“Mmm…”
“Oh, my lady! Are you finally awake?!”
“…Sasha?”
Luna Invidia woke up to the sound of her maid Sasha. Her mind was still rather hazy, but she gradually came fully awake and sat up.
“Good morning, Sasha.”
“Good morning, my. How is your body feeling now?”
“My body? Um, I don’t think I feel any different from usual…”
Sasha’s question left Luna confused, but the maid continued to look her over in concern.
“Did something happen?”
“What do you mean ‘did something happen’? My lady, do you not remember?”
“Remember… what?”
For a brief moment, an image flashed thorugh her mind: Luciana, swinging down something white and shiny, like a stick or a piece of board… Luna shook her head in confusion.
“My lady?”
“No, it’s nothing. Come to think of it, when did I even get to bed? Last night, I… huh?”
The more she thought about it, the more she felt there was something off. Why was she sleeping on the bed now? When had it happened?
(The last thing I remember is going to the classroom on the morning of the break day to pick up something I left behind… Was that today? Or was that yesterday?)
“It seems you really do not remember anything that has happened, my lady.”
“What do you mean, Sasha?”
“I was told you had collapsed and were found unconscious yesterday, when you went to the classroom.”
“Wh-what?!”
Sasha’s explanation left her in shock; Luna had absolutely no recollection of that happening.
(I collapsed? Me? But when? And why? …Oh!)
Suddenly, a momentary flash of insight jolted a part of her memory.
(That’s right… I had gone to the classroom, and then Luciana came in a short time afterward…)
“Actually, I can vaguely recall having met Luciana in the classroom…”
“Yes, that is what I was told as well. After you had collapsed, Lady Luciana, along with Lady Victirium, Lord Lycrents, and His Highness the Crown Prince helped to carry you back here.”
“So not only did I trouble Luciana but also Lady Annemarie and His Highness too… Wait, did you say Lord Maxwell was there too?!”
Luna’s face flushed a bright red upon hearing the mention of a certain name.
(O-oh no… I tr-troubled Lord Maxwell, too..! Wh-wh-what am I going to do now?!)
Sudden embarrassment overwrote the confusion she was feeling, and she began to worry about having shown a slovenly expression while unconscious.
She was especially self-conscious when facing that beautiful Lord Maxwell, with his honey-blonde hair that was far more vibrant than her own dull locks and the brilliant emerald of his eyes that stood against that beautiful, confident face…
Even now, Luna could remember the envy she felt when she first saw him at the Spring Ball.
And before she noticed, that envy had became longing; she could still recall the nervousness she felt when they first talked to each other, with Luciana as their intermediary.
But were those feelings of hers a romantic desire or of an idolizing admiration? Regardless, she could only feel embarrassment having exposed herself to someone she regarded so highly.
So Luna simply buried her face in her hands.
“I apologize for interrupting your moment of embarrassment, but is my lady truly fine? A doctor had performed a physical examination but found nothing wrong, but just in case…”
“Oh, well, I certainly do not feel anything out of the ordinary right now. I seem to be completely fine.”
Sasha sighed with relief; words could not describe the worry and tension she felt while Luna had remained unconsicous for the entire day.
“I am truly relieved to hear you say so. Lady Luciana was just as worried, because she said she had hit you so hard you fell unconscious. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected my lady and Lady Luciana to have quarreled in such a violent manner.”
“We… quarreled?”
“Is that not right?”
Luna wondered, slightly confused; had she and Luciana been arguing? But as she thought more on it, the same image from earlier floated back to mind.
She shook her head in denial once more, in disbelief Luciana would attack her like so. That was simply preposterous, Luna told herself.
But as she thought so, more memories of that day came back to mind…
“…Oh, that’s right. Yesterday, I did meet Luciana in the classroom… and then we got into a fight…”
“But my lady, are you not close to Lady Luciana? What happened that could cause the two of you to fight?”
At this, Luna gave a bitter smile.
“I was.. actually jealous of Luciana, but the more I think about it now, the more embarrassed I am to have started a fight over something like that.”
What came to mind were the various complaints she threw at Luciana. Her friend had not been in the wrong at all, and yet Luna’s one-sided jealousy had reared its ugly head and caused her to vent her frustrations anyway.
Sasha’s eyes widened as she heard Luna’s explanation.
“And so it escalated into a real fight? So was it Lady Luciana who knocked you unconscious, my lady?”
“I’m not sure, but it may have been. I can’t remember much except that I had not been able to see reason at the time.”
“But for two ladies of count-ranked households to fight one another like so…”
Even Sasha was unable to hide her bewilderment, but Luna could only give another awkward smile, scratching her cheek as she looked away.
But that lasted only a moment, and Sasha’s expression darkened as she furrowed her brows in anger.
“Even so, no matter who or what started the quarrel, it is completely unacceptable for Lady Luciana to have struck my lady into unconsciousness! We must send a formal complaint to House Luthorburg at once!”
“Sasha, no! Please stop! It was not Luciana’s fault at all!”
Seeing Sasha spring into action, Luna was quick to interrupt her. The maid, not expecting Luna to shout so loud, turned around to reply.
“And why should we not? Even if the quarrel had grown out of control, that is not a good enough excuse for her to attack you, my lady!”
“W-well, you see, Sasha, actually, I was the one… who started it… I attacked her first.”
“My lady, no!”
For the second time, Luna’s words shocked Sasha into silence; she could not have imagined Luna to have gotten violent, let alone started the fight.
Luna hung her head in awkward silence.
“The more I think about it, the more I’m glad it had not gotten to the point of us injuring one another…”
“What in the world were the two of you arguing about, for it to have gotten that bad?!”
“I just remember getting carried away with telling Luciana how I felt that I began attacking her without a second thought…”
“Who could have expected my lady to have resorted so quickly to violence…”
“E-enough already, Sasha! I already feel guilty about it! And besides…”
“Besides what?”
“…It was Luciana’s single hit that brought me to my senses, and I learned I must not let myself repeat the same mistake in letting my emotions get the better of me.”
Luna stared out the window and into the distance; there was an unusual aura of dignity about her, and her words sounded much heavier than usual.
(Maybe it’s because we both laid our feelings completely bare that I feel more refreshed than ever before. It was an intense argument, but I do not intend to ever let that ugly side get the best of me ever again. And I did swear so to my best friend.)
“My lady…”
Sasha quietly watched Luna, in disquiet but also in relief.
(If my lady is able to make such an expression, then perhaps there really isn’t anything to worry about.)
“Then, if there truly is no issue, I shall prepare your breakfast immediately.”
“Thanks Sasha. I suppose I should get dressed then.”
“No, my lady, you shall be staying in bed to rest for today. I shall bring over your meal shortly.”
“But didn’t I rest for the entire day yesterday?”
“…And you are to continue resting today as well. Am I clear?”
A cold smile came over Sasha’s face, one not dissimilar to the expression a certain tutor of Luciana’s would often make.
“O-okay, I understand.”
“Good. Then, please excuse me my lady. I shall return momentarily.”
Sasha’s smile softened to its usual shape, and she gave a short bow before leaving the bedroom.
Luna let out another sigh before climbing out of bed to stare out the window. As she gazed at the endless expanse of blue, she felt her mind calming down. And that was when she noticed it.
“What’s this? Are those… droplets of water? Did it rain last night?”
The leftover droplets by the window drew Luna’s curiosity, and she opened the window to gently pick up a lone drop.
Atop her finger, the droplet shimmered under the sunlight streaming through the window; it was almost as though it glowed with its own light, and Luna felt strangely at peace as she basked in its shine.
(Isn’t this just a single raindrop? Why is it making me feel this way… Ah!)
The droplet suddenly slid over her finger and disappeared; it was hard for Luna to tell where it had fallen or if the carpet had absorbed the moisture.
But, as it was falling, for the briefest of moments, Luna thought she saw the falling droplet had created a shimmering trail of silver light.
(I must have imagined that part, at least…)
Luna giggled and thought it nothing more than a trick of the light. Then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
“My lady, I have returned with your meal.”
“Ah, okay!”
(I need to get back to bed, quickly now! She’ll be even angrier if she saw me up and standing around!)
And with that, Luna leaped straight back into bed.
Headcanon TL 
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