Chapter 2: Side Chronicles 2

There were no other visitors for the rest of the journey. Nicks and Dorothea sat on opposite ends of their shared jail cell, their previous contact remained unspoken. A dreary mood hung over them. Nicks couldn't even get himself to try to think of a possible escape plan.

"Why did you do that?"

Dorothea spoke from her spot. She was seated in a way that would be scandalous if she were in her school uniform or a typical noblewoman dress. In her adventurer gear, she simply looked defeated and tired.

"Stopping Katy," she clarified. "Why bother?"

Nicks thought this was another noble-style roundabout way of saying her thanks, but the look in her eyes disabused him of that notion.

"I'm not sure," Nicks expected her to berate him for his feeble answer. Instead she remained silent and simply stared at him, so he continued. "I think when she said it would be your fault for your sister's fate… it hit me too."

"Your sister as well," she received a nod from Nicks. "I didn't think the Bartfort Household would care. Your older siblings don't strike me as that type."

It wasn't surprising she would eventually connect him with his step-siblings. They were in the Advance Class as well, with Rutart even in the same year as Dorothea.

"They're from the main line. My younger siblings and I are from the branch line," he clarified. "We're a lot closer to each other. At least compared to them."

"Ah," Dorothea quickly understood the implications. "We don't have a branch line, but my sister and I are close to each other as well."

A small smile graced Dorothea's lips at the mention of her sister. An small improvement from her depressed state from earlier. Nicks thought it suited her better.

"How old is she?" he blurted out.

While Nicks inwardly berated himself for the sudden inquiry, Dorothea changed posture to a more comfortable position.

"Fifteen," she eventually answered. "She would have been attending the academy next year…"

The sadness was starting to return again.

"The same age as Claire then," Nicks spoke right away. "My younger sister. She should be attending the academy next year."

"So they would have been classmates. Maybe they would have been friends."

Nicks hummed in disagreement. "Unless your sister is interested in becoming a knight. Claire's a great swordswoman, but barely likes the noblewoman stuff."

A small laugh came from Dorothea. "Maybe rivals then. Deirdre excelled and enjoyed her etiquette lessons. Though she's overly enthusiastic at times."

"Yeah, Claire might find her aggravating. But maybe your sister can improve Claire's attitude."

"And Deirdre could use someone to sharpen her combat skills. Saintess knows she could use it."

Dorothea let out another chuckle, with tears pouring down her face this time. She tried to quickly wipe them away with her hands.

"Apologies," the blue-eyed noblewoman tried to recompose herself.

"No need. I'd offer a handkerchief but…"

"Your intentions are accepted," she gave a small nod to him. "Though I would not begrudge you if you directed to me the same resentment as Cagna did. You're only here because of me, while ignoring your warnings."

"I don't think I can blame you for that. And you're not the reason why I joined the expedition."

That was Skel or Po's fault. He didn't remember which one, but one of them enticed him to join. As he was debating who to curse, he missed the sharp look Dorothea shot at him, as if she was carefully studying him.

"Do you know the reason for the expedition?"

"Um… just to gather some dungeon plants?"

Nicks recalled the contents of his baggage earlier.

"Those plants are ingredients for a drug that can erase magical traces," she revealed. "It's not a secret, you can even buy them from pharmacies. But it's not popular; so it's very expensive."

"I've heard stories about that. Though as a drug used to hide… affairs."

Some of the more sanctimonious noblewomen who wanted to fool around with their slaves but still pretended to be virtuous tried to bury any traces of their dalliances. Sanctimonious, because while it hid what they did, it didn't hide that something still happened. The drug erased magic to the point any place it was used on felt unnatural. Might as well announce you trying to hide something suspicious.

"Yes, one of its more uncouth applications. Which is one of the reasons nobles still purchase it despite its cost. The church as well; for their 'purification'."

Dorothea let the statement hang in the air for Nicks to process.

"For the possessed," concluded Nicks, earning a smirk from Dorothea. "The drug can erase all magic, even signs of possession. You were using it to hide your sister."

"Correct," she praised him. "Then one day, we were offered assistance in procuring the ingredients of the drug, including its source. We calculated that gathering the materials and producing it ourselves would be cheaper, thus the expedition. But now I feel that this was just a ploy to find their true target."

Dorothea stood up from her spot and started approaching his side of the cell.

"Now, why am I telling you this?"

Sensing she was going somewhere with this, Nicks stood up but remained rooted on his spot. Once she was almost face-to-face with him, Dorothea spoke in lower volume; likely so they wouldn't be overheard.

"I want to make a deal. After they've traded me for my sister, I will stop at nothing to get her back. And, I want you to join me in this."

Dorothea's proximity and breath were making it hard for Nicks to concentrate. It didn't help he felt trapped with his back literally to the wall.

"W-why?"

"Because you clearly care for your sister. And am I correct to assume you would work to get her back?"

"Yes," Nicks answered firmly. "Yes, I would."

"Good," Dorothea's feral smile made his heart beat. "From what I've seen, you're observant and calm headed. I sorely need people with the same drive to increase my chances of rescuing my sister. In exchange, you'll obviously have my backing and support; with this and other endeavors. I confess that my record has been poor with my retinue, as evidenced by Cagna. But with this deal, we share a tangible goal than just simple 'loyalty'."

Despite being slightly taller than Dorothea, Nicks felt as if she was towering over him with her presence.

"Do we have a deal?"

Nicks reflexively nodded his head.

"Excellent. I have possible leads and the means to track them; I can promise that much. Someone baited my family into this mess and they will sorely regret doing so."

She was about to step back to return to her spot.

"Wait," Nicks stopped her. "If we're laying everything on the table, then I need to be honest as well."

Dorothea didn't say anything but her expression told him to continue.

"They said they want to exchange me for my possessed sister, but thing is… she isn't possessed. Or at least not anymore." Nicks hurriedly added. "As far as we knew, she was possessed. The symptoms were too recognizable to be mistaken for anything else. When it was getting worse, she planned to run away to spare her family the stigma. But just before I entered the Academy, all her symptoms disappeared. She even reclaimed control of her magic."

He saw her eyes widen in realization.

"If they're still referring to her as 'possessed', maybe they still don't know. They might not bother trading me for a 'healthy' person. Or maybe they will and still want her either way. But there is a chance that I could be trapped into slavery instead."

Nicks didn't bother mentioning the actual worse outcome was simply being disposed. While most nobles could count on being ransomed back to their families, he doubted his status as second-in-line for a minor barony was going to save his neck. Especially if the Mistress was going to be handling the negotiations

"If it comes down to that, contact my sister, Claire. She's just as skilled as me, if not more. If you tell her the same things about your sister, she'll gladly join your cause. In case she needs convincing, tell her the Forest of Ladies has me."

Hopefully Dorothea remembered Katy mentioning the group. Hopefully Claire's animosity of the group would be enough to convince her to assist Dorothea as well.

"I understand, and I appreciate your candor. If it comes to it, I will contact her."

To his surprise, Dorothea grabbed the front of his shirt, and forcefully yanked him to her level.

"But if you do survive this ordeal, you present yourself to me. Understood?"

Her fierce gaze broke no argument.

"U-understood…"

Nicks was pacing inside the prison hold, trying to relieve the boredom of his now solitary confinement. Granted it had only been a few minutes since Dorothea had been taken from their shared cell, screaming and cursing at their captors. Sharing a cell with the noblewoman had broken down whatever social barriers were normally between them, allowing them to talk freely. It was rather tragic that conversing in a filthy prison cell was better than any tea ceremonies he hosted in the academy.

His solitude did last long as one of their captors returned with a new person. They were thrown unceremoniously inside the cell, causing the person to stumble and fall. Their jailer didn't even bother to check on them and left like he'd rather be anywhere else. Nicks approached his new cellmate and tried to help them up. He felt the person stiffen at his contact and tried to push him away. The action caused the hood the person was wearing to fall off, revealing the same blonde hair as Dorothea Roseblade.

"Wait! Deirdre, right?"

Though he asked, Nicks could see the features that bore similarity to Dorothea. Deirdre had curlier hair, but she had the same blue eyes and refined features as her older sister. Except a good portion of her face was covered in bandages. Even her arms were wrapped despite already wearing loose long sleeves. It reminded him when Claire had to do the same. Worse of all, even with the loose skirt of her dress, Nicks could see how swollen her right leg was compared to her left.

Nicks fought through his instincts and kept his hold of the young girl. Though instead of trying to help her stand, he tried to make sure she was sitting comfortably.

"You're… Nicks Fou… Bartfort?" Deirdre asked with tired breaths.

Dorothea must have managed to inform her sister during the exchange.

"Yes, that's me."

"Why… bother…?"

As she was clearly having a hard time, Nicks moved her closer to the walls, so that she could rest against it. Even then, Deirdre couldn't stay upright. Nicks volunteered to sit by her side and let her rest against him. Their proximity highlighted how small and delicate the young girl felt. She may have been Claire's age and of similar height, but Deirdre felt so much more fragile than his sister.

"Was Dorothea able to tell you? I have a sister as well…"

Nicks rambled on, trying to comfort the young Roseblade with his words. While she never said anything, Nicks felt her body relax and eventually drift off into sleep. If he could only get himself to relax, knowing what was coming next.

The loud slam of the prison hold door woke Nicks and the girl next to him. He feared it was his time when he saw the guard standing in the doorway. To their shock, the guard fell face first into the floor, revealing a smaller figure behind them.

A young therianthrope girl stepped over the unconscious guard and headed towards their cell door. She used her sword to break the lock and open their cell. The meager light of their cell highlighted the girl's golden cat ears and matching tail. She wore a dark skin suit with exposed shoulders, and a domino mask to obscure her face. When Nicks finally stood up, the therianthrope was around the same height as Deirdre standing behind him.

"Step away from her."

The therianthrope pointed her sword at him, causing Deirdre to grab the back of his shirt.

"Who are you?" Nicks didn't know where this bout of courage was coming from. "Are you the Forest of Ladies?"

"No," the therianthrope answered harshly. "We stand against them. Who are you? And why are you protecting her?"

"Nicks Fou Bartfort... and I promised her sister that I would."

Technically he never said it, but it seemed only right if he agreed to through his lot with the Roseblades.

"Bartfort," the therianthrope repeated with a hint of curiosity.

Unexpectedly, the therianthrope girl lowered her sword. Silence seemed to stretch on, until he observed the girl's sword ripple and vanish, before she moved to the side of the cell door.

"Go outside. We'll talk with the others."

Nicks caught on that this girl wasn't alone. If she was letting them go ahead of her, it meant she was reasonably confident that the rest of their captors had been dealt with. Just who were these people?

"Can you walk?"

He asked Deirdre only to receive a shake of her head.

"Leg hurts…" she weakly replied.

Seeing no choice, Nicks carried the young noblewoman in his arms. He didn't notice the therianthrope tilt her head at this action. The walk through the airship was as he guessed. There were signs of struggles across the walls but the corridors were empty. It was almost eerie.

When Nicks stepped out of the airship, he breathed in fresh air for the first time since his capture. He was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the sun, but the warmth of the sunlight was comforting. The stares directed at him, not so much. More girls dressed similarly to the black-clad therianthrope were outside the airship.

On one side, he could see the girls detaining his former captors. Nicks felt a small amount of satisfaction at the reversal of their fortunes. Especially when he spotted Katy fou Cagna herself among the unconscious. Other girls were moving about their roles, not too different from what he would see from a dungeon camp.

"Milady," a dark-skinned elf wearing a military hat approached his spot, but clearly addressed the therianthrope behind him. "The rest are waiting. I'm here to escort you. Please follow me."

The last part was mostly directed to Nicks, who had no problems complying. As he walked through this makeshift camp, some of the girls seemed to stop and stare at him. Thankfully it was a short walk as the dark elf led him to an obvious command center for the camp. It was just a clearing, but the young girls who stood there had different demeanors. He could tell they were strong despite what their sizes would say.

In front of them was a blond light-skinned elf, clearly the leader of this group.

"Lord Nicks Fou Bartfort. You are an unexpected development," even with the mask, Nicks could tell she was scrutinizing him. "But first, we need to tend to her."

The blond elf signaled to a twin-tailed elf, who approached Nicks with Deirdre in his arms.

"Excuse me. Can I look at her? I just want to see if she needs medical attention."

Nicks was very reluctant but then he felt a soft grip from Deirdre.

"It's okay… I feel like… they want… to help. Truly."

"... Okay," Nicks relented.

"Thank you. You can set her here. She doesn't even have to leave your side."

He carefully laid Deirdre on a sheet of cloth. The elf started talking to Deirdre, asking about her condition. While the young noblewoman was being examined, Nicks stood back up to face the blond elf.

"Lord Bartfort, as you were found in the same cell as a 'possessed', can we assume you had nothing to do with the crew of the airship?"

"Yes," Nicks tried to be firmly clear on the matter. "I was captured prisoner in a dungeon island. Along with her sister."

"We're aware of the trade that happened for Lady Roseblade. If that's the case, and to make things quick, we can return you back to your home territory."

Relief filled Nicks for the first time in a long while.

"In exchange, you will have to forget what happened here, and everyone here," she turned her gaze to Deirdre. "Everyone."

"Wait," he protested. "What about Deirdre?"

"Rest assured we will take care of her. She will be well cared for with us."

"She has family who misses her. Especially her sister," he tried to argue. "They kept her hidden to protect her. I know it's hard to believe but you can ask her."

"Is that so…" the elf looked contemplatively at the possessed girl. "How is she?"

"She's stable. Her possession has advanced, but aside from that she has no other issues. No signs of neglect or harm. She was clearly cared for."

"Hmpf… obviously," Deirdre haughtily remarked despite her exhaustion. "I am… a Roseblade."

She even flicked her hair behind her, as weak as it was.

Meanwhile, the leader of this group placed a hand to her chin, clearly in thought. She looked at Nicks, then at Deirdre. The elven girl turned her gaze to another of her companions, a silver-haired elf with shoulder length hair. They exchanged a few whispers before the silver-haired elf approached him.

"Lord Bartfort, I will need you to move away from Lady Roseblade for a short while."

"What for?"

"She has a choice to make, and the details are for her ears only."

Nicks was reluctant but he consulted with the person in question.

"I'll hear… them out…"

Nothing he could do about it then. Another elf, this one with long black hair, led him a distance away. He could still see Deirdre, but he couldn't hear what she and the elves were saying.

"You weren't afraid of touching her," noted the elf beside him. "Most don't even want to be near a possessed."

As he watched Deirdre sitting down surrounded by elves, a memory came to mind. Claire crying on her bed, their mother and father trying to comfort her.

"She's someone's sister. Someone's daughter. Even if the stories are true, I couldn't think of her as just 'possessed'. She willingly offered herself for her sister's safety. That's more than what even 'pure' nobles would ever do. It's the least I could do."

Maybe he'd get lucky and the rumors that men couldn't get infected by the possessed were true. But even so, Nicks wouldn't regret his choice.

He was focused on observing Deirdre; he missed the smile from the elf beside him.

"Just like him."

"What? Sorry I missed that."

"Nothing. Looks like they're done."

As he approached, the elves kindly backed away to give them some space. Nicks knelt in front of Deirdre, waiting for her explanation.

"I will… go with them. But. Will return… back home. They will… discuss… plan… while gone."

Deirdre reached for her collar and asked help from the twin-tailed elf. She eventually removed a locket she had apparently been wearing.

"Here," she extended the locket towards him. "Family crest… on it. Return when...come back."

Nicks humbly received the important keepsake.

"I'll be waiting."

With the last exchange of words, the blond elf instructed the twin-tailed elf and dark-haired elf to carry Deirdre.

"Zeta, you can return back. Instruct Lambda to guard the prisoners and keep them sedated. We might need them unharmed."

The catgirl acknowledged the order and left to her task.

"Lord Bartfort, Lady Roseblade has made her choice. Are you prepared to play your part?"

"I am," he unhesitantly replied.

"Excellent. We can now introduce ourselves. You may call me Alpha," she gestured to the silver-haired elf beside her. "This is Beta. I will need to leave to assist with Lady Roseblade if we are to hurry. Beta will stay and explain the plan to return both of you home."

"I look forward to working with you, Lord Bartfort."

Nicks could only wonder what he had gotten himself into.

Days after her return to the earldom, Dorothea felt stifled by her apparent house arrest in the Roseblade Mansion. It almost felt like she traded one cell for another, even if she knew how nonsensical the comparison was. She wanted nothing more than to spearhead the rescue of her sister. Which admittedly, was probably the reason for her confinement.

At the very least, she was able to convince her father to look into the Bartfort Barony. If she was to rebuild her retinue, Dorothea would make sure one of the Bartfort siblings was recruited.

As she was brooding inside her room, she heard commotion outside her doors. Dorothea left the confines of her chambers and saw the help and guards of the mansion moving about. She narrowed her eyes at the movement of the staff; there were few reasons both groups would be rushing about the mansion.

Taking advantage of her distracted guards, Dorothea proceeded directly to her father's study, and found her remaining family members there. His father stood behind his desk, with her elder brother beside. Even her mother was there, preparing drinks, and was surprised by Dorothea's entrance.

"Father! Are we under attack?"

"Dorothea? Why are you outside- nevermind. You might actually be needed for this."

"What has happened?"

"One of our patrol ships reported an airship heading towards our island. The description in the message matches the one that you came on."

"Did they catch them?" Dorothea eagerly asked. "We can use them to find Deirdre!"

"Calm, Dorothea," her father reprimanded her. "They didn't board the airship, or stop it due to some strange circumstances."

Her father raised his hand to forestall any more of Dorothea's questions. She winced at her ill-mannered behavior and recomposed herself. When her father was satisfied she wouldn't interrupt him anymore, he continued.

"The airship is carrying two signal flags. One of surrender, and for some reason, one containing our house crest. Additionally, once the ships entered communication range, someone in the airship requested a specific person, you."

"Me?"

"When asked why, they said they made a deal with you."

"I never negotiated with those criminals," her eyes widened in realization. "Bartfort."

"The barony you mentioned?"

"The person I shared a cell with," she clarified.

"We will discuss more of this later. Right now, the airship is being guided towards an isolated port. I've ordered the area around it to be evacuated just in case. Whoever is inside could be our only lead in finding Deirdre. If your presence is necessary, arm yourself and prepare to depart soon.

"At once, father."

Despite the circumstances, Dorothea was grateful for the reason to finally leave the mansion. She was eager to begin her goal of rescuing her sister. It didn't matter if this was a possible trap, or a ploy to get closer to attack their territory. She would do whatever she needed.

Once they arrived at the port, Dorothea was directed to a group of spellswords assigned to guard her. She was quickly briefed on possible negotiation protocols. Other airships were patrolling the skies while anti-air defenses were activated as a precautionary measure. There was barely any time to rest when an alarm rang out, signifying an approaching airship.

The airship travelled relatively slowly, either on purpose or a necessity. None of its weapons were armed, which decreased the possibility of a surprise attack. As the airship got closer, Dorothea confirmed with her father that it was indeed the same ship she had been imprisoned in. She spotted the two flags mentioned earlier. With the flag of surrender, they were honor bound, especially as nobles, to provide safe passage. The flag sporting the Roseblade family crest looked to be crudely made. Like someone painted over a random piece of cloth.

It took the airship a long time to slowly maneuver into port. The whole area was on high alert, waiting with bated breath. Until the sound of the airship's speakers turning on broke the tension.

"Excuse me, is this on?" A small pause. "Is Dorothea Fou Roseblade there?"

Despite protests from her guard, Dorothea bravely approached the boarding door of the airship.

"Yes! It is I, Dorothea Fou Roseblade!" she shouted in hopes whoever inside could hear her. "What do you want?"

A stretch of silence fell over the dock while she waited for a reply.

"Right. Going to open the boarding ramp and come out now. Um, please don't shoot."

While she was confused, Dorothea's guards acted quickly and moved between her and the airship. She was about to protest on the action possibly construed as hostile, when the board ramp descended and the entrance hatch opened.

A male stepped out with his hands open and raised above his head.

"Bartfort?!" Dorothea immediately recognized him.

"Greetings, Lady Roseblade," Nicks greeted back with an obvious nervous tone.

It was hard not to be, with all the weapons pointed in his direction. Yet he bravely walked down the ramp and stood in front of Dorothea's group. Dorothea pushed past the guards to stand in front of Nicks.

"How?" Dorothea was rarely at a loss for words.

"Um, as you can see I'm here to present myself," he let out a nervous chuckle. "But there's someone who wants to see you more."

Nicks shifted his body away from the boarding ramp, leaving an unobstructed view of the airship hatch. Another figure came out of the airship, smaller and female this time.

Dorothea gasped and brought a hand over her mouth, unable to believe the sight before her. Murmurs spread over the port at the sight of Deirdre Fou Roseblade walking down the ramp. Her golden hair and unblemished face visible to everyone. Her clothes were worn and she looked tired, but she was walking unhindered and sported a confident expression.

The older Roseblade practically ran to her sister's side, and unhesitantly held Deirdre's hands. Her healthy, uncovered, delicate hands.

"Greetings, dear sister," Deirdre greeted cheekily.

Dorothea cried and grabbed her sister in a tight hug.

A/N: Thus this mini-arc comes to a close. This of course sets-up bigger ramifications down the line.

Like I said in the previous chapter, this mini-arc spiraled a bit out of control. I did debate whether the events of this arc would just be referenced by the characters after the timeskip into the academy. Only referenced once Deirdre or Dorothea shows up a bit earlier than in canon. But there was a concern I had regarding Shadow Garden and Leon which the events of this arc could solve. The next chapter should explain that concern and solution. Thus this mammoth of a sidestory delays the main events of the otome game for now.

Reviews and comments are appreciated.