Chapter 136

Chapter 136

“I’ll be heading back now, sir.”

“Very well.”

The Pedelian group en route to Yggdrasil had halted their trek for the day in order to set up camp. With their surveillance of the forest surrounding their party complete, Isidore left his young master’s side to see to other tasks. Cassis looked up at the sky and basked in the warmth of the setting sun against his face. It’ll be nightfall soon and most likely a bit cooler.

They were set to arrive in Yggdrasil within a few days. In that span of time, he expected his group would encounter more than just the Vertiums. Those unforeseen threats were the very reason he had initially agreed to Roxana’s idea of going on ahead and on her own.

Rustle.

A deer had come into the clearing. He relaxed his scowl and approached it slowly. When he was near enough, he reached out to touch its haunch. As it did not spook at his touch, he proceeded to gently stroke its neck and back while appreciating the healthy gloss of its fur.

The creature appeared cautious, but in no way threatened. A passerby would have likely thought the scene exceedingly tranquil and beatific.

Snap!

In a flash, the deer appeared to burst out of existence. Cassis placed his now empty hands together as if in prayer over its death. Once all of its life force had been drained, what remained of the animal blew away like dust in the wind.

Unbeknownst to Roxana, this sort of ritual had been the source of the energy he imparted to her from time to time. In order to prolong her life without endangering her soul, he had sacrificed hundreds of innocent lives. Among the lives he expended, humans proved to be the most effective, so he sometimes shared some of his own life force with her.

When he had come upon her that past winter, he could tell at first glance that she had less than six months to live and needed every ounce of life he could spare. His ability to self-heal made it possible to offer her emergency aid, but there was a limit to how much he could pass over without killing himself. Thus, he had to rely on that energy from other sources.

There was no denying the inherent brutality of his indiscriminate killings, but if it meant keeping his beloved at his side, he would do anything. Thus there was nothing in their world too precious for him to sacrifice, and he acted without hesitation. His current objective was to replenish the energy had given her before her trip, as well as collect enough to provide her upon their reunion in Yggdrasil.

After completing his prayer, Cassis returned to the camp to find his sister.

“Sylvia, go sit closer to the campfire. It’s going to get colder.”

She instead shook her head. “Maybe later. After that long ride, I could use some fresh air.”

He nodded knowingly before stepping over to stand beside her.

“It would’ve been nice if big sister Roxana was traveling with us,” she muttered so quietly that he debated whether she had been speaking to herself.

“We’ll see her soon.”

He gave her a brief response on the off-chance Sylvia hadn’t been speaking to him. Instead, his sister detected a hint of longing in his words. As disappointed as she was to be without her new sister Roxana had said goodbye to her separately back at the castle, so she was only slightly distraught over their temporary separation.

She turned her gaze from her brother toward Nix who was locked up in one of the carriages and under heavy, 24-hour guard.

“Who... are you?”

She recalled how cautiously he had asked after her identity upon noticing her peering into his dungeon cell. It was unheard of for a doll to speak before being addressed or under some sort of order, so she was a bit taken aback by his ability to inquire after her of his own will.

“No, wh—?”

The reflex to question him in turn had caught on the tip of her tongue. She restrained herself since she knew exactly who, or rather what, he was already. The guard who had escorted her through the dungeon seemed to sense the hostility in her tone and immediately intervened.

“Lady Sylvia, I think it best we leave now.”

But at that moment, a soft voice reached her ears.

“I’m Nix.”

Between his innocent face and gentle tone, she presumed his body was about 15 or 16 years old. Since his physical maturation would have stopped at the time of his death, he was actually younger than his “little” sister. Even so, his beautifully flawless face appeared to hold nothing but kind intentions. It was the sort of face that could disarm anyone who so much as caught a glimpse of him.

“So your name’s Sylvia.”

At the mention of her name, it wasn’t Sylvia but the guard who flinched. He mentally flogged himself for unwittingly speaking their princess’s name directly before an enemy. After taking note of the guard’s heightened anxiety, she decided it indeed would be wise not to dawdle in the dungeon any longer.

“Very well. I’m done here anyway. Let’s go.”

“Wait, Sylvia. Don’t go!”

Clang.

The chains around his arms and legs rattled in the background as he desperately called out to her. But she ignored his pleas since going back seemed even more heartless somehow. It was as if just being there on the other side of his cell door was like committing some terrible sin against him.

“Sorry, I have to go.”

“But why? Can’t you stay just a bit longer?”

“No, that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“But it’s so cold and cramped in here, and I’m... lonely.”

By relating how harsh his conditions were, the puppet hoped to gain the young Pedelian’s sympathy.

“Of all the people who have come down here to see me, you’re the only one who hasn’t been hostile toward me. So please... won’t you stay and talk to me for just a little bit?”

He pleaded with the most innocent voice he could muster, but that was the very tactic that snapped Sylvia back to her senses. Not only was he locked away in a place like that, but everyone else who had dealt with him had done so with aggression. If what he had said was indeed the truth, then she felt the need to reprimand herself for letting the puppet get to her and making her waste even more time in a place she knew she shouldn’t be in.

One thing she could be certain of was that if every other member of her clan had been cold toward Nix, there was most certainly a good reason for that.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to do that. Farewell.”

There was no longer any doubt or hesitation in her actions, yet Nix continued to whisper to her from behind his cell door.

“I hope you’ll come see me again, Sylvia. Please do.”

She hadn’t realized that her brow had furrowed into a scowl as she reflected on her brief encounter with the puppet. Cassis had emphasized to her that Nix was an exceptionally conniving doll, thus she should be equally vigilant against whatever he might say to her. And after her own epiphany in the dungeon, she readily nodded at her brother’s calm warning.

In truth, she had found the doll remarkable at first glance, but she had never been one to ignore the advice of those she trusted. The impulse to tell her brother not to worry since she was no longer a child rattled in her mind, but she quieted it fairly quickly as she knew it would be a waste of breath.

She wasn’t naïve enough not to recognize that she was still under the constant protection of others. Thus their concern over her was only natural. She finally looked away from Nix’s carriage and back at her brother.

“It appears they’ve finished preparing dinner. One of your men is even waving us over.”

“Then let’s go eat.”

“All right.”

The silver-haired siblings set off toward the crowd of hungry Pedelian knights as the vast sky above them slowly darkened to a dark, navy blue.

* * *

“How have you been?” Sierra couldn’t recall the last time she had been able to sit down with her daughter for a simple conversation. Her blue eyes searched all over Roxana for any sign of affliction. Only after seeing nothing of concern did she appear satisfied to continue speaking. “You look well.”

Contrary to her mother’s worries, Roxana had been in the care of expert hands. “And you look far more at peace, Mother.” She too had been assessing her mother’s condition. “I hope it hasn’t been too uncomfortable here.”

“No, not at all. We’ve actually been doing quite well thanks to all the preparations you made beforehand.”

To their surprise, exchanging warm greetings had come to them rather naturally.

“What of you?” Sierra asked.

“I’ve been quite well also.”

Neither made mention of their final night in Agrece nor of Lante. Their conversation noticeably lacked the warmth expected in a mother-daughter reunion, but to those in the room who knew them, it was the closest they had ever appeared to one another.

Of course, neither Emily nor Beth made any sign that this display was wholly new to the both of them. Instead, upon recognizing that it was indeed a tender moment for the two beauties, the steward and maid decided to leave the room to allow them more privacy.

Once left alone, Sierra gazed at Roxana in silence. Since leaving the Black mansion last winter, there hadn’t been a day when she didn’t think of her daughter. The only thing that had kept her from attempting to search for her was the fear that she might unintentionally get in Roxana’s way yet again.

Her lips parted slightly and her voice came out in a whisper. “I... I thought you might...” ...might never come to find me. That perhaps I would never be able to see you again.

But rather than say the words that had plagued her heart, Sierra held her tongue. She knew she had already been enough of a burden on her daughter, so saying such guilt-inducing things would likely only add to Roxana’s troubles. As her mother, she would not allow herself to whine no matter the circumstance. Besides, her daughter had indeed come for her.

“All that matters to me is that you’re well, dear.”

She chose to divert her initial impulse with a different, yet sincere sentiment. The words were heartfelt and the sort of thing she had always wished to say to her daughter for so many years as she watched her grow into a formidable Agrece.

Roxana gazed quietly at her mother and ruminated on how unfamiliar the moment must feel for both of them. It was in part due to the unique circumstances they were in, but the considerable changes she observed in her mother had a great deal to do with it as well. For one thing, there was far more resolve in her mother’s gaze. The woman she was once certain would topple over in the slightest breeze, suddenly seemed rooted firmly in place like an oak tree.

“I too...” Roxana thought carefully before going on. “...do not wish to see you hurt either, Mother.”

She had decided to take a page from her mother’s book and finally speak truthfully as well. They were words she had kept locked deep within her heart for so long. At that moment the two recognized that their concerns were one and the same.

There sat the mother who had pushed her daughter to become strong in order to avoid the same pitiable death her son had suffered, and the daughter who had kept her distance in order to keep her mother from coming into harm’s way due to the enemies she had made on the path to becoming stronger.

In many ways, they had been so certain that their actions were in the best interest of the other that in hindsight their motives bordered on selfish.

Knock, knock.

“Pardon me.”

Beth had returned carrying a tray of refreshments for them. Although their conversation hadn’t been all that lively, they chose to pause as the maid set the table.

“By the way, Mother...” Roxana had scanned the room while their tea was being served. The few odd details she noticed while doing so piqued her curiosity. “...was someone else here before I arrived?”

Clack.

Beth’s hand released the teacup she had been on the verge of setting down a fraction of a second too soon. Sierra, however, remained serene as if she had been expecting that very question all along. She parted her lips as if she had begun preparing the answer long before her daughter’s arrival.