TWRM 02

Chapter 2

Selina inherited Secret Moonlight from her mother, Stella.
Thus, she became the second Madam—but no one ever noticed that the owner had changed.

She began tidying up the shop, putting the slightly displaced furniture back in its place and sweeping away the dust that had gathered from so many visitors.

“Meow!”
Out of nowhere, a black cat leapt out and rubbed itself affectionately against Selina’s leg.

Even at its adorable display, Selina continued sweeping with an indifferent expression. She even nudged the cat away with her foot, as if it were a nuisance.

“I’m cleaning, so don’t get in the way. Go somewhere else.”

“Meow—!”
The cat protested indignantly, flicking its tail against the floor, but Selina paid no attention.
Seeing she wouldn’t turn around, the cat finally jumped onto the desk and flopped down.

Clatter—
The frame on the desk wobbled from the cat’s movement. Selina quickly caught it.

“Luna! Be careful! What if this broke?”

The cat, Luna, turned her head away as if she hadn’t heard and sprawled across the desk. Selina sighed deeply at the shameless sight.

“That’s Mom’s photo, so be careful next time.”

She set the frame back down on the desk.
Inside it was a picture of a young Selina, her expression far too stoic for her age. Beside her stood a woman with red hair and gentle green eyes—Stella—smiling softly as she rested her hands on the little girl’s shoulders.

Click.

After finishing the cleaning, Selina checked the locks one more time and slipped out through the back door.
She never used the front door when coming or going.

There were always “rats” lurking nearby, trying to uncover the Madam’s identity—and since her home was right above the shop, there was no reason to go through the main entrance.

The building that housed Secret Moonlight had belonged to Stella—now, it belonged to Selina.

After a long, tiring day, she trudged upstairs.
Light and the smell of food wafted from the front door.
Someone was inside—though she already had a pretty good guess who it was.

“Uncle.”

“Oh! Selina! Done with work already?”

A middle-aged man with soft brown hair and eyes greeted her with a warm smile.
He wore an apron, and there was dough smudged across his cheek—apparently in the middle of cooking.

Even after all these years, his handsome features hadn’t faded. The faint wrinkles on his face only added to his charm.

His name was Frymon—Stella’s closest friend, and to Selina, an uncle and family.

Though half a year had passed since Stella’s death, Frymon still visited regularly.

Selina’s usually blank expression softened.

“Uncle, you’ve got dough on your face.”

“Ah, really?”

When she wiped it off with a handkerchief, Frymon’s face flushed red. He laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

“I made a few dishes. I could tell you haven’t been eating properly—there’s nothing decent in this house.”

“Well… I can survive on one meal a day…”

“That won’t do! You’re still growing—you have to eat well!”

It was rare for Frymon to raise his voice, and even then, it was more concern than anger.

“Come, you must be hungry. You’ve worked hard again today.”

“It smells delicious. It feels like forever since I’ve had your cooking—maybe a month?”

“Sorry I haven’t come by often. Work’s been overwhelming lately…”

“Oh, please. If you came any more often, it’d be dereliction of duty, Your Eminence. A cardinal shouldn’t have too much free time.”

“Still…”

“I’m grown up now. I’m not a four-year-old kid anymore.”

“…That’s true. Sixteen is grown—but not quite an adult yet. You still need someone to look after you.”

His warm concern melted away the exhaustion of her day.

“Oh dear, the food’s getting cold. Let’s eat.”

They sat down and served themselves.
Before eating, Frymon clasped his hands and prayed.

“Moon God Lunios, thank you for blessing us with this meal. Please be with us through the rest of this day.”

After a short prayer, he opened his eyes and smiled.

“Alright then—let’s eat.”

“Thank you for the food.”

Clink.
The quiet sound of utensils filled the room as they ate peacefully.

“Meow~”
Luna brushed against Frymon’s leg.

He chuckled softly, set aside a small portion of food, and placed it on the floor. Luna sniffed it and began to eat contentedly.

When they were nearly done, Frymon suddenly spoke.

“Selina, what do you plan to do from now on?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Caught off guard, Selina blinked.

“I mean your life.”

When he clarified, her spoon stopped midair.

“You don’t have to follow in Stella’s footsteps, you know. There must be something you want to do.”

“…I might not handle things as well as Mom did, but my eyes are better than hers. You know that, Uncle.”

“That’s true… But it’s still not what you want, is it?”

“…When has the world ever gone the way I wanted? We can’t always do what we wish—and even if we do, there’s no guarantee it’ll work out. I might not like this job, but I think it’s my calling.”

“You’re still young, Selina. You can’t live alone forever. Why not try something new—meet new people?”

Despite her polite refusal, he kept pressing gently. Her violet eyes gazed at him steadily.

“If you have something to say, just say it. No need to dance around it.”

“Ah… you caught me. I can’t hide anything from those eyes.”

“Even without using my ability, your emotions are always written all over your face. How do you even manage as a cardinal like that?”

“Haha! Only you and Stella ever said that to me. Most people can’t read me at all, you know.”

Selina smirked and shrugged.

“So? What are you trying to say?”

Frymon pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her.

It looked like a letter—fine parchment sealed with red wax, too elegant for a commoner.
There was no sender’s name.

“What’s this?”

“Why don’t you open it and see?”

His cryptic smile made her uneasy, but she broke the seal and began to read.

Frymon sipped his tea quietly, waiting for her reaction.

“U-Uncle!”

Selina suddenly shouted—something she rarely did.

Having expected this, Frymon had already covered his ears. When she finished, he lowered his hands.

“Finished reading?”

“What is this? It’s not even an application—it’s an admission letter!”

“Exactly. The entrance ceremony is in two weeks, so I needed to let you know soon.”

“What—!? I have no intention of going to an academy!”

Flutter—
The letter slipped from her hands to the floor.
Luna padded over, batting at it with her paw.

Across the page were the words “Perion Academy Admission Letter,” with Selina’s name written neatly below.

“But you’re already enrolled. Tuition’s paid in full.”

“Uncle! Even for you, this is too much—!”

“It wasn’t my idea. It was Stella’s.”

Her raised voice faltered.
Her chest rose and fell once—then stilled. She bit her lip and sank into her chair.
Her eyes demanded an explanation.

“It’s something Stella planned long ago. She worried because you never socialized with kids your age—only with people you already knew. I was worried, too.”

Selina couldn’t argue with that.
Throughout her life, she’d only made three friends—all through her mother’s connections—and only one remained in contact.

“And she wanted you to see more of the world. If she were still alive, she’d be the one giving you that letter now.”

“…You’re sure this is really what Mom wanted?”

“Yes. She asked me, when her illness worsened.”

Even with his explanation, Selina couldn’t accept it.

Perion Academy was a prestigious institution reserved for the empire’s prodigies.
But Selina had no interest in academics—and attending the academy would mean being dragged into that person’s so-called destiny. Why start such trouble?

“Meow.”
Selina frowned as Luna toyed with the letter on the floor.

“Fine. Let’s say it was Mom’s will. But why an admission letter? I never applied or took any entrance exam.”

“Oh, that part I handled. Even if I convinced you to take the test, you’d just fail on purpose. So, I… used a little influence to make sure you couldn’t escape.”

“Tch.”

Just as he predicted, she clicked her tongue sharply.
If she had known her mother wanted her to attend, she might have taken the exam—but she certainly wouldn’t have gone through with enrollment.

Even if it was her mother’s dying wish, she wanted nothing to do with a destiny she’d rather avoid.

Selina puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Frymon.

“I’m going to report you to the temple for corruption.”

“This hardly qualifies as corruption, my dear.”

“Ugh! I really don’t want to go to that academy…”

“Think of it as an opportunity. You can’t live here alone forever.”

“I like being alone! Being around people is exhausting.”

“Now, now…”

Frymon stood and patted her back gently.
Selina lifted her head from the table and glared at him—but his usual kind smile softened her again.

After a moment, she rose and hugged him around the waist.

Though surprised by the sudden embrace, he soon placed a warm hand on her head and stroked her hair.