"At this point, we should make this a tradition," Rachel suggested with that particular smile of hers—the same one she'd worn when showing me a cage on her phone months ago. Which was to say, she wasn't really smiling at all.
Currently, I found myself in one of the Imperial Palace's more intimate living rooms, surrounded by Rachel, Seraphina, Rose, Cecilia, and Reika. Luna sat contentedly on my lap, humming a soft melody as she played with a small puzzle Cecilia had given her.
"We absolutely should," Seraphina agreed, her voice maintaining its usual cool composure despite the slight edge of exasperation. "Your pattern of reckless behavior has become remarkably predictable."
"We always end up gathering like this whenever he gets unconscious or disappears," Rose added, her tone carrying that deceptively casual note that meant trouble. "I suspect even when he reaches Radiant-rank, this particular habit won't change."
