When Sirien and I returned to our lodgings, Isha was curled up asleep in the corner.

From the looks of it, she had been anxious the entire time we were gone until she collapsed from exhaustion.

To be fair, it made sense for Isha to feel uneasy.

If someone suddenly opened that door, her life would be in immediate danger.

Even though Requitas accommodations were known for protecting guests' privacy, there was no guarantee that would hold true in our current situation.

Well, we were confident we could rescue her quickly even if something did happen.

We had reassured her before leaving, but it seemed that hadn't eased her mind.

Sirien gently tapped Isha to wake her up.

"Isha? We're back."

"Eek! I wasn't sleeping!"

"No, anyone could see you were asleep."

"..."

Such a helpless appearance.

Sirien stared at Isha, who avoided her gaze with an embarrassed expression.

"Come with me. Let's change your clothes first."

Isha followed Sirien more readily than she did me.

It wasn't that she ignored me. Since I was the one who had rescued her, she was grateful and made an effort to be polite.

But there was a hint of fear. She seemed intimidated by me one way or another.

She was clearly trying not to show it, which made it difficult to ask about.

It was fine for now since Sirien was taking good care of her.

Sirien had always looked after her younger siblings at the castle. Despite pretending otherwise, she had a caring nature.

Isha returned wearing new clothes, and we placed the food we'd brought on the table.

She nibbled at her sandwich.

Sirien and I had already eaten on our way back, so we just had tea with some snacks.

Sirien brewed the tea herself.

She still wouldn't allow me to make tea.

I honestly couldn't see that much difference.

The tea I brewed was just slightly less fragrant and a bit more bitter.

Yet Sirien would hurl insults, saying it was like drinking sewage.

*I should brew some next time and pretend I bought it somewhere to clear up this misunderstanding.*

Even Sirien wouldn't be able to tell the difference if I claimed it came from elsewhere.

After all, tea is tea—how different could it really be?

Though Isha must have been hungry, she only picked at her food.

She seemed to have something she wanted to say.

After waiting patiently, she finally spoke up.

"Um, I have a confession to make."

"C-confession? So suddenly?"

Sirien was startled.

And Isha should have been even more startled.

"No! Don't! Absolutely not!"

"Pardon...?"

Setting aside Sirien's outburst, Isha decided to continue what she was saying.

She fidgeted nervously while Sirien, with a reddened face, avoided my eyes.

I nodded slightly, encouraging Isha to continue.

"I have a way to contact my father."

"Didn't you say all communication methods were blocked?"

"I wasn't lying. All the methods we used within the guild are indeed blocked. I don't know which methods were discovered, and almost everyone who operated them is dead."

Just 1-2 weeks before we arrived in Requitas.

The Crescent Moon suffered a massive attack from the Rats.

Isha's father, the Guild Master Russell, barely escaped with his life after sustaining serious injuries from Millen, and the guild suffered catastrophic damage.

Some forces must have survived and gone into hiding, but as Isha said, all communication methods used within the guild had become useless.

At this point, it was uncertain if the surviving guild members would even respond to a summons. Honestly, the situation was hopeless.

Sirien assessed coldly:

"I don't know what methods you used, but you'd be better off giving up completely. Anyone who was captured has probably talked by now."

"I know. The captured guild members would have been tortured, and surely someone broke."

"So if you're telling us, there must be something else?"

"Yes. It's not a method we used in the guild."

While the Crescent Moon was a guild that traded in information, they also dabbled in assassination.

The difference was that the Crescent Moon's methods were far more sophisticated than other organizations.

They employed assassins with skills difficult to find elsewhere.

This was entirely thanks to the Guild Master, Russell.

Having kept his past strictly confidential, even Isha didn't know where he came from or what he had done.

But it was clear he was a genuine assassin.

It was a natural progression, really.

In the novel, Isha definitely worked as an assassin, and someone must have taught her the trade.

At the very least, it wasn't Sirien or me.

"This is embarrassing, but... it's a method I used when I fought with my father as a child. It's completely personal, so nobody else knows about it. I'm not even sure if my father still remembers."

* * *

As a child, Isha hated training.

From the basics like walking and breathing, to finding spots beyond human sight, or wielding a blade without making a sound.

The training that seemed to reshape her every action was painful and boring.

At first, it was fine.

She enjoyed the praise from the guild uncles. Being told she had talent made her enthusiastic.

But enthusiasm couldn't alleviate all the pain.

For some reason, Russell wanted to raise his daughter to be the best assassin, but being an assassin wasn't Isha's dream.

The reason Isha participated in training despite hating it was because she accepted the environment she was born into.

In Requitas, the weak die. Especially in Isha's case, she realized her weakness could get those around her killed too.

As Isha grew stronger, the training became increasingly harsh.

What little enthusiasm she had was long gone. The only comfort she had was a childhood friend.

The grueling days repeated endlessly, as if they would never end until death.

Finally, one day, Isha's patience exploded.

She ran away, saying she'd rather go somewhere no one knew her than live like this.

Isha headed to a secluded hill in Requitas.

It was a place her mother, who had died of illness, had shown her when she was young.

Being her first time running away, she had no plan.

When night fell, Isha was cold and hungry.

Still not wanting to return, she sobbed in front of a snow-covered camellia tree.

"I've been looking for you. You're too old to be throwing tantrums and causing trouble."

"Why did you come? To scold me?"

"I should scold you. But I'll put that off for now."

A thick coat covered Isha's body.

Russell embraced her with his arms.

Instead of his usual stiff tone, his voice was gentle.

"I think I pushed you too hard. Was it very painful?"

"...Yes. I don't want to train anymore. I hate getting hit when fighting, and I hate how the uncles look at me like I'm some kind of monster."

They talked about many things.

Though she expected to be scolded, Russell shared a meal with her and spent time together that day.

Isha truly experienced happiness for the first time in a long while.

The next day, training resumed without fail.

Nevertheless, Isha could endure it.

Because they had made a promise.

When days came that were truly unbearable, she would leave a message on the rock on that hill.

And her father promised he would listen sincerely.

* * *

The place Isha led us to was an unmanaged field.

There were several low hills, and occasionally red camellias caught the eye.

Camellias were also flowers that Sirien liked.

Flowers that bloom even in winter. Back at the castle, people would whisper that they resembled the young lady when red flowers bloomed in the snow-white garden.

The Grand Duchess quite enjoyed this sight, and Sirien didn't mind the affection people showed her.

Camellia trees were never absent from Leheim's winter garden.

Reminded of those times, I picked a flower for Sirien.

She received it with a surprised expression, then broke into a grin.

It seemed true that women appreciate flower gifts.

"Razen, do you know the meaning of camellias?"

"No idea. I only know a few famous ones like roses. Why, is it something strange?"

"No, it's not strange, but I won't tell you. If you're curious, find out yourself."

Sirien seemed particularly happy.

She tucked the flower I gave her into her hair and kept flashing a beaming smile.

"I'm going to keep this flower even after we return. I'll press it and use it as a bookmark."

"I didn't know you liked flowers so much. When you were younger, I thought you preferred trees to flowers."

"Hmm? Why?"

"You never went to the flower-filled parts of the garden. You always walked toward the trees."

Even at the cabin, Sirien had said she liked the scent of the coniferous forest.

That's why I thought she preferred trees to flowers, but her reaction was surprisingly enthusiastic.

"The flower scent in our garden was too strong. That's why I liked walking along the edge of the garden best. You remembered that?"

"It's not that long ago."

"Hee. That's true. But since you're being sweet, I'll give you a reward. Come closer."

What I received was a camellia identical to the one she was wearing.

She tucked it into my hair just like hers, which made me feel strangely embarrassed.

Her bright smile made it impossible for me to remove it.