Chapter 145

Chapter 145

The relative I had been longing to see? Is he referring to Jeremy or...?

Roxana contemplated Cassis’ words for a moment so brief that the untrained eye might not have noticed her hesitation.

“I was able to meet both the one I missed dearly and one I hadn’t intended to see.” Her perfectly sculpted, alabaster hand slowly completed its mission to reach her water glass, then cupped it in a semicircle. “I believe one of them actually made contact with the Blue clan already. I do hope he wasn’t in any way offensive toward any of you.”

She, of course, knew that he had confronted Deon since her half-brother had made a special point to remark on how annoyed he was after learning she had been with the Blue Heir for the past few months. Even so, she was worried he might have lashed against other Pedelians in Cassis’ traveling party as some sort of petty revenge.

Judging by the way her brother had spoken, she wouldn’t have been at all surprised if there had been a proper clash between the two men. At the very least, it was clear that the man sitting across from her hadn’t suffered any visible injuries. Of course, that may have simply been the result of his healing powers. She also knew that Cassis Pedelian was no easy target. Then again, just as was customary for all Agreces, Deon could have stealthily ambushed him.

Given the others he would have had to consider and protect at the same time, she was doubtful that the Blue Heir would have escaped from a duel with the top Agrece sibling without injury. She peered at him once again, and as if he recognized her concern he responded.

“Well...” he began somewhat wryly, “if you and I are thinking of the same sort of affront, I fear I may be the guiltier party in that regard.”

This time her hand stopped again just as her glass was about to meet her lips as she had not expected that of all answers. Her scarlet eyes became noticeably round and wide at the implication of his statement.

What... did he just say? He considers himself guiltier than Deon in terms of an affront? Is that his way of saying that he was the first to attack, or that he even caused the more severe injury? What was most surprising to her though was how playfully he was speaking compared to his usual cadence.

“Is... that so?”

Her response was as ambiguous as her unsettled thoughts on the matter. He immediately began to watch her more closely since he couldn’t discern what her blank expression and words were meant to convey.

“Yes. The situation was difficult to avoid, so I fear I can’t claim I was blameless in the exchange. I would fully understand and accept if you wished to reprimand me.”

With his face seeming to glow under the light of the chandelier, he appeared more innocent than ever before, which made her even more confused about what to say. Even her voice couldn’t seem to muster a tone of rebuke. As she gazed at him more closely, she could see that contrary to his words, there wasn’t a hint of remorse in his gaze. She was seeing an entirely new side to him.

“I wouldn’t dare, Blue Heir.”

Worried she might give herself away, she coughed somewhat awkwardly into her hand.

“After all, it isn’t my place to reproach you even if you did confront someone.”

He stared at her while trying to ascertain her thoughts. Upon deciding that she was speaking in earnest, he smiled with his mind at ease.

“I’m both happy and relieved to hear you say that, Miss Agrece.”

His gaze became even softer as its warmth softly wafted into her heart like the spring breeze. He allowed them to enjoy the blissful moment before concluding his report.

“There happened to be an additional traveler in our procession who suffered a bit of shock due to the sudden appearance of your relation.”

Her breathing hitched for a fraction of a second as she pondered who he was referring to. He had taken extra care to describe the individual as someone who did not belong to the Pedelian clan, which left only one person the two would have in common.

Cassis nodded slightly as if to confirm her silent speculations. “Yes, it was precisely who I trust you are thinking of.”

A warning signal began to blare in her mind. So Deon and Nix... met. Her half-brother had mentioned nothing of the encounter to her the previous night. If that hadn’t been enough of a shock, Cassis’ final remark filled her with great distress.

“Based on their reactions, it seemed they knew each other in the past.”

The murmur of the other guests’ chatter and the clinks of their tableware suddenly dwindled as his words collided with her eardrums in a cacophony akin to shattering glass. There was no chance she could have misunderstood what he was implying. A whirlwind of questions began to flood her thoughts.

“Miss Agrece?”

Hearing his voice brought her back to her senses in time to meet his golden eyes staring into hers. Even a passerby would have supposed he was attempting to read the thoughts of his beautiful partner. But with the brief internal struggle behind her, she almost immediately collected herself.

“Oh, do forgive me. I simply never would have expected such a thing to happen.”

She spoke in her usual calm manner and even offered him a smile. The sight of her warm beam put him at ease again as well.

“It’s rather interesting to hear that those two recognized one another. If you would be so kind, I would very much like to hear more about that next time.”

“But of course. If I can be of assistance to you in any way, please just say the word.”

They exchanged knowing glances, then proceeded to eat their meal in silence as soft music played in the background mixed with the sound of the other guests engaged in various conversations. As the night deepened, the mood in the banquet hall became even more lively.

* * *

At about the same time, Deon was silently staring down at the tied-up body of his late half-brother, Achille. The same sibling whose heart he tore out on his father Lante’s orders. Several locks were on the cell door in order to keep outsiders away from the Vertium puppet, but they proved little to no trouble for him. He supposed they would have been more irksome to unlock had they been under some level of sorcery, but since Yggdrasil was a neutral territory that did not allow the free use of weapons or spells.

The banquet was still in full swing far below the prisoner’s tower, but he had forfeited the feast in order to infiltrate that dark and silent cell. Just as the “Achille” had done when they first met in the Pedelian carriage a few nights prior, he was now huddled up in a corner. However, the puppet’s breathing was both short and steady, which suggested he was unconscious. While he knew that it was just another of the Vertiums’ creations, he found its existence baffling.

There was no doubt that it wasn’t human since it did not give off the same aura as the body’s original owner. On top of that, the Blue Heir hadn’t contradicted him when he openly suggested the thing was a Vertium puppet.

But then... Why would he have said that it was also “the real Achille”? What could he have meant by that exactly? He was still uncertain about a number of things, but the fact alone that they had brought the creature all the way to Yggdrasil only to lock it away, implied that the circumstances surrounding it were grave.

Cassis Pedelian, an Achille puppet, and a link to the Gold clan. Then there was the fact that Roxana had been a guest in Vertium.

Does she also know about this doll? Even before the thought had reached him, he felt certain that she did.

“What was going through your head when you killed Achille?”

He suddenly recalled his stepmother Sierra’s abrupt interrogation.

“And what did you feel when you were trying to kill your father? What if Maria were to die right here before you?”

He couldn’t fathom why her words which had failed to incite any sort of reaction from him in the first place were swirling about in his thoughts right at that moment.

“You’re nothing but a monster Lante created.”

His cold, crimson eyes stared down at the beautiful, blond youth ignorantly snoozing away in the corner.

“And for that, I both detest and despise you from the bottom of my heart.”

A sensation he couldn’t quite describe seemed to slowly creep up his legs. Before he allowed himself any more time to think, Deon reached toward the unconscious puppet.