Mu's Teasing

This thought, like a gleaming blade, tore open a painful, unbearable crack of truth through the fog of self-restraint and self-suppression that had bound her for so long.

"I—"

After a moment of silence, Natarle finally placed her left hand gently over her chest.

There, where her muscles pulsed, lay her heart.

It was as though this touch allowed her to sense more clearly and precisely the voice buried so deeply within her that even she, its owner, could no longer recognize it.

Through Mu's simple yet piercing question, and his "accusation" of betrayal, what kind of response had truly been stirred in the depths of her heart—a response that was most fragile, most real, and most instinctively human?

She slowly closed her eyes and felt her emotions flow. Fragments of the past flashed through her mind—the honor, the sacrifices, and that sudden, cold abandonment.

After speaking with Mu for so long, she had found that his tone always carried an incredible lightness. He seemed capable of guiding heavy subjects into seemingly relaxed territory, or awakening someone trapped in the mire at precisely the right moment.

The confusion that had previously entangled Natarle beyond escape, leaving her dizzy and heavy-headed, along with the immense disappointment that clung to her like a sticky spiderweb and nearly suffocated her, now receded from her heart like the tide at an unbelievable speed. It no longer felt so intense or unbearable.

She sensed a reassuring presence spreading beside her.

She knew it came from Mu La Flaga, the man who appeared frivolous yet always guided her with uniquely sharp insight.

And now—now, Mu was still by her side, patiently offering support and guidance in his own way.

It was as though his mere presence beside her had become an unspoken pillar of support. She,