Work Text:
She knew she could never survive without the intervention of the Duchess. Hell, she wouldn't even have a name for herself, a shard of Neyphanta's power.
The black-haired woman embedded in her memory the day she met her, the one person who destroyed the black dragon, who gave her the name...
'Neah'.
She learnt to take on the form of a young woman, bitterly scowling at the pure black hair and eyes she couldn't change no matter what Jewel she borrowed from Lady Horssen. Neah became the best maid under her employ, her superhuman strength easily compensating the lack of Jewels used.
The young woman felt peace, belonging.
This very feeling was what fuelled her defensive anger with the man who carried the title of the Jewel Mage of the century, the prince who gave up his crown and went to the front lines in defending the lands for his brother the King of Cardya, the one apprentice of war hero Duchess Valeria Eindel Horssen.
The one and only bastard christened Hann Arel Pendragon.
He had the audacity to keep her away from the Duchess's company, that—!
“Neah, stop thinking about Hann,” a calm voice, with a subtle undertone of humour, broke through her reverie.
She snapped back to see her liege, her life, elegantly sipping the tea she served to the older lady. It would have been such a beautiful summer sight, if everyone in the estate was not mildly upset at Her Grace's age.
No one outside their tight family of service and loyalty for the Duchess would notice the slow, uncertain steps, the moments too long spent in focusing the sights.
Time passed on, and through Neah knew everyone must yield to its cruel and eternal path, she found herself wondering why, why did she live to learn hope and love and empathy, if the one person who gave her that chance would be gone one day...
Well, she wouldn't go so far as to summon Neyphanta, but Neah knew she'd probably do something horribly drastic. And then Her Grace's friend died.
The maid was capable of feeling grief, but it was difficult to offer support to a grieving one, especially when it came to the strong and dependable Duchess. So when they saw the shining flowers in a certain person's flower shop to their journey to the mourning family, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Riella Tennier. Kind and sweet, definitely needed a bit more strength for herself now that they knew she could see and find the shining flowers, but otherwise, she was perfect. It was perfectly understandable how the Duchess, with her failing health, became a friend to her.
It was why, for the second time of her life, that Neah wordlessly gave the weeping woman support after the silence, the morning after.
But unironically speaking, she was guilty of smirking to herself when the last will and testament was revealed, the unexpected inheritor of the Duchess's estates.
...
It was all her fault.
You will fall, fall with me...
She already killed someone, someone from her home... Neah vomited.
Dear child, I will rid you of the pain...
Stop, please....
She barely held on to her sanity, enough to hear the stupid sacrifice that idiot Hann would make against her damnable creator. He was stupidly ignoring the fact that somehow, Miss Riella picked him as her husband and would definitely need to be alive to that to be true.
It was oh so simple to steal the Jewels and wield it, as if the moments she spent with Her... the Duchess... no... with Valeria... led to this moment.
The very last sight she saw was the couple, her beloved Miss and her unfortunate lover...
Neah smiled at them and closed her eyes.