Picking up the old clothes and trying them on, Princess Veronica found they fit perfectly, and she smiled as she expressed her gratitude,
"Thank you, it's really been a bother today."
"You're welcome, after all, you are... well... it seems a bit late."
Seeing the princess quietly stifle a small yawn, her eyelids also a bit heavy, Anna gently reminded her with a smile,
"Sister, you've had a long day, so I won't disturb your rest. My room is right next door, so call me if you need anything."
After seeing Anna out of the room, Princess Veronica removed the ill-fitting dress and changed into Leon's old clothes. The sleepiness that had been on her face suddenly vanished.
Silently slipping under the covers, she sighed softly, lying on Leon's small bed, staring steadily at the slightly worn-out ceiling above.
*Falling asleep was naturally impossible. The original princess had gathered all the conditions needed, just one step away from fulfilling her dream.*
*But in the blink of an eye, she disappeared inexplicably from everyone's memory. She couldn't even go home and had to rely on the intelligence she had on Leon to get food and shelter, lest she end up on the streets.*
*She now needed enough time to think, to ponder her own future, to find a way to retrieve everything she had lost. For Princess Veronica, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.*
*However, she was not the only one destined to be sleepless tonight, as Anna next door was the same.*
*So, brother is really going to get married...*
Equally sleepless, lying in bed, the frail girl stared at the ceiling for a while before turning her head to glance in the direction of Leon's room.
*The sudden appearance of this beautiful "sister-in-law" completely shattered the reality Anna was most unwilling to face... that Leon would eventually have his own family.*
*And once Leon had a family of his own, with his own wife and children, even if he still recognized her as his sister with no blood relation, they were destined not to be as close as they were now.*
*At that time, Leon would likely move out, and the one keeping a warm meal for him, waiting under the light for his return, would be another woman, not herself...*
*And besides, there was that strange man with a crying face!*
Recalling the mysterious man who "visited" a few days ago, Anna felt a chill run through her body, shrinking back under the covers. She then looked toward the next room with a deeply complex expression.
*If that man really took the "photo" and made Leon forget everything, she could have tried to find him, to see if they could become family in another way.*
*But now, brother already had a fiancée, so could she... still stay by his side? Would her home... still continue to exist?*
With her heart full of melancholy and worry, after staring at Leon's room for a while, she thought of that woman, perfect to the point where she had no way, not even able to dislike her. In the tangled mess of her thoughts, a strong, peculiar notion faintly emerged.
*If... if I were her... how wonderful would that be?*
A rather strange sound came from the small mirror Leon used to store things. Young Ha, secretly gnawing on the sniper rifle barrel, jumped in surprise.
Releasing the sniper rifle barrel from its mouth, Young Ha shook its little golden fur, turned to look at the pile of miscellaneous items Leon had thrown in, and carefully extended a paw to nudge around, finding the source of the strange noise.
(This photo... something's not right, is it?)
Looking at the photo on the ground, gently trembling, the images on it shifting from three people to one, Young Ha tilted its head in confusion, feeling it should inform Leon of this.
"Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!"
(Leon! Something's wrong, Leon! Take the mirror out of your pocket!)
However, without knowing why, Young Ha barked outside the small mirror for a long time, even nudged its nose out to push him, yet received no response.
Growing anxious, Young Ha circled around before using its shiny black nose to sniff Leon's scent, following the constantly shifting boundary of the Mirror World, finally finding an exit relatively close to Leon.
"Woof woo... woof woo..."
(So, he was drunk... Humans are really unreliable...)
With its head poking out from the bottle of whiskey, Young Ha looked at Leon, lying on the table with glazed eyes, pouting speechlessly. It was about to try to bite him awake, to inform Leon about the photo exhibited strange changes in the Mirror World, when...
"What? Do you want a taste too?"
The Red-haired Director, eyes hazy with intoxication, extended red lacquered fingertips to pinch Young Ha's scruff, lifting it from the bottle of whiskey with a chuckle and, ignoring its horrified expression, pressed a bottle to its mouth.
"Don't be shy, it's my treat today! Whether human or dog, I guarantee you'll drink your fill!"
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"
Just as the unfortunate Young Ha bumped into the Red-haired Director's hand, forced to stand in for Leon as a little drinking buddy, the photo in the Mirror World, ceaselessly making noises, finally began to quiet down.