The moonlight poured down from the window, gently caressing the two figures hiding under the covers.

Turing's calm and steady heartbeat filled the small space within the bed, bringing tranquility.

Turing's sweet breath, like a seductive potion, gently drew tears from Elizabeth's eyes.

"Sob...sob..." Elizabeth tightly embraced Turing's waist, resting her head against his arm and softly weeping.

"What happened to you? Please tell me." Turing gently patted Elizabeth's back, soothing her with warmth.

"Did you go out in the evening? Did something happen then?" Turing probed, but Elizabeth remained silent, only holding on tighter.

"Elizabeth, you..."

"Hoot, hoot." A plump owl climbed onto the window sill and hooted casually.

"Sister... I have to go, sorry." Upon hearing the sound, Elizabeth suddenly sat up from under the covers, wiping away her tears. Without even changing her pajamas, she dared not let Turing see her face and hurriedly got up to escape.

Turing looked bewilderedly at Elizabeth's departing figure, then turned to look at the owl.

The owl nonchalantly pecked at its own feathers, revealing a deep emblem on its chest.

[That is... Koshiba's family crest.]

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

Turing straightened his pajamas and also got up to chase after Elizabeth.

——————————————————————————

"She wouldn't normally run away like this..."

"I know, although she often throws tantrums, she doesn't have the courage to run away."

"She just wants attention... to get my attention."

"She's afraid that when she runs away, no one will be able to find her."

"That's why she never goes all out like this..."

[She's running away with all her might.]

A drop of sweat rolled down Turing's temple, almost leaving him breathless.

Although Turing hadn't used magic yet, with her seasoned physical fitness, it wasn't easy for just anyone to outmatch her.

Elizabeth had actually exerted herself to this extent—she couldn't effortlessly use magic like Turing could!

[In fact, I know Elizabeth the best, don't I...]

[Because she can't accomplish anything, she never dares to give it her all, afraid of being exposed as incompetent.]

[Because nothing she does has any meaning, she never wants to take anything seriously, afraid of ending up with nothing.]

"Koshiba, you..." Turing finally put in all his strength and caught up to Elizabeth.

When Turing snapped back to reality, she realized that they were in exactly the same place where they had first met, under the giant ancient tree in the courtyard.

"..." Turing's eyes widened in shock. The romantic and picturesque scene before her flooded Turing's chest with a strong sense of familiarity.

"Sister... sister..." Elizabeth gasped heavily, her hand struggling to grasp onto a tree root.

"I just went out to get something... A fellow resident from the city of Lachésis had something to deliver. I didn't expect you to follow me..." Elizabeth's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color. Her intense breaths trembled as she spoke.

"Sister clearly... clearly thought I was troublesome, so why did she still chase after me?" Elizabeth started crying again.

Perhaps useless people are just prone to crying.

"Merka clearly... clearly makes sister so happy. Why is she still so gentle to me?"

"I clearly... clearly ran so hard, but why couldn't I escape from sister's grasp in the end?"

Elizabeth's emotions were highly agitated, expressing herself with words that Turing couldn't understand.

However, Turing actually understood. She personally experienced these emotions, but she was afraid to confirm them.

"Elizabeth, calm down and explain things to me. What does it mean that your family sent something? And why does it have to be so late..."

[How is she so certain that I find her troublesome?]

"And, why did you crawl into my bed and cry at night?"

[How does she know that my feelings for Merka are love? I have never explicitly expressed it.]

"What were you doing this evening? I was worried about you..."

[Why does she have a look on her face... as if she knows everything?]

"You..."

[Did she see my memories?! Does she know everything about me, including my male identity?]

[Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain? I shouldn't have told her about seeing Merka's memories!]

Suddenly, Turing realized something, and her pupils were momentarily tainted with a hint of blood. The horrifying heat seemed to burn everything, descending upon this small space.

In that instant, it was as if a demon from hell was released. The true Turing, accompanied by the unsheathing of crimson light, appeared before Elizabeth like a ferocious beast blocking out the sun.

The sweet and peaceful heartbeat that Elizabeth had heard before seemed as if it had never existed.

That was not the sound of a heartbeat, but rather the bubbling and boiling of scorching magma!

Poor Elizabeth at this moment was like a little rabbit held by a monstrous flood beast, awaiting Turing's slightest movement to wipe her out.

As the gods retreated and the demons surrendered, this ultimate sorceress unabashedly exuded her own pressure, a destructiveness that surpassed even Oedipus.

"How dare you reveal that you saw my memories in front of me."

"While I'm not a hundred percent sure yet, you better quickly tell me that what you just said was all just coincidences."

"Don't think that your family can protect you. Even if I tear you apart in front of the other five major families, no one would dare to breathe a word." Turing slowly approached Elizabeth, emanating an unmatched aura of intimidation.

"Now, reorganize your words."

"......" Elizabeth lowered her head, seeming to think of an excuse to absolve herself.

Seeing this, Turing breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she didn't really want to kill Elizabeth after all.

"No."

"But those are my most precious treasures! The only ones I have... these memories. Once I leave Lachesis, I will never have a chance to see my sister again, right?"

"I have nothing at all, everything is given to me by others, everything is pitifully bestowed upon me."

"I think about this every day. It really hurts, really, really hurts."

"It's all because I'm too weak. It's all because of me, it's my own problem."

"So when I finished watching my sister's memories, even though I felt ashamed in my heart, I really felt relieved. My sister also had someone to rely on, she wasn't born perfect." Elizabeth completely disregarded Turing's increasingly darkening expression and hugged her directly.

"Sisters can also feel lonely, sisters can also be afraid, sisters also long for someone who understands them."

"My sister's memories are strange, many parts are fragmented, blurry. But I can probably understand, they are filled with the pain of not being loved by anyone."

"But if my sister wished to be treated with tenderness, then... of course, I can do that too!"

"Besides, Merka is a boy. If we're talking about suitability, me and my sister are even more suitable, right?"

Elizabeth released Turing and gently stroked the old tree roots, her gaze turning towards a lush green tree hole.

"Sister, do you still remember?"

"Every seven years, people hold a flower-holding ceremony here."

"People watch as girls who are married to gods enter the tree hole and disappear from view."

"They sincerely make wishes, praying for the gods to see them."

"Now, I'm going to make a wish here, to my god."

Elizabeth squeezed out a faint smile with a bleak expression, displaying a determination not to spare herself, gathering strength in the condensed atmosphere.

"Let's escape together, sister."

On the same moonlit night, as if having seen repeated scenes, a slight yawn stirred the floating leaves on those old trees like drifting duckweed.

"The carriage I called has someone I trust coming. Even though they are coming to deliver something, if the two of us go together, they can secretly send us away."

"Send us to a place where we will never see our beloved sister, the Duke Oedipus' place."

"Let's save up some money, do some small business, and live a carefree life like the common people in Acadia..."

"Okay?"

Turing listened anxiously to Elizabeth's words, silently praying in her heart, hoping that Elizabeth didn't mean what she thought, hoping that Elizabeth wouldn't finish her sentence.

But in the end, she did. Ironically, it was almost identical to what she said in the past.

The night breeze lifted like a sickle, lightly floating and hanging over Turing's head.

As soon as she spoke, he would behead her.

Turing opened his mouth, but in the end, he closed it.

Turing had originally thought that there were countless ways to refute her simplistic plan.

But in the end, he found that he had no grounds to argue.

He had exerted all his efforts to obtain power second to none in the world, only to realize that a single sentence from someone else carried more weight.

【Merka…Merka…Merka…】

Turing clenched his teeth tightly.

【Could it be that you are feeling the same way I am now, when I asked for your help?】

"Fool..." Turing held onto Elizabeth's shoulders and slowly knelt down.

"Sister?"

"You're truly beyond saving, you fool..."