Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

41. Leon and Shirayuki

"My mother, the original Shirayuki, has passed the moment I came to life. It was because she had to give way to the new White Tigress, who is now latent within me. Because Leon would never be able to absorb her strength, he made the decision to mate with her. I was not born out of love, but rather out of avarice..." Yuki told me this as she smiled a gloomy look at me.

Yuki pushed herself out of bed and reached for the necklace that had been placed on her bedside table. She touched it tenderly, but all I could see was the miserable look on her face. I didn't know what to do because...it's tough for me to deal with situations like these. I've experienced the loss of family members in the past, and I understand how it feels. I don't believe I'll be able to tell her any sugarcoated words. It's not like I should tell her that it's okay when it's obviously not.

I fidgeted and stared down at my feet, trying to be as cautious as I possibly could. Yuki probably has a lot to say, so I waited for her to say anything. But she seemed to be doing all she could to keep her tears at bay, which made me feel bad. When Yuki awoke, she insisted on telling me the whole incident, even though she was exhausted. The twins left us alone here because they thought we needed some solitude, but the last thing I want right now is to be left here alone and unable to provide comfort for Yuki.

She chuckled because of my constipated expression."All I ask is that you pay attention to what I say. You don't have to say anything or console me, do you? Just to be clear, I am merely telling you a story."

I smiled and nodded. "Oh, okay. I see..." I murmured as I stared at her, waiting for what she had to say.

"Even before I learned to distinguish between good and evil, I could sense my father's immense desire for the power of the White Tigress. But since he is my father, I did all I could to keep such feelings at bay. I maintained the pretense that I was unaware of his intentions. I never felt the affection of a father from him. Instead, I felt smothered by his so-called adoration. And it seemed like he was attempting to place a collar around my neck..."

I blinked twice in quick succession. "I'm sorry. I-"

Yuki smiled at me to stop me from apologizing. "Please don't feel sorry for me or pity me. I may not have had a happy upbringing, but I was surrounded by as much affection as I deserved. Although I was aware that it was just because I was Artemia's deity...I felt joyful and satisfied. I couldn't help but feel happy and content!"

Yuki seemed to be truly pleased about it, so I refrained from commenting on anything she said. It seemed as if she had no complaints or anything that she never felt her father's affection. Thank goodness she had all of these people in her life who made her feel like she belonged to a family. Perhaps I should express my gratitude to the twins. As far as I'm aware, Yuki grew up with them and Fuyumi. I wonder how deep her relationship with Fuyumi is...

Given the way Yuki is right now, it doesn't seem like Leon being a horrible parent is a huge concern to her at all. But as someone who grew up without my biological parents, I understand how depressing it may be at times. Even though they may have shown me affection, I have little recollection of my interactions with them. I have no complaints since Freya's parents treated me as if I were a real part of the family. Still, there have been times when I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if my parents were alive. And Yuki, on the other hand, grew up without her mother, and her father didn't really treat her like she was his own. It must have been painful...

"My knowledge of the past began to expand as I took command of the new White Tigress, whom I called Shirayuki, and was able to discover everything that had occurred before. My...mother's memories have somehow been passed down to the current White Tigress. In particular, she shared knowledge about my father with me that I did not already know. Leon, as it seems, was meant to be crowned as Artemia's deity. Shirayuki, on the other hand, came into being. She surpassed Leon because she was known as a genius, the one who excelled at everything. It was this that sparked the rivalry between the two of them."

My mouth went agape upon hearing the story. Although it didn't seem like Yuki was finished telling me the whole story, I had already started thinking about the next probable eventualities. If Leon has lived all these decades, does this imply that he is immortal? It's probably because he was anointed as one of the three kings, which is something I really want to know. But that means it would be difficult to have them slain if that's the case.

"And then...?" I asked as I stared into her face.

"What an impatient lad," Yuki said, chuckling as she approached me. She tapped my forehead, casting a spell to help me clear the mist on my head.

"Sorry..." I muttered, embarrassed because of the way I acted.

She shook her head as she continued to tell me the story. "As you may have guessed, Shirayuki was selected to be Artemia's deity for a variety of reasons. Leon was adamant about not accepting his loss. Using deception, he persuaded everyone that if Shirayuki must ascend into the skies, there must be someone who would stay on the land to administer it. Not only that, but he also succeeded in convincing them that Shirayuki is unable to see everything, which was the ideal job for him. Don't you think that it was silly?"

I nodded my head because I wanted to be entirely honest with Yuki. "Yes, I think so. But it was his ambition and avarice that ultimately got the better of him, so I'm not really sure if it is indeed silly..."

"Leon let his selfishness get the better of him, causing everyone a great deal of suffering. It was his pettiness that has resulted in this conflict."

"Yes, yes. I am not trying to argue. You are completely right."

"Anyway, Leon resorted to wooing Shirayuki in the hopes that she would let her defenses down. Obviously, she did...which is one of the reasons I'm alive. On the day of my coronation, an ancient absorption enchantment was performed upon me, which I was unable to resist. I was on the verge of being slain, but Shirayuki attempted to rescue my life at the expense of her own. When Leon had locked my power, he promptly escaped to my mother's previous residence."

She must have resented them since she isn't addressing them with honorifics or referring to them as her parents. In fact, she seemed to be irritated whenever she attempted to refer to them in that way. I mean, if I had been in her shoes, I would have felt exactly the same way. Yuki's feelings are valid, and I am pretty sure that she is aware of this. Because of that, I didn't bother trying to console her about it. Besides, it's not like Yuki needs any lecture about it. As someone who grew up with a family, I am in no position to do such things.

She seemed to have finished telling me the whole story, so she sat down on the bed once again. She tapped the empty spot next to her as if she were urging me to sit there. Instead of sitting, I also decided to lay on the bed to face her. She gave me a sideways glance but didn't turn to me. I couldn't think of anything to ask or say, so I simply looked at her. I was worried that she would feel uncomfortable because that's how I feel whenever someone stares at me, but it didn't really seem to bother her.

I suppose this is what it's like to have a twin, or maybe it isn't, depending on who your sibling is. Perhaps I was just taken aback by the fact that I was looking at my carbon copy, which is why I'm behaving in this way. But it makes me very pleased to be able to treat someone like a sister. Even though it would be very chaotic, Freya and I have always desired to have a large family. Because it was just the two of us playing Uno and Scrabble all the time, we thought it would be amazing if it wasn't just us. Yuki seemed baffled when I let out a snort. She was probably curious why, but she refrained from asking any questions.

"You feel like family to me. So I'm happy to have another sister," I told her.

"You have a sister? That must be pleasant!"

"We're not actually sisters by blood. Her family adopted me when I was a kid, so we practically grew up with each other."

"That has to have been entertaining. I'd always wanted a sister, so I'm grateful that Fuyumi came into my life. It's a shame she had to say goodbye so soon, but she expressed her desire to see me happy all of the time."

I nodded. "It really was..."

We exchanged stories about our childhoods, with the exception of the less pleasant ones. The two of us kept laughing about it like there was no looming danger out there. We were given the opportunity to act as if we were simply regular maidens rather than battle-hardened warriors. Observing Yuki's sincere laughter, it looks that she has been looking forward to this moment for quite some time. I'm glad that I was able to help her feel that way, even if it was just for a short period of time.

I'm quite grateful that I was given the opportunity to engage with her and get a sense of who she truly is. To be really honest, I'm embarrassed that I became irritated because people were mistaking me for her. But for the time being, I'm grateful to them for saying that they see such a wonderful person in me. Yuki is as pristine as snow, yet she isn't as cold as it. In fact, her presence felt warm and comforting. Despite the difficulties she had experienced as a child, she remained mature. I have a lot of respect for her for doing that...

"Care to tell me what's on your mind?" she asked as she looked me in the eye.

"I'm thinking about how admirable you are," I replied as I played with her hair.

"I am?"

Before getting up, I gave her a nod. I think it would take a long time if we stayed here to talk about how beautiful she is on the inside and the outside. And since we're in the midst of a war, we can't afford to remain in this place for an extended period of time. Aside from that, I have the impression that I have something important to accomplish. Oh, that's right. I went back in time to find out what happened to Artemia in the past! But I'm concerned that I'll make a mess of the chronology...

I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts before turning to Yuki. "Is there anything you'd want to eat? Drink? You haven't eaten anything since you woke up. You must be famished at this point."

"To be really honest, I'm famished. But how long have I been dozing off for?"

"Correction, resting," I told her as I squinted my eyes at her. "But you have been asleep for at least two days."

"Two days?!"

I held my chest, surprised that she shouted. "Yes, why?" I asked as I held her shoulders in place to stop her from suddenly getting up. She might get dizzy, and I don't want her to suffer more.

"Did anything awful happen while I was sleeping? she asked, panicking.

I shook my head as I patted her head. "No. I told you not to worry about it, right?"

She sighed and began to calm down. But she seems to have noticed my wounds because the bandage dangled from my jacket. She got worried once again, but I offered her a cup of tea to help her relax. She gulped it down fast before questioning about my current state again. I really wanted to tease her in the same way that Blake teases me, but I don't think it's the right moment to joke about such things right now.

"Please tell me!" she pleaded, her voice nearly breaking into tears.

"First and foremost, I did it on my own accord, and I would hate it if you held it against yourself. Secondly, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent Shoyo from launching that attack against me..." I told her to make sure that she wouldn't feel like it was her fault before informing her about my actual condition. "Now, my wounds are still not totally healed. My legs are still not completely fine, which is why I've been walking around the camp. As long as I continue to use them, Kai assured me that they will gradually return to their natural state."

"I understand. I'm relieved that both of us made it out alive. Also, I'd want to express my gratitude to you," Yuki said as she smiled like a child.

"No problem."

"Ivory..." she called.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response as I continued to whip a decent lunch for the both of us.

"Even though you may be doing this to ensure that this body will be in good condition when you utilize it, I am grateful for all you've done for me."

I let out a sigh. "Please do not think about it in that way. Don't get me wrong, I saved you because I wanted to. You and your values have already become important to me, especially after hearing your story. And I want you to fully trust me with it."