In the corridor of the Knights of Favonius dormitory.
Barbara was standing at the door of the Honorary Knight's dormitory.
Acting Grand Master Jean had just told her that the guest was resting and not to disturb her unless necessary.
But Barbara decided to go and see her first, get acquainted, and also inform her that her sister had gone to rest, and that if she needed anything, she could come to her.
Thinking this, Barbara knocked on the door.
However, there was no response from inside the door.
"That's strange, I didn't go the wrong way, did I?" Barbara looked up, a little puzzled.
Although the Westwind Church was under the jurisdiction of the Knights of Favonius, Barbara had never been here before due to their different stations and workplaces.
However, the Honorary Knight's dormitory was easy to find, located at the very end of the corridor, and Barbara didn't think she could have gone the wrong way.
After waiting for a while, Barbara knocked on the door again.
"Hello, is anyone there?"
Still no response, Barbara couldn't help but grasp the doorknob and gently pushed.
The door opened easily.
Barbara tilted her head in confusion.
An Honorary Knight shouldn't leave the door unlocked when going out, right?
That means there's someone inside, but why aren't they speaking?
"Hello, Miss Stelle..." Barbara pushed the door open a crack, poked her small head inside, and observed the room.
The room was clean and simple, but the curtains were drawn, making it a bit dim.
Even so, Barbara immediately saw a tall beauty lying on the small bed, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, seemingly having been fast asleep for a long time.
"Huh? Is she asleep?"
Barbara was a little surprised. She had heard from her sister that the distinguished guest was resting, and she thought the other person was just stopping by the Knights of Favonius to rest her feet, not that she had gone straight to sleep.
Barbara quietly apologized to Stelle in her heart. Seeing that Stelle showed no signs of being woken up by her, she was about to quietly close the door and leave.
But just as she was about to do so, by some strange impulse, she looked up at Stelle's sleeping face nearby.
"She's so beautiful..." Barbara felt this might be the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
Even her sleeping face was captivating; just staring at her face made one feel peace and harmony.
Barbara momentarily forgot to close the door and just stared at Stelle in a daze.
It wasn't until a gentle breeze from outside blew, and Stelle instinctively shrugged her shoulders, that Barbara snapped back to reality.
She quickly walked into the room and gently closed the door.
It was a completely unconscious action, and by the time she realized she was inside the room instead of outside, it was already a little too late.
"Hmm..." Stelle's eyelids fluttered, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"!" Barbara's eyes widened, and she tried hard not to gasp.
Her heart immediately tensed up.
She was regretting why she had come into the room when the young lady showed signs of waking up.
If the other person woke up now and saw her in the room... Barbara couldn't even imagine how awkward that scene would be.
She held her breath, staring at Stelle's face, her mind a mess.
But thankfully, Stelle merely turned over and curled up.
There was no sign of her waking up.
Barbara instantly let out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, she felt like she had relived her entire life.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Stelle." Barbara clasped her hands together and apologized softly to Stelle.
This time, she planned to leave immediately, without looking back.
Without looking back...
...
She still looked back, not for any other reason, but because Stelle's condition truly concerned her.
Stelle had been frowning earlier, and now she looked even more distressed, as if having a nightmare.
Barbara really couldn't bring herself to leave just like that.
After some hesitation, she slowly walked to Stelle's bedside and looked down at Stelle.
"Da~ da da da~"
Her singing was soothing and sweet. The song she sang was different from her usual more energetic tunes; this one was gentler and calmer, like a variation.
And under her singing, Stelle, who had been curled up in a ball, gradually relaxed her brows, and her expression became more at ease.
Soon after...
Stelle slowly opened her eyes, looking at her surroundings with some confusion.
It was still the same dormitory from this morning, except for an unfamiliar person.
This person was sitting beside her, her cheeks flushed, looking at her. The distance was a bit too close; she felt that if she just lifted her head slightly, their foreheads would touch.
"Um... who are you?" Stelle blinked, confirming that she wasn't mistaken.
"I-I'm sorry!" Barbara's face was flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly moved away from Stelle's side.
------------
Stelle had a rare dream. She seemed to have dreamed of Kafka.
In the dream, Kafka seemed to say something to her, but she completely forgot the content of the conversation. She only remembered that when Kafka turned to leave, an infinite sadness surged in her heart.
No matter how much she chased, she couldn't catch up, only able to watch Kafka gradually drift away.
At that moment, she felt as if she were a child who had lost her mother, with only an urge to cry out loud.
And just then, a song she had never heard before began to play.
Warm and healing, it gradually calmed her emotions until she woke up.
Thinking of this, Stelle looked up at the Damselette standing rigidly in front of her.
The Damselette's face felt strangely familiar to her.
"Are you Acting Grand Master Jean's sister?" Stelle couldn't help but ask.
"I'm sorry, I... Huh? How did you know?" Barbara instinctively wanted to apologize again, but after hearing what Stelle said, she looked at the other person with a surprised expression.
Her relationship with Acting Grand Master Jean had never been made public. Even in front of the public, she had never called Jean 'sister,' always addressing her as 'Acting Grand Master.'
Their relationship was only known to a few high-ranking members of the Knights of Favonius and close friends.
"You look very similar! Although your clothes, demeanor, and temperament are different, if you only look at your face, you're just a smaller version of Acting Grand Master Jean." Stelle rubbed her slightly messy hair and said with a smile.
Lumine's small bed was quite comfortable. She had only intended to sleep for a little while, but she hadn't expected it to already be afternoon.
"R-really?" Hearing Stelle say that, Barbara lowered her head a little shyly.
"Um, I'm very sorry for disturbing your rest. My name is Barbara, and I'm the Deaconess of the Westwind Church." Barbara calmed down a bit, introduced herself, and also explained why she was there.
"I see..." Stelle nodded. "It's okay, I don't mind. Besides, this isn't even my own room."
Lumine didn't know when she would be back. According to their morning estimate, it should be evening, right?
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