"What did I do to deserve this from you, Tom?!" Luna screamed hysterically upon seeing her younger sister stabbed by the knife Tom had thrown at her. Rhea collapsed onto the red carpet, her blood blending with the color of the fabric.
"Move! I need to pull Rhea out of there right now! Elric! Help me get Rhea!"
Mia and Thalia had already broken down into tears. Behind Luna, Kael was comforting the two younger girls while the others tried to rescue Rhea, who was still trapped on the carpet about ten meters from where Luna's standing.
They were all in a critical situation, Rhea's life was in danger, and they should have let Luna go—she wasn't going to attack anyone.
"I said MOVE! I want to get my sister!" Her cries were ignored by everyone there. Including Finn, who was smiling beside Tom and John that night. Bastards! They were enjoying Luna's suffering, seeing her desperate to save Rhea.
Tears streamed down Luna's cheeks as Rhea's back no longer moved. She was trying to tell if her sister was still alive from that lone image. The only thing she could see that gave her a sliver of hope.
She had once lost Alea, her eight-year-old sister. And two years later, she lost Rhea too. She had done everything to protect that girl, even risking her own life to keep Rhea alive. In any world, she could never see Alea again. That's why Rhea had become her equal replacement.
Luna's sobs broke when she saw Rhea had stopped moving. She stopped struggling and stood weakly, eyes fixed on Rhea lying on the carpet.
No words could describe the shattering of Luna's heart. She saw, once again, the people she loved most lying helpless—first Alea, now Rhea. And once again, the perpetrators were two people she should've killed from the very beginning.
Elric gently stroked her arm, comforting the girl to show that they were on the same side. They all lost Rhea. They felt the same pain Luna did now.
She didn't understand why King Finn, Tom, and their uncle John did this. Rhea had never done anything to upset them.
Luna hadn't done anything either. If they had done this just to torment Luna, then they had gone too far. They'd made her furious, endlessly questioning their motives.
"As an assassin, I never knew your weakness was your little sister." In front of everyone, Tom exposed the only secret Luna had always tried to hide. "You killed many people, and your sister's death is justice, Luna. Consider it the revenge of those left behind. Their fathers, their children, everyone you killed."
"I never wanted to continue that filthy job, Tom. Why are you doing this?!" Luna couldn't accept Tom saying those things, and now everyone knew what she had done.
They would think what she did was disgraceful. Or worse, that Luna herself was the problem.
"Do you think life at the camp could support you and your sisters? I doubt you can do anything else besides killing people."
In front of everyone, Tom threw a burning insult. He humiliated her, even though he was no different.
Luna and Tom—there was no real difference.
Rather than sadness, Luna felt more anger toward Tom. That man enjoyed seeing her suffer. All this time, Luna had held back because she didn't want to hurt her three little sisters.
Now, Mia and Thalia were strong enough to care for themselves with their new friends at the camp. But Rhea—Rhea had just been killed by Tom. Luna no longer had any burdens. She was free to act however she wanted now.
Luna swore that here, in this throne room, Tom would regret every word he just said.
****
Rhea had said she wanted to play with the new horses they got from the bandits.
Luna still remembered hearing Rhea's last wish just before drinking the milk brought from the kitchen.
Luna sat by the edge of Rhea's new resting place. Her sister now lives in a beautiful house recently purchased by Rich.
Even though they were heading back home soon, Rich had taken care of everything, including buying one of the finest burial plots with an ocean view.
It was the most beautiful cemetery in Mierre-Park. Luna could never have afforded it, and would've buried her sister in an ordinary place.
But Rich had done it. He gave it all so easily.
Even though everyone else had returned to Rich's house, Luna remained. She stayed with Rhea until dusk.
She didn't know if Rhea would be scared being left alone. But Luna wanted her to know she once felt this kind of loss, too, two years ago.
Losing the people she loved most wasn't new. Luna felt all too familiar with that feeling.
Luna stood as the sky grew darker. She had to go now since they needed to prepare for the return to the camp tomorrow morning.
Coincidentally, they were still in Mierre-Park. Luna might go to the market to prepare for the journey and survive life back at the camp.
She walked through alleys wide enough for three medium-sized carriages. Her steps were slow and heavy. She let herself absorb the darkness of the growing night.
This city was indeed beautiful, Luna admitted. Many historical remnants were born here. You could say Mierre-Park was the first imperial city before the capital moved to Narima Beach.
Everything would have felt pleasant—if only Luna weren't thinking of the three people she wished to avoid most: Finn, John, and especially Tom.
"I understand your disappointment, Luna." The girl turned and saw Elric walking beside her silently. She didn't know when he had started walking next to her. "Same goes for Mia and Thalia. Besides being upset about the man who killed Rhea, they're also angry that you kept everything from them."
Luna let out a heavy sigh. She never actually wanted to hide anything. Her sisters were still her family, and siblings shouldn't keep secrets.
But everyone knew what an assassin's job entailed. It wasn't far off from being an intelligence agent, always needing to stay silent about their missions.
"I had no choice. Mama and Papa died suddenly, and I couldn't run the plantation on my own." Luna spoke softly, still walking without looking at Elric.
"I get your point. You probably didn't feel comfortable letting your sisters know how you earned money. I'm sure in a few days, they'll understand." That was Luna's hope, too. She wanted her sisters to understand why she had worked as an assassin.
Still, her anger hadn't been resolved. She wanted revenge against her so-called friends. If Luna died, she might just return to her real world.
She could continue her life while remembering everyone she met at the camp.
Everything felt easier. Luna believed they could make those three men understand the weight of their actions.
"When is the event in Mierre-Park going to happen? I feel like this city is always celebrating something." Luna asked Elric, who was still matching her pace.
"I think it's in a few days. It'll be crowded because they're holding a harvest festival here. I heard their food storage is full, so they're hosting a street festival." Luna found her momentum. If there were a festival, then Finn and Tom would be outside enjoying the party with the people of Mierre-Park. "What is it?"
"Nothing, I just think Mierre-Park throws too many festivals every year," Luna replied, hiding her plan to assassinate Finn or Tom during the celebration.