ENG-Leriana-What Remains Unspoken

CHAPTER 48 "What Remains Unspoken" Anastasia’s house slowly returns to its usual rhythm. Voices return softly, footsteps lose their urgency, and the sound of bottles, mortars, and cloth once again fills the space as it always has. From the outside, nothing seems different from any other day. But inside, something has changed. And Anastasia knows it. The afternoon passes calmly. The soldiers rest in different rooms, recovering their strength after the battle. Bermen and Naelis maintain a discreet presence, not interfering with the flow of the house, observing more than they speak. Forau remains seated at one of the tables, apparently calm, though his posture reveals the exhaustion building inside him. He does not complain. He never would. Leriana has spent most of the time helping with simple tasks, organizing jars, checking bandages, cleaning utensils. Automatic movements, almost mechanical. But her mind is elsewhere. Anastasia watches her from the other side of the room for a while. Without interrupting. Without drawing attention. Simply waiting for the right moment. And when she finds it— “Leriana, come here for a moment.” Her voice is soft. Natural. But firm. Leriana lifts her head and immediately nods, setting aside what she was doing before approaching calmly. “Of course.” Anastasia leads her toward a more secluded table, farther from the others, where the light enters more clearly through a side window. It is not hidden, nor completely private. But it is enough. A place to talk. Anastasia picks up a small bottle and begins cleaning it calmly before speaking, as though the motion itself helps carry the words. “You did well today.” It is not exaggerated praise. It is a statement. Leriana lowers her gaze slightly. “I only did what I had to do. Maintain the formation… help.” Anastasia smiles faintly. “Not everyone can do ‘just that.’” The response is calm, but weighted. Leriana falls silent. She does not quite know how to answer. Anastasia sets the bottle aside and lightly leans against the table, watching her carefully. Not harshly. Not judgmentally. With experience. “Keeping an entire group standing during a battle like that is not something common, Leriana. It’s not a matter of effort or willpower. It’s… something else.” She pauses briefly. Not to make her uncomfortable. But to make her think. “You never showed real exhaustion,” she continues. “Your flow of magic remained stable from beginning to end. Even afterward.” Leriana gently tightens her hands together. She had not thought about it that way. Not like that. “I… just kept going,” she says quietly. “It didn’t feel like I was doing anything unusual.” Anastasia slowly nods. As if that answer confirms something. “That’s the problem.” She does not say it harshly. But clearly. “For you, it isn’t unusual. But for everyone else, it is.” Silence settles between them for several seconds. Not uncomfortable. But deep. Leriana slowly raises her gaze. “Do you think… I did something wrong?” The question is sincere. And vulnerable. Anastasia gently shakes her head. “No. You did exactly what you were supposed to do.” She pauses for a moment. Then adds in a slightly quieter tone, “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t understand it.” The words are not meant to pressure her. They are meant to protect her. Anastasia straightens slightly, calmly crossing her arms. “Your grandfather knew what he was doing when he sent you here.” The statement falls softly. But it carries weight. Leriana goes still. She does not answer immediately. “He didn’t explain everything to me,” Anastasia continues. “He never was the type to give complete explanations.” A faint smile appears on her face, filled with old memories. “But he did make one thing clear.” Leriana looks at her. Attentive. “That I was supposed to protect you.” Not because of weakness. Not because of immediate danger. But because of something more complicated. Silence returns. Longer this time. Leriana lowers her gaze. Her fingers intertwine softly. “There are things… I don’t know how to explain very well,” she finally says carefully. “Sometimes they just… happen. I don’t feel like I’m doing anything different.” Anastasia listens without interrupting. “And other times… I do,” Leriana adds in a quieter voice. “But I try not to think too much about it.” There it is. Not a full confession. But enough. Anastasia does not push her. Does not ask more. She does not need to. “That’s alright,” she replies calmly. “Not everything has to be understood immediately.” She steps a little closer, resting a gentle hand on the table near Leriana’s without quite touching it. “But there is something you need to understand clearly.” Leriana raises her eyes. “What you have… is not something you should use thoughtlessly.” It is not a harsh warning. It is guidance. “Today you handled it well. You kept control, protected the others, and didn’t lose yourself. That’s what matters.” A brief pause. “As long as you continue down that path, you won’t have a problem.” Leriana slowly nods. She breathes a little more calmly now. She does not have all the answers. But she does not need them yet. Anastasia picks up the bottle again, naturally resuming the motion she began with, as though the conversation had only been another brief pause in the day. “Rest tonight,” she says softly. “Tomorrow everything will seem simpler.” Leriana lets out a small smile. “I hope so.” She slowly stands and takes a step back, but before leaving, she pauses for a moment. She looks at Anastasia. As if she wants to say something more. But she does not. She simply nods. And walks away. Anastasia watches her leave. In silence. Thoughtful. She does not know exactly what Leriana is hiding. Not yet. But she knows one thing with certainty. What she saw today… is not Leriana’s limit. It is only the beginning.