Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Langrion tried to hide the deafening beating of his heart against his chest as Shia innocently inquired, “What other reasons do we have for our engagement?”

His mind raced to think. “There are many reasons...” he started. He was trying to buy some time for himself, but Shia’s big and beautiful eyes and her wonderfully-shaped, fragrant body seemed to cloud his thoughts.

“First, I am positive that Nana would kill me,” he said

She laughed in an amusing way. “Actually, she discouraged me to accept your proposal.”

“She did?”

“Yes. He said you were a mere boy and that you would never dare to formalize the engagement. She was so surprised when you did.”

“I will always be a mere boy to her. She practically raised me when my mother died.”

“I see...” Shia remarked.

“I also promised to protect you,” Langrion said.

“From what?”

“From the Capitol.”

She seemed to ponder on a thought for a moment. “I have always been curious. Why did your uncle punish cursed ones? Was he really not aware of your situation?”

Langrion’s eyes turned cold, “As far as I know, he was not privy to what really happened at the baptismal banquet, but it was more than likely that rumors have reached his ears. Why do you think he made the decree? It was more likely because he knew that I must be the prophesied Demon King. It must be his way of catching me. Fortunately, he has grown old and childless, which made me and my brother the next in line to the throne. Despite knowing who I might be, he cannot harm me because of my position. Condemning me will surely be seen as a scheme against the royal heirs rather than a protective move,” he sighed, “unless of course he will have proof that I am the prophesied one...”

“That goes the same for you too,” Langrion added. “Once we are engaged and when we eventually marry, my uncle won’t be able to harm you so easily.”

Shia halted her movement and grew quiet. Eventually, she lifted up her pretty head towards Langrion and met his stare. “But then, can you really go through with it? Can you really get married without love?”

Her words pierced Langrion’s heart. ‘So, she feels nothing for me...’ he thought ruefully.

His eyes turned icier as he spoke, “marriages are like business transactions for the nobles. We cannot always choose to marry the ones we love.”

“But you have a choice here,” she articulated, “I am not someone who was forced upon you...” For some reason, her voice sounded a bit hurt, but it must have been because he had damaged her pride by contradicting her and nothing more...

“Love complicates things... I would rather not add it to the equation of marriage,” Langrion stated, which finished up their conversation for good.

******************

Shia felt a pang of pain in her heart as if she had been suddenly struck by a big and sharp needle when she recalled Langrion’s words the afternoon before.

“Love complicates things... I would rather not add it to the equation of marriage...”

The funny thing was that she understood his logic. Being in a dangerous position, Langrey must always think clearly ahead, and he must choose his friends and allies carefully. It must be the reason why he is still keeping her even if he could finally control his powers with his mask. Shia knew that she could be useful to him, and she truly needed him too if she wanted to stay alive long enough to avenge his family from the Devil and help cursed ones, just like what Langrey has done in Marmie’s case... But how come it feels so painful when she thinks about what he had said?

She shook her thoughts away from her head. ‘Get a grip, Shia... the prince is right. Love only complicates things,’ she thought.

Instead of mulling over on the pain in her heart, she tried to walk a little further up and decided to wait for Lady Khailis by the dirt road.

It was a lovely morning. It rained a bit the night before, so the earth was wet and muddy. However, Shia liked the smell of rain the most. She knew how much the flowers and trees begged for its coming, especially in the summertime.

The baroness had given them leave from class the day prior to have their shoes and dresses fitted at the town proper. Originally, the duchess and the baroness wanted the dresses and the shoes to be personally delivered at the Littman Manor, but as Shia and Khailis were both possessed by a desperate want to get away from the class even for just a day, they vehemently pleaded that they will travel to the town instead and pick the clothing articles themselves.

“Besides,” Khailis reasoned. “I needed to find an escort for the ball, and I won’t be able to find him here if I am cooped inside the house.”

“Why don’t you just invite Lord Fincher?” Baroness Alessa said.

Khailis turned as white as a ghost. “What! You mean that bragga-!” Khailis immediately stopped what she was going to say when the baroness shot her a glance that seemed to point out how un-lady-like her behaviour seemed to be right now.

Khailis cleared her throat and began speaking in a pleasantly made-up manner. “That fine, young, handsome, and totally likeable Lord Fincher won’t be able to attend the ball, dear baroness! He is going to be busy attending Prince Danterion and Lady Edelfina’s engagement at the Capitol.”

“O-oh. I see... Very well, you and Lady Shia may go into town tomorrow.” Surprisingly, the baroness seemed to tense up with the mention of Lady Edelfina’s name. She began to give Shia a sideway glance as well, but she did not say anything further.

Lost in her own thoughts, Shia had walked a considerable distance away from the manor before she had even realized it. However, no Lady Khailis was in sight. She looked from left and right, but there was no one.

‘What’s keeping her so late?’ Shia thought in a panic. She shuddered at the idea that the baroness might force her to attend another one of her etiquette classes while waiting for Khailis’ arrival.

She turned around and decided to go back to the manor and wait by the front gate when suddenly, out of nowhere, she found herself face to face with a horse that neighed violently. It was running right in front of Shia at great speed. She was so stunned that she fell to the ground while her eyes looked wildly at the creature that was about to trample her.

The rider, upon seeing her sudden figure, halted the reigns of the horse just in the nick of time. As he did, he fell into the ground and gave a loud yelp of pain.

Shivering slightly from the surprising event that just took place, Shia slowly got up and walked towards the horse, which seemed fine after some soothing words from her. Eventually, she walked nearer to the fallen rider, who still seemed racked with pain from his fall.

The rider was donned in a dark, military outfit. His was covered in a shiny, silver armor from head to foot. He looked as if he had broken part of his leg from the predicament. As Shia crouched down to check his condition, she was surprised to discover that the rider was a fierce-looking, old man in his sixties. A scar ran right across the upper side of his right eyebrow. From the looks of it, he must either be from the Imperial Army or the Capitol.

“Are you alright, sir?” Shia said.

The man did not seem to notice him, so she kneeled down near his left leg to inspect his wounds. Before she was able to remove the cape that was covering it, however, he violently took hold of her wrist and looked at Shia.

He gasped when she saw her face. “Tristal!” he exclaimed.

Out of the blue, the old man forced Shia in an embrace, but she pushed him away.

“I’m not Tristal,” she said.

The man did not seem to hear her at all as he tried to force another hug upon her, but Shia pushed him even harder this time around, and he was completely taken aback.

“I’m not Tristal!” Shia said even louder.

The man had a wild, feverish look in his eyes. He tried to get up despite the limp in his leg. “It’s me... Don’t you remember?” he hoarsely shouted at her. “Have you forgotten me?!”

At this point, Shia turned around, gathered up her heavy skirts and ran with all her might back to the direction of the manor. If she did not have to wear something as heavy as that dress, she would have been able to sprint effortlessly away from the man, but it was taking her a considerable amount of effort to do so. She continued to hear his deranged screams and shouts from behind her, but she did not dare look back at him. She just tried to run even faster.

At last, Shia was able to reach the manor’s gate. As she turned around to enter it, a hand suddenly caught her by her left arm. It was Lady Khailis.

“My lady, what happened?!”

Shia was so relieved to see her that she embraced her upfront. “A man!.. A man was after me!” she said breathlessly.

“Where is he?” she said.

“There!” Shia pointed to the direction of the dirt road where she had just come.

The two of them looked back, but no one was there. Only an eerie silence ensued.

“Let’s go up further. He might be hiding somewhere.”

Although frightened, Shia walked back to the direction of where she came from with Lady Khailis supporting her side. Seemingly out of nowhere, Khailis had pulled out her sword and is now wielding it in a classical defense position.

They walked further up, but they saw nothing. Finally, they reached the fork at the road, but neither the horse nor the deranged old man was in sight. Only the marks of fresh hooves imprinted on the mud and the bruises in Shia’s wrist from the old man’s strong grip remained as proof that someone did attack her.

“Are you alright? What did the man look like?”

“I-I’m not sure. He looked old, maybe as old as grandma. He was wearing an armor,” she said. Shia did not really want to think about him at all, but she forced herself to. “He kept calling me ‘Tristal,’ and he wouldn’t listen to me when I said I was not her.”

“Tristal?... Then he must know the duchess.” Khailis said. “Are you hurt? Do you want to go back inside?”

“No, I’m fine,” Shia said. She tried to hide the bruises from her wrist away from Khailis’ vision. More than the strange man, she was afraid that the baroness won’t ever let her go out of the house if they went back and reported what has just happened. “Maybe it was nothing. Let’s keep going now. The baroness might change her mind.”

“How about your dress?” Khailis remarked. Shia looked down on her dress and became aware of its crumpled, muddy, and messy state.

“Never mind the dress,” Shia said. “If I go back inside, I think the baroness would cancel our plans and would never let me go out again.”

“That might be true,” Khailis remarked. She put her sword back in its scabbard at the back of her dress. “I will lend you a robe. I think I have one in the carriage.”

She offered her hand to Shia, and they walked back arm in arm with each other towards the front gate. Shia felt relieved to have Khailis with her as she walked back to the estate. However, she still looked back to the direction of the forked road from time to time, wondering who the strange man could have been and why he had acted as such.