Chapter 278: The Workaholic

The moment they realized they had completely forgotten about Yuki, everyone bolted out of the meeting room to find her.

Luckily, they found her halfway there, already making her way into the palace on her own, luggage slung over her shoulder.

So amid rushed apologies and half-finished explanations, they ended up dragging her back to the throne room to catch her up on everything she’d missed during that month away.

"It was only four weeks..." Yuki murmured, and for once her neutral expression shifted to disbelief. "And it feels like I was gone for several years."

"Welcome to the club," Ely said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "We lived it in real time and we still can’t believe it either."

Mark, who had watched the scene from the throne, decided to shift the focus.

"Alright, we’ve talked about ourselves enough," he said with a smile at Yuki’s expression. "Now it’s your turn to talk. How did it go? Any complications?"

Yuki turned toward him, and her posture straightened instantly. Talking about work was what she did best.

"None," she replied quickly. "Everything went exactly as planned."

"I expected nothing less from you," he said with a smile. "So, how did things end up in the kingdom?"

"Luna’s siblings no longer pose any problem. I took care of most of them, including their father," she replied with complete calm. "Most of them were simple unfortunate accidents, so no one suspects anything."

"Who’s left alive?"

"Only the submissive ones and those who accepted Luna’s leadership without argument," she said with a shrug. "They’re no threat, so I left them alive... their loyalty, even if it’s out of fear, is useful to Luna."

"So, in practical terms..."

"Luna is the absolute ruler," Yuki concluded her report. "No one has the strength to overshadow her anymore, and the throne is hers, without dispute."

Mark leaned back against the throne, quite satisfied.

"You did an excellent job, Yuki," he said sincerely. "I knew that if anyone could handle something this delicate without leaving loose ends, it was you."

Yuki bowed her head slightly, though those who knew her could catch the faintest trace of pride at the corner of her lips.

"And how did Luna take it?" Mark asked after a moment, in a more careful tone. "They were still her family... however troublesome they were."

Yuki thought about it for a moment before answering.

"At first she seemed sad, and there were even days when she barely spoke," she said in her usual flat tone. "But she got over it faster than I expected... she’s stronger than she looks."

"I see..."

"It seems she understood it was the price she had to pay for the throne, and she decided to move forward," Yuki explained with a shrug. "And by the time I left, she’d already gotten back her usual attitude."

"Glad to hear that," Mark confessed with a relieved sigh. "I like Luna quite a bit."

The conversation came to a natural close, and for a few seconds neither of them said anything. However, silence never lasted too long when Yuki had something on her mind.

"So... What’s my next mission?", she said, straightening up.

"Huh?" Mark frowned, clearly confused. "Your next mission?"

"Yeah, I can leave immediately if it’s urgent."

Mark looked at her for a moment and ended up letting out a quiet laugh.

"Yuki, you just got back... the last thing I’m going to do is send you back to work."

His smile widened slightly.

"In fact, your next mission is exactly the opposite," he said, clearly amused by the situation. "Rest, relax, and do whatever you feel like."

"But—"

"No buts," Mark ordered. "You’ve earned it."

"I agree," Aria cut in.

"You work harder than all of us combined and you never complain," Ely added. "Take advantage of it."

Yuki, however, didn’t receive the news with the relief one might expect.

She stayed quiet, and for an instant an uncomfortable expression crossed her face, as if she’d been presented with a problem she had no answer for.

"...Honestly, there’s nothing I want to do," she murmured finally, looking away.

"What do you mean, nothing?", Aria tilted her head.

"Other than being at the Master’s side and being useful to him, I don’t have anything else," Yuki confessed, somewhat embarrassed. "My work is the only thing I know how to do... And the only thing I’m interested in doing."

The silence that followed had a different quality to it.

It wasn’t discomfort, but concern.

"Wait a moment," Aria said, moving closer, frowning. "Don’t you have any hobbies? Nothing you do just because you enjoy it?"

"..."

"Not reading, not walking, not collecting something?" Ely pressed, incredulous. "Anything that isn’t killing or working?"

"...Does sex with the Master count?" Yuki asked, somewhat uncomfortable with all the attention she was generating.

"No," Aria replied, frowning slightly.

"You have to be kidding me..." Alice added, still unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Nobody can live only for work, Yuki," Rose added, shaking her head. "It’s not healthy... we all need something that’s ours."

"Then it’s decided!" Aria exclaimed, clapping her hands, the sound echoing through the room.

Then she planted herself in front of Yuki, hands on her hips.

"We’re going to find you a hobby," she announced. "Whatever it takes."

"There’s no need for you all to bother with—"

"And we’re starting right now," Ely cut her off, grabbing her by the arm.

"Wait, seriously—"

"Relax, it’s going to be fun," Rose assured her, taking her by the other arm.

And so, without giving her any chance to escape, the four of them began dragging a weakly protesting Yuki toward the exit.

Her protests, however, lacked any real force, and she ended up going along with a resignation that, to anyone paying close attention, hid something resembling the warmth of feeling included.

Mark watched them leave, amused.

He knew it was pointless to stop them once they’d set their minds on something, and he didn’t want to anyway.

It would do Yuki good to have something of her own, something that didn’t revolve around duty or bloodshed.

Someone as devoted as her deserved to learn to enjoy something for the simple pleasure of doing it.

Once the room fell silent, Mark got to his feet and stretched.

He still had one matter left to handle before the calm broke again.

’I should go find Emilia,’ he thought, walking down the throne’s steps. ’And take the chance to finally stop by that treasure vault.’

Because if there was even a single thing in that old storeroom of forgotten relics that could be useful to him, he’d rather find out before setting off.