11. Of Worries And Wellbeing

"You did what?"

Arganan looked up at Ventuswill, offering her an apologetic glance. "I sent my niece a letter a few days ago, Lady Ventuswill. She responded just today. She's sending Sir Therius from the Empire's mainland to check on me."

A soft hum escaped Arthur as he stood nearby. Frey, Vishnal, Clorica and Volkanon were also present. Arganan figured it was worth telling all of them about this beforehand, because 1. They deserved to know, given that they'd be interacting with someone from the Empire's mainland of all places, and 2.

"It doesn't seem that concerning." Arthur managed, before continuing. "Did you write anything that was of large importance?"

"I mentioned the incident in Yokmir Forest, as well as my powers and Amber." The former Count answered. "I didn't think much of the consequences before sending the letter. I should've left those parts out. Calista said that she was aware of the rumors of butterflies in Yokmir forest, but didn't know anything about my involvement or the full details of how it was resolved until after I sent the letter to her."

Frey's shoulders tensed. "Could this put Amber in danger, Ventuswill?"

The Divine Wind paused, before speaking. "I can certainly understand your concern, Arganan. It is only your niece that knows of this, though, correct?"

Arganan shrugged. "As far as I know, that's likely. That's the best case scenario. My concern is that once Therius arrives for the week, he'll do something drastic if he found out too much, like force me to go back to Lazulis or something."

"Like what?" Arthur raised a brow. "Does Lady Calista know anything about me and Frey trading places?"

"I left that out the letter I sent her, so no." Arganan managed, shaking his head.

"I see." Volkanon let a soft hum escape him, his mouth a thin line as Vishnal and Clorca exchanged awkward glances. "And was there anything else you told her?"

"My Outsider's power, for starts." Arganan pulled the glove off his right hand to show the mark to Arthur. "And the fact that Amber used to be the butterfly monster."

"Anything else?"

"My leg being broken, my having to get employment but I didn't specify I was working for Illuminata…that's about it."

"The fact that your niece now knows about monsters turning into humans might be tricky to navigate." Arthur mused. "If word of that gets out further in the public outside Selphia, it could impact tourism."

"Or worse." Arganan tried not to think about how he easily would've ordered the deaths of many Gurak people, back when he was Count. "But knowing my niece, I think she'd focus more on me having the Outsider's power than anything else. If she's sending Therius, though…he's likely going to ask about the Yokmir forest incident and about Amber. He's a man that doesn't stop investigating when he senses something suspicious, because that's exactly the type of man he is. He won't give up. That's why I thought it pertinent to tell all of you in advance, before his arrival."

Volkanon hummed lightly, looking between Arganan and Arthur. "How close is Sir Therius to Countess Calista, exactly?"

"They did work together in the war against the Gurak." Arganan explained. He thought of the knight, and how that man once proudly stood by the late General Asthar's side. "Sir Therius was a pupil of General Asthar. Both of them came from the Empire's mainland to Lazulis partly as guests for the ball celebrated Calista's then-engagement to the late Jirall, of House Rambaldt. I also know, now, that Asthar used this time to research with Miss Mirania on the Outsider. It's likely that Therius knows of their research as well."

Now that he thought about it, maybe Therius might have the papers Jones was still waiting on, about the Outsider. That might be helpful for future purposes, especially since Arganan did have the Outsider's power, now.

"If that's the case," Ventuswill finally managed, "Just direct him to me if he wishes to speak about the Yokmir forest incident. Arganan, you know more about the Outsider than any of us in this town, so I believe that conversation should be handled between you and Sir Therius. Is that clear?"

Arganan turned, staring at Ventuswill. He couldn't make out the look on the dragon's face, but he had a feeling that something more should be done about it. "What if he tries asking anyone else? Frey, for example? Me? Forte?"

"Direct him to just me." Ventuswill repeated. "Frey's told me all about this incident, and if he wants a word from official authority about it, he will come to either her or me."

He felt a jab in his chest at that statement. 'Official' authority. Another reminder that he was not a Count with any power at all. That the bonds he made with Frey were nothing when it came to the political wellbeing of Selphia. He could only make himself nod, and whisper, "I understand."

"Good." Ventuswill scanned the others. "Then it's settled. When Sir Therius arrives, if he asks about Yokmir forest and what happened there, direct him to me immediately."

"Arganan?" He heard Frey speak, and he looked towards her, seeing her brows furrow a little. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," He lied. "I'll be fine."

He didn't sleep well that night. It was hard to sleep, with all the worrying about the worst-case scenario happening. That he might get taken away from Selphia and locked up in Lazulis purely because he had the Outsider's power, or that Amber and Frey could get in lots of trouble, or…

There was just too much on his mind. He didn't fall asleep until three in the morning.

He woke up the next morning with a headache, knowing too well that he lacked sleep. Nancy and Jones easily noticed when he yawned a few times in the middle of breakfast.

"Couldn't sleep?" Nancy asked. Arganan helped dry any dishes with a towel while she washed the other ones, the two standing side by side at the sink and nearby cupboards. Jones had to open up the clinic, in the meanwhile.

"No." He shook his head. "Feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders already." He saw her frown slightly, and a sigh left him. "That letter I wrote to my niece…she wrote back, and now she's sending a knight of hers to check in on me. And I wrote a lot of things in the letter I sent her that were about Selphia, monster attacks especially included. I shouldn't have been so careless."

"I don't think your letter was entirely to blame. Just because your niece is a Countess doesn't mean she'd deliberately spread word about the attacks publicly." Nancy pointed out, finishing washing the last plate. Arganan did his best to wipe it up before putting it in the cupboard again, as she continued speaking. "I can't imagine how stressful it might be when you were Count. And I'm sure you're concerned about Selphia and Frey. But if you worry about every little thing, it won't do you well in mind or physically. Stress isn't good for the body, or inner wellbeing."

He put down the towel, turning to fully face her as she took off the dishwasher gloves. "Then what do you recommend?"

"Well," She managed, "Laughter is the best medicine. So you should try to smile, even when the weight of the world is on your shoulders."

He raised a brow at that. "But, if the weight of the world is on my shoulders, will I even be able to smile?"

She shook her head, and he saw a smile grace her face. "You just have to force yourself, silly! For the good of your peace of mind! You seem to be at ease whenever you're working at Illuminata's shop. And the daily walks Jones and I recommended to you can also help with your mind as well as your body. Just keep taking care of yourself, alright?"

Arganan took a deep breath, let the words sink in. Take care of himself? Wasn't like he could do much about it. It was hard not to get his mind off all of Selphia, but at the same time Nancy had a point. Being here in Selphia wasn't exactly the same type of headache he had in Lazulis, with being its leader. Here in Selphia, things were…different. He wasn't some noble. That part was hard to shake off. But he also knew that as much he wanted to help Frey and Selphia, he also knew it was ultimately their responsibility.

"I'll try."

That was all he could really say. Whether he could accomplish that was another question.