Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 74: Names, Part Three

The dimly lit alleys stretched before Zura, each step echoing the weight of her contemplative thoughts.

As she approached the inconspicuous building that served as her gang’s headquarters, a sense of trepidation gripped her. The worn-out leather-clad figure awaited her, his silhouette bathed in the dim glow of a flickering streetlight.

That encounter with Lianna and Enverna lingered in her mind.

The easy, comfortable smiles the two of them dished out. The way it looked as though they could talk around each other without having to worry about hidden agendas or looming betrayals.

It was enough to make Zura feel quite jealous.

"Zura, my loyal girl. Got another job for you," the burly figure said, the air thick with a combination of authority and veiled menace. "I need you to sign up for the Annual Guild Assessment. That’s all."

Zura raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What?"

"What do you mean ’what’?"

"I thought you didn’t give a shit about the guild. You’ve spent the last three months telling me I’m making a mistake joining them. What changed?"

The figure smirked, his tone dripping with condescension.

"Do you really think I’m gonna confide in a Hellan? You’re lucky I haven’t thrown you out to the streets with your arms and knees broken."

Ouch.

Zura bit the insides of her cheeks.

"I’m no snitch."

"That’s exactly what your parents said," he replied. "And, look where that got us. I still got people locked up because of them. Just sign up for the fucking event and stay quiet. You understand?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Anger flowed freely throughout Zura’s veins.

The boss gave a dismissive wave and Zura left the shadowy confines of the makeshift headquarters, the implications of the new assignment lingering in her thoughts, an unanswered question in her mind.

[What the hell is going on?]

She had nothing even close to an answer.

As she navigated the alleys once again, her steps carried a sense of perplexity.

The slums, with their crumbling structures and the intermittent flickering of faulty streetlights, mirrored the uncertainty that clouded her thoughts.

But, Zura just kept on walking.

[Just do what you’re told, Zura. Saren knows life would be better if your parents had.]

---

{October 21}

{Enverna}

In preparation for the upcoming tourney, Lianna suggested they head back to the training center Miss Taylor had given them access to. Nothing they did in that place would have a real effect on their attributes, but Lianna still figured it would be good for mental preparation.

"Um, hey, G.E.M."

"Yes?" The android replied to Lianna as she and Enverna got ready to put on their headsets.

"Even if this isn’t going to make us physically stronger... Could this affect our Skills? Like, our Blade and Block and all that?"

"Yes." The android replied with a bored tone, with her visor showing a green light. "Developing skills is more about making your techniques and processes better than it is about altering your bodies. That said, physical skills will grow faster than magical ones. Developing your magical skills, Healing Magic, Summoning Magic, Utility Magic, and Combat Magic, in real life benefits from feeling your mana being spent. A sensation this training cannot completely replicate."

"I suppose that makes sense," Enverna murmured. "Though, with our respective potentials, it would likely take a very, very high amount of time before we ever saw real results. Hence why we got engaged to begin with."

Lianna heard that and sauntered over to her.

"You could at least pretend you married me for my looks."

Enverna looked away. The realization she’d recently had made it too difficult to meet the girl’s eyes.

Still, she managed to squeeze out:

"Would you not prefer I pretend I married you out of love?"

"That’d just be embarrassing," Lianna replied with a bubbling giggle. "Plus, at least the lie that you married me for my appearance does have some. basis. in. reality~"

Lianna stuck her hips out, just in case what she was implying had gone over Enverna’s head.

"I-"

Enverna stopped.

She couldn’t deny it.

Literally, she couldn’t.

Ever since she realized she liked women, the stranglehold Lianna’s hips had over her mind’s eye went from that of a simple haunting to outright possession.

"Wait a minute..." Lianna murmured.

Then, Lianna grinned, like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"YOU’RE BLUSHING!"

"I am not!"

"Holy shit, Envy!" Lianna went in front of her. "You’re actually starting to think I’m hot, aren’t you?"

Lianna had no idea how right she was.

"Ugh," Enverna looked away. "Do not flatter yourself."

"Aw. Sure. I’ll just let my curves do the talking." She walked with the most exaggerated hip-swinging Enverna had ever seen then, all the way over to her headset.

G.E.M. clicked.

Both girls noticed.

"Uh, G.E.M.? What-"

"Oh, do not mind me. I was just recording you."

Enverna blinked.

"May I ask why?"

"My owner’s policy. I am tasked with recording the ongoings of this place so that my mistress might review the footage and find any infractions later. Do not worry," she added, "public displays of affection do not count as an infraction... Yet."

---

{Lianna}

The Player’s Competitive Association stood before them. Located to the west of Telvan, it was a beacon of energy.

Lianna could tell with just a glance that Enverna’s thoughts were clouding her mind the whole way through.

[Seriously, what happened with Xi? She’s been so... weird lately..]

"Enverna... Is anything on your mind?" Due to the simmering guess Lianna had as to what was causing this, her question came off almost sounding like a challenge.

She couldn’t help it. On one hand, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. On the other, she’d been so blatant in her curiosity that truly, this was all Lianna could assume was happening.

[I don’t want to scare her off or anything, though...]

Enverna’s gaze involuntarily lingered on Lianna, a subtle frown forming on her usually refined features.

"It’s nothing, really. Just the... unfamiliarity of it all," Enverna replied, flourishing her hand at their surroundings, her words betraying a hint of uncertainty.

"Oh? Is the prospect of fame and glory scaring you, for once?"

A flush crept onto Enverna’s cheeks, an admission of vulnerability she seldom displayed.

"It’s not the fame and glory that’s the issue, Lianna. It’s the..." She trailed off.

Lianna tilted her head.

"The...?"

Annoyance flickered in Enverna’s eyes as she pried her eyes away from Lianna’s.

"This isn’t the time for it. Let’s just focus on the registration. We’ve got more pressing matters at hand."

Lianna’s grin persisted, though she let the matter go, for now.

Navigating through the registration process, Lianna couldn’t shake the feeling that her fiance’s inner turmoil was the result of her heart navigating uncharted waters.

[I’ll ease up for a bit, though. Maybe I’m pushing her too much.]

Suddenly, Lianna noticed someone out of the corner of her eyes.

Zura was at the far end of the row of chairs Lianna and Enverna were seated in, her presence tucked away by dim lighting and her reclusive aura. Her stern face looked even more frustrated than usual.

Lianna, unfazed by the shell she was trying to materialize between them, went to say hi.

With a casual stride, Lianna rose from her seat and walked over to where Zura sat. Enverna watched the interaction with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Hey there!" Lianna greeted, her voice cutting through the subdued atmosphere of the room. Zura’s eyes, flickering with a mix of surprise and irritation, reluctantly met Lianna’s gaze.

"What do you want?" Zura responded, her tone gruff and defensive, as if expecting an intrusion. Lianna, however, was unaffected by the brusqueness.

"Just saying hi, you know? We’re guildies, after all. Might as well get to know each other a bit," Lianna replied with a playful grin.

Zura’s jaw tensed.

"Look, I’ve got things to do. I don’t need your company," Zura retorted, her frustration simmering beneath the surface. Lianna, however, seemed undeterred.

"Fair enough," Lianna finally gave up. With a shrug and a smile, she went back to her seat.

"Heh, that went well," Enverna murmured sarcastically.

"What can I say? I see a cute girl I wanna introduce myself. Can’t help it."

"I guess we all have our weak points."

"Strengths, you mean?"

"Sure. Sure."

At that moment, a message appeared. It dragged Lianna’s eyes off her fiance, forcing her to read:

{Prevent the assassination of President Aria}

[Huh?]

Lianna did a double-take, looking back and forth between the message and the girl she’d just spoken to.

[You mean...]

To confirm it, the message disappeared and appeared again.

{Prevent the assassination of President Aria}

[WHAT!? Is Zura involved???]

"Lianna? Are you alright?"

The crimson-haired girl almost told her what she’d just seen before remembering the conditions which had been laid out for her.

[I can’t tell anyone about the quests I get. But...] She couldn’t help but stare a little. Zura gave her a *subtle* glare, letting her know she’d noticed. [Is she going to kill the president!?!?]