Chapter 15: Remnants of Wispia
"Hmm..." A deep, thoughtful hum passed the lips of a young woman, eyes narrowed as she observed the darkness stretched out in front of her. There was a certain uneasiness in the air, but it seemed as though she was the only one who paid any attention to it. She stood alert on the left side of someone's bedroom door.
"What is it?" On the right side of the door, in a far more relaxed position, was another person on guard duty. A boy around the same age as her, slouched against the wall, foot propped up and everything. Although her muttering was rather quiet, the entire west wing was cloaked in suffocating silence, so naturally he had heard.
The girl released the breath she was holding. She softened her honey brown eyes, relaxing her tensed muscles for now. "Ah, it's nothing..." She played it off in a nonchalant way, brushing some stray dark blonde strands of hair from her face. She sent her partner a reassuring smile, wanting to come off as confident, and that it was no big deal.
However, he could always tell when she was trying too hard to hide something. A hint of a smirk reflected in those deep red eyes of his, and without missing a beat, he fired back. "You're a terrible liar, Akita-san."
"Mmh..." Her face twisted in discomfort. How could he possibly see through her that easily? She folded her arms over her chest, mimicking his position. She leaned back against the wall, pushing a foot up to support herself. "It's just… quiet lately, don't you think, Honne-san?" She spoke with a certain mystery, not alluding to what she really felt, in fear of sounding as though she was overreacting.
Again, he picked up on that, but remained calm. "Well, yes. That's normal though, considering it's the middle of the night." He answered rather bluntly, and that threw the Akita girl off.
"I'm not talking about right now, you fool," she scolded him, losing her temper ever so slightly at his staggering incompetence. She glared harshly at him, wondering for a moment how he could possibly be so thick-headed. She then sucked in a breath to chill herself out, reminding herself not to screech the palace down, what with the prince currently sleeping and all. "I meant the kingdom in general. There hasn't been a threat in… well, months, and I don't trust it."
The Honne guard simply let his eyes slip shut, giving an exaggerated shrug. He failed to see the problem with some peace. He was truly in a state of the utmost relaxation, knowing his job was much easier now that there hadn't been many attacks. "Isn't that a good thing?" he mumbled, practically drifting off on the spot.
"Tch," she grunted under her breath, slowly shaking her head. "Maybe, maybe not. I just think it's too good to be true. What if some group is out there conspiring against the throne right now?"
"Eh…?" The male opened an eye, peering over at her, growing suspicious. The look on her face just screamed 'serious'. She was usually so carefree, much like him. To see her get all worried like that was unnerving. "W-Well..." He couldn't help but trip over his words a little. His other eye flicked open, and he stared down the hallway. Now that she mentioned it… The darkness appeared to be closing in on him. A cold chill ran down his back. "What kind of threat do you think it is?"
She gave a heavy sigh, deciding not to push the idea any more. "Maybe I'm thinking too hard on it," she answered, after a brief pause.
He finally forced himself to tear his eyes off the unending darkness ahead, looking back at his partner. For the first time that night, he studied her closer than he had before. Her eyelids seemed to be heavy, a worn out expression hiding behind her casual grin. There were faint creases on her forehead, too. "You've been working yourself too hard lately, Akita-san..." he softly said. He had never seen her this way before.
"Only to make up for how little you work," she shot back, with a playful chuckle. She tried to ignore the slight hint of worry in his voice, and the oh-so gentle way he uttered those words. The way he was getting lost in her eyes… But then again, for her to notice such a thing, she had to be staring right back at him. "Aha… I..." Speechless. Had his eyes always been so wonderful to look at?
"You deserve a break every now and then." He broke eye contact after what felt like an eternity, the tense atmosphere the two beginning to weigh down on his chest. He rubbed at the back of his neck, averting his glance off to the hallway in front of them.
"Nah, I… I'm fine." She lowered her eyes momentarily, trying to find a place to rest her glance; a place that seemed natural, and not like she was scrambling desperately for somewhere else to look. "Besides, that's our job, isn't it? To worry? It is our priority to protect Prince Seiun at all times, even when there are no threats."
"I'm sorry, but..." In the blink of an eye, the Honne boy had sprung forward and swiftly grabbed hold of her hands.
"E-Eh?" A light squeak was the only thing she could muster. Ripping her nervous gaze from her feet, she connected their eyes once more. All she could see reflected in his was a mischievous glint.
"I stopped listening at 'I'm fine' and decided to mentally skip over more of your lies."
"Honne-san…!" She gasped at his lack of respect. How dare he not listen to a lady and her troubles. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and in that moment she was thankful for the darkness that surrounded them. That didn't mean he couldn't feel the warmth starting to radiate from her, though. Before she could say anything more…
"Come on!" He let out a wild laugh, and without any warning began to run, yanking her along with him so that she had no time at all to protest.
"Wah-! Pff… Ahaha!~" Her worries melted away in the space of a second; the moment she was dragged off her feet down the hall, she let it all go and allowed herself this one chance to indulge in her carefree ways once more.
"Hmm…?" To the right of the prince's bedroom, the princess's personal quarters resided a good distance away. Much like the guards Akita and Honne, there were two young women standing next to the door in mutual silence. However, unlike Honne and Akita, there was an air of grace about them. The first to hear a slight commotion coming from the west area of the palace was the guard with deep purple hair, which flowed in waves down her back. She couldn't quite make out who the light echo of footsteps belonged to, something she was normally good at.
The guard to her left, Aoki, shot her head up a moment later. She glared down the hall that led toward the east wing, shifting into a defensive position. "You heard it too, didn't you, Merli?" She didn't dare to pull her eyes off the end of the hall; she squinted, hoping to catch sight of someone or something.
"That I did, sister." Their way of communicating was far more formal, polite and straight to the point, a stark contrast to the two guards who watched over the prince. Merli straightened up her posture, sticking her chin out. "It sounded like footsteps. We should go scan the area. I bet Neru-san and Dell-san are slacking off and sleeping on the job as usual."
"You don't think it's one of those two, do you?" Aoki raised a curious brow, wanting to know what her sister thought of the situation.
"Doubtful. It could very well be an intruder. It has been too quiet here for too long," Merli responded, suspicious of the lack of threats, too.
"Ahh… If Neru-san and Dell-san are sleeping on the job, perhaps Prince Seiun was able to sneak past them to meet- Oh!" Blinking in shock at her loose lips, she instantly clamped a palm over her mouth the second she caught herself saying too much, but not before squeaking at her stupidity.
"Wh-What was that?" Merli was equally stunned at the revelation. She had been left out of the loop. While that annoyed her, the fact that their dear prince had apparently been sneaking out more than once terrified her.
"N-N-Nothing!" Aoki ripped her hand away at Merli's questioning, whimpering at the shiver-inducing fire burning in her sister's eyes. "It's n-not what you think! Prince Seiun is-"
"King Seiun will be furious if he finds out about such a thing! Not only that, he'll want my head first!" Merli used her fear to fuel her rage, although internally she was freaking out at the mere thought. "Do you remember the last time Princess Seiun was left unattended for five minutes in the royal gardens? I thought the king was going to behead me on the spot!"
"Hehhh, but that wasn't your fault, sister...~" Aoki waved her hand dismissively, batting her lashes at the other. "Besides, I got confused, I didn't mean Prince Seiun sneaked out, just that-"
Again, Merli interrupted her sister's rambling, growing more irritated with each second that passed. "Of course it wasn't my fault, stupid! It was yours! Have you forgotten already? You dragged me away because you thought you saw a rare butterfly on one of the flowers, and- And-! Ughhh…! And if this turns out to be true, I'll be sure to let King Seiun know exactly whose fault it is this time!" The guard exploded with rage, leaving Aoki with tears filled to the brim in her eyes and cowering.
"D-D-Don't flip out on meee…!" The younger of the two sniffled, lower lip quivering. "B-Besides, you'll wake Princess Seiun..."
Ah, yes. Normally the two sisters were refined, graceful and kept their composure. The perfect pair of sisters. Often, there was talk of how well-behaved they were, and that it was a rarity for two girls of their age to get along so splendidly. That was when they were around the family they served. Alone on night shifts together, catfights frequently broke out.
"The only thing that'll wake the princess is your pathetic blubbering," Merli said, with a threatening snarl. She snatched up a fistful of Aoki's light blue scarf, yanking the girl forward, which shook the shining diamond pin that held the accessory in place around her neck. "We move. Now. The sooner King Seiun is informed of this slip up, the better."
"Noooo, Merliiii…!" Aoki shrieked in terror as her sister dragged her off into the night.
Rushing through the halls for a little longer, the two guards of the prince came to a halt outside some tall doors.
"Wow, what a rush…!" Neru was the first to speak up, taking in gasps of air after to catch her breath. The way her long hair flowed freely behind her as she was guided through the palace, and the way he gripped her hand a little tighter as they skidded around a corner was beyond exhilarating for her.
"Aha, yeah… I..." Dell lowered his eyes in a bashful way, and that was when he noticed his fingers still slipped through hers. His words got caught up in his throat at the sight.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot…!" Neru untangled her fingers from his in a hurry, with an awkward grin. She turned to squint up at the doors. It took a quick moment for her to piece together where they stopped in front of. "Is this what I think it is?"
Situated in the grand entrance hall to the left was a magnificent ballroom, one that hosted events at least once every month. Neru had been lucky enough to catch a glimpse at one of the guest lists a while back, and was naturally stunned by the sheer number of civilians from all over the great kingdom who had been invited. It had made her feel a pang of jealousy at the time – in fact, every time there was an event.
"Yes, it is," Dell said, with a single nod. In truth, he had been planning something like this for the longest time. He just had to find the right time to put the plan into motion. Seeing Neru so overwhelmed with work earlier that night had been the final straw. "We could get in big trouble for this, so we cannot stay for long, unfortunately..."
"Wait, we're actually going in?" Neru's eyes widened slightly. She wasn't sure how she felt about stepping into a forbidden territory.
"Why not?" He fired back with a light smirk of disobedience pulling at his lips. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled at the doors, revealing the interior. Of course, it was even darker in there than it was out in the halls.
But Neru could already perfectly visualise the sight of it in her mind. Many times had she glanced in while stood on guard outside during events, taking in one small detail at a time. There had been so many event shifts that she started to memorise the entire hall eventually. "Wow," she mouthed, jaw dropping.
The grand pillars towered as they always did, stretching up to the ceiling in support. As she traced her eyes up those pillars, she could faintly see the outline of the gold chandeliers. Except, rather than sparkling brilliantly as they did during the day, they appeared different than what she was used to. The dark red curtains at the far end of the hall were slightly cracked open, and that one small crack was enough to allow the soft moonlight from outside to spill into the hall – down onto the marble floor, bouncing off the chandeliers to make them seem as though they were made of the finest silver instead.
"Honne-san, it… it's..." Breathless. That was how she felt, standing all the way back at the doorway to that enchanting view.
Dell could briefly see the wonder in her eyes. Seeing her now overcome with joy, all those worries melted away, made his heart flutter. He pulled the doors closed, before answering her. "I know you've always wanted to actually come in here and be part of the ball," he said, taking a couple steps inside. He turned on his heels toward her, extending an arm.
"You're like a mind reader," she responded, with a small giggle. "Oh…?" She wondered what he possibly could have in mind, with the way he stuck his arm out like that. She reluctantly reached out to him, linking her arm through his with a shy grin.
"We most likely won't have much time, but..." Dell started to walk forward, heading to the middle of the grand ballroom with a stunned Neru. While they couldn't head too far in, they were a decent enough distance from the doors. He slowed down and turned to face Neru, heels squeaking quietly against the floor, breaking the link between their arms and instead holding out a hand.
"O-Oh..." Neru blinked rapidly, able to predict what he might say next. She mentally prepared herself the best she could; she had never been asked such a thing before, and she wasn't even sure if she could.
"May I have the honour of dancing with you, Akita-san…?"
She exploded with embarrassment a split second later. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks all over again, but she swiftly covered it up with a casual smile. A twitching smile, but casual nonetheless. "Ah… y...yes, of course…!" She gave a single nod, and reached a shaky palm out to take hold of his. With slightly parted lips, she gazed up at him, and what a sight it was. The gentle silver rays spilled over his shoulders, illuminating that gorgeous face of his, red eyes somehow more beautiful than before… And she couldn't help but trace her glance down to his lips, more tempting now than ever.
Obviously, Dell had noticed the way she was eyeing him up. It made him a little uncomfortable, but only because he hadn't fully anticipated that something might happen between them later that night. His heart thudded in his chest, but he confidently gripped her palm, steadying his nerves. "Great. I have to warn you now, I'm not the best at dancing..." He sneaked in a teasing smirk, sliding his free hand down to rest at her waist. He was pretty much mimicking what he had seen other couples do at those fancy events.
Neru swallowed down a squeak, darting her eyes back up to his. "No problem… I'm not either," she admitted, feeling a little more at ease knowing that she didn't have to try and impress him any more. Although, she did wonder if it was normal for dancing partners to be so close to one another. She chewed on her lower lip, not quite sure what to do with her free hand.
Dell held in a small chuckle at how awkwardly she was behaving. He didn't want to tease her – she just came off as so innocent and cute. He had never seen such a side to her before… Surely, however, if the other royal guards or servants caught wind of her 'cuteness', she'd bury him alive. "Hey… you have to put your hand on my shoulder, so you have a better grip." He gently advised her.
"Oh…!" Neru snorted, as if it should've been obvious from the start. She had spent so much time gawking at the decorations, she'd forgotten to watch the people. She followed his instructions, their embrace now complete.
"Now… Try your best to follow my movements." In truth, Dell had no idea what he was getting himself into, nor where the sudden burst of confidence had come from. He gulped down his worries, shutting his mind up, and took a step back to begin.
Patrolling the main hall, the two sisters had followed the echo of the unknown voices and were on the verge of discovering something. Unfortunately, they had lost track of that lead as soon as they set foot on the ground floor. They could no longer hear any voices; there was no indication where they went. The unnerving shadows of the night and suffocating silence slowly enveloped the two, and while Merli could feel herself breaking out in a cold sweat, a rush of relief passed over Aoki. She had been spared the evil clutches of the king for another day, or so she hoped. The other guard, however, was not about to give up so easy.
"They must be here somewhere..." she grumbled, forehead creasing as she strained to peer through the endless dark. Even though they had worked so many night shifts together, they still weren't all that good at adjusting their vision to catch intruders.
"M-Maybe it was nothing after all," Aoki said, a few paces behind Merli. She wasn't putting in as much effort to search, unlike her sister. "Perhaps Neru-san and Dell-san are just messing with us?" Even though she was undoubtedly terrified of Merli and the possible consequences of slipping up, part of her was also furious at the prince. She scolded him in her mind, yet she also made sure to tell herself off, for being foolish enough to listen to his devilish ways of manipulation and convincing her to let him sneak out.
Merli tutted under her breath. "Then those two clowns can step up to the guillotine before you, my dear air-headed sister." A scowl pulled at her face, although her back was currently turned to the other.
'Yeah, right, as if…! I'm so gonna push all the blame onto those two, since they are the ones who are supposed to be watching the prince, not me…!' she thought to herself, composure faltering ever so slightly as her right eye twitched. Desperation had started to kick in.
A minute or so later, the sister who deemed herself more mature than the other gave a heavy sigh. Every possible hiding place and every little corner had been thoroughly searched. No signs of life were present. She racked her brains for a back up plan. If an intruder had managed to slyly slip by, the blame would most definitely fall onto Merli before anyone else. "Gahhh…! This is too much responsibility for a kid my age…! Aoki, don't you get it, we have so many people to impress and all these expectations to live up to, we can't fail now!" She spun around frantically on her heels, unloading a shocking amount of emotion.
Aoki blinked a few times, before raising an unimpressed brow. Merli didn't care a single bit when Aoki crumbled under the pressure… "You're taking this too seriously." She simply said, folding her arms over her chest in a stubborn manner. She stuck her chin out, looking down on her sister during her time of need. That mini freak out kind of worked to Aoki's advantage. Perhaps the prince's manipulative charm had rubbed off on her… "I told you it was just a practical joke, pulled by Neru-san and Dell-san."
"Oh yeah? What about Prince Seiun leaving the palace unattended at night?" Merli almost believed those words, but one little fact still remained unchanged.
"Uhh… About that..." She rubbed at the back of her head, letting out a small giggle. Aoki cursed herself internally. She should've known better than to try and trick her sister.
"Ow!"
"Ah, s-sorry, sorry…!"
The two snapped their heads up at the sudden commotion coming from behind them, immediately zipping their mouths shut. Merli swiftly spun back around, and Aoki stomped forward to her side a split second later, their guard instincts kicking in. Someone was there after all.
"The royal ballroom…" Aoki hissed, staring straight at the tall doors. She clenched her gloved fists, sticking them out a short distance in front of her, taking on a more appropriate cautious stance.
Merli gave a nod, confirming that the strange squeals indeed came from inside the ballroom. Even if the tone of the voices appeared to sound innocent enough, the sisters knew they couldn't let their guard down. "I don't recognise whoever's in there. Get ready to strike on three, sister."
"Got it."
Dell forced a smile after a brief moment of whining. "A-All good," he wheezed, pausing momentarily.
Neru shuffled back a bit, distancing her feet from his, not quite trusting that she wouldn't accidentally crush his toes again later. It had only been a couple of minutes, and there was already a casualty. "I didn't think I'd be so clumsy," she muttered, with a sheepish hint to her words.
"It's okay," he reassured her, sucking in a breath after. He recovered quite quickly, deciding to show off some smooth moves by twirling her round, plastering on a wide grin.
"Oh…!" She let out a laugh. Her long hair flowed around behind her as she spun, some strands of her fringe getting caught up in her eyes. "Now, just where have you been hiding all this talent, Honne-san? I always thought you were quite, um… what's the word… lazy? Apathetic?" Neru smirked lightly at him, wanting to tease him rather than coming off as too impressed.
He gave a nonchalant shrug. He figured he'd paid a lot more attention to the dancing couples than he originally intended. Besides, seeing that joyful sparkle in her eye helped him to focus less on the throbbing pain in his poor toes. He acted swiftly once more, turning both of them around in one swoop and gathered the courage to lower Neru down into a dip.
Neru gripped onto Dell a little tighter, growing ever so slightly wary at her new position. In return, she could feel him secure his grasp on her lower back, which eased her pounding heart. "Honne-san…" Was it hotter than before all of a sudden? Neru wondered why it felt like she could barely breathe, all while staring helplessly up into Dell's eyes.
"Akita-san, I… I've wanted to tell you something for a while..." He started, a lump forming at the back of his throat. He coughed lightly, hoping to clear away some of the nerves. He knew this would be the right time to finally get his feelings out into the open. He leaned in closer without really thinking. There was nothing but a small gap between their lips, the tension growing more stifling with each second Dell remained silent, hesitation stopping him short of continuing.
"Nnn… gah! Alright, whoever's in here, don't you dare move!"
Ruining the moment rather abruptly, the two sisters came barging into the ballroom, blasting the door down and Merli barking out an order. A light purple aura filled a portion of the once darkened hall. Aoki was charged up, gloved hands sparkling, and though it was certainly a pretty sight, the energy gathered around her palms had proven to be fatal before.
"Wah!" Neru and Dell cried out in unison, scared half to death in the midst of their near kiss. A harsh sound followed a second later; Neru's backside crashing straight to the cold, hard floor due to Dell apparently receiving a worse fright than the other.
"H-Huh!?" Merli squeaked, recoiling with a grimace as she realised what was going on. She lowered her fighting stance, pressing a palm to her forehead with an exaggerated groan. "I don't believe this!"
"Ow, ow, ow-! Honne-san, you… you… help me up, right now!" Neru grew all flustered, cheeks burning up, furious that they'd been discovered by Aoki and Merli of all people.
Aoki's eyes widened at the sight. Her reaction was a little delayed; it took her longer than Merli to read between the lines. "Woaaah… wait..." She also returned to a normal standing position, but kept the energy flowing at her palms with a bit of effort, being courteous enough to offer some much needed lighting.
"O-Oh, Akita-san, I'm so sorry…!" He darted his glance between the two sisters and the rage-fuelled guard on her butt, overwhelmed with confusion. He had no idea what to do first.
"I cannot believe this," Merli hissed again, through gritted teeth, seething.
Aoki followed Dell with her curious eyes, watching intently as he bent over and stuck out his hand for Neru to take. "Oh!" Realisation finally hit her. When they first charged into the room, she recalled how close the two guards were, for a split second. "Heh...~ You two sneaked away from duty for a private date, didn't you? Ohoho, how romantic!" The over-exaggerated ideals of romance greatly appealed to the young woman, which led her to start rambling and humiliating Neru and Dell all over again.
"D-D-Date?" Neru choked out, repeating that one word in an obnoxious high-pitched screech. Just as she was mid-grab for Dell's hand, she spluttered and got caught off guard once more. She got so caught up in wanting to bite Aoki's head off that she lost her balance, this time dragging Dell down with her.
"Gahhh, you stupid clowns, do you want to wake up the entire palace!?" Merli shrieked with fury, spilling out burning toxicity like a long overdue volcano eruption, the volume of her tantrum quite possibly much louder than the other guards' fall to the floor.
"M-Merli, calm down…!" Aoki waved her hands in front of her hysterically, shaking her head. If anyone were to wake the entire palace, it'd certainly be her.
"Ugh… hnngh..." Dell grumbled, pressing his forehead to the cold floor. He'd prefer to spend the rest of the night there in that pathetic pile, buried in his misery, as opposed to having to deal with the teasing and relentless humiliation later on.
Merli took in a deep breath, glaring sternly down at the two. "Aoki, it seems you're spared from decapitation after all. How lucky. These two will be taking your place instead."
"Y...yay…?" Aoki gulped, responding reluctantly.
"We were only gonna be in here for five minutes..." Neru huffed, managing to shove Dell's heavy body off from on top of her. She sat up, pressing her palms behind her.
"Save your excuses for the king," Merli tutted, refusing to give them a shred of mercy. "Get up, you lousy jesters. We have to check that Prince Seiun is still in his sleeping quarters."
With a final grunt, not bothering to protest, Neru and Dell decided to pick themselves up and hope that their prince hadn't managed to get away unsupervised.
…
"Your Highness, if I may give you some advice..." Fitting her role of 'trainee royal advisor', a young woman with shoulder-length, light green locks cleared her throat and spoke up, albeit kind of timidly. She wanted to give some friendly criticism to the prestigious prince, who hadn't quite nailed down the prestigious part yet. Then again, she hadn't nailed down the confidence part of her role, either.
"Mmmh… Please, not right now." He intended to give a firm 'no' as an answer, but it creaked rather pathetically from the back of his throat, coming out as a mere grunt. He had been staring down at his feet idly for a while; all he could see of the young royal advisor was the overflow of her silky white kimono almost brushing against the floor.
She stood up uncomfortably straight, head held high. She didn't exactly want to look down at the prince, but with the way he was currently slouching on the bottom of the stairs, she couldn't help but feel as though she was being condescending. "I understand how you must be feeling," she said, hoping to appeal to him on a more personal level.
He had his arms propped up, resting on top of his knees which were drawn in close to his chest. "No, Gumi-san, I don't think you do." With another miserable grunt, he let out a long, heavy sigh and buried his face in his palms.
The young woman certainly hadn't anticipated such a reaction. When she first met the prince, nothing about him screamed 'I can't handle pressure and consequences'. He always had a graceful air surrounding him; a sense of being level-headed. Yet here he was, having a full on meltdown right in front of her, no shame whatsoever. Although, part of her understood, to some degree. Her patronising sympathetic grin cracked slightly. "Perhaps not..." she admitted, with a low laugh. "Your father is only looking out for you, though. He doesn't want anything bad to happen to you."
The prince sucked in a breath, peering up from behind his palms. He had put on those pitiful puppy dog eyes without even realising. "Are you kidding? Thanks to dear old father, the entire kingdom now knows that I've been having little rendezvous with another young man my age – a trainee royal guard, at that!" He sort of yelled that, though it came out more panicked than anything, expression twisting further into shame the more he went on.
Gumi tried not to let the second-hand embarrassment sink in or show on her face as she caught sight of a few servants passing by in the middle of the prince's rant. He hadn't noticed at all, but she could feel their prying eyes as they headed toward the dining hall. Her glance traced their movements. If there was anyone left in the Glimmershield Grove region that didn't know of the prince's secret love life, well, that wouldn't last too much longer.
"What am I going to do?" He was so self-absorbed that he completely missed her wandering gaze, which was probably for the best. "I'm never going to be allowed to leave the palace again. And I'm probably going to be tortured about this forever." He sniffled, cry-baby nature shining through.
"Uh… um..." She had only been in training for a few months. Nothing so far on her course of training had prepared her for such a loaded question. She rubbed thoughtfully at her cheek with a finger, straining a smile while attempting to come up with a logical answer. However, she didn't want to be too robotic. After all, the trainee royal guard was her best friend since they were children. She was as shocked as the king and most likely every other civilian to learn of such an affair, but she wasn't entirely heartless. "I'm sure this will all pass."
The prince raised a doubtful eyebrow, staring deadpan right at her. "Oh, really?" So much sarcasm dripped from that simple little question.
Gumi let out a soft sigh. She plopped herself next to the prince on the bottom of the stairs, tucking in her kimono under her, deciding to speak straight from the heart for once. "I won't lie, it's pretty bad," she started. "I mean… I was raised in Heartgarde, arguably the most tolerant part of my home region. I don't have any problem if you and Gaku want to… y'know." She coughed lightly, averting her eyes in slight embarrassment.
The prince lowered his glance, too. He knew he could count on Gumi, and was thankful that taking on a position in the palace hadn't shaped her morals any differently. But he realised, did it even matter what she or a few others thought? "Yes… But for a prince to fall in love with what the royal family deems a 'commoner'..." His words trailed off, unable to bring himself to say the rest out loud. 'A commoner who is male, no less.' He didn't want to feel ashamed, but when faced with the King's outrage…
"You know it pains me to say it, but I think it'd be best for both of you if you tried to move on." Gumi looked directly into the prince's lost, hurt eyes as she spoke, finding the courage to guide him with brutal honesty.
His lower lip quivered ever so slightly at the thought. He was in love with the trainee royal guard, once a simple village boy from Heartgarde. He hadn't been more sure of anything in his life. So, the prospect of having to say goodbye, and block out all the memories of their sweet kisses in the dark, the way they hugged each other extra tight before parting ways… He gulped down the lump forming in his throat. "You think so?"
Gumi gave a single nod, confidence unwavering. She knew that if they continued to see each other in secret after being warned to break it off, it'd end in more heartbreak and pain. She had grown to see the prince as a close friend over the past few months, and she valued his feelings just as she valued the royal guard's. She lowered her voice, "I can arrange a final meeting tonight for the two of you. I'll see to it that it goes uninterrupted, and no one will catch wind of it. You should say your goodbyes."
The prince dropped his glance to his feet again, falling silent for a few moments, lost in bittersweet memories. He took a breath, and accepted defeat. "...Alright."
…
"Hmm… ahh...~" A sleepy yawn passes Gumi's lips, breaking the awkward silence hanging between all of us. She stretches her arms out in an exaggerated manner, although I can't really blame her, after being out of it for so long. Her eyelids keep drooping, and it must be taking a lot of willpower to stay awake.
The soft crackling of the fire is the only thing keeping me sane, to be honest. At least there's some noise amongst this terrible, crushing quiet. I don't blame anyone for not talking, though. Sure, we've miraculously averted a crisis for now, and those who were unconscious are finally awake. But after everything Xingchen and her friends unloaded onto us… I have no idea where to even begin. The fact that this isn't one massive prank is really fucking with my brain.
"How you holding up, Gumi-san…?" Rin shyly pipes up. It's nice that she's considering everyone else's feelings, but she shouldn't neglect her own troubled mind in the process.
"Could be better," the green-haired girl says, with a light shrug. She flicks her glance over to the narrow hallway for about the third time after our group talk.
"Gakupo-san still hasn't returned..." Miku drops her voice to a hushed whisper, intending for only me to hear. She mustn't want to point out the obvious, and while it's a sweet gesture, I'm pretty sure literally everyone can still hear us.
"Mm," I mumble, a bit troubled. He's been gone since Xingchen finished telling us our supposed fate. Just straight up stormed out of this underground room in denial. I've no doubt this is reminding him of the whole library situation we encountered together at school, so if someone has to go looking for him… Ugh. Why does it have to always be me who's forced to be understanding and kind to him?
"I'm sure he just needs some time to gather his thoughts," Xingchen butts in. Sure, her tone is patient and all, but still. "He has been gone a while, however..."
"Is that even surprising at all?" Dell scoffs, a bitter hint in his voice. Yeah, Gakupo isn't the only one reacting badly to this. In fact, Dell argued with Xingchen the most during that whole explanation thing. He gave in eventually, with a little persuasion from Neru, but it seems he still isn't entirely convinced.
"I'm just saying, we're all supposed to work through this together," the girl tuts, her impatience becoming a tiny bit more noticeable.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to work with people who have done nothing but fuck us over since they set foot into our school," Dell retorts, with a twitch of a sneer.
"Oh, no..." Rin whimpers, bracing herself for the inevitable.
"I thought we agreed to move past that," Merli huffs, although it comes out much more defensive than she probably intends.
"No, you tried to make us forget all about it." He fires back at each reasonable response, blinded by anger and confusion.
"Ugh," I sigh under my breath. This could be a good time to slip out and go looking for Gakupo.
"Ya know, we reaaaally should cool it with the arguing until we find a way outta here." Neru's voice of reason causes the argument to pause for a grand total of one or two seconds, as both sides process what she just said.
Blinking a few times, Dell looks at her, as if contemplating whether to listen to her or keeping firing off. C'mon, man, be reasonable and knock it off… "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for them!"
Great. Just great. Now he's pointing fingers.
"Ah…!" Una is the most offended, letting out a squeak of a gasp. Her poor, tired eyes sparkle in the most heartbreaking way. I kinda feel bad for her. "It… it wasn't our fault, we didn't want any of this…!"
"Geez, you sure are an asshole, aren't you?" Aoki growls, immediately jumping to defend the sensitive girl. She glares right at Dell, and I know for a fact I'd be intimidated if met with that. Then again, the last time I confronted the girls, just as Dell is now, I had a raging ego. I doubt it'll even faze him.
"Give it a rest already!" Neru snaps, as if doing a complete one-eighty, tired of playing neutral already. So, she resorts to what she knows best… Yelling louder than everyone else to get her own way.
Screw this. Maybe Gumi will want to come along and look for Gakupo with me. Flicking my glance over to her, I see that her eyelids have drooped closed, and she appears to be out cold. Huh. That sure is impressive. At least this time, she's probably only sleeping, not fully unconscious.
"Um… Kaito-kun… This is a disaster," Miku pouts. Tell me about it. "How on earth are we going to get through this?"
"With great difficulty," I snort, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Heh… Sorry, Mi-chan. I wish I knew. I think we have to try and band together for a start, though."
Miku cracks a light smile, although it's clear she's trying to hide her worry. "We need to find Gakupo-san, don't we?"
"Yeah," I sigh, with a nod. "You should keep Rin-san company, though..." Seeing everyone freaking out and bickering must be hard for her. She needs that sense of solidarity more than any of us right now. I tilt my head the Kagamine girl's way with a subtle gesture.
"Are you sure? You shouldn't go searching a place like this all alone," Miku says, taking on a concerned tone. "The building could be unstable, or..."
"Don't worry, Mi-chan." I reassure her with a soft kiss to the forehead. I've warmed up enough in here, I should be good to head out. Miku wraps her arms around me for a brief moment, releasing a heavy sigh.
"Don't take too long, please," come her muffled words. She's pressing her head against my chest, putting all her affection into that sweet embrace. It makes me feel a little more at ease, but it'll be hard to get back to normal for a while yet.
I offer her the bravest grin I can muster. She pulls away a moment later, a light dusting of adorable pink spread across her cheeks. I guess I have a reason to try and pull through… I can't let Miku down.
…
The soft echoing of footsteps following me is kind of unsettling. Of course, it's only my own feet tapping off the marble floor beneath me, but the way it bounces off the walls just hits different. It doesn't help that the once bright halls are now being slowly enveloped in darkness. I can't begin to imagine how many people must've lived here, long ago. The halls would've been bustling with servants at this time of day, surely.
"Tch..." I stuff my hands into my pockets, stopping in my tracks at the bottom of the stairs. So, that's the entire first floor cleared, and no sign of that purple-headed, selfish jerk. Just when I think I understand him, he's gone and pulled a stunt like this. Disappeared into thin air while everyone else is worried sick. He has to be somewhere on the ground floor. I don't even want to think about how many floors this palace has, never mind aimlessly searching them all. I mean, sure, it's nice to clear my head and try to make sense of this utter mess, but in the end, I'm left more pissed off than before.
I turn my head from left to right, recognising the outside of what I think is the dining hall. I really don't think Gakupo's stopped for a bite to eat. That just leaves another mysterious set of doors to the right. Curiosity compels me to start moving from the bottom of the staircase. This whole time, walking through the palace alone, I've had a strange sense of familiarity constantly nagging at the back of my mind. I've tried to push it aside, but the closer I come to those doors, my heart starts beating in my chest a little faster.
"This is… just a normal feeling, right…?" I mutter, thinking out loud without realising. My mouth has gone dry. I hope we can find a way to get some water or something soon… We should sort it out once we re-group. I reach out to the glittering golden door handle. Naturally, it's icy cold to the touch; I recoil my hand back with a sharp gasp. "Mmh… I totally forgot about that..." Grimacing slightly, I prepare myself this time, and grab the handle with just a few fingers rather than going all in.
Pulling the door open reveals such a magnificent sight – something I've never seen in all my life. I'm greeted by the gentle mix of orange and reddish pink, reflecting off fine gold chandeliers with a sparkle, and trailing up the walls from the back of a luxurious ballroom. The colours aren't as vibrant as a usual sunset back at home; there's a certain soft dull hint to the way it fills the room, leaving me speechless. Two cloth-covered dining tables stretch out at least half the length of the hall near the back. This must be where they had their parties and delicious dinners.
"This… has to be a dream..." I mutter, slowly scanning my eyes over the area. It's as though it's been… frozen in time or something. Given what Xingchen told us, it makes sense, but it's still a lot to wrap my head around. I begin to make my way through the hall, tilting my head back to take in the full view. Holy expensive. There's gold everywhere. Each little thing I come across in here only further confirms everything those four girls said. It's… almost too much to handle.
It takes a short while, but I make it to the back of the glorious ballroom. As I come closer, I catch sight of some simple glass doors in between elegantly decorated windows, which appear to lead to some sort of outdoor area. The view of outside from in here is a little blurred; they're kind of fogged up, perhaps from the many years of relentless ice and snow. When I grip the metal handle, I have to yank at it with quite a bit of force before it even begins to budge open. Locked firmly in place with an icy suction, it swooshes open after a bit of tugging, throwing me back a few steps with it.
Once open, my first instinct is to squint my eyes, a blast of that bitter air from earlier coming right for me. Not to mention that dull sunset being a lot more vibrant on the outside. I had gotten so used to the gentle lighting down in the library, and all that toasty warmth… It's an unpleasant shock for the first few seconds, still gripping helplessly onto the metal door handle.
Adjusting the best I can to the still unfamiliar conditions, I take a step out into the open. The outdoor area sure isn't as beautiful as it must've been long ago. It's a husk of its former self, the decent stretch of ground overtaken by, you guessed it, more ice. It doesn't seem to be so thick and slippery here; when I cross over onto the path, I find I have a more steady footing. Staring down at my feet, just to be sure I know exactly where I am at all times, I finally pull myself together and gather the courage to scan my eyes across that gorgeous sky.
Eh, being trapped here is definitely awful and all, but… Can't deny that sight. The glimmer of mostly orange reflecting off the icy ground isn't as blinding as I anticipate. Scanning from left to right, I eventually catch sight of someone to the far right of the outdoor area, hunched over and leaning against the stone balustrade surrounding the perimeter.
"Ah..." A small wave of relief washes over me at the sight of that familiar purple hair draping down his back, being blown about gently by the bursts of wind. Of course, relief is only a temporary state. Upon setting my eyes on his back, I'm immediately reminded of the way he childishly stormed out some time ago, and I grow irritated. The worst part is I'm not sure whose behalf I'm irritated on – the others', or my own. Still, gotta play it cool, right? "Gakupo."
As I call his name out, his head rises up slightly. However, he doesn't even bother to look over his shoulder or anything. So, he definitely heard me, but… He's choosing not to look.
With a light huff, I brace myself for the awkwardness. I waltz on over to him. There's not much distance between us really, so it just takes a few moments for me to be near enough him. I stop a couple paces behind him. "Hey. What's with you?"
"Whose bright idea was it to send you to rescue me, Kaito-san?" Gakupo starts with the attitude almost straight away, and at that point, I contemplate just leaving him here to freeze. He doesn't take his eyes off the sparkling sea of ice ahead.
Tutting under my breath, I take a couple more steps forward, propping my elbows up onto the balustrade and pressing my cheeks into my palms. "Well, let's see," I start, with a roll of my eyes. "Dell-kun and Neru-chan are fighting with Xingchen and the other girls. Gumi-san fell asleep again. Oh, and Mi-chan is looking after Rin-san, so guess what that means." Listing off every member of our group, I make the remaining candidate painfully obvious.
Gakupo lets out a low chuckle, a dry, humourless one at that. He straightens his back out, lowering his elbows and instead just resting his arms there all casually. "You couldn't have waited five more minutes, huh?"
"Yeah, 'cause I'm totally a mind reader and can predict when you'd be gracing us with your presence again," I respond, with a sort of snort. I can't believe his arrogance. Are we really still bickering after all this? And here I thought I should be nice to the poor, pampered Mahogany boy. Without giving him a chance to keep running his mouth, I continue, "What's your deal, seriously?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," he says, lowering his glance. His fingertips are slightly reddened. I wonder how long this idiot has been out in the freezing cold. "I don't understand how you're so calm. She just told us we're responsible for saving an entire planet against a dangerous threat. That isn't exactly normal." With the hint of apathy to his voice, I get the feeling he's drawn out all the shock and anger prior to me being here, and he's left with just exhaustion.
Then again, I suppose he and I aren't so different after all. "Trust me, I'm not calm..." I softly laugh. But so much shit has happened lately, I've just learned to go with the flow. I can only hope we do a good job with our new responsibilities. "But there's no point in stressing over it alone."
"It's… not just that..." When I flick my glance over at him, raising a brow, I see that he's already averted his eyes. Is he… avoiding eye contact with me? The hesitance in those words kind of unsettles me. If he's going to be all shy and sincere again, I won't be able to handle it. "Aoki-san thinks she detected dark energy during the Talent Trials, right…?"
"You see, these necklaces of ours… the gems are able to trace small bursts of recent energy..." Aoki pointed down to the plain-looking ruby gem hanging from her necklace. "But any energy trails we find around the school are most likely not being used for good, unfortunately."
That's right. Just like that voice from the library at school… It seems like it happened forever ago compared to where we are now, but she told us the truth before we even got here. Those gems are able to detect magic… Somehow… It's absurd to think too hard about. "Yeah," I say, with a nod. I stand up straight, back starting to ache a little already. "And Merli..."
She tapped at the leaf-shaped ruby with the tip of her finger; it swayed slightly. "Some of you haven't exactly been acting like yourselves, have you?" Her ocean blue eyes landed on Neru for a start.
The tomboy puffed out her cheeks, knowing she'd been called out on her rude behaviour with just one glance. I was beyond relieved that she had chilled out. "I… I don't know what was wrong with me, dude…" Dell patted at her shoulder, with a weak yet reassuring grin.
A sympathetic frown pulled at Merli's features. She spoke with care. "Well, with what little information we've managed to piece together about dark magic, we can conclude there may have been mind control at work."
"Mind control, huh…?" I mutter, at the thought. I slowly shake my head. It certainly explains a lot of the drastic shifts in everyone's personalities… But some part of their nasty feelings must've been in there to begin with. I don't want to hold it against Neru, and Dell, even my sweet Miku… Ugh.
"I wanted to find a chance to speak to you privately, and to tell you the truth..." Gakupo finally turns his head to the side, locking our eyes, which throws me off a bit. There's a spark of unwavering confidence reflecting in those orbs of his, and it's certainly admirable, but a troubled pout seems to be pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Looks like I have to go ahead with it now rather than later, though."
"Wh...what is it…?" I blink a few times, trying my hardest not to stare directly into his eyes, but also trying not to come off as rude and looking elsewhere. What's the appropriate eye contact to looking away ratio in this situation, damn it? Uhh…!
"I think I fell under the influence of this mind control," Gakupo mumbles, dropping his stern gaze for a moment. "I'm not sure how… Maybe I got caught up in the range or something."
"Huh… You weren't really acting any differently though, were you?" I ask, slightly confused. Sure, I don't really know the guy, but it's not like his personality switched too dramatically during the trials.
He lets his eyes slip shut, fist lightly clenched at his side. "Kaito-san, I… I'm so sorry..."
Woah. A genuine apology. This is like… next level. I know he's been nicer to me as of lately, but he's exposing such a delicate side to himself right now. Those raw emotions cause my heart to beat a little harder in my chest. A particularly strong blast of icy air hits me right in the face, darkening my already reddened cheeks.
He inhales a shaky breath. His entire body has started to tremble. This can't be good… Maybe I should suggest we go inside before continuing. But before I can even open my mouth, he's staring right back into my eyes, cutting me short of speaking. "I think I was involved in taking your ideas for the trials… and also framing you as the one who cheated."
…