In my entire life, I had only seen my mother angry: once. I was still quite little, slowly but at the same time quickly growing up; I could already move around the house with steady equilibrium and a mischievous resolve, suited to the one of a young lady.

I sneakily jumped across the house in a gorgeous pure-white dress, the young me standing on tip-toe to avoid making any noise as I searched the area. My mother was nowhere to be found. Surely, another one of her jokes, but I felt smarter that day. I was ready to enter the place no child, or anyone else for that matter, would ever dare to trespass: their own mother's secret room.

Inside her bedroom, there was a room I never visited, with its door always locked. But this time, it was slightly ajar; practically inviting me in, my eyes widened at the opportunity. And so, with my curiosity at its peak, I crept forward, going right at it, fully pushing it open...

It looked like a small closet, with just some clothes and a large, fancy-looking wooden box on the floor.

"Oh! Could this be the 'Pahora's box' I heard the priest talk about?!"

I gulped at the sight. "The mysteries of my mother will finally be uncovered!" or so I thought. As soon as I reached for it, I was yanked backward, grabbed by the collar of my dress, tightening around my neck as I was lifted off my feet by an evil and immense force. It was my mother.

I screamed, trying to wriggle free, but my feet kicked helplessly in the air. My mother held me up like I weighed nothing, her eyes blazing with cold anger. I had never seen her like that.

"This is it," I thought to myself. "This is my undoing. This is where I die."

"What do you think you're doing?" she scolded with a tone as cold as her glare.

She didn't even yell at me, she just asked a simple question. Yet, that simple question and that glare were enough to make me burst into tears like a fountain, ashamed I had upset her.

She held me close to her chest, patting my back to calm me down while I sobbed into her dress. She carried me in her arms while I slowly regained my composure, watching her prepare something in the kitchen with one hand while she kept me close to her with the other; there was a sweet smell in the air.

"I'm sorry I made you angry," I mumbled, hiding my face against her chest.

"What were you trying to do? There are dangerous magical items in there, that's why you must stay away from that room..." she said as she stroked my hair.

"I wanted to glimpse at your Pahora's box... I couldn't at the end..."

"You mustn't open such a box, sweetie."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, it's fine. Don't cry, sweetie. Everything is fine now, look at me," she tried to reassure me, lifting my chin to meet her gaze.

Her gaze was softer now, more concerned than angry. Yet, I still couldn't bring myself to look at her.

"What's wrong? Why are you avoiding me, sweetie?" she asked, sounding sad.

"I'm scared..."

"Hmm? Why are you scared?"

"I'm... a little angry at you... for having kept that box secret all this time. And you're angry at me, too..."

"I'm not angry anymore, sweetie. You have no reason to be scared."

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"But when two people are angry... don't they end up killing each other?"

She burst out laughing at my words. "No... No, sweetie, that would be a disaster. Sure, in some cases, things could escalate. But it's fine if two people get angry. After they calm down, they can talk things over and deepen their bond. Now we're fine, and even better than before. Don't you think?"

I met her gaze, she seemed indeed happier than before, and with a smile on her face.

"Really?"

"But of course," she said, placing me on the kitchen table and handing me a cup of hot chocolate she'd just made.

I stared at the steaming hot chocolate as it warmed my hands, then I redirected my attention to her. "Has that happened to you? To be angry with someone only to deepen your bond?"

She sipped some hot chocolate. Her tolerance for pain must've been otherworldly to withstand such heat; the chocolate had just been prepared... "Yes, it happened a lot, actually. I had a very dear friend with whom I would often get into arguments. Though, most of the time, I just teased her into them," she chuckled. "She was very jealous. She would give me the cold shoulder whenever I dared mention other girls."

"Where is this friend now? Do I know her? Is she one of the theater?"

"No... You don't know her, but even if it doesn't seem like it, she's with me every day, following me whenever I go." My mother's expression was hard to decipher; it looked both happy and sad. "How's the chocolate?" she then asked me, changing the subject.

I slowly brought the cup to my lips; it was still steaming, but I could endure that much heat. "It's good!"

...

"You seem lost in thought, Snowflake," Crimson softly whispered in my ear. She was turned toward me, staring at my face while tracing lazy circles with her fingertip on my shoulder.

I was, indeed, lost in thought, staring at the ceiling. All things considered, we had a pleasant night. Though, she did win the fight, in the end. I let her win.

"Not particularly," I replied.

"So, did you enjoy it?" she asked.

"What did I enjoy?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

I rolled my eyes, looking away. "Shut up... I'm still waking up."

She giggled, surely finding my discomfort amusing. "I shall take that as a yes. Though, I have a feeling you held back..."

"I told you, I have a heart made of stone. You don't believe me..."

"Not even you believe that."

I stood silent, closing my eyes to rest some more. But Crimson was clearly determined to annoy me; she rolled over me, leaving me no choice but to open my eyes and meet her gaze as she grazed my cheek.

"What's wrong? Tell me," she said, sounding more like an order than a caring request.

I couldn't tell her the truth. I didn't want to. But, at the same time, I had to say something. Perhaps, following my mother's example would've done me good. "Sorry... for the slap I gave you."

"Hmm? Don't worry about it. I'm not sorry for the bite I gave you," she remarked with a wide smile.

"Not surprised... Can you get off me now?"

"So cold..." she mocked me. "Wouldn't you like to share a bath?" she then proposed with a sly smile

"No... I will clean myself at the guild."

"Hmm, you're adamant about not showing your skin, aren't you? As you wish..."

Thankfully, Crimson gave up, getting up from the bed, rummaging for clothes to wear in a big wardrobe. She tossed clothes on the bed one after another, dismissing each of them; the clothes slowly falling from the bed with a soft rustle.

"These clothes are all abysmal..." she commented with disgust.

"You picked them..."

"No, I didn't. This place is not mine, the same goes for everything in it."

"Huh? Then whose place is this?"

"Just someone who owes me favors in exchange for sparing their life," she replied with a subtle, wicked grin on her lips. "Well... these will do," she then added, picking a simple outfit and heading toward the bathroom.

I hadn't really paid attention to it before, but while I watched her from behind, choosing her clothes, I realized that Crimson... has a really nice body; a smooth, soft and lustrous complexion with gentle and tender curves outlining her silhouette...

"... What am I thinking?" I shook my head, slapping my cheek a few times to wake myself up, snapping out of it. "Focus, Argenta... Focus. I need to go back to the guild, do what my demon wants. And, even if I hate it... I need a weapon. I can't keep going on without one just because I feel sad about losing my mother's..."

I sighed and got up from the bed, looking for something to help reduce the redness and swelling from the injury Crimson left on my lip. I also grabbed some random snacks I found in the house for breakfast while I waited for her to finish her bath.

Crimson took her sweet time, but ultimately she summoned her fire beast and we headed back to our guild.

By the time we reached Zafferbridge, the sun had long set, and a cool breeze swept over us as we rode.

"Do you want to do something?" Crimson asked as we approached the city.

"Hmm... I think the others are still at Elizabeth's birthday dinner. Was it at the Feasty Slime or something? Want to join them?" I suggested.

"Huh? You want to go there...?" she replied with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

"There's free food."

She sighed. "Fine... let's go. I could use a free drink or two, I suppose."