Chapter 141: Confession Under the Moon
"Hmm... If there's something to say, just say it. Was it really necessary to come outside?"
Fortunately, it was summer. The sea breeze carried more coolness than chill, otherwise he might have caught a cold tonight.
If it were just Aeron, it wouldn't matter much—he could always use bullets to treat himself. But Carlotta... well, as a Glacio-type Resonator, she probably wouldn't have such issues anyway.
Ah, another day of envying Resonators.
In the courtyard before the mansion, he watched Carlotta's back. Her silver hair, illuminated by moonlight, appeared even more radiant and dazzling.
"It's too stuffy inside, and... there are some things I don't want others to hear."
Carlotta's voice was noticeably lower than usual, and Aeron had a rough idea of what she wanted to say.
However, if he were to speak first, it might backfire. For now, it was better to follow Carlotta's lead.
Thus, silence lingered between them for a long while. Aeron simply watched as the moonlight draped over Carlotta like a silver veil. Her gem-like clear eyes gazed at the moon hanging high in the sky, making them appear even more luminous.
Carlotta suddenly let out a soft laugh, speaking in a fragile tone she had never used before:
"...It seems we first met around this time too."
"That's right... though it wasn't exactly pleasant back then."
Being assassinated in Montelli's territory, unlocking the System, and then meeting Carlotta—everything started from that moment... to be honest, calling it "unpleasant" was an understatement.
Aeron still remembered it clearly: she had frozen his hands with ice crystals, and he had committed his first suicide right in front of her.
"Two months have passed since then... so much has happened."
"And every single thing has been shocking enough to shake the world."
"Whose fault is that?"
Hearing Aeron's words, Carlotta merely smiled, and Aeron could only respond by spreading his hands helplessly.
After all, even he himself would never have imagined two months ago that he would become entangled with so many people.
From a rootless transmigrator to where he was now—life truly was more unreasonable than one could ever imagine.
The simple opening remarks broke the silence between them, and the ensuing quiet no longer felt as tense as before.
"..."
"Hmm?"
After another moment, Carlotta slowly turned around. The moonlight spilled unreservedly onto her face, illuminating her already exquisite features.
"I... have something I want to ask you."
As she spoke these words, Carlotta's voice grew even softer, like a taut string that could snap at the slightest touch.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
After receiving Aeron's response, Carlotta took a deep breath, mustering all her courage.
"...Did I do well?"
It was such an abrupt and vague question, but fortunately, Aeron understood.
"Of course. The auction, Fisalia, Carnevale... you handled everything perfectly, Second Young Lady."
Hearing Aeron's reply, Carlotta paused, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
...Back in Avinoleum, it had felt the same way.
She wanted to say so much to him, her thoughts overflowing with things she longed to express, yet in the end, not a single word could escape her lips.
What exactly did he mean by "perfect"?
Was it that Carlotta had truly succeeded, or... that she had flawlessly executed every step of his plan?
...Even now, she still hadn't truly caught up to the pace of the person standing before her.
"You didn't treat me as a disposable pawn at the auction, you were willing to bring people to find me during Fisalia's incident, and at Carnevale, you stood on stage and spoke those words to all of Ragunna..."
"...You did everything to the best of your ability."
"...Were all of these things part of your calculations?"
"Yes."
No defense, no excuses, no attempts to change the subject—not a hint of hesitation.
After all, Aeron would never do something as foolish as betting his life on someone else... well, except for Rover, of course.
His interactions with Carlotta and the others were all based on his own understanding of their personalities as a transmigrator.
In the end, even before obtaining the System, Aeron had chosen to build good relationships with them to secure better treatment in Rinascita.
"Though, to be fair, those achievements were really earned by you, Second Young Lady. I just gave things a little push."
Aeron added this as a follow-up, but it clearly didn't reach Carlotta's ears.
Her fingers curled slightly, clutching at the corner of her clothes.
"Then... what you said to me back in Avinoleum... was that also part of your calculations?"
Finally, she asked the question.
Carlotta didn't know how she managed to utter those words. Her fragile voice drifted through the night, nearly scattered by Ragunna's sea breeze.
Aeron didn't answer immediately. He looked at Carlotta, who was standing with her head lowered, and thought for a moment.
"That's right."
In the end, he still gave his answer.
This response was within Carlotta's expectations, yet she still felt as though her heart had been twisted. A sour ache spread through her veins, and even her strength began to fade.
"For you... to achieve your goals, can even those four words be spoken so casually?"
Even now, Carlotta could still recall the moment when Aeron had said those four words to her back then.
I like you.
Whether in literary works or real life, these were words of significant weight.
As a young girl, Carlotta had once imagined the moment someone would say those four words to her and how she might react.
Joy, excitement, happiness...
But she never imagined it would feel like this... a sense of emptiness and loss.
The moisture in her eyes grew heavier. To keep it from turning into tears, Carlotta struggled to restrain her emotions.
But she didn't dare look up at Aeron, didn't dare to confirm the expression on his face.
"Of course, I knew the weight of those words and the impact they would have on you. That's why I said them at that moment."
Aeron's tone as he spoke these words was flat, devoid of fluctuation. No matter how he tried to conceal it, this was his true intention.
Carlotta felt her heart tighten further, her body trembling slightly along with her shoulders.
At Carnevale, he had sunk her with a single "Don't get in my way here."
Now, he was pushing her off a cliff with a single "I like you."
The same move from the same person, and she had fallen for it twice.
And each time, he had said it so lightly.
"There's no need to be so disheartened, Second Young Lady. After all, the world you see is different from mine—it's only natural for our perceptions to differ."
After all, Aeron possessed neither heaven-defying talent nor soaring, sky-reaching luck. No matter where he was, to survive, he had no choice but to give his all.
When lying and exhausting oneself became the norm, living turned into something painful.
He harbored no grand ambitions like saving the world, nor did he possess the magnanimity to judge others by his own standards. Even after obtaining the System, all he wanted was to eliminate those who threatened him and live a carefree life.
His opposition to Fractsidus and the Threnodians was merely a result of differing stances born from a whim.
Even the Rover, to him, was just someone to draw attention so he could act as he pleased.
...Still, though he admitted he was a scoundrel who would even exploit others' emotions, he wasn't so low as to trample on someone's genuine feelings.
And so, Aeron slowly walked up to Carlotta and extended his hand toward her.
"...?"
Carlotta's chin was gently lifted by Aeron. Though the motion wasn't exactly tender, it was steady, forcing her to raise her face and meet his gaze.
Moist tears turned into fragmented light swirling in her eyes, yet under the moonlight, they made her pupils shine even more brilliantly, like gemstones.
Really, with such an expression, how could he bear it?
"Alright, don't cry. You're Montelli's Second Young Lady, Ragunna's true leader now. You can't show such an expression."
As he spoke, Aeron raised a finger to wipe away the tears that nearly spilled from Carlotta's upturned face.
"When you say things like that, it must be..."
It must be to continue scheming against Carlotta, to keep her dancing in the palm of his hand.
Even Carlotta herself knew this, yet she didn't resist—or more accurately, she lacked the strength to resist.
She felt ashamed of herself. Even after being used, she hadn't truly harbored a shred of emotion called "resentment" toward Aeron.
"I know what you're thinking, but since this is something I caused, I naturally have to give an explanation."
"What are you going to say this time..."
What she found even harder to accept was that she actually held some expectation for what he would say next.
"After all, if you thought I was the kind of person who treats you all as pawns to be discarded after use, I'd still be hurt."
Carlotta's eyelashes trembled, and the moisture in her eyes gathered once more. But this time, she didn't look away. She watched Aeron, watching as he shed all pretense for once, revealing beneath it a kind of almost rough honesty.
"That statement is both false and true. You have brought me the happiest, most precious time of my life. Each and every one of you holds an irreplaceable place in my heart."
As he spoke, Aeron gently cupped Carlotta's face with his palms, leaning down slightly to meet her gaze.
"Then... then why would you..."
Tears welled up in Carlotta's eyes again, but this time not from sorrow. Something hot, bittersweet, and tender clogged her chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Because I can't bear to part with you all."
Aeron's words sank Carlotta's heart completely.
"I truly am just someone who lives according to my desires, doing as I please, without a sense of responsibility."
"But precisely because of that, I know what I want."
His fingertips still lingered beside Carlotta's cheek, the warmth passing through her skin with a strangely calming sensation.
"The things I've done, the paths I've walked, everything around me has already repaid me in ways I never realized. Happiness is a reward, peace is a reward, and seeing all of you standing in the light, celebrated by the crowd... is also a reward."
"Carlotta, you've done so much for me. You've joined me in my madness, in my antics, cried tears of frustration because of me, and rushed to pull me back when I was about to get myself killed... I'm not blind, nor am I truly heartless."
"So, I will never let go, and I will never treat you, or any one of you, as something to be discarded at will."
The night breeze of Ragunna grew gentler at that moment, carrying the scent of the sea as it wove between the two of them.
Carlotta stared blankly at Aeron, her tears having stopped, leaving only the adorable redness around her eyes and the tip of her nose.
Moonlight fell into her eyes, transforming into the shimmer of a lake.
"You're lying again..."
Carlotta's voice still carried a slight hoarseness, but the earlier tremor was gone.
"You must have... after Ciaccona's concert ended... run off to some dangerous place alone again..."
Otherwise, given Aeron's nature, his attention would never have shifted away from Ciaccona. He wouldn't have opened with those words earlier in the living room.
"I had no choice. After all, the Grand Architect personally came knocking. How could I just sit back and wait for trouble?"
Peace and happiness must be fought for with one's own hands. Only with enough strength can one even speak of such things.
Carlotta looked at Aeron before her. She wanted to ask if it was dangerous, where he was going, to tell him not to go—but as she met his eyes, all her questions condensed into a single sentence.
"...Will you come back?"
"Of course."
Aeron answered without hesitation.
He looked at her, his gaze unwavering.
"The time I spend with all of you is precious to me. More precious than my own life. Ragunna... this is my root in this world. No matter what I do out there, even if I have to crawl, I will crawl back."
He paused, then spoke each word deliberately:
"I promise you, no matter what happens in the end, I will return to Ragunna."
Aeron gently wiped away the tear stains still damp on Carlotta's face. His movements were somewhat clumsy, yet tender.
"...Is that true?" she asked, her voice so soft it seemed afraid to disturb something.
"It's the truest thing I've ever said in my life."
Aeron smiled—a rare smile, free of any slyness or teasing, simply gentle and open.
"There are some things I wouldn't stoop to lying about. Especially not to you."
As he finished speaking, a sea breeze swept past, lifting Carlotta's silver hair and carrying her cool yet gentle scent toward Aeron.
The scalding ache in Carlotta's chest finally found an outlet, transforming into a fresh shimmer in her eyes—no longer sorrowful, but something else.
She knew what kind of person he was. Selfish, willful, treating his own life as a bargaining chip and others' emotions as tools, forever walking on the edge of a blade and reveling in it.
But—
"...Liar," she said again, yet the corners of her mouth uncontrollably lifted, bit by bit.
It was a faint, shallow smile, yet utterly genuine.
Seeing her smile, Aeron froze for a moment, then smiled back. This time, it was more relaxed, carrying a hint of relief. "Yeah, I am."
Then, Carlotta did something that left Aeron stunned.
She took a deep breath, drawing the sea breeze and moonlight into her lungs, turning them into her own strength.
She lightly raised her hand and placed it over Aeron's, which still cradled her cheek.
She quietly rose onto her toes, then—actively leaned toward Aeron's face.
The sensation in that moment was strange.
Moonlight spilled over Carlotta's beautiful features. Her silver hair slipped over her shoulders with the movement, the ends brushing against Aeron's arm.
Aeron could see her slightly trembling eyelashes, the tiny glimmers of light refracted by the still-damp tear tracks on her cheeks, and could smell the faint fragrance on her.
Her lips were soft, cool, and carried a hint of saltiness—the taste of tears.
The touch was light, inexperienced yet careful, like snowflakes melting upon contact.
Yet this gentle touch left Aeron frozen in place. His mind went blank for an instant, aware only of the soft sensation and her warm, slightly unsteady breath so close to him.
It lasted only briefly, yet felt like an eternity.
Carlotta took a small step back, returning to flat ground. Her eyes remained closed, her long lashes trembling violently, her cheeks flushed almost crimson. The rise and fall of her chest grew more pronounced—that single act had drained all her courage.
Finally, she opened her eyes, her gaze moist, shimmering with inexpressible shyness and a fragile pride, as if she had accomplished something monumental.
"Th-this is…" Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, yet she tried to keep her tone steady. "...a thank you. For… coming back."
Having said that, as if she could no longer bear the ambiguous, scorching atmosphere, she abruptly turned and almost ran, hurrying in a fluster toward the mansion's main entrance.
Her silver hair traced a panicked arc behind her, her skirt brushing against the low shrubs in the garden, rustling softly.
Aeron remained standing where he was, unconsciously raising his fingers to touch his lower lip. There, it seemed, lingered the fleeting sensation of that cool softness, and a trace of...
Her scent lingered in the air.
He watched Carlotta's almost fleeing figure, saw her fumbling to open the mansion door, slip inside, and then with a soft "thud," the door closed.
"..."
Only after seeing Carlotta off did Aeron finally let out a long sigh.
So, humans were truly troublesome creatures.
Collective perceptions and impressions could be toyed with at his fingertips, yet individual emotions and thoughts remained elusive.
No choice, then. He would just have to wait a little longer.
At any rate, he had managed to calm her down. After all, Carlotta was the current leader of Ragunna. If something as trivial as this caused issues with the concert or the entire city, Aeron would truly become a sinner for the ages.
Aeron raised his hand, and the card marked only with a serial number—The World—reappeared.
"At least let me finish what's at hand first."