TRUE ABILITY Chapter 63

Luna's Monologue

In the depths of her slumber, Luna Flame suddenly felt a brightness and opened her sleepy eyes.

A thin curtain covering the window let a small amount of sunlight seep through, brightly illuminating the room she was in. Recognizing the arrival of morning, she slowly rose from her bed, opened the curtain, and cast her gaze down into the garden spread out below.

"..."

A cloudless blue sky and the somewhat bothersome sunlight. After gazing at the vast, beautiful garden below without any particular emotion, her violet eyes moved slightly as if searching for something.

And then—

"..."

Without a sound, Luna gently smiled. Ahead of her gaze was the sight of the goddess Athena walking happily across the verdant lawn.

"La, la~♪"

For a while, she silently listened to the song that the wind carried ever so slightly.

Delicate, and beautiful. Those were the words that summed it up. The ornate mansion and the unnecessarily large garden were insignificant realities to Luna. However, just having the goddess Athena there made her feel as if she were looking at a beautiful painting.

It was not just the fact that she was a goddess, but rather because it was her, because it was Athena. Luna was acutely aware that she held an almost irreverent affection for the goddess. This was why, as soon as she awoke each morning, she would look out to see the goddess. Since the day she first saw Athena walking in the garden at the same time, it had become her favourite daily ritual.

Someone she wouldn't tire of looking at was precious to Luna. There was no arrogance in it. It was a matter of how she lived.

Living as the daughter of a duke, Luna knew all too well that people had dual natures. Behind the smiles directed at her often lurked vile intentions.

She understood that, though it was sometimes unpleasant, it wasn't wrong. Even a young girl understood the significant status of a duke in a noble society.

But understanding it didn't make it any less bothersome. Luna neither clung to nor took pride in the fortune of being born a duke's daughter. Thus, her way of living became inevitable for Luna Flame.

—Just keep everyone away.

She had no desire to spread insincere smiles. If she could, she wished to be alone.

That was why Luna felt strange about the recent changes in her surroundings.

—"I am Maro Byrn, the second son of the Count Byrn family. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She clearly remembered the boy's face as he said that with a somewhat strained smile.

"..."

A smile unintentionally crept onto her face. How many times had she recalled that moment? The encounter was unforgettable for Luna.

It was a moment where she had resolved to take her own life. It was a moment where she somehow foresaw the end of the path she had chosen to live by. And it was a moment where she came to realize her powerlessness in the face of an imminent crisis. In an attempt to erase all of that, the boy had saved her life.

With a single blink, it was all over.

Though she detested people, Luna had no intention of being ungrateful. Out of the desire to repay her benefactor, she clearly stated her name. It was no secret that the Flame family was a ducal house.

For the boy, it should have been the perfect opportunity to ingratiate himself with the ducal house through his greatest achievement. It should have been.

But the boy seemed annoyed as if that didn't matter at all.

The thought that flew into Luna's mind was just one:

—Interesting.

She found herself asking his name as the boy, who hadn't even introduced himself, turned his back to leave.

Looking back, it might have been the first time Luna felt fortunate for her ducal status. She gathered all the information she could about "Maro Byrn." She even used the weaknesses of the aristocrats she despised as leverage to gain that information.

Yes, by then Luna had already decided who would be her knight.

However, even the name she had researched turned out to be false. What kind of knight gives a false name to the ducal lady whose life he saved? When she learned this, Luna didn't feel anger or sadness.

She was delighted.

Simply put, Luna Flame, the girl, took a liking to Yuno Astario.

It seemed to Luna that the boy named Yuno had no interest in the status or honor given to him. That's precisely why she desired him all the more.

She wanted Yuno Astario as her knight.

Her feelings bore fruit, and Yuno Astario became Luna Flame's knight. That undeniable fact and realization filled Luna's heart with a pleasant satisfaction.

Yes, it was pleasant. But it was also strange.

Despite willingly distancing herself from others, she now wanted someone to be by her side. She had even set aside her dagger, a symbol of her resolve. Luna herself was bewildered by her emotions and actions.

But perhaps it was inevitable, Luna thought. His voice, face, even his slightly clueless actions, everything about him was pleasant.

Luna was aware that she liked Yuno. Therefore, her inexplicable feelings were explained.

For how unusual and rare it was, she took a liking to someone.

Her knight, who defeated Claude, the undefeated butler of the Flame family, intervened in the affairs of the gods, and became the champion of the historical tournament, securing a place in the student council.

There was no way she wouldn't like him.

—However, even if he hadn't achieved all that.

"..."

Luna halted her thoughts and sighed softly. For now, it wasn't the time to ponder her feelings for Yuno, she reminded herself.

But even so, she found herself thinking about Yuno again.

Indeed, he had been discovered. That was Luna's honest impression. Until now, she had a firm belief that she was the one who valued Yuno Astario the most. Well, to be precise, a girl with black hair similar to Yuno also highly valued him...

But his sister doesn’t count!

Pushing the image of the woman who came to mind to the corner of her mind, Luna dove back into her thoughts.

—Indeed, there were others who had an eye for talent.

Lloyd Marz.

The second son of the Marz Count family and the vice-president of the Ferris Magic Knight Academy's student council. In addition, he was the leader of the dark side. A person with impressive titles. He was undoubtedly an extraordinary individual. He seemed to have noticed Yuno Astario early on. Luna had suspected as much.

Luna had no intention of restricting Yuno's actions. She had no intention of imposing the kind of restrictions she despised the most.

However—

There should be priorities. She certainly felt that way.

Luna herself hadn't realized it, but there was a cute, slightly pouting emotion hidden in there. Naturally, Luna vaguely knew that she wasn't Yuno Astario's top priority. But she thought she came next.

"..."

But perhaps that didn't matter at all. For Luna, the most important thing was that Yuno Astario was her knight.

For now, she needed nothing else.

Just having him by her side was enough. Having Yuno Astario, whom she took a liking to, by her side.

"It's about time."

She murmured to herself, changed into the white uniform of Ferris Girls' Academy, and sat on the bed, waiting for the right moment.

This brief time was one of Luna's favourites.

A moment later, a dry knock echoed through the room.

"..."

Trying to restrain herself, Luna forced herself to keep a neutral expression, despite the smile that had crept onto her face.

For some reason, it felt irritating. Smiling would make it look like she was happy about a certain someone's visit. She didn't quite like that part of herself.

It was just that.