“That was…certainly something.”

It had been quite the tiring day for the Second Princess of Albion, Cecilia Lenore. Not only did she almost witness her mother dying at the hands of her father's killer, she also witnessed quite the historical event that was the arresting of those corrupt nobles that conspired against her family.

The day had also seemed to be passing into the evening, as she could see the orange sky and the setting sun upon the horizon from her bedroom, specifically her personal balcony. Quite the beautiful sight, especially with the relief that all of this political conspiracies were over…for now at least.

Just like her and Marilyn’s dorm, the room was well decorated. It was much more luxurious to be more frank, and much larger. A large bed, personal paintings, multiple desks for multiple things, a personal wardrobe room, even a personal bathroom. A five star hotel couldn't even compare to the expensiveness and quality that was the Royal Palace.

The young lady had turned around and walked out of the balcony, having decided that the time was ripe for the taking. Afterall, she had to go back to the Royal Academy, she had lectures to attend to, homework to write, friends to help and bond with.

She thought of how her father might think of her now, of how her entire family actually thought of her. It was practically tradition for the royal family to attend the Royal Academy, only occasionally did they ever attend any other school once they're of age, and even then there would at least be one person in every generation in the family that went to that school even if the rest didn't.

But this was the first time, at least in a very long while, that a member of the royal family would dedicate their life to becoming a Pathfinder. A dirty job full of adventure and danger. And considering her talents, it was expected that she would start her journey one year from now, in her third year in the Royal Academy.

Her friends were also the same, they held that same criteria for an early admission to professional life. They would still be considered as students until they officially graduated, but for all intents and purposes their careers were set for the near future.

She smiled, not only did she get to experience a much more free life than her current one, but she also got to live that with—

“I just hope that in our next life, we will be together again…”

She heard an echoing voice, a feminine one, and elderly one, but she did not sense it coming from anywhere in particular. It came from within her. It was foreign, yet so…

“That felt familiar…who in the…” Remarked Cecilia.

She looked at her sword, leaned against her chair, and for a moment saw not that but a more humble school backpack, with books in a foreign language stacked on top. She then looked at the mirror, and saw a glimpse of violet. Not violet as in the flower, but a hint of one upon herself.

She shook it off, must have been from exhaustion. She might just be seeing things. Nothing more.

“I’ll just prepare to leave. Don't wanna be late for the flight.”

And so she did, grabbing whatever essentials there were that she wouldn't dare to forget about, her sword in its scabbard, reattached to her right hip. She wouldn't want to bother her servants, they've done enough for her, she was trying to be independent now.

And as she exited the door to her room, fully expecting Sebastian, she saw someone else that she knew of. Silver hair like herself, yet golden eyes, leaning against the wall. The person could be mistaken for her mother, yet she looked to be younger, with a hint of gentleness that her mother did not have in her appearance.

“Tegan? What are you doing here?”

The First Princess of Albion looked at her, smiling. “Is it not allowed for your sibling to greet you?”

“Well, if you have a reason to, I guess it's fine.” Cecilia responded, “Where's Cassian?”

“Busy with the arrest, he’s been commanding those knights left and right, but he seemed happier than before.”

“Happier?”

Cecilia was a bit confused, but she wasn't exactly surprised. She fully expected that everyone in the family would be at least relieved from the whole crisis being over, however—

“Yeah, he said something about wanting a life of a journeyman being realised. Pretty odd of him.”

“Hmm…”

Cecilia tried to think about the implications of that, and it wasn't hard to find the answer. Her brother had always been active, and knowing his little sister was trying to become a Pathfinder could inspire him to do something similar.

“Well, I guess that's good, whatever he’s trying to do.” She replied, “Though…”

“What is it?”

“Tegan, am I doing well?”

A sudden question, but one that Cecilia had been wanting to know recently. She wanted to know, she wanted affirmation of her actions, of her path in life. Ironically, this was something that Cecilia would’ve warned Marilyn against, to not rely on the word of others in order to move forward, to instead be self-decisive.

But now, she wanted to see for herself if her path was right.

Tegan stood straight up from her posture, and approached Cecilia, bringing her arms down to her shoulders. They're roughly the same height, but that was most likely due to Cecilia's heels.

“You're doing well, you’ve done well. You're quite the pride of the family, you know?” Tegan said, “Not sure why you would want that sort of affirmation, but it seems like you needed it.”

“...I see.” Cecilia nodded, gazing downwards with a smile of gratitude, a bit teary-eyed. “Thank you, dear sister.”

To say that she felt the gladness of appreciation in her heart at that moment would be an understatement. She was the kind of girl to want that sort of affirmation, to know if she had done well, if she was on the right path.

She had only ever received it professionally, from teachers saying 'good job' towards her, or her friends being in awe at her talents. But never did she get them a lot from her family, especially recently.

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It was something she never quite grew past of, in spite of her independence.

Tegan smiled in response to Cecilia's words, but now she was feeling a moment of anticipation. “Cecilia, can I ask you something?”

She looked up, “What are you asking?”

“Well…considering that we have free time, why don't we depart to the airport together, hm? We can have our farewell there, I think Sebastian would be quite okay with it, don't you think so?”

Cecilia's eyes lit up with a renewed vigour at that notion being presented to her. And with excitement in her voice, she responded, “Yes, I would love that!”

————————

“What am I supposed to do…?”

An odd question towards her life, for she should’ve already figured it out by now. It should especially be the case because of the combined mental age of her previous life. She was practically late into her adulthood with that information in mind. But now she was struggling like a teenager, unrepresentative of her supposed mentality.

Her dreams and wishes were clear and solid. She wanted to reach for her happiness, to be strong, worthy, capable of being relied upon. A selfless wish out of selfishness, two contradictory terms yet somehow it made sense still.

But for what reason was her life? For what reason was she blessed with these gifts, of comprehension and immortality? For what reason was she chosen?

It almost seemed like a cruel joke, that she was trying to seek answers, but was just left with more questions than she could handle right now. Yet, she couldn't be upset at the world, nor The White Rabbit. Especially her, for she saw that fallen tear from her eye, she noticed the shaking grip of frustration that she had.

She wondered why such a thing happened, why would she be sad or frustrated. But, she couldn't find an answer to that.

So, all that she was doing was being angry at herself, for not figuring these problems out on her own.

“Cecilia had told me to not be overly reliant on people to find a reason why I do things, but…”

She couldn't really understand anything right now, as observant as she was. She felt like an idiot, sitting by the park bench in the city, all alone with a broken staff she didn't manage to fix here.

It had been sometime since her visit to Wonderland, around half an hour or so, and the sun was setting. The Royal Palace was visible from here too. She wanted to wonder about whatever Cecilia was doing there, but she couldn't. She was too busy with herself and her own issues.

She sighed, and would stand up, but a voice interrupted her.

“There you are~!”

Black hair, emerald eyes, and a more developed body than hers. It was her sister, Helena.

Her older sister immediately sat next to her, wrapping her arm around her, seemingly quite happy.

“So! How was your little escapade~?” Helena asked her.

“To the alleyway? Found a sad rabbit, but nothing more.” Quite the reference, but no one would get it except her.

Helena hummed, “Must've been a lost pet. Did you rescue it?”

Marilyn tried to think up a response, but only managed to say, “It…ran away.”

Helena bobbed her head, “Hmmmmm, you seem distressed, don't have a happy tone and all. You okay?”

“...Answer me first, what happened to the crowd and Eldryn?”

“Simple, they left. Your dwarven friend spoke to me about something related to you and all, but nothing special, it was just his ramblings.”

“What about Vincent?”

“Him? He went back to where he lives, presumably. That's pretty much it.” Helena sighed, “You okay though, sis?”

“...no. I’m not.” She said, “I feel lost, I don't know what to do, what to choose.”

“...” Helena did try to say something, but silence was her reply.

“It might be weird of me, but I have a feeling that somehow, my life isn't my own.” She said, “I don't fully know what my purpose is, why I am here, why I was chosen to be born in this world. Felt like I lost control, somehow. I have my dreams, but they're not exactly an endpoint, I know that. They're just motivation, to keep me going.”

“Marilyn…”

“I felt like I lost my own agency here, like somehow I’m just someone that was chosen, because for some reason I was special to them. This doesn't make any amount of sense, but that's what I feel right now, you know?”

Helena sat silently, as the two of them watched life go on in front of them. Children playing, the elderly catching up on life, they even saw a lady getting proposed to by her lover, happiness filling the hearts of those two people. It was a tranquil atmosphere, a time that one may yearn one day, or miss once it passes.

The girl of black hair and emerald eyes remembered such a time. A time that once was. She remembered that promise, entrusted unto her by her father, one that she intended to keep even if she were to be gone. It was from a time she yearned for to return, but she knew they wouldn't reach it, even if they somehow could it wouldn't be the same.

“There will be a time where you will only have each other, or perhaps there will be a time where she will be alone without you. It is not now, but I want you to promise me to be there for her when she needs it the most.”

He said.

She fully intended to fulfil that promise, however many times she could. If her sister called for her aid, whatever it may be, she would try to be there for her.

Hence—

“I’d say, Marilyn, you shouldn't worry too much about that.” She said, “Your life is yours, no one gets to choose what you do. They can guide you, but any goal you would have, any purpose you would attain, that's yours to make.”

“Huh?”

“It sounds obvious, doesn't it? That's because it is. That's really how people do things, sis. They do it because they want to, not because they're told to. Anyone that does the latter still has their own reasons to accept that offer, they have their own reasons to accept, forced to or not.”

Marilyn looked down, at her own hands, reminiscent. She then looked at Helena, who kept going.

“Your dream is to be worthy, to be capable of being relied upon. I’d say go for it, make that your goal, nothing's stopping you. You're not told to do anything. You're blessed, as dad said, but you're not forced to do anything. At most, in the future, try to return the favour by making things better, alright? For your sake, and everyone you know and care about.”

“It's that easy for you to say…”

“Well, maybe. I’m just speaking about what I know and all.”

Marilyn sighed, “Your goal is to become a knight, and you reached it. What now?”

“If you cannot be there for her in form, be there for her in spirit. If you cannot be there in spirit, at least leave a lasting impression on her about how you were, so that her life won't feel so lonely whenever she’s reminded of you.”

Helena smiled, winking. “Fulfilling my promise is my goal, being a knight is really just a dream of mine. I’m your sister first and foremost, and a good sister has to be there for her sibling, right?”

Marilyn looked on towards her, chuckling afterwards, “You're too simple sometimes, you know that?”

“Simple is good, easy to understand, easy to love. I intend to be that kind of person, nothing else.”

The warmth of the sun felt good on her skin now, a mental burden having been alleviated. It was also obvious to her the moment she listened to Helena's words of advice, being reminded of the same words Sophia said to her two years ago, of her life being her own to live. She wanted to laugh at how stupid she was, but she opted to do something else entirely.

“Thank you, for being that kind of person to me, Helena.”

She had decided to give her words of gratitude, towards the person she called her sister, Helena Althorn.

And in response, she laughed, “You’re welcome, Marilyn.”