As the two of them spend the carriage ride to the Court of Miracles, since the coach was too big to fit the streets and let alone pass through that fallen cross monument in the heart of the place, Celestine dismounts the carriage and opens the door.

"The coach won't fit the street. I think we need to get there on foot."

The girls agreed and then one by one they alighted the carriage.

"Follow me." Celestine says to the group of courtesans.

Arno obviously noticed that Celestine was both avoiding him and ignoring him. She just went without him and so he just tailed her as he went around the cluster of rescued girls.

He still can't say a single word to her while they escort the girls to de Sade's den. The people in the slums did not mind the courtesans being escorted by a pair of mysteriously hooded vigilantes. A few men showed a look of interest at them but still they felt sympathy to the girls for they were bruised and scarred. Yes, some of them had cuts and wounds on their cheeks—possibly punched by the extremists.

"Have you heard of Marquis de Sade, ladies?" Celestine suddenly opens the conversation.

"Yes, I have heard of him." The girl who approached her says.

Celestine sweetly smiles at the girl and then continued on, "We're almost there anyway."

The walk was a little bit long but as Celestine and Arno got to the den, she told the girls to wait for a while just by the doorway and then she approached de Sade—even though Arno was still walking by her side.

"Ahh, well, that was quicker than I expected." De Sade.

"I tend to finish things quickly to get it over with." Celestine.

"I see you had help." De Sade referring to Arno.

"I did the work alone."

"Then why do you have Arno by your side?"

She didn't answer to this and changed the subject, "The girls are here."

"Ahh, good girl then. Send them in. I'll see to it that they're treated justly than their former owner."

Celestine nodded and then left the brothel and Arno tagged along with her. She still doesn't want to talk to him.

"Celestine!"

No response. She just kept walking.

"Celestine…" Arno panted as he gently takes her by the arm and then turned around.

"What is it this time? I'm heading home."

"Celestine, look I want to apologize about earlier. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"I don't know. Have it your way."

And then she dashes away from him, possibly coming back to the mansion. Arno sighs in defeat and despair as he watches her scale the wall and then vanish in the rooftops. He takes the other way around and then killed two criminals by surprise—they really never saw it coming. He looted the corpses and then gestured the victim with a nod as a way of saying "You're welcome" and then he heads home.

Upon arriving in the mansion, he goes upstairs and walks up to Celestine's bedroom door. He continuously knocks and tries to talk her out.


Arno's POV

"Celestine, please come out." I whined.

"Monsieur Arno, mademoiselle Celestine is not here." The maid said.

"Wait, she's not yet home?"

"No, sir."

"Alright then…"

I thought of the other places where could she possibly be, I tried going to the Sanctuary via the hidden entrance and then headed straight to the study hall—that girl loves books and anything in writing to be particular.

"Celestine?"

I think I just broke an unspoken rule of being quiet in the Sanctuary unless I'm in a heated argument or witnessing an important initiation. But in my case, I just screamed Celestine's name and it echoed across the entire building.

Everyone looked at me although I just wasn't sure if she was there too. A few of my fellow Assassins did take notice of me but then returned to their work but none spoke—I was expecting for the sound of a girl.

I rushed upstairs and then Felix was at one of the tables at the aisles of the study.

"Felix? Have you seen Celestine?"

He just nodded at the direction of the main study and then I walked up there hoping that she'd be there. She was at the leftmost side of the study, doing her habit of swinging her legs to and fro whenever she's so indulged with the book she's holding but this time she was reading a scroll. I haven't read much of these scrolls to be honest.

"Celestine?"

"Yes, Arno?" she didn't lower down her book to face me, she just continued reading.

"May I talk to you in private?"

She didn't speak, she rolled the scroll and then put it back to its rightful place and then walked back to me.

"Yes, of course. I just needed to put it back to the shelf."

"Come with me."

I walked out of the study hall and I heard her footsteps mixing with mine and then we went to the secret entrance and then we stopped as we reached the door back to the mansion. I stopped her there.

"I thought we were going to talk?" Celestine.

"We are… I just—"

"This is quite a place you selected to privately talk—not to mention that we're next to the door leading to the secret entrance to God knows where, we're not the only ones using that passage, you know." She cuts in.

Then I brought her to room where Thomas de Carneillon's armor used to be caged, we turned right wherein there was this other secluded passageway—I was the one who installed this in the façade of the mansion when I had enough coin.

"So, what is it exactly that you wanted to talk me out so much?" she says as she takes off her gloves and fiddles with her fingernails.

"It's about what happened earlier…"

She looked up, "Oh."

"Look, I really wanted to apologize right after that but I just got so frantic when you walked away that you didn't give me a chance in explaining—let alone apologizing."

"Hmn…" she sounded doubtful.

"Per piacere, mi dispiace, tesora."

Those words naturally came out of my mouth—as if it was second language to me. I really never thought that I would speak Italian straightly now or maybe because I was so frantic for Celestine to accept my apology but I didn't shallowly thought that once I speak in Italian she'll change her mind, no—I wanted to make her know that I was sincere.

"You… you spoke straight Italian…" she muttered.

"Yes, yes… because I wanted to show you how much I mean my apology. Please, Celestine."

"I still… I still can't easy forget about what you did, Arno. I guess you really don't easily notice the feelings of a woman—and her body language."

That was the same thing that Octavien told me before I left the mansion to go look for this girl!

Just as when she attempted to walk away from me again, I instantly grabbed her by the wrist and then pulled her in close to me and I trapped her in my arms.

"You probably hate me, I know… but at least give me a chance to make it up to you."

"I will then. Have it your own way." She spoke in my ear softly as I hugged her but I don't feel her hugging me back.

Merde.

When she said that, I thought that she was going to push me away so as to escape my hold but she just waited for me to finish my embrace. I have no idea what she was trying to imply to that.

It's because she wants to comfort, you idiot. Even if she's not hugging back, she still wants comfort. My mental voice said as I imagined it tapping onto my skull.

As I let go, she just stared at me with a blank face and then turned away from and started walking left. And now I'm left here in the dimly-lit tunnel that leads to the outside world of the Ile de la Cite.

"So, what am I going to do now?" I groaned to myself as I took off my hood.

And in the midst of the silence, all I ever hear is the faintest drop of the thinnest water leaking from the cracks of the concrete pipes.

Why do I really find it so hard to tell her that I love her? Truly, this time?

Maybe it's because she was preoccupied with the idea that I still remember Elise through her—in which based in Octavien's teachings to me was that it should never be done to any woman of any status.

I thought of those long and hard until I arrived to my bedroom.

I was dead tired and then I removed my coat, my gloves and my vest but I kept my Hidden Blades at a close proximity within my arm span—let's say I would just put it down on my bedside table and when someone tries to sneak in, with just a snap I would have the blades strapped around my wrists already but burglars are barely seen here, maybe it's because of the presence of the Assassins ever so vaguely present that you feel like something's watching you which is true.

And now I'm going to concoct a plan that will surely make Celestine have her head cooled down on me. Because whether she chooses to deny it or believe that it's just a joke…

I really do love her.


Celestine's POV

When he pulled me in, I really had no idea what just happened until I blinked several times in an attempt to wake myself up and later discovered that everything that was happening is really real.

I was trapped within his arms.

Secretly, to myself and to nobody else, I always wondered what did it feel like to be around Arno's arms and now that I got my wish—I almost literally exploded on the spot because of the overwhelming feeling of him holding me so tight.

I really wished I was just dreaming because I told myself that it can't be real…

But truth be told, everything was real. The whole time, it was really real. And it is no fantasy of the mind at all.

As much as I felt him tighten his arms around me, I stood there frozen—I really wanted to hug him back but I was still consumed with my anger that he only brought me to the rim of the dome just because he wanted to reminisce and relive the moment when Elise was still alive and they do their routine of watching the sunset every midday.

It really hurts to know that it was no original… routine. But I tried putting myself up with it and then just decided to shake it all away so that I won't have as much problems as of the moment.

While enjoying the bliss in his arms, what flashed to my memory was me and him watching the sunset and also the scenario wherein he pointed out that he used to do that with… the other girl.

"You probably hate me, I know… but at least give me a chance to make it up to you."

Oh Dio mio, lo ha detto davvero?

I was about to screech in not-so-hidden joy to tell him that he still has that chance and express it with a little bit of exaggeration and then from my mouth, I replied to him saying,

"I will then. Have it your own way."

Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas chez moi?

And to save myself from the shame and embarrassment, I anticipated for him to let me go so that I could just walk away and seclude myself in my bedroom and at least wait for a miracle as I contemplate. Instead of just nudging myself away from him just like back at the rooftop and I really repented on that—that action of mine made me rude but seriously, I really couldn't control my feelings back then.

And I left him there in the tunnel…

Poor Arno.

If only I could just run back up to him and embrace him but I can't because I was too devoured by shame that I jailed myself in my room.

I'm sorry, Arno.

I wish I could tell you that I love you…

If only I don't get all nervous and uncontrollable when I'm in front of you, especially seeing you smiling… and then those steely eyes…

Oh for Chrissake, I'll just sleep. It's been a long night anyway.


FRENCH:

Merde – shit

Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas chez moi? – What's wrong with me?

ITALIAN:

Per piacere – Please

Mi dispiace – I'm sorry

Tesora – darling

Dio mio! – My God! (yes, in Italian they switch the arrangement of the words if you noticed)

Lo ha detto davvero? – did he just really say that?


Originally I was going to make Arno kiss Celestine the moment he pulls her in. But then I thought, "Nah, I think I'm escalating this tooooo quickly."

So how do you like the story so far at this rate? =))) I really wanna hear from you guys ;)

Leave a comment if you like because I really enjoy talking to you, readers ;) stay awesome, bros!

Xielle Kassidy.