[Remember the clown.]
"You've returned again, mysterious key."
I thought I would have at least a few days to gather my scattered self.
We came back from the funeral, and I thought it would be a lonely night, but the clown wants to share it with me by appearing in the air in front of me, just like how it was once formed in Eternal Est.
The moonlight gently illuminating the dark room sends calmness amid the tension that arose from that title.
And this time is different.
As if the clown holds a high religious status.
Or a sect.
I can't even move to do anything about these words in front of me.
Then the door opened, and Lumila entered, tense.
"Scared?"
She nodded her head affirmatively.
I moved my finger for her to come lie next to me.
And when she did, she held my hand gently and quietly, mindful of my physical condition.
And honestly... I was the one who needed someone to sleep with me.
Morning came after I had only two hours of sleep, and I woke to Lumila's voice.
And when I opened my eyes, the sunlight coming through the window stung me.
I began to get annoyed with this ceiling I keep seeing every time I wake up.
The words about the clown had vanished. And my sister said I needed to prepare myself because the queen wanted to see me.
And I noticed the same black-haired maid standing next to her.
The kingdom's "best healer" entered and examined me before the maid helped me stand and get ready.
And though it was embarrassing, the fact that my sister helped me get dressed instead of the maid was better.
At least I wasn't naked.
As for my hair, which had started to grow long, I tied it into a bun with a black band so it wouldn't be noticeable.
And I was surprised that the queen wanted to meet me in the first palace garden, where the Sound-Thorn plant dominates, making low humming sounds, and the Joy Flower that sways right and left as if it's dancing.
The queen was sitting on a chair under a canopy, with a small round table and another chair in front of her, both in white and sky blue.
I sat in the chair, and she began pouring tea into my cup and hers. Her expression was unreadable, showing no emotions.
She observed the tea as it was being poured with her two differently colored eyes.
The left eye was green like flower stems. And the right was blue like Ankevorena's eyes. And her long blond hair sparkled under the sun.
Her lips were light and softly pink. She wore a home robe in light colors that harmonized with the place we were sitting in.
Whatever it was the queen wanted to talk about, in this setting, I could only assume it was about Ankevorena.
But still, why was she wearing a robe?
"No. I didn't want you here to talk about Ankevorena," she said after taking a sip from her cup. Her voice brought calmness and reassurance, yet held a seriousness that wasn't firm.
Of course, she'd expect that.
"And still, I will sincerely thank you for accompanying her. Thanks to you, she learned what it means to have a true friend."
I nodded before I spoke.
"This is what I swore with my life on, Your Majesty."
She smiled lightly before moving her hand away from the cup and adding an extra spoon of sugar to it.
"Let me cut the introductions short for you, Ethan. You must have wondered why I didn't take the mask after the Eternal Est incident, right?"
We're talking about that?
I wouldn't mind.
I nodded in confirmation and she continued.
"The Mask of Eternity, Esteliora, the Embodiments, and the Archons. All things that have occupied your thoughts ever since you heard about them. And I affirm your suspicion that I know all about their reality."
I lowered my head and looked at the cup in silence, staring at the red tea color for three seconds before I asked,
"Will I get answers?"
She took a second sip of tea and answered while focusing on the tea.
"No. Not yet. You will get them when the time is right."
I looked into her eyes, and the sun wasn't lighting up my own.
"Because I wouldn't be able to bear the answer."
She placed the cup on the table and lowered her hand onto her thigh.
"You hold a high status and might even equal the war generals themselves. Surely you've realized that after the treatment you received. Therefore, you will be guided and protected by the Ice War General, Yaraso Vitalis. But,"
It felt like she looked directly at my soul, and though her eyes didn't seem to change, they gave off a sense of pressure and firmness that was previously missing.
"If duty calls, don't think you'll be an exception."
"Forgive my worn-out body, please. And if I ever grow complacent in the future, I shall pierce my stomach with my sword, full of shame and regret."
And afterward, the queen allowed Ethan to leave.
And after he stood and walked away with the maid's help, the queen looked at him from afar, still seated in her chair.
"The last dream, Ethan Lumiere. He didn't touch the cup even once, let alone drink from it."
Then she looked at the pointed tip of the palace.
"He truly is as he was described, great mocker."
---
It seems I'm about to enter something I never asked for. Or I already entered.
And while I was lying on my bed thinking, a person I had forgotten for a while entered.
The woman of the backyard garden—Gresta.
But wasn't her hair... What color was it before?
It was definitely different. Different from this dark green color.
But she certainly was still very tall. And still carried a calm and pure smile.
"It hasn't been that long, fool."
"What do you mean 'fool'?" is Zote's usage of words is spreading?
A chuckle escaped her lips before she spoke.
"You now realize you're not an ordinary person. So, like we do, we will call each other by the names of tarot cards." And she sat on the chair beside my bed.
"We?" I asked.
"Yes, we. It's better to use titles instead of names. Encryption will be necessary before it becomes noticeable. You are The Fool. And I am The High Priestess. And there are others."
Interesting.
"And I suppose I'll meet them sooner or later."
She nodded in confirmation. And honestly, now that I know this, Gresta feels like a completely different person.
"I came to warn you." I felt a change in her demeanor. Still smiling, but more serious, worried. Not directly about me, so I assume it's about the future.
"Warn me of what?" I asked, focusing my gaze on her more than before.
I noticed then her eyes on my blanket.
No. She wasn't looking at the blanket. She was deep in thought, disconnected from reality.
And after a few seconds, she looked at me and spoke. Her widened eyes made her smile seem unsettling. And she said:
"The Hanged Man, don't you dare search for him. The Empress, don't trust everything she says. The Tower, don't mention him. The Magician, don't question his thoughts. And The World, he is the one you should follow."
And from within her clothes, she pulled a card—none other than:
0
The Fool.
And she placed it on the table beside my bed.
She stood and began to leave, silently.
I expected her to say something before going, but she left in silence. Like the silence before the day of judgment.
And she left me in confusion and wonder.
The Fool card she left definitely holds importance and benefit.
As for her last words, they're either a warning or unclear advice. As if she's giving me a choice between following her words or heading down another path that may be more dangerous.
And if my incomplete web of thoughts is correct, I'd guess with what I have that "The World" is none other than the Ice War General Yaraso Vitalis.
Then Ankevorina entered and asked after closing the door,
"Is... everything alright?"
She must've noticed Gresta's strange expression.
"Yes. She just came to check on me for some reason."
Ank didn't sit in the chair but stood to its right.
"I never expected a visit from Gresta at all."
"No one ever did."
Ank noticed the card on the table and asked before touching it,
"Did she leave thi—"
Before she finished her sentence, she pulled her hand away from the card quickly.
Did it shock her?
The distance between her finger and the card was extremely small.
"What is this," she said, looking at her hand, keeping her calm expression, but breathing heavily.
Is this card... connected to me?
"There's a lot I wonder about." But there are no clear answers.
This card is the same one I received at Gresta's house.
I wonder if it still carries the side of the clown or not.
"And I won't ask for answers." I didn't expect a reply like that.
"As you wish. And away from these matters, may I know where Esteliora is? And where's Killer?"
She looked at me after lowering her hand.
"Killer was taken by Yaraso as one of his students after he offered all of us to become his trainees. As for Esteliora, she went into the forests, and we couldn't find her."
What could Ella be doing at a time like this?
Does she want to become stronger?
I only hope she doesn't go to the Crystal Forests. I don't want to lose her.
And in that moment while Ethan Lumiere was thinking, worried for his companion, there was a man around whom oxygen froze in his presence, floating before the palace.
"Be ready, Fool."