[ 39th Aquanis 1749 | Fardin | 17:32 | Dormitory Room 231 ]

  Scarcely half an hour had passed since Arta left the academy for Sumerenn. Catherine sat on her bed, her gaze cast sorrowfully toward the window. Arta had loved to stand there, peering into the distance, as if some mystery she had yet to unravel lay hidden just beyond the horizon.

  Catherine let out a heavy sigh. She was just about to stand and look up at the sky herself when a sudden knock at the door broke the silence. She narrowed her eyes skeptically, glaring at the heavy oak panel almost as if it were an enemy. Catherine knew perfectly well: there was no point in waiting for the one person she truly wished to see right now.

  The insistent knocking came again. Shaking her head, Catherine approached the door. The deadbolt clicked; the hinges gave a soft groan. On the threshold stood the one person Catherine least wanted to encounter at this moment.

  "Hi, Cat!" a bright voice rang out from the doorway, and a red-haired silhouette unceremoniously invaded the room.

  "Hello, Reina," Catherine replied, her jaw tightening slightly. "Do you need something?"

  Reina slipped further into the room, pivoted, rested one hand on her hip, and gave a theatrical wave with the other.

  "Listen, Catherine, we're friends, aren't we?" A broad smile bloomed across her face.

  "We aren't friends, Reina. We were, exactly up until the moment you started manipulating me and my feelings," Catherine snapped angrily. "I've told you already: trust has to be earned. Or did you think I was just wasting my breath?"

  Reina laughed.

  "Oh, stop talking nonsense! I was only trying to help my modest little friend get into a relationship, and here you are putting on some tragic play. Honestly, it's a poor performance. Very poor, Catherine."

  "It’s not for you to decide what’s poor and what isn’t! Because of you, everything nearly went to hell. Stop trying to write me into the plots of your trashy romance novels!"

  "Trashy?!" An angry flush flared on Reina's cheeks as she stood rigidly straight. "Then why were you so utterly engrossed in the book I gave you?!"

  "Yes, trashy. They offer no answers, they only pull the wool over your eyes," Catherine parried, her teeth grinding together.

  Reina's eyes narrowed dangerously.

  "You know what, Catherine? It isn't the books that lack answers! It’s your beloved, otherworldly 'Ice Queen'! She's nothing but a heartless, frigid monster!"

  "Say one more bad word about Arta, and I will challenge you to a duel," Catherine whispered fiercely, taking a step forward.

  "Oh my, the knightly Catherine defending her lady," Reina sneered. "Do you honestly think I’m going to cross swords with you? Don't forget that your current standing is entirely Artalis's doing. Without her, you'd still be rotting in the library, burying your nose in your books."

  "Reina, get out of here before I throw you out with my own two hands," Catherine said, her voice laced with the icy needles of reproach.

  "Have it your way... Just keep in mind: making an enemy out of me isn't in your best interest. After all, you still don't know the rules of the place you're in." Reina swept past Catherine, haughtily crossing the threshold. "Since you’re so incredibly righteous, don't forget to pay a visit to your little friend Eloisa Garci. You’ve been so blinded by your Ice Queen that you’ve forgotten everyone else in the world." Reina shook her head reproachfully. "Who knows? Maybe she’s in despair right now." Clicking her tongue, the red-haired girl vanished down the corridor, heading for the stairs.

  Catherine slammed the door shut, strode quickly to the window, and, looking up at the sky, took a deep breath.

  "She's insane," Catherine whispered, as if hoping to hear Arta's voice confirm her words.

  Yet, a seed of anxiety had already taken root in her mind:

  What if she's right? What if something really did happen to Eloisa?

  A worm of doubt began to gnaw at her certainty. Grabbing her keys, Catherine locked her room, descended the stairs, and left the prestigious dormitory wing.

  『 ?? 』━━━???━━━『 ? 』

  [ 39th Aquanis 1749 | Fardin | 17:47 | Dormitory No. 3 ]

  The walk to Dormitory No. 3 took less than five minutes, and soon Catherine was standing on the third floor before a door bearing the plaque "341". This was where Eloisa Garci lived. Lately, Catherine had been so consumed by her training and her time with Arta that she had entirely forgotten about the girl from the music club. And yet, it was Eloisa who had helped her so much in convincing Arta to attend the Duality Ball.

  Catherine knocked hesitantly. A moment later, Eloisa appeared at the door. Her brown eyes were red from weeping, and she was hastily dabbing at them with a crumpled handkerchief. Her chestnut hair was a tangled mess—it was blatantly obvious the girl had spent hours crying into her pillow.

  "Catherine...?" she asked, sniffing as she looked up.

  "Hello, Eloisa." Catherine took in her miserable state with mounting concern. "Would you like to take a walk around the academy?" she offered politely, knowing that asking point-blank about what had happened would be tactless.

  "A w-walk...?" Eloisa repeated uncertainly. "But I look... like a hag..."

  Catherine offered a warm smile and rolled her eyes.

  "Oh, please, as if a little messy hair is a disaster. Let me put it up in a bun for you. It’ll take a minute. And then we can go for a stroll, alright? You can tell me what happened while we walk." Eloisa gave a frail nod and stepped aside, letting her guest in.

  The girls spent the next five minutes in front of the mirror. As soon as the disheveled hair was tamed, Catherine smiled in satisfaction.

  "Well, there we go. Shall we?"

  "Alright, let's go." Eloisa stood up but clumsily bumped into her violin case. It tipped over, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

  The girl let out a terrified shriek, threw herself at the case, and snapped it open. Only after assuring herself that the lacquered wood of the instrument was free of cracks did she let out a ragged exhale, carefully closing the lid and rising from her knees.

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  "Is everything alright?" Catherine asked gently.

  "Thank the gods, yes. I would have been killed if I'd broken this violin," Eloisa replied, her voice stripped of its usual melodic ring. "Let's go, before I manage to ruin anything else."

  They stepped out of the room and set off at a leisurely pace down the stone corridors of the third dormitory building.

  "It’s noisy here," Catherine noted, her eyes tracking yet another student rushing past them.

  "It is..." Eloisa agreed, lowering her gaze. "But I think I'm used to it by now. I used to actually love the evenings when the girls from the music club would play in the lobby. There are so many talented girls here, you can't even imagine." A faint trace of life finally bled back into her voice.

  "Oh, I can imagine. I've been a bit too busy lately, of course, but I've managed to catch those evening performances a couple of times myself. It's a pity they've been canceled."

  "Yes, it is a pity... Ever since the new rector arrived, everyone has been acting differently. Sometimes I feel like changes are never for the better," Eloisa murmured, pushing open the heavy door that led from the ground-floor lobby out into the courtyard.

  A moment later, the girls stepped out into the academy's inner park. The crisp spring air filled their lungs, and a pale ghost of a smile flickered across Eloisa’s face.

  "So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?" Catherine asked softly as they strolled down the cobblestone path.

  "Um..." Eloisa's voice broke again. "To be honest, Catherine, I'm in terrible trouble..."

  "What kind of trouble?" Catherine's expression turned serious. "Tell me. Maybe I can help?"

  Eloisa squeezed her eyes shut.

  "My fiancé... the one who has been courting me for the past two years... He left me for another woman. And my parents are blaming me for everything!" Bitter, angry tears welled up in the girl's eyes once more. Catherine looked at her with deep sympathy and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  "Listen, did you actually feel anything for him? Or was this just your parents' whim?"

  "At first, I didn't feel anything," Eloisa sobbed. "But then... I fell in love with him!" She finished, bursting into tears with renewed vigor.

  "Well, if he left, it simply means he wasn't worthy of you. You are an incredibly talented girl, Eloisa. You play the violin beautifully, and you study at the finest women's academy in the kingdom. Do not dare shed tears over someone who betrayed you!"

  But Eloisa seemed deaf to her logic and sobbed even louder, burying her face in her hands. Seeing this reaction, Catherine took her by the elbow and guided her off the main path, leading her into the shadows behind the second dormitory building, away from prying eyes.

  There, Catherine stood directly in front of her weeping friend and placed both hands on her shoulders.

  "Eloisa, listen to me very carefully. You will absolutely find your person." Catherine paused briefly, suddenly catching herself echoing her brother's words. "You are young and talented. Don't let your heart shatter over a single rejection."

  "But what if... what if no one else ever looks at me as a wife?" Eloisa mumbled, wiping her tear-soaked eyes with the back of her hand.

  "That won't happen. Gods, Valtheim is full of noblemen who do nothing but dream of a smart, beautiful wife! Don't even think such nonsense," Catherine stated firmly.

  "Do you really think so?" Eloisa asked tentatively.

  "Of course! You will undoubtedly find your happiness. I, for one, personally turned down a highly advantageous marriage to Darian Merivald. And why? Because he didn't suit me!" Catherine tilted her chin up slightly to lend her words more weight.

  Eloisa sniffled again.

  "Do you think that’s the same thing? You're from the influential House of Holu, and I'm..."

  "That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you hold in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul," Catherine declared sharply.

  Eloisa flinched.

  "In my soul... Catherine, you are so confident..."

  "Just trust your inner self. It won't lead you astray," Catherine nodded.

  "I'll try..." Eloisa took a deep breath, calming down a fraction. "Listen, you should come by the music club sometime. You can listen to me play."

  "I'd love to! I actually have... quite a bit of free time now," Catherine answered, faltering slightly. Only in that moment did she truly grasp just how much empty time had materialized in her life due to Arta's departure.

  "Alright... Thank you, Catherine. You've really helped me, truly. I'm afraid I need to go and cry alone just a little bit more, but at least now I understand that... that all is not lost."

  "Of course it isn't lost!" Catherine gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'll see you later! If you want, you can join me for dinner."

  "Won't Arta be there?" Eloisa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You two usually sit together. Or with Nova and Reina."

  "Arta and Nova left. And Reina..." Catherine removed her hands from Eloisa's shoulders and looked away. "Reina isn't someone I want to be alone with. At least, not right now."

  "Did you have a fight?" Eloisa asked in confusion. "But you were so passionately discussing books during lunch." Catherine flushed a deep, shameful red. It seemed only now did it dawn on her that every single lunch she'd shared with Reina had been a ticking time bomb; the people around them had simply been too tactful to point it out. Catherine bit her lip hard.

  "Those novels are just foolishness. I regret every second I wasted on them!"

  Eloisa lowered her eyes guiltily.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

  "Don't apologize!" Catherine practically shouted, but immediately reigned herself in.

  "Alright," Eloisa offered a modest smile. "I'll head back to my room. And yes... I'll see you at dinner."

  "See you then!" Catherine did her best to return the smile.

  Eloisa gave a polite nod and headed back toward the third dormitory. Catherine, wasting no time, hurried back to her own.

  『 ?? 』━━━???━━━『 ? 』

  [ 39th Aquanis 1749 | Fardin | 18:23 | Academy Dining Hall ]

  The evening hum of the students in the dining hall seemed to drown out even the sizzling of oil from the kitchens. Catherine’s desire to choose something delicious for dinner crashed harshly against reality: Arta wasn't here. There would be no one to eye her plate with that signature, indifferent condemnation.

  Since I cannot be near her, I can at least emulate her. Even in this.

  With a disappointed sigh, she served herself boiled chicken breast and steamed vegetables. Making her way to the far end of the hall, she noted with annoyance that there were no free tables for two left, forcing her to sit at an empty four-person table in the very corner.

  Soon, a slightly disheveled Eloisa approached her, a tray in her hands. Smiling sweetly, she took the seat opposite Catherine.

  "Well, are you feeling any better?" Catherine asked with care.

  "Yes, it's easier now. You know, thank you again for coming to see me..."

  "Oh!" a theatrical gasp suddenly sounded right by her ear, and a red-haired silhouette plopped onto the chair next to Catherine. "So you actually did what I told you to do!"

  "Reina, do not ruin my appetite," Catherine hissed in an icy tone, noticing how Eloisa was staring at the uninvited guest as if she were a foreign entity.

  "I'm the one ruining your appetite?" Reina dramatically pressed a hand to her chest. "Just imagine, Eloisa, this person still considers herself a ray of sunshine!"

  "What?!" Catherine whipped around to face Reina. "I told you: stop associating me with the characters from your idiotic novels!" she snapped, her voice rising in pitch.

  "Ha!" Reina scoffed. "I wasn't associating you with anyone. All the rest is purely your own fantasy."

  "What are you two even talking about?" Eloisa asked, blinking in confusion.

  "Just about books," Reina replied, smiling far too widely. "If you want, I can lend you one to read. I promise, your outlook on life will be changed forever after you read it!"

  "Don't read that trash, Eloisa, I'm serious," Catherine cut in, pointedly turning her back on her so-called friend.

  "Catherine, Catherine..." Reina shook her head in disappointment. "Sometimes there is more truth in novels than in the real world." She shifted her gaze back to Eloisa. "Anyway, if you ever feel like reading something genuinely interesting, come to me. I'm always ready to help. Unlike some people." Reina gave a meaningful nod toward Catherine, then rose gracefully from the table. "Bye-bye!" She waved her hand and sauntered leisurely toward the dining hall exit.

  "Absolutely unscrupulous," Catherine muttered, poking at her boiled carrot with her fork.

  Eloisa shrugged timidly.

  "So, what are all these novels she's talking about?" she inquired.

  "Nothing good. Just stupid, artificial love that isn't even worth discussing," Catherine answered harshly, her entire demeanor signaling that the subject was closed.

  "Ah... I wouldn't mind reading something about love," Eloisa sighed dreamily.

  "Let's go visit Lilian tomorrow instead," Catherine abruptly changed the subject. "She needs support; she hasn't even been coming down for dinner."

  Eloisa immediately deflated, lowering her gaze.

  "You're right. Let's go see her. Ever since the incident, she seems to have completely withdrawn into herself. I wouldn't want her to shut us out forever," she said sympathetically.

  "Then it's settled. I'll come by to get you tomorrow, and we'll go together," Catherine concluded decisively, staring down at her rapidly cooling chicken breast.

  "Alright, Catherine. I'll be waiting for you in my room," Eloisa smiled weakly.

  The rest of the dinner passed in a calm atmosphere of friendly conversation, the two of them willfully forgetting who had initiated this meeting, as well as the underlying reasons why Reina had needed it to happen so badly.

  Arbiter Visions installment, feel free to leave a comment with the character’s POV and the time period you’re interested in.