Ciel slid the door open to be greeted with depression.

The girl was no longer dressed in her crisp suit, but a white, featureless robe. It was doubtful she could even dress herself properly. Her Hime-cut was now a mess of rat nest, but the most tragic addition was the white bandage around her eyes.

Hikari perked at the sound of Ciel entering the room. She nearly fell trying to get out of the bed.

“Hikari,” Ciel said.

“Lord Ciel?” Hikari recognized the voice. “Why are you—”

“Why am I here?” Ciel looked around the room and noticed the stool sat beside a dresser. Rem moved the stool beside the bed and sat the agitated Hikari down. “I’m here to check on you.”

Hikari slumped down on the bed, unsure of what was going to do in her world of darkness.

“Check on me?” Hikari asked. “Why bother?”

Silence.

Ciel was never a therapist. He barely understood how he got as far as to get Xia into his bed. If he was that good at the psychology of the opposite sex, Amy and Betty would already be joining the bed in a foursome. Furthermore, those were the normal daily routine. Hikari wasn’t a normal case. From the slumped shoulder, the depressive replies and her newest handicapped status, Hikari was the psychological manifesto of a wasteland.

“I know I lack every certificate to qualify for this,” Ciel said. “But I want to make sure you are okay.”

“Okay?” Hikari was on the verge of a breakdown. “Okay?” She repeated. “I’m not okay. A Beret-wearing moron just reduced my lifework to smithereens.” Hikari was strangely subdued. “I lost everything. Authority. Reputation. Resources. Sight…”

Hikari’s voice trailed off, allowing the full weight of her situation to sink in.

“It is only a matter of time until the Golden Hand searches this place,” Hikari said. “Etaceh will probably destroy this country before that happens.”

“You need time to process this,” Ciel said, preparing. “I will leave—”

It was then Hikari did a hundred-eighty. Upon realizing that Ciel was about to leave the room, she latched onto his arm like a Koala stubbornly clinging to a Eucalyptus.

“Wait,” said the broken Hikari. “Please don’t leave!”

Ciel didn’t get it, “Aren’t you preparing to die?”

Hikari couldn’t answer that question, “I…”

It was then the well of emotion exploded.

“Don’t leave me behind!” She would have cried if her eyes were still there. “Anything but that!” She sobbed. “I know I deserve this, but I beg you. Please, you are all I have left now.”

Hikari’s confession outlines a rough childhood that was surfacing at her most helpless moment.

“You think you deserve this?” Ciel tried to dig deeper. “How?”

“I lost, aren’t I?” Hikari sobbed. “After everything I did, all the life I took, I still fail. There is no need for me anymore. I have always been a failure. If I can help make money, my mother wouldn’t have to starve to death. If I’m stronger, then I would never have to end up like this…”

Hikari squeezed Ciel’s arm like a lost child.

“Please,” she said. “I will do anything. You can use me like a pet, but please don’t throw—”

Ciel clenched his fist and whacked it on Hikari's head.

The punch caused Hikari to bite her tongue mid-rant. She bent low, clutching her head at the sudden abuse. That blow came so fast and so sudden that it caught her by surprise.

Ciel breathed and let his anger out, “Do you think I’m some kind of pervert politician? Have more dignity in yourself, dammit. Sure, you lost. I’m not sugarcoating this, but there is over eighty percent certainty that your defeat has doomed Eleanor. That is not a reason to give-up,” Ciel grabbed her by the shoulder and shook. “You stood against Apolline, Xia, and Nuan. You shouldered this entire crap-sack city and likely the entire nation, while Borbonsi jerked off on his throne. You toiled endlessly all these years, so be prouder of yourself. Sure, you lost your eyes. What do you think Betty and Amy are doing? They are trying to help you as we speak. I’m not here to sing your worth or pat you in the head like a pet. Self-worth from the external source is counterfeit. You think pitying yourself will make things better?”

“But,” Hikari stuttered. “I can’t fight—”

Ciel cut her statement, “I’m not interested in your ability to fight, Hikari. I know you are a strong person, so convince me you can’t be abandoned.”

“I can’t!” Hikari yelled.

“No, you can,” Ciel said. “I believe in you.”

He walked through the sliding door, preparing for the negotiation that would shape his new path forward.

…

Hikari listened to the sound of the sliding door. She felt more lost than ever. She wanted to get out of bed and pranced around for the solution out of her current predicament. Sadly, that was no longer possible in the new lightless world she found herself.

Then the door slid open with a new voice.

“Hello,” said the elegant yet melancholic tone of Elizabeth La Louve. “Do you need anything?”

Hikari replied helplessly, “I need some comfort. I think Lord Ciel’s encouragement isn’t working.”

“Ciel is like that,” said Betty. “Trust me. I experience what you are going through first-hand. That guy loves asking for the absurd.”

“You experienced it?” Hikari asked.

“When Curtis fell, I was completely at his mercy,” Betty said. “My sister helped Ciel get to me as a payback. Everyone in the nation believes I am dead. Etaceh achieved absolute control, and anyone who could resist her was gone. I didn’t have any choice but to resign myself to Ciel’s side.” Betty laughed with self-derision. “I’m willing to be a concubine. Me. The once No. 1 Bachelorette in all of Curtis who would be welcome as the queen in any dynasty is begging to be a concubine of a complete nobody. My sister and Ciel played me like a deck of card.” Betty turned melancholic. “At the point where I utterly resigned to my fate, Ciel refused to reap his victory. He said he wanted me to have a choice.”

Hikari’s response was the totality of despair, “That is absurd. You, me, we don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, but Ciel wouldn’t bulge. It took convincing from both Amy and Xia to make him go through with it,” Betty murmured. “He must think I am a loser.”

“I doubt that,” Hikari said. “Maybe he wants us to fight.”

“Fight what?” Betty said. “He is a god. Do we need to put a show in front of him before he accepts our offering?”

“Lord Ciel never thought of himself as a god,” Hikari said.

“True,” Betty agreed. “It is the best thing I can say about him.”

They sat on that bed in silence.

“How do you deal with failing?” Hikari said.

“You think I deal with it?” Betty laughed derisively. “I don’t, Hikari. Even now, it still felt unreal to me. Everything I believe in is gone.”

Hikari was lost in thought, “I want to make Eleanor better. I want to make it like the home my mother talked about.” She mused. “A place where everyone has an opportunity and peace to live out their life.”

“And I want to be a beloved princess of the nation,” Betty said, feeling a connection with a blind woman beside her. “Things just don’t work out.” Betty then confessed her biggest insecurity. “I’m not a good person, Hikari. Etaceh used my arrogance like a weapon. You are much stronger than I am. You got beaten by bad luck, coincidence, and an impossible position. Me? I opened the gate for a parasite and blew my dad's plan off the rampart.” Betty deflated. “I should have died fighting Etaceh, but for a stupid reason, I am still alive to witness the price of my idiocy.”

“You can still fight,” Hikari said. “I can’t even see anymore.”

Upon hearing that, Betty resolved to do one thing she was good at: feign confidence.

“Let me share the teachings of my dad,” Betty said. “The game isn’t over as long as you can still play.” Betty thought back to her father. “Even if you fall, you don’t lose, as long as another person picks your cards and wins with them.”

Hikari spotted the flaw, “Lady Elizabeth, you believe nothing you said.”

“Hikari, my dad is a cross between an incomprehensible mad man and a genius,” Betty said. “I can’t understand him most of the time. I’m sure he must be cheering in heaven now that my sister tied herself by the hip with Ciel.”

“Lady Xiahana?” Hikari said. “Is the rumor about her demotion…”

“Yes, it's true,” Betty said. “When dad died, Xia went off-script. She politically killed herself fighting the status-quo, and Spade punished the life out of her. She spent two years as a wreck, then she ran into Ciel.” Betty facepalmed. “And suddenly, she became the top dog.”

Hikari was stunned. She couldn’t comprehend how someone could so recklessly fight the tide of political pressure. In such a position, Hikari would play a long game, but Xia refused to do so. Instead, she stood for what she believed and received the punishment for it.

The woman who should be politically destroyed was now the Unity Lord’s closest confidant.

“How did she seduce Lord Ciel?” Hikari asked.

“I don’t know,” Betty said. “I know she is the second to join his side after Amy. She is so trusted; she became the General Manager of this harem. Amy could have contested it, but she gave Xia the position.”

“I want to talk to her,” Hikari said.

“Xia?” Betty asked. “Why?”

“Because she is the person who understands Ciel the best,” Hikari said. “Don’t you ever wonder how did those two get together?”

“You know what,” Betty was also curious. “You ask a good question.”

Both down-for-the-count women knew Xia was likely the best person who could guide them out of their limbo. Ciel could do it, but he wasn’t here at the moment.

…

Ciel was busy winning a game.

In the room of obsidian walls and golden carpet, Ciel sat on the chair, gilded with gold. On the table was the board of Risk World. Ciel held several cards in hand, and he rolled the dice.

The two cubes clattered across the table, resting at the face of three and five.

Opposite of Ciel, Borbonsi in his usual pea-coat watched Ciel move his piece by the eight squares. He was prepared to start his turn when Ciel purchased another castle with his coins and revealed a card he had drawn from the Event Deck many turns ago.

“Imperial Assault Order,” Dream revealed a card. “It is an Event card to assault your asset and standings.”

Borbonsi’s face sunk as Ciel finished the match.

“I will leave your troop alone. My castles are positioned to block ninety percent of your trade route. I also raze your market, and supply warehouses,” Ciel said. “This disables all your access to the market. As per the rule, you needed to pay a maintenance check for your unit to stay in the game.” Ciel raised his eyebrows. “Which you can’t because I just sank your trade facilities. Sorry, buddy, but you should invest more in the service sector.”

Borbonsi tossed up his card.

“Not again, Ciel,” Borbonsi said. “Why can’t you go easy on me?”

“Because you already have life too easy,” Ciel scolded. “Now, I need to talk about business. What is the deal with replacing Hikari?”

Borbonsi raised his hand to placate Ciel, “Look, I mostly left the Golden Hand to their device.”

“Borbonsi, shoddy management is still shoddy,” Ciel growled.

“Come on, I can’t play favorites,” Borbonsi said. “And Hikari is just a human.” He shrugged innocently, “They replace each other all the time.”

Ciel bit his urge to throttle Borbonsi. It wouldn’t work with the idiot’s Authority at the current height. To be honest, Borbonsi’s attitude should have been expected. He wasn’t Ciel. He only viewed humanity — with their pathetic lifespan — as disposable.

Even with that statement, Ciel still needed to wheel his demand to the finish line. It was time to get negotiating. Borbonsi was smart in the art of trade, so extorting him was ill-advised. However, he had a blind-spot — his perspective on humanity.

With that card on the table, Ciel had a counter-play.

It was time to be political with the truth.

“You can replace Hikari, mate,” Ciel put on the mask of inhumanity. “But my Authority takes time to set. I’m making a great headway with Hikari when your policy sank the ship.”

“Wait,” Borbonsi said. “Really? Did your Authority work like that?”

“It turns your standard female into something capable of threatening us,” Ciel said, mixing the truth with the lies. “Of course, it has restrictions. Think about it, if I can turn chicks into superhuman goddesses with a simple kiss, why aren’t I swimming in fighting power and living man’s greatest fantasy?”

It wasn’t a complete lie given ‘potential’ was a thing, but it heavily downplayed Ciel’s disgust with treating his wives like a collectible.

“You can always go with Carolina,” Borbonsi suggested.

“Synchronicity rate, mate,” Ciel lied, faking his douche persona. “Some chick is easier than other, and it took time.” That was a lie. It didn’t take any time for the kiss. He simply didn’t want to be a serial rapist. “Hikari is humming nicely along when your policy ruins it.” Ciel felt this was the moment to push his demand. “I can’t have things continue like this if we want actual partnerships. I need some independence to work with the girls without the Golden Hand or Random Merchant A blowing our operation again.” Ciel made his pitch. “I want to maintain a certain distance for Eleanor with some privacy.”

Borbonsi was suspicious, “You want to move outside of Eleanor. It sounds like you want to leave.”

Ciel went for the counter-play over defending, “Duh, obviously. It’s called tourism. The contract ran on a mood. You don’t understand humans like I do, mate. Are you perhaps thinking that I can churn power-up like this is some kind of human-farm? Life isn’t that convenient, buddy. How do you think they would react meeting the same scenery, being treated the same way over and over? My Authority is the art of forging connection.” Ciel wasn’t lying about that part. “I need different environments and treatments to heighten the compatibility. Everyone is different. Some synchronicity rates hike in cities like Eleanor, but some preferred mountains, others stargazing among nature.” Ciel shrugged. “That is just how humans are.”

“You have a point,” Borbonsi said. “But…”

“I understood how you feel,” Ciel said like a comforting DJ. “You probably think I am going to leave and stab you from behind. No worries. You know I am not the opportunistic-type.” Ciel launched his final pitch. “I don’t want to be like Balor. There is no way I will emulate that bastard. Moreover, I’m particularly interested in buying Hikari’s place — the Harriett House. Some girls prefer a location like that. You can take that place as my collateral — an investment in your city.”

“Fine,” Borbonsi said. “Only Hikari used that property anyway. We can negotiate the purchase later.”

“Oh, and I don’t want Carolina or the Golden Hand anywhere near there,” Ciel faked a frustration. “We don’t want a repeat of Hikari.”

“You are right,” Borbonsi agreed. “That can be arranged.”

“Good,” Ciel rose. “It was a good game.”

Ciel walked to the door, but Borbonsi spoke his mind.

“Are we still friends, Ciel?” Borbonsi said.

Ciel halted and told the full truth.

“That is the tragedy of it all,” Ciel turned toward Borbonsi with sincerity. “You are impossible and apathetic. Your perspective annoys the hell out of me. I guess the feeling must be mutual.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Borbonsi confessed. “I can’t fully trust your manipulative streak. Your attachment to those assets is excessive to the point it is irritating.”

“Yeah,” Ciel confessed. “But despite that, I still consider you a friend.”

For once in a long time, the Lord of Commerce let his guard down and had a heart-to-heart.

“You know,” Borbonsi said. “I want to understand why you put so much effort into those ants. How do you distinguish them when they die so easily?” He voiced his greatest regret. “Maybe if I’m a bit more like you, Margo and I could have parted more cordially.”

“Margo Royale?” Ciel did a double take. “The richest woman in the world.” The Unity Lord was trembling in his boot. “You know her?”

“She was one of my finest associates,” Borbonsi boasted. “Sadly, that is a thing of the past.”

“With her wealth, your Authority would be unbeatable,” Ciel said, stunned at how close Borbonsi was to victory.

“It is a shame,” the Lord of Commerce said. “We could be unbeatable together, but she had to leave.” His voice softened. “Even now, I still don’t understand why?”