Buried in Elsa's arms, Dorothea sobbed her heart out.
She had always thought she was strong, but when she saw her younger sister's gentle smile, all her grievances, pain, and anguish poured out like a flood through a broken dam, impossible to hold back.
Holding Elsa, Dorothea finally began to calm down.
Elsa's embrace was as warm as ever, the place where Dorothea's heart belonged.
Of the two most important people in Dorothea's life, one was Elsa, who could soothe the wounds in her heart.
The other was Vanessa, who had caused most of those wounds.
"Elsa, I'm just glad you're back. The Lord really did-did hear my prayers!"
Dorothea spoke with some embarrassment.
This was her first time praying to the Lord.
To be honest, she did not quite trust the Great Being. After all, there was something rather sinister about this being, and the entire order had become rather abnormal under its influence. Vanessa, for one, often did sinister things.
Fortunately, the Lord had answered her request and brought Elsa back.
As it turned out, Dorothea had celebrated a little too soon. The Lord had indeed answered her request...
But might have answered it twice.
Elsa had just sat up in bed, with the blanket still covering her.
Dorothea suddenly felt something wriggling beneath the blanket.
She exchanged a glance with Elsa, both of them puzzled. Soon, a head squeezed out between them.
A white-haired girl looked at them expressionlessly.
Elsa.
She blinked and looked from one to the other. "...Did I come at a bad time?"
Silence instantly fell over the room.
They stared stiffly at the second Elsa, unsure how to react.
Who was she?
Which one was the real Elsa?
Why was there a fake Elsa, too? What exactly had happened?
"Ahem, th-this must be