Tsukiyuki Rio rested her chin on her hand, languidly opening the car window as the evening breeze played with her thick, jet-black hair.
The war was over.
It had been a foregone conclusion. Rio’s heart hadn’t even quickened. The ensuing boredom soured her mood—it was a complete waste of time. Someone of Feng Na’s caliber didn’t even qualify as an opponent.
Even a clown’s one-woman show held more entertainment than this. Rio’s plain black kimono remained untouched by dust; the clash of blades had been a one-sided rout.
“What time is it?” Rio asked Morgana in the driver’s seat.
“Young Miss, it’s already eight o’clock.”
“I accidentally made myself late.” Rio pressed her lips together. She’d promised Gao Sijin she’d be back before eight, and now she’d broken her word. “I only have myself to blame for fooling around today, wanting to witness that woman’s smugness turn to despair with my own eyes. On second thought, it wasn’t all that amusing.”
If Rio had wanted, she could have ended the fight in half an hour. Her overwhelming strength left Feng Na no room to retaliate, yet she’d dragged it out this long. Even if she had a future immortality drug to prolong youth and life, this was still far too extravagant.
“Young Miss, the shortcut ahead might be a bit bumpy. Is Feng Na okay in the trunk?” Morgana asked, concerned. “When I saw her, she was covered in wounds, looking like she could bleed out at any moment. Is that future medicine really so miraculous?”
“Of course. As long as she hasn’t drawn her final breath, she won’t die—unless someone assassinates her right in front of my eyes.” Rio mulled over her plans for Feng Na and sneered coldly. “Next comes the torment. It’s a perfect opportunity to show Qingxue what happens when you defy me.”
“A real two birds, one stone.” Morgana smiled, turning the steering wheel and guiding the red Ferrari from the dirt road onto smooth asphalt. “Truth be told, I’ve always been a little worried the Head Maid would do something foolish. Though I did want to replace Yu Qingxue and become the new Head Maid, I don’t want her to die.”
Rio gave Morgana a meaningful glance.
“You consider her a friend?”
“You could say that, though ‘frenemy’ is probably more accurate,” Morgana said with a bright smile. “She makes things fun. Don’t you think so too, Young Miss? At first, I really did consider killing her to get the Head Maid’s job, but that thought is long gone now. Sometimes, the more we bicker, the better our relationship gets.”
As she bared her heart, Morgana looked almost like a young girl, her pretty face suddenly flushing pink.
“By the way, Young Miss, please don’t tell the Head Maid what I said. She’d laugh at me for sure. I can’t stand that smug, superior look she gets. She’s my friend, but I don’t want her to know I think of her that way.”
Rio wore a faint, half-hearted smile.
She didn’t want Yu Qingxue to do something stupid either. But from all the timelines Rio had observed of Yu Qingxue, she knew Qingxue wasn’t the type to swallow her pride. Perhaps the thread of ill fate between them was destined to carry on in this life as well.
That day might be close, or it might be far—but it would come eventually.
Sensing the uneasy mood in the car, Morgana asked, “Young Miss, if the Head Maid really does something foolish…”
“Then I’ll give her a swift end,” Rio said softly. “At the very least, I won’t torment her the way I’ll torment Feng Na.”
Yu Qingxue was different. She was Rio’s most capable aide, a rival in love, and someone who had once made Rio shiver with dread.
At eight-forty, Rio arrived on time at the Karuizawa West Prince Hotel. After a whole day apart from Gao Sijin, the young lady yearned to pull him into her arms immediately. But first, she had to open the trunk and send Feng Na to the hospital.
Clown or not, Feng Na had backbone. Even as a slow blade sliced her flesh, she hadn’t cried out in pain, charging at Rio like a mad dog until the very end. Under those conditions, her sanity hadn’t completely cracked.
Once she was healed, Rio would have to find a way to break her completely.
She wanted Feng Na to understand true terror. She wanted to hear her screams and wails.
“It’s been a while, Feng Na.” A cold smile, like a devil’s, curled on Rio’s lips.
She ordered the maids to pull Feng Na from the trunk.
Morgana stepped forward, noticed something off, and immediately checked Feng Na’s utterly limp body.
“Young Miss…”
Rio had already spotted it too.
“Dead?”
“Yes, Young Miss. She’s dead.”
That drug developed in 2040 was nearly priceless in the future, a panacea capable of reviving someone even an hour after death.
Rio stepped closer and confirmed Feng Na wasn’t faking.
No breath. No heartbeat. No pulse. Her body had already started to stiffen.
“Take her to the hospital for a full examination. If she’s faking, revive her, lock her in the basement, and have someone cut off her limbs with a wire saw.”
“And if she truly is dead?”
“Throw her into Tokyo Bay for the fish. A corpse holds no value for torment. Torturing a corpse isn’t enough to serve as a warning to Qingxue.”
Rio had lost all interest in Feng Na. She just wanted to get back to Gao Sijin as soon as possible.
Once Morgana and the maids had taken Feng Na away, Rio suddenly recalled the girl in mourning clothes she’d passed earlier, singing that song. Now that she thought about it, the melody had sounded like a requiem.
In the future, magic and other supernatural phenomena had been confirmed to exist.
“You really were lucky, Feng Na.”
Though annoyed, the chance to find that mourning-clad woman and settle accounts had already slipped away.
Never mind. She’d hurry back and cuddle up to Gao-kun instead.
With that, her geta-clad feet carried her in elegant, unhurried steps toward the small log cabin.
Inside the small log cabin at the Karuizawa West Prince Hotel, Gao Sijin was trying to pour all his focus into the computer screen, but he’d unknowingly fallen into a vicious cycle.
At first, he thought he just needed some caffeine to trigger a dopamine hit. After coffee, he still couldn’t write.
Then he figured he was too tense and needed a game to relax. After five straight losses, he felt like writing even less.
The whole day had slipped by. He’d read a little, taken a hot bath, and chatted idly with Yu Qingxue, but his inspiration never woke up. Since morning, he’d been restless all day, as if something critically important was happening somewhere he couldn’t see.
Gao Sijin had even called home. His cousin told him everything was fine, that he was probably overthinking things. So why did it feel like a huge piece of his heart had been carved out?
“Maybe it’s because Rio isn’t back yet. That’s why I have no inspiration.”
“So that’s your excuse for waiting for Junior Rio to come home like Hachiko?” Yu Qingxue folded her arms across her chest, looking thoroughly displeased.
