Everything had come so suddenly.
Alright, perhaps it wasn't so sudden after all.
Bronya had used two days and one night to mentally prepare herself.
But she still wasn't ready.
She couldn't connect with the "Bronya" of those "lost years."
That "Bronya" and the current "Bronya" felt like two completely different people.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…"
Bronya stared blankly at the living room ceiling.
She was simply covered by a silvery silk sheet. Her smooth, fair, jade-like arms and messy silver hair cascaded over the edge of the sofa, glowing with a hazy light in the clear morning glow.
Her long, rounded legs were slightly raised, tracing an elegant line on the smooth silver fabric that covered them.
And that pair of black-stockinged feet peeked out, suspended in mid-air.
"Last night…"
How did she get through last night?
It was already a blur for Bronya.
She remembered the beginning, but in the latter half of the night, she only felt like a small boat in a stormy sea, one moment thrown to the crest of a giant wave, the next plunging into a trough.
Where she was headed was no longer up to her.
The right to steer was entirely in her husband's hands.
Poor Bronya could only be at his mercy, drifting with the current.
Of course, she had resisted at first.
Even if he was her husband,
Even if their sweet photos together were scattered all over the room,
Even if their wedding photo hung above the bed in their new home,
Even if her husband had been so considerate to her over the past two days,
Even if… even with all that…
It was impossible for Bronya to completely accept the "Bronya of the past."
Bronya couldn't help but recall her time at the orphanage, her time at St. Freya Academy.
Her memories were still stuck in the innocent era of her girlhood, yet now she was a married woman. Time truly was an incredible thing.
But her husband gave her no time to reminisce; even hesitation was not allowed.
In that moment, Bronya's confusion instantly turned to shock.
Then her mind went blank, and she could only stare at her husband in a daze.
She still struggled subconsciously, but not for long, only for an instant. Then, she inwardly resigned herself to her fate. "Since it has already come to this…"
Since things had already progressed this far, resisting any further would be pointless.
Besides, protesting at this point… wouldn't it hurt her husband's feelings too much?
Thinking this, Bronya's already delicate and powerless hands slowly fell to her sides.
Her memory of the next two hours was still very clear.
But after that, and after that… it gradually became a blur.
Bronya found it hard to understand how her husband, who looked so refined, gentle, and elegant, could harbor such tempestuous strength.
It was like the rolling waves of the ocean, endless and relentless.
Speaking of the ocean… a deep blue figure flashed through Bronya's mind.
"Seele…"
Bronya stared at the ceiling with vacant eyes.
When the final, resonating note of the song faded, Bronya couldn't make sense of her own thoughts anymore.
But one emotion that definitely shouldn't be there was sadness.
Being intimate with her husband was only natural and right.
Besides, no matter how much she resisted, her body as a woman couldn't refuse.
To be precise… it was Bronya who couldn't refuse Ye Feng as her husband.
Satisfaction.
It was a feeling she had never experienced in her innocent girlish years.
Recalling last night, how her body had craved it so much…
Bronya felt ashamed all over again.
"…Bronya… shouldn't be like this. Bronya isn't… that kind of woman… right…"
More than being intimate with her husband, Bronya was more concerned about her own response last night.
It was almost like…
Never mind. What's done is done; there was no point in dwelling on it.
Bronya's mouth felt dry and her throat bitter, but she didn't want to lift a single finger.
"Here."
Ye Feng appeared at just the right time.
He was always so timely; he could always sense what she needed.
He stood there, holding a glass of clear water, his back to the morning light, making his entire figure seem to shine.
"…Th-Thank you."
Bronya's silver eyes gazed at Ye Feng. Unlike before, they now held a faint hint of a smile.
She raised a limp hand, but Ye Feng stopped her.
He sat down beside the silver-haired beauty, looked at Big Duck Duck's languid and charming appearance, and said with loving pity, "You worked hard last night. Let me feed you."
"Mmm…"
Bronya felt a pang of shyness.
Worked hard… really. Don't say things like that, it's embarrassing.
Then she saw her husband tilt his head back and take a large gulp of the warm water from the glass.
Wait, why are you drinking it yourself?
You said you were going to feed Bronya… Mmph…
Ye Feng lowered his head, sealing Big Duck Duck's soft cherry lips.
---o---
…
"…nya… Bro…nya… Bronya, wake up."
A buzzing, insect-like voice came from far to near. Bronya, who was slumped over her desk, slowly opened her eyes.
A strong sense of fatigue seemed to linger in her body, yet sitting up felt so effortless.
The dusk-filled classroom was dyed in a crimson tranquility.
Bronya's spiral twintails hung over her shoulders as she looked dazedly at Kiana, who had shaken her awake. Sister Mei stood to the side with a faint smile.
"This is rare. Even Bronya falls asleep in class."
"Mhm, mhm. Looks like you were telling the truth about not resting well last night. You didn't have a strange dream, did you?"
Bronya stared blankly at Kiana and Mei, a sense of loss in her eyes.
Mei smiled. "Alright, school's over. We should head back to the dorm."
"Mm."
Bronya nodded, stood up, and took a step forward.
Thud—
Her numb legs remained in place; only her upper body lurched forward.
Bronya fell to the floor.
"Bronya!"
"Are you alright?"
Kiana and Mei, who had already turned to leave, rushed back in a panic.
They had never imagined that Bronya, who was so accustomed to her exoskeleton, would suddenly fall.
"Bronya, what's wrong?" Mei asked, her voice urgent and concerned.
Kiana, beside her, was just as worried.
"Bronya…"
Bronya stared blankly at her own legs. The prosthetic armor was fitted snugly against them, completely devoid of the lightness of black silk.
Bronya floated up again, her face wearing its usual inorganic expression. "Bronya is fine. I probably just woke up and have low blood sugar."
"You look really tired. I can carry you back. This young lady is very strong, you know."
Kiana made a bodybuilder's pose.
"N-No, that's not necessary… Bronya is fine."
She got up and floated toward the classroom door. She paused at the entrance and looked back at her two friends.
"Aren't you coming?"
Kiana and Mei exchanged a glance.
"Eh, eh. Coming."
"…"
The setting sun was exceptionally red today.
On the way back to the dormitory, the slanting sunlight stretched the three girls' shadows long and thin.
"Bronya, don't try to act tough if there's something wrong with your body."
"There's nothing wrong. Bronya is perfectly normal."