"Do you understand what I mean?" Aefia asked while shifting her gaze from the broken watch to Cedric's face. "It shouldn't take long, and the market place isn't that far, except if we walk. But overall, it might take around an hour or so just to get there. And buying a different one, asking questions, then coming back, at most only three hours will be necessary." She added after a short while of thinking.
"But won't that make everyone suspicious? It's ten in the morning, lunch is at around two. If you leave now, you will need to be back by one thirty to let the suspicion die down. Are you sure it is necessary to not include the duchess or a guardian?" He asked after a very long time of speech.
"They know that I have multiple works left to be done, so they won't suspect me for not coming out of my room in so long. Plus, Lewis and Henry aren't here to barge in every five minutes." Placing her pen down, she spoke as her fingers lifted towards her chin.
"You may be right, but are you sure–"
"Do I work under you?" Her gaze stiffened as she added the words into his stopped sentence. "I don't mean it in a rude way, but you were the one who lost the chain, not me. So if you want to make up for what has been done, you will have to suffer the risks too."
"..." The stern expression was the first time he had heard it, but it was making enough sense as to why she would want him to accompany her to the market place. His clumsiness was the reason the watch had broken, and it definitely couldn't be fixed, with the safer alternative being to just buy a new one. "Understood." He answered while bowing as she stood up.
"You will have to leave through the door in the garden, because they will think you are working with the bushes and are busy. And I will escape through the window, where we will meet at the garden, near the tall tree. You will reach there first." She explained while holding up her index finger in front of her face and looking down.
She is absurdly smart at this type of things like deducing a plan, faster then our boss could do. I am guessing when she was a Mafia member, she was extremely powerful, and feared, despite her age. He thought to himself while feeling demoted and jealous. I wish I had her skills like that! That way, I think I would have been able to save my only standing family member.
"Is there a problem? You look dejected by the plan." She tilted her head while crossing her arm. "Like you said, it will be a time consuming task, so you better hurry up. If you don't want to delay the process, you might as well want to leave now." She dusted her coat and headed over to her small shelf of books and didn't give a backward glance as he turned on his heel and left from her room.
"..." As soon as the door shut she leaned against her bookshelf and placed her head over her elbow, while her fingers traced the spine of her books. "It's intimidating... and it feels like something will go wrong. I mean... I don't think the thought is unavoidable that the questions I am about to find the answer to will be somehow connected to magic... guardians... and trouble... fighting... and..." She trialed off as the dream once again entered her mind.
"Overall, I think it will be disastrous." Her fingertips pressed against one of the book as it stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. Following that, she straightened and sent her finger along the other spines too, making the books fall in a line. "I don't understand still... what the meaning of the dream was." She breathed out heavily as she reached the end of the row.
"Nevertheless, I think it was just a showcase of how anxious I am about my current course of life. Almost nothing can be said about what will happen next." She spoke to herself while walking back to her starting position as glowing red threads ran along the same location of the spines she had touched and with each step, one book got pulled back into their places in the shelve. Finally, she wrapped her fingers around the velvet cloak, and pulled on it until it covered the shoulders of her coat.
The black and visible parts of red took over the deep green hue of her coat. Pushing open the window sill, she hoped onto the small stepping area, then pushing her knees towards the thick tree branch. Landing lightly, she immediately got down from that stem and leaped onto another one. Leaves rustled as the dried and dead ones fell to the ground with absolutely no weight.
Hoping down, she looked around and ended up waiting a small amount of time. But when Cedric had reached she immediately left towards the end of the palace barriers, leaving no time to waste as her watch clenched tightly against her bleeding palm. His eyes caught the sight of her blood falling in the form of a droplet each time, but upon reaching the ground, it would turn into a small red flower that bloomed and immediately exploded, leaving a small dust of magic on the ground.
Is that a trait every magic user has when they bleed? Or is it something a magic user can do after they reawaken from their death? The thoughts encircled his mind as he stared with an amazed face at the brilliant blue and red glittery powder that lay against the grass carpet. I don't know much about this person, but by the looks, she seems to be able to keep her life a complete secret. I am jealous of her because of this. I can't do this, and almost everyone wants this skill she seems to have.
"You are exactly like my brother. Aren't you going to jump over? Or are you expecting to be able to just jump up with magic?" She asked from over the fence as she flashed an annoyed expression at him. "Nevermind, stay back. I will do this by myself." She threatened to walk away as her head turned around completely, facing the opposite side.
When she meant something, she did that and didn't hesitate. It was a mentality that allowed her to survive almost every impossible battles, and also a mindset that she planned on using once she reached the watchman.
But unknown to her, he leaped over the fence with almost no force while landing beside her, with an almost soundless footstep. "If you go alone, you don't know when you will fall into trouble. Isn't that why you asked me to accompany you?" He pretended to act normal as he looked at her sideways.
"Thanks for the acknowledgement, but I don't think things are going to be any better if you decide to waste your time doing foolish stuff." Clicking the air, she walked fast forward while muttering words at him. "That is one reason I regret having you follow along. Otherwise I would have gotten my brother to come along."
Her serious expression and tone could sent shivers up anyone's spine. Especially for someone who was working under her orders, it was close to a death sentence. Looking down, he spoke with a smile. "I am sorry for my mistakes." He bowed his head while lifting it immediately to allow for crowds to not find them suspicious.
Especially with her hood down, she was almost not identifiable as a member of the Imperial family. Expect, if you put into deep consideration, the silvering hair and the almost cold expressionless face when she looks at someone strange.
The market place was not far from where the palace was, and walking there was going to tempt anyone into wanting to buy something. The keychains were each unique and beautiful, and each captured his eyes as she walked forward between the crowd, while holding the tip of her hood. It was unknown the fact how she was leading to the direction, but she was most definitely going the right way without a single mistake.
"I am sorry to ask, but have you somehow memorized the way there?" He asked out for the contrary, wishing he didn't take on the angry side of her. "No, I am using a guide to get there. But you won't be able to see it, because I have it in private view." She answered immediately as she clicked lightly at the air in front of her.
"Is it a skill your element offers you? I hope I am not trying to get too deep into the questioning." He asked with curiousity and caution. She turned her head sideways to take a look at his face and held out a finger in front of her nose and mouth, while forming a single word with her mouth. "Silent..."
He nodded his head to show he understood and pretended to make a gesture of having a tape in front of his mouth, which ticked over every single one of her nerves and she replied with a maddened expression. As dumb as he acted, it was already annoying enough for her to keep her patience against him. If it wasn't for the public, she would have beaten him up that very moment, using whatever she could find and have him limp the rest of the way back to the palace.
Even when winter had ended about a month ago, the temperature was still no where near toleratable. At the afternoon, it was already about thirty five degrees, and she was wearing deep and dark colours to make up for it, added to it the cloak and her coat which made even walking seem exhausting.
Back on Earth, there were cars with air conditioning, and if there was such an opportunity here too, she would have taken it and maybe even have a garage full of them by now. And although there were carriages as exceptions, she would have never taken them and still insisted on walking and suffering.
Multiple thoughts surfaced her mind to keep her occupied while she walked through the crowd, causing her heels to ache, and forgetting them the instant she realized. Within seconds, she was devoured back into the dream she had seen in the morning. Right now, her mind was more clearer and she could think more deeply about the meaning too. But only one thing was uncertain, which one would she try to define first? The sudden shift in places? Or the broken vase and the maniac wearing an animal mask to cover his face?
Her mind ached as she tried to recall each and every scene from her dream. The time she suddenly turned around to find herself stuck inside a room she didn't know how she got in, couldn't use magic to get out, nor could she find a way out. Then the vase and the it's untouched fall, in clearer vision, she didn't even graze it, but it fell anyways, and that made her realize it must have an unknown origin that caused it to fall. Perhaps a shaky table leg or an anomaly who dropped it in her place.
Then finally, the rushed and hurrying footsteps that ran towards her room upon the vase breaking into shreds. And the words, for grandpa, it seemed like a child had written it, so perhaps, the anamoly could have been a child's dead soul. Regardless the fact, the room was practically sprayed with blood, and the maniac seemed to be carrying a baseball bat with bloodstains the same colour.
The conclusion that she reached to at the end, she only found out that the maniac probably went around killing children, maybe even his own family relatives. Then, she threw her head backwards and covered her eyes with her palm, while flashing a grin. "So... I had been misunderstanding it as just a dream without a meaning... Whereas it just enlightened the fact that I actually fear this family... For my death." She mumbled to herself as her footsteps continued.
"Were you saying something?" Cedric from behind her asked while catching up with her. "Sorry... I got dragged away with a stall." He spoke while pulling his own hood over his face. Dragging her hand out of her face, she looked sideways and pointed at the shop with golden light falling out from its windows. "No, I was just saying we are almost there." She answered while slowing down a little.
Well that's strange... because just a second ago, she seemed to be saying something about fearing that her family was going to kill her. He became suspicious momentarily while glancing at the way she oddly persued her steps.
Stopping a shop away, she breathed heavily as her footsteps felt heavy. Her mind panicked, but she didn't know for what reason. I need to find that contract... The one the duchess forced me to sign. And then... I need to flee any chance I get. Her fist clenched tightly at her sides as she continues walking, eventually reaching the door.
"Stay here for a while. I will be back shortly." She spoke while turning ninety degrees to the left. Without waiting for a reply, she entered and held out her watch. There wasn't anyone behind the counter, only an empty seat and a bell on the counter. I am a bit hesitant... But I think the last time, Ms. Avry rang the bell to summon that guy.
Her finger levitated on top of the button on the bell, but she didn't need to press it as the man came running back inside through the back gate. "What do you want kid?" He spoke without looking up and adjusted his glasses.
Pulling off the hood on her head, she pushed the watch to the front and flashed a smile. "Hi, I was a customer here two months ago and I wanted to buy a new one. You might remember this piece that you sold me with the flower pattern on the cover? Unfortunately, I had accidentally dropped it once and I seemed to have lost a part. So I was asking if I could get a more durable one this time."
The man immediately recognized her as he held his gaze at her face and stepped backwards multiple times. "Sorry... The shop is closed!" He shouted while breaking off in a run back towards the door he had just come in from.