just a housewife, so she convinced her father to allow her to study abroad. Apparently, it wasn’t uncommon for women to hold positions of power in her native country, so she aimed to be a government official after she graduated. “What about you, Lady Celestine? What’s your family like?”

Yuzuki’s question startled me a bit as I floundered for a proper answer. “O-Oh, I’m not very close to my parents…” I cast a side glance at Sasha, who suddenly perked up when the conversation turned to me. “But I have a little sister who I adore, So it isn’t all bad.”

We blithely continued to chat like that until the school day was finally over. Everyone wrapped up whatever work they were in the middle of, with Yuzuki and Brandon being the first to leave. I finished the documents I had been tasked with proofreading shortly after before settling back in my chair to wait for Lydia to finish hers. Wanting to speak with Sasha more, I turned, only to find her chair empty. Sighing in disappointment, I rested my eyes as I thought about the day's events. It has been a long day in more ways than one.

As I sat, drifting into my thoughts, I was interrupted by a quiet clink. I opened my eyes to find my sister placing a steaming cup of tea on the table for me. The familiar scent of chamomile tickled my nose as I picked up the cup.

“I thought you had left, Sasha,” I said, and she shook her head, causing her brown hair to flow with the motion.

“There’s a separate room the servants usually use. I just stepped away to make this for you and Her Highness.” I nodded as I saw Lydia reach for an identical cup. Still, this brings back memories… A small sigh of contentment escaped me as I took a sip. Sasha then sat down in the chair beside me. Earlier, she had kept an empty chair between us while we worked, so I was happy about the change. The three of us sat in silence, each enjoying a cup of freshly brewed tea.

What should I say?! I may have been composed on the outside, but my longing to speak to my sister raged wildly in my head. No, I just have to say something! I can do this! After mentally hyping myself up, I opened my mouth to speak.

“U-Um!”

“S-So!”

Only for my voice to overlap with Sasha’s. We both stared at each other in surprise, only for both of us to then look at Lydia, who was desperately trying to suppress a laugh.

“Please, Don’t mind me!” she said between giggles, causing both Sasha and I to also break out into laughter. After we all had managed to settle down, I motioned for Sasha to speak first.

“Pardon me, Lady A-Audrey.” It seemed she still was hesitant to use my name. “You mentioned earlier that you had a little sister… I was just wondering what she was like?”

***

These two really are sisters. I thought to myself. After observing them together all day, I began to notice a lot of similarities in their gestures and habits, and my thoughts started to wander in the silence after Sasha had prepared tea. Like how they both play with their hair when they are nervous. Honestly… Having both of them together is almost too cute for me to handle. They were still obviously awkward, but it was clear that even if Sasha didn’t know Audrey’s true identity, she still felt compelled to be close to her. It was genuinely heartwarming.

“U-Um!”

“S-So!”

Just like that! I couldn’t suppress the laugh that escaped me, and it drew the sisters’s attention. After the laughter died down, Sasha asked a question that froze Audrey in place.

“You mentioned earlier that you had a little sister… I was just wondering what she was like?”

Audrey shot me a panicked glance, and I smiled and nodded to reassure her. I knew Audrey wouldn’t do anything to blow her cover purposefully. Even if she did, judging from what I’ve seen of Sasha today, I have no fear that she would willingly turn her sister over to the Duke. Even without knowing who Audrey was, Sasha had shown sides of herself in the last few hours that I had been trying to get out of her since we met. It was still possible for the Duke to coerce his daughter if he suspected something, so while the situation still demanded secrecy, I decided that Sasha Rose could most likely be trusted.

Audrey seemed to take my signal as permission to do what she thought was right and began to speak.

“Well, she’s a very bright girl. Very mature and compassionate for her age, and she rarely failed to make my day better when we met.” A sad smile graced her face, and her blue eyes turned down. “We didn’t get to spend much time together, but when we did, I knew she cared for me just as much as I did for her.” Audrey reached out slowly and took one of her sister’s hands. “You remind me of her so much.”

Sasha failed to stem her tears this time around.

“Earlier, when I said you remind me of someone, I also meant my sister!” The younger girl threw her arms around Audrey, which surprised the redhead. “I-I miss her so much!” Audrey cradled her sister as she cried into her chest and shot me a pained look. It seemed both of us were feeling the same bittersweet emotions at the scene, but I shook my head at her unspoken question.

Hopefully, it will be soon, but we still had to be careful for the sake of everyone involved. I held my head in my hands as I listened to Sasha’s muffled crying. I hope she will forgive us when everything is revealed. No… As long as she forgives Audrey. Right then, I decided I would happily take on all of the young Rose’s anger when the time came.

***

Later that night, as we lay in bed, I thought about how I would feel if It were one of my brothers and me in their situation. My chest felt heavy thinking about it, and I realized I didn’t even fully understand what Audrey and Sasha were going through. Rolling over to face Audrey, I gently touched her shoulder.

“Are you awake?”

“I am.”

Suddenly, all the things I wanted to say escaped me. None of this was their fault. Both girls were victims in this situation, completely and utterly blameless. Yet, both have endured things I couldn’t imagine at such a young age. I was lucky to be born into a family that loved me, with a station that commanded respect just by existing. What right do I have to try to comfort her?

Audrey rolled over as I drowned in my thoughts, having not received an answer.

“Lydia?”

“I’m so sorry, Audrey!” I felt the moisture prick at the edges of my vision. “I promised to help you, but it seems I’m now the one keeping you from your sister!” her beautiful eyes widened in shock.

“Why would you think that? If anything, I got to see her again because of you.” Her voice was calm and gentle. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! I’m supposed to be the one comforting her! But I couldn’t help the doubtful words that poured out of my mouth.

“You can’t be honest with her because of my political machinations.” I wiped my eyes and sniffled. It had been so long since I broke down like this. I usually just buried my fears and worries in favor of plowing through my obstacles with willpower alone. But I couldn’t do that when it involved Audrey for some reason.

“Shh, it’s alright, Lydia. I know you have your reasons, and I agree with them. Yes, it does hurt, but I know you are only trying to do what's best for me. I’d never blame you for that.” She brushed some hair behind my ear and smiled brightly. Her words flooded over me like a river, washing away all of my self-loathing. I wiped my eyes again as my tears stopped.

“I will do everything possible to ensure you can meet as sisters again.” We exchanged a gentle kiss before breaking away.

“I know you will; I trust you with all my heart.”

As sleep slowly claimed both of us, our hands still intertwined, her words burned inside me, etching a permanent place into my heart.

***

“Audrey, can you go get some more ink from the storage room? I think we’re just about out.” Lydia asked with a tired smile.

“Of course, I’ll be quick.” I quickly organized the papers I had been working on before standing up to leave. I nearly made it to the door when I heard my little sister's voice from behind.

“Is it alright if I go as well, Your Highness?” Sasha quickly asked, and Lydia gave her a nod before returning to her work. I waited for her to also get her work in order before we left together. The storage room wasn’t too far away, being located right above the student council room.

In the week since she met me as “Audrey Celestine,” Sasha grew incredibly attached to me. Even if it wasn’t as her sister, I still found it adorable and couldn’t be happier that she wanted to spend so much time with me. Of course, I was always vigilant about giving my identity away. We chatted about her classes as we climbed the stairs to the next floor.

“And then I made this big wall! And the fireball exploded against it! Magic practice is most definitely my favorite, I think.” Her attitude also seemed to have changed completely, even from before I died. Maybe I didn’t know her as well as I thought. While the thought was definitely sad, I couldn’t help but smile as she finally seemed to act her age. I realized that even as sisters, our interactions had been colored by our circumstances, and the bubbly girl I saw before me was who she truly was.

Sasha was nothing but a brown-haired, green-eyed cutie who seemed to love magic just as much as she loved her sister.

We soon arrived at the storage room as I was lost in my thoughts. “I’m sorry. My rambling is probably irritating, right?” Her uncertain words snapped my attention back to her. Way to go, Audrey. Some sister you are.

“Of course not! Honestly, listening to you talk about magic has quickly become one of my favorite pastimes.” I gave her head a quick pat and smiled. “I really do love the time we spend together, Sasha.” She quickly perked up at that and beamed at me.

“Me too, Lady Audrey!”

“Haha, I’m glad to hear it. Now, let’s find that ink and get back to the office.” She nodded in agreement, and we split up to find it, which only took a few minutes before we made our way back to the others. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived back, we had to jump back into our respective tasks. It was a fight to just stay on top of the work currently coming in. The main culprit was the tournament happening in a month. It was held to showcase talented students to the various branches of the armed forces, and with the empire’s conquest on the kingdom’s doorstep, it was imperative that anyone who could bolster the ranks be found. That’s what Lydia says, at least.

Honestly, I wanted to participate. I discovered something about myself through my training: that I quite enjoyed fighting. Obviously, I didn’t mean to the death, and I don’t think I could ever take someone else's life. Not after mine was given back to me. But the feeling of overcoming your own weaknesses and the rush of trying to outmaneuver your opponent… Even at night, I found myself strategizing about ways to win my next sparring match.

It had suddenly hit me when I finally beat Leah, and the desire to win only grew now that I was slowly closing the gap between Lucia and myself. In magic, of course. I still couldn’t compare it to her swordsmanship. Luckily, the tournament was separated into magic and physical combat brackets, so my lousy ability with a blade wouldn’t hold me back in the magic division. Not that I think I would win, but it would still be fun!

However, Lydia seemed to be hesitant about my participation when I brought it up the other day.

***

“Look, I’m not saying no, Audrey. But could you handle that much exposure? You’ll have the entire country’s eyes on you.”

“W-What do you mean?” She only signed at my question, rubbing her eyes as we got ready for bed.

“The entire tournament is broadcast across the country with powerful wind magic and artifacts.” I shrunk a little at that. But my desire to grow stronger chased away my fear.

“E-Even still! I’d like to fight!” Lydia only stared at me, and I felt my face heat up when I stuttered, but I continued my attack. “It would be good for me to fight opponents I’m not familiar with! At this point, I’ve already seen how everyone I spar against fights.”

Another sigh escaped her, and this one felt more worried than anything else. “Please don’t tell me my girlfriend is turning into a battle junkie…”

“How mean! Just because I like to spar…” My pout was met with another deadpan expression.

“No, Audrey. I like to spar. It makes great exercise. But not even I would want to do that hellish training regimen you put yourself through.”

“Come to think of it!” I clapped my hands together with a great idea. “I watched you spar against Lucia on the first day of school, but you haven’t fought me yet!” I clasped her hands with mine in excitement—the prospect of competing with her overtaking my thoughts.

“This is exactly what I mean! Only battle junkies get that excited about fighting!” She drew back, and I felt a little disappointed as our hands separated. “Honestly, I didn’t even know people's eyes could sparkle like that!”

“Okay… I’ll admit I might like fighting a little too much! But it isn’t the actual fighting I’m so captivated by.” Her emerald eyes met mine in question. “It’s the feeling of growing stronger, it… fulfills me. When I think about how weak I used to be…” I trailed off, and Lydia wrapped me in a gentle embrace.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disparage you.” She looked me in the eye with a smile. “I’ll think about it if I can make it work, and you promise not to do anything that exposes your divinity.” Only the royal family and a select few servants know of my status as a divine guardian. She’s probably worried I’d get drawn into the war…

***

It had been a few days since then, but we still had time to think it over. A bell sounded throughout the building, signaling the end of the school day, and we all began wrapping up. Yuzuki and Brandon were the first to head to their dorms, but Sasha seemed to be waiting for me to finish.

“Ready to go, Audrey?” Lydia asked as she came over and laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Of course,” I said as I stood, only for Sasha to follow suit.

“U-Um, if it isn’t a bother, what are you two doing for the rest of the day?” She asked nervously.

“We are actually heading to the practice field,” Lydia responded. “If you’d like, you can come with us, Lady Sasha.” Both my sister and I quirked our heads in curiosity as my girlfriend led us out of the room.

“I remember you saying that you wanted to spar, Audrey,” Lydia said as we arrived at the field. “I’m still unsure about the tournament, but I can at least do this for you.”

“Really!?” I exclaimed.

“I’ve never lied to you, have I?” the blonde asked. We helped each other warm up for a while before taking our places on opposite ends of the field.

Sasha stood on the sidelines, stars in her eyes. It seemed she was barely able to contain her excitement about watching us spar. That’s so very like her… I wondered if Lydia had realized her love of magic as well, and that’s why she invited her. My girlfriend is so considerate.

“I hope you know I won’t hold back, even against you!” Lydia yelled across the practice field. I only smiled in response. I wouldn’t want her to, anyway. Sasha gave us the starting signal, and we both sprung into action.

I opened with a volley of water bullets. It didn’t do much as they collided with Lydia’s opposing fireballs, but I had expected that. We both ran around the field, trying to outplay each other with various volleys of attacks. I blocked a fireball by grabbing it with a water-covered hand before sending a horizontal blade of liquid at Lydia. She ran straight at the attack, sliding under it while closing the distance between us.

But I hadn’t stopped to gawk, as cool as she may have looked in my eyes. I exerted a little more mana than I had been using up till now, manifesting a massive wall of water that completely encircled the other girl and collapsed them toward her, causing an enormous wave of water to wash over the entire field.

I gritted my teeth, but I couldn’t help the excitement building up in my chest as my plan failed. I didn’t think she’d be able to stop me in my tracks. I had tried to manipulate the water in the onslaught to subtly restrain her like I had done to Leah previously, but even with the water being reinforced with my magic, it had still evaporated. I stood in fascination as Lydia stood unscathed, bathed in beautiful blue flames.

“Ha! You really thought I’d fall for the same trick—Are you alright?” She paused her monologue when she felt my gaze.

“Yep! Just thinking about how hot you look right now.”

“Of course! I am incredibly proud of my magic, after all!” she smirked.

“Oh, I didn’t mean the flames.” I brushed some errant red hair out of my face, then moved.

“W-Wha—” I didn’t give her any time to respond as I launched a water whip, which snaked around her ankle and pulled her to the ground. I sprinted forward, consolidating a massive orb of water over my head with the intent to drop it on her. It hadn’t occurred to me yet why my whip had worked when my previous attack didn’t. That was until I was blasted with a massive shockwave of flame, my water orb evaporating in the process. I flew backward several feet, managing to roll back to a defensive position as I erected a water wall out of pure instinct.

Which immediately absorbed a massive blue fireball.

“Quit flirting with me and take this seriously!” She yelled, her face bright red.

“But I really meant it—Woah!” I began to say but had to dive to the side as a flame arrow pierced right through my barrier. I looked back at Lydia, who was still fuming, as she formed multiple firebirds over her head. They shot towards me, even faster than the arrow. I swelled water underneath my feet—a move I stole from Lucia— and surfed out of the way, only to find the birds swerve to follow me. Tracking magic?! I shot water at them in an attempt to destroy them, but they dodged my attempts. I noticed while running that Lydia didn’t seem to be controlling them. Which meant whatever spell she was using was quite advanced. My mind filled with admiration for Lydia as I continued to only slightly outpace my pursuers.

She really is something else! I’m so in love right now! And it was then I felt it. My stella moved. A grin broke on my face as I finally found my trigger. So that’s how it is… I’m sure I’ll be embarrassed about it later. I focused my thoughts on Lydia and felt my stella finally respond.

Aurora said I could infuse it into my mana… Maybe like this? I pushed the stella into the mana stream under my feet, causing the wave I was surfing on to bolster and move even faster, and I found myself launched into the air.

“W-Woah! Too much!” I unconsciously yelled. I managed to create a cushion of water to land on and realized I was on the opposite side of the field. The firebirds fizzled out as they tried to close the distance. So they have a time limit, good to know! I prepared another spell but stopped when I noticed that both Lydia and Sasha were gaping at me. They both ran up to me, talking over one another.

“How did you do that?!”

“That was amazing, Lady Audrey!”

I took a step back with my hands up. “D-Does this mean the match is over?” and Lydia nodded furiously.

“We’ll call it a draw for now! Now tell us how you did that. I’ve never seen someone release so much power before!” I quashed the disappointment I felt at the match ending so soon and went to explain before remembering that Sasha was there.

“I just released all my mana at once. Honestly, I’m exhausted.” I lied. Realization dawned in Lydia’s eyes as she glanced at my sister.

“Geez, come on. I know you’ve learned to control your magic better than that.” I laughed sheepishly and scratched my cheek. Luckily, Sasha seemed to buy that explanation.

“You must have a really high mana capacity, then! How incredible to see!” She continued to gush about some technical magic stuff that was reminiscent of Mr. Tressum’s lectures before stopping suddenly.

“Ah! But if you have used all your mana, then you need to rest! Come one, let us get you to your dorm!” my sister grabbed my hand and began pulling me toward the dorm. I looked back at Lyida, who only smiled helplessly and followed us.

Once we arrived at our room, Sasha paused awkwardly before turning to face Lydia and me.

“U-Um, sorry if this is out of line, but are you two…” She paused.

“Are we what, Lady Sasha?” Lydia asked gently.

“Are you two… T-Together?” Her lime green eyes drifted downwards in embarrassment. “It’s just on the field… you said those things…”

“If you’re asking if we’re dating, then the answer is yes.” and Lydia admitted it outright.

“Oh, I see!” the younger girl sighed with relief. “It was presumptuous of me to ask. My apologies.” The door to our room suddenly opened to reveal Leah standing there.

“How long do you plan on standing in the hallway, my ladies?” She asked with a smirk. “I’ve already prepared dinner. Will Lady Rose be joining us?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” Sasha said, suddenly in nobility mode and turning to me and Lydia. “Thank you for allowing me to witness such a wonderful display of magic earlier, and I hope you feel better, Lady Audrey.” She cut the conversation short with a quick curtsey before leaving down the hallway.

“Well, that was sudden,” Lydia said with a shrug before we both entered the room.

***

“Now, care to fill me in, Audrey?” I asked after dinner. The redhead nodded. Lucia and Leah were present as well. Earlier, Leah had left before the spar to start on the meal, and Lucia had needed to talk to Sir Theodore. They hadn’t seen what Audrey had done, but flying nearly the whole length of the one-hundred-meter practice field was no small feat.

“I finally figured out how to manipulate my divinity, and it had more of an effect than I expected,” Audrey explained. She had previously explained to us what she had learned from her goddess, so I knew how difficult it had been for her.

“So, what’s the trigger then?” Lucia asked expectantly, and Audrey looked down bashfully.

“Well… I was thinking about how amazing Lydia was during our fight, and it just kind of… happened.” My face felt hot as I realized what she was implying, only for Leah to say it aloud with a massive smile.

“Oh my, so what you mean is: Your feelings for my lady are what triggers your divine power? How interesting!” Alright, you seem way too happy about this, Leah! But I was too busy fidgeting in embarrassment to say anything to her. It didn’t help either that Audrey only nodded in agreement.

“Can you replicate it?” Lucia asked.

Audrey paused in thought before holding her palm upward, causing a bird made of shining water to form above her head. It flew gracefully around the dorm before it seemed to vibrate and explode, sending water all over the room.

“I still haven’t gotten a feel for how much to use yet, so my magic is a bit more unstable with it right now.”

“But this means you can practice now. I can’t imagine it will take you long.” I said.

“Hopefully. Aurora—my goddess, I mean, also said I’d be able to communicate directly with her once I master it.” Communicating directly with the gods? Definitely seems like something divine guardians should be able to do.

“That’s pretty amazing! Have you heard her yet?” my lady-in-waiting asked, but Audrey only shook her head.

“Not yet. I’m sure it will take some time. But I want to be able to soon.” She pumped her fist with determination. “And that means lots of practice!”

After that, we talked a bit longer before settling in for the night. All I could think of was how amazing my partner was.