"The lord awaits inside."
Diwa's nerves were nearly shredded by the time she knocked on the study of the rented home in Pikebridge, about three miles from Gladius Valley.
"The door is open. You may enter."
She and Kanon turned to the woman inside, leisurely sitting on a chaise near the fire and rifling on the pages of a book. The two were quite taken by her relaxed posture that they were speechless, giving the man standing behind her a chance to speak. "Take a seat."
Diwa seated.
"Milord, milady." Kanon recovered himself and bowed. "Milady, I heard the news about your accident. I am relieved to finally see you well and safe."
Ayan closed her book, "Thank you for your concern, Kanon. It is much appreciated.” And then to Diwa she smiled amiably, “How is your stay here, any inconveniences? Troubles?"
Diwa’s embarrassment prevented her from answering. She felt so stupid and ungrateful. She didn’t care what the lady saw in her, she did not have to save her in the first place and she reckon whatever that is it wouldn’t be enough goodwill to let them help her with the Ma-i's apparent predicament. And she knew it was a risk they were taking.
With these thoughts in mind, she refused to stay here in the cottage and was determined to sneak back into her father's tent which resulted in Kanon almost getting killed by Mara's abominable bodyguards.
But despite what she did, he still took her back to safety. He promised to update her about her father's condition and gather information outside so that she knew how her sister was moving. He also guaranteed no harm will come to the chieftain until the time is ripe. Mara and her mother's crimes will be put to light. Facing his conviction, Diwa was mortified by her selfishness these past few days.
Sensing something was wrong with these two, Ayan threw them a questioning look. "Did the second princess's men find you?"
"No!" the two answered at the same time.
"Did you manage to talk to your father?"
Diwa nodded her head gently. "Father is getting weaker and I was afraid Mara has done something to him so I, I…"
Kanon took over smoothly, "We successfully met the chieftain while everyone else was occupied by the hunt. Fortunately we made it on time before he could raise the question to the emperor. These few days…"
Diwa paled when she thought Kanon would reveal her foolish actions to the Rozenberg couple himself.
"These few days had been a little too trying for the Priestess."
"It must be the weather." Ayan sighed while looking outside the window.
Clayton did not refute and just nodded to agree with his wife. Everyone knows how he dotes on her, if one day she declares the sky is yellow, then yellow it is for him.
Guilt ridden, Diwa could no longer hold her head up. She bowed to Ayan and in a pleading voice she admitted what happened. "I'm so sorry, Lady Rozenberg. I fear I have broken your trust."
She went on telling how she decided to act alone in order to save her father. On the day of the hunt, they successfully entered the Ma-i camp and met the chieftain while Princess Mara and her dogs were away. The joy of the chieftain could not be contained, it was his heart's disease when he lost her. He blamed his weakness, his inattentiveness, and suddenly finding his long lost daughter alive and safe erased all the despair he felt.
Upon their meeting Diwa, however, chose not to talk about what the second princess did to her. She thought their father loved them equally and it would break his heart to find out one child betrayed the other. But Diwa also knew she could not be entirely selfless. Mara's crime must be known, and must be revealed clearly before she puts them all in danger.
She begged the chieftain not to tell Mara she is alive. When they left that day, she had no plans of going out to meet again for the time being if not for the urgent news that the chieftain had fallen ill. Kanon speculated that since Roy Sybil's plan of stirring chaos using the Ma-i people did not come to pass, he decided on a much more vicious approach by harming the chieftain himself. If their leader died in Asturia, no doubt, Ma-i will answer by sounding the war drums. Kanon was convinced because they saw his adjutant Florent talking to Princess Mara that day. But since he had been arrested, the plan should be aborted. The second princess would not wish for her father to be killed and be left alone unprotected unless, it wasn't only Roy Sybil who wished for the tribal people and the empire to fight.
"Is that all you need to report?" Ayan asked them.
Diwa and Kanon nodded, "Yes, milady."
"There is nothing wrong with it, is there?" She held her hand up to Clayton and took a small note from him. "This is an investigation report from the southern garrison sent by a good friend. It was from House Grell and Beryl. I believe Priestess is familiar with these names?"
Not in her life would she forget these men who abducted her and many other women.
"Excellent…" Ayan beamed before proceeding to share her own conclusion about how Diwa's kidnapping incident is connected to the enemy's plot to make the two nations fight. "Suppose Kanon did not arrive in time and saved you from Lord Beryl and Lord Grell's clutches you might have ended up groomed to be by their side."
Although Ayan said it so discreetly. Diwa still cringed at the thought.
"We suspect that someone in your family had been exchanging correspondence with Roy Sybil to have you taken away from Ma-i so that they can convince your father to come to the empire in search of you. Suppose your father did find you here but in that disgraced state, what do you think is the likely scenario?"
"War." Diwa shuddered.
Kanon watched her reaction pensively.
"Lady Rozenberg, I cannot thank you enough for saving me from those noblemen. I too am convinced that the second princess and her mother have something to do with everything. But I also cannot help but wonder; once Ma-i is invaded and destroyed there will be nothing for the mother and daughter to gain. Why would they do such a thing?"
"There is a benefit." Clayton spoke. "If Roy Sybil's plan succeeded, he will be recognized as the new liege of the northeast territory. He can grant your sister and her mother amnesty, even shelter them in his newly acquired land and renew their status. Do you think this is more than enough to bargain?"
Diwa was silent as she mulled on the heavy truth. Indeed it is. She had heard the second wife, not once, mention how splendid the mainland was. She boasts of its wealth, its extravagance with joy and longing.
"But Roy Sybil is already locked up in prison, and yet Mara…"
"The empire does not lack enemies, Roy Sybil is only one of the many." Clayton said.
"Which brings us to the contents of this message." Ayan waved the piece of paper before handing it to them
Kanon's expression turned grim, "Florent, Sybil's adjutant?"
The letter was from him making sure Lord Aston brings his new mistress to the welcoming ball. By the tone of his letter, they appear to have a cordial relationship.
"Mistress?" Ayan wondered.
Lord Aston found someone else but it was not Diwa as Florent thought it would be. Oh, this is interesting! It looks like there is a huge miscommunication between the two…
"I thought you had saved all of the girls." Ayan looked at Kanon.
Diwa shook her head and replied to her inquiry, "Kanon can only save those who are willing. Most of us escaped with him except for one, her name is Kristina."
Kristina Porter did not expect her chosen life to go downhill.
Her hand shakily reached for the powder on the dressing table and began to earnestly cover the bruises on her neck. New and old intertwined making a ghastly sigh against her pale skin. She remembered everything before signing the contract with the temptress.
It was the grandest ball she ever attended yet she was not happy. In autumn that year of her marrying age, she was sent to Ava by her parents under the care of her uncle and cousin, the Marquis Blackwood. She was to be launched into society in order to find a suitable man to marry. She wanted to attend as many splendid activities and meet new people for the spouse candidate list she was going to create, and the more she is outside mingling, the more people will get to know her.
In one of the activities she attended her heart was caught by the angelic visage of Lord Beryl Aston. He was a single man of fortune known in the Circle with an eccentric nature. There were too few kind words for him but Kristina did not mind. She felt like she had fallen into a dream. It was merely an admiration at first then it grew into flourishing infatuation after she witnessed his possessive love and obsession towards the filthy plaything of his.
Lord Aston spared her no glance at all. It broke her heart but at the same time made her feelings burn bigger.
On the night of the grand ball a person came to her and asked if she could sacrifice anything for love. Kristina need not have second thoughts. The lord has occupied her both soul and heart. Upon their meeting, Kristina thought that the person's arrival was a miracle itself that is why she let herself be duped into believing that by exchanging one moment of her life would guarantee her lifelong happiness.
She was given a contract to sign to change a day in her life, and she chose the day where she would be sent to her relatives in Ava. Kristina pretended to be ill and let another cousin, Beatrice Feldt take her place instead while she rode south to where Lord Aston would stop. She wanted to be in that moment he chooses a mistress and steal the opportunity from the filthy little bitch who snatched the lord's love from her.
And she succeeded. But is she happy?
Kristina burst into tears as she covered her wounds with makeup.
