Chapter 32
A space stretched out before me, filled with nothing but endless black.
I recognized it — it was the place where I first met "Yuka."
Standing in front of me were two women.
One was Yuka, the embodiment of my feminine side, my other half.
And the other—
"My, so you’re the owner of this body. And I suppose I’m... your past life, am I?
A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Lumière, a descendant of the 'White Clan' — a demon race that no longer exists. This is our first meeting, isn’t it? Consider this a formal introduction."
There stood an unbelievably beautiful girl who called herself Lumière.
She smiled warmly as she spoke to me.
She looked about fifteen or sixteen — the same age as Lord Albert.
Her hair, sleek and flowing down to her waist, seemed woven from the darkness of night itself.
Her obsidian eyes gleamed eerily, reflecting the faintest glimmers of light.
Her skin was pure white, flawless and fine like freshly fallen snow.
Her features were sharply defined, leaving a striking, almost glamorous impression.
She was tall, probably around 180 centimeters.
Despite her full, voluptuous chest, her waist was taut and slender, her hips full and well-shaped — a perfect figure.
She wore a gown fit for a nobleman's daughter, looking as if she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.
She performed a curtsy — I think that's what it's called — drawing one foot slightly behind the other, bending her front knee just a touch, pinching her skirt lightly between her fingers and lifting it delicately.
The motion was elegant, just like an aristocratic young lady.
"H-hi, nice to meet you. I'm Yuya Aiba.
...Y-Yuka, who exactly is this Lumière?"
"Just like she said — she’s our past life.
And she’s also the 'monster' that lives inside us."
"'Monster'... You mean her?"
"...Yuya, do you remember what I told you before?"
"You said there was something incredible sealed inside me, right?
But... Lumière-san doesn’t seem that way at all."
I recalled what Yuka had told me in this morning’s dream —
how something unbelievable had been born inside me from the start.
Still, looking at Lumière, she hardly seemed dangerous.
But Yuuka shook her head firmly.
"She’s on a completely different level.
The amount of magical power she holds is absurd — enough to blanket the entire world.
Even if you combined all the magic of everyone at the mansion, including Lord Albert, it still wouldn’t come close."
"Wha... seriously?!"
"That’s why I called her a monster.
Though... there’s another reason, too."
"Another reason?"
"The other reason is—"
"My, how awful.
Calling me a monster upon our first meeting?"
Lumière interjected into our conversation, still smiling sweetly.
"What else am I supposed to call someone who’s trying to take over my body?"
"...Huh?"
There was something I couldn’t just ignore in what she said.
Take over my body? What was she talking about?
"That’s not fair.
I have no intention of harming you.
Right now, you and I are one and the same, aren’t we?
I wouldn’t go so far as to strangle myself.
I don’t want to take over your body — I just want to borrow it a little."
"That’s the same thing!
And there’s no way I’m letting you do something that dangerous!"
"Oh, come now.
Lord Noir — or rather, Lord Albert, as he’s called in this life —
I just want to get a little closer to him, that’s all."
"...What exactly is Lord Albert to you?"
"He’s everything to me.
Body and soul, I belong to him.
I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy the world if it meant pleasing him."
She declared it without the slightest hesitation.
There was no trace of falsehood in her eyes.
"And besides—
I can’t stand the thought of anyone else getting close to Lord Noir... or Lord Albert, as he is now.
All he needs to do is look at me.
The rest are nothing but obstacles.
And obstacles, well... fufu... need to be punished."
The sweet smile on Lumière’s face twisted, just slightly.
The light vanished from her eyes, leaving them hollow and dead.
It felt like being thrown into a storm of raging fire and freezing cold all at once.
Honestly, it was terrifying.
"...That's the other reason," Yuka said quietly.
"She'll stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
If she judges something to be a threat to Lord Albert, she’ll eliminate it without a second thought.
If she says she’ll destroy the world, she’ll do it — without a hint of hesitation."
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