Chapter 13 - II - 

 

And with that, we went on our ways.  Roland was heading to Sekhtem to assume command of its city guards, for Sir Dane eventually stepped down from the position of commander.  In the aftermath of what happened, Maddie forced the king of Calabria to appoint Sir Dane as his chancellor, for she wanted to stamp out the illegal forced-slavery trade that flourished under the watch of the previous minister.

 

“…”

 

As for me, my heart was heavy upon reaching the house of Grandma Margie.  I could still remember the painful words she threw at me during our time in the torture chamber.  But, I knew and accepted those.  After all, it would never remove the pain I caused her by murdering her family before as the Bloody Witch, and for causing her to witness the torture of her granddaughter.

 

“…”

 

I was about to knock on the door when I suddenly hesitated.  And then I felt Maddie touch my shoulder.  Turning to her, she winked at me as if telling me that everything would be alright.

 

And so, taking a deep breath, I knocked—

 

“!!!”

 

As it turned out, I didn’t have to knock.  Mariya was on her way out, and she inadvertently opened the door for us.

 

“Err…” I tried breaking the ice by speaking first, but…

 

“And here I was, wondering when you’d come back.  Then poof!  Here you are!” she said in her usual cheerful voice.

 

“Uh…Mariya, can I talk to your grandmother?”

 

“Well, come on in.”

 

I took a step inside the house that sheltered me for quite a while.  Maddie followed me in and introduced herself, which caused Mariya—and Anton, who was standing behind her—to freeze in shock.

 

“Uh, Lily, are they alright?”

 

“They’re both a big fan of yours, Maddie.”

 

“Hello, Mariya and Anton!  I’m the Saint, Madelaine Rubinforth!” she reached out her hand to her, at which the siblings remained unresponsive.

 

“Uh…Lily?  Looks like they fell unconscious, standing…”

 

“Don’t worry; Mariya’s one tough girl, and Anton is her little brother,” I commented, before heading towards the room where Grandma Margie is.  I guess Maddie was left wondering if she heard me right about Anton being Mariya’s big ‘little brother’.

 

I saw the old lady sitting by her bed and looking at the mementos of her dead loved ones.  Seeing that scene was painful for me.  I tried to back out, but then I heard her voice…

 

“You know, I won’t forgive you for what you did to my sons, husband, and daughter.”

 

I remained silent.  Painful as it was, I fully understand Grandma.  If only I could kill myself just to make amends, I would do so.

 

“But, well, your friend desperately told me about your circumstances.  Of how your power is also your bane.  That it’s not that you wished for it—murdering people—to happen.”

 

“I…I’m deeply regretful of those…” I began, finally finding the courage to speak, “If only I could return the lives that I took…”

 

“That won’t be necessary.” the old lady said, “I’ve told you before, didn’t I?  I won’t forgive you.”

 

“Yes…I understand.”

 

“Good.” Grandma Margie then stood up from her bed and drew near to me.  I couldn’t make myself to look back at her, but I still listened to what she has to say, “Now, so you have to pay me…as well as everyone else, by living.  Live your life to the fullest and do nothing like that again.”

 

“!!!”  Those were the sweetest words that I heard from Grandma Margie.  I glanced up to see her gentle eyes gazing at me, full of grace and forgiveness.  

 

“I’d like to thank you for helping us when you did.  And also, for shedding tears for my granddaughter when she went through that painful experience.”

 

At that point, I couldn’t keep my feelings within myself anymore.  Tears just flowed down my cheeks, and Grandma held me as I silently poured out my sentiments.

 

“You have good friends; even Her Holiness stands with you.  I don’t think you’re that inherently evil; it’s just because of your condition.”

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“It’s okay now.” then Grandma added, “I’ve resolved my feelings as well, and have decided long before you came.  Thanks to your friend who worked tirelessly to convince me…”

 

“Maddie’s like that, Grandma.  She’s my support.”

 

“Ha?  Do you mean Her Holiness?  No…ah wait, I mean, she did repeatedly ask for my forgiveness.  But the one who kept on rambling some old history to explain your condition is the boy.  He went on and on until my ears got tired.  I think his name is, err—”

 

“Kuro?”

 

“Yes, that’s his name!” Grandma then smirked, “Oh…if I recall correctly, you said before that you have a lover.  Don’t tell me…”

 

 

**Madelaine**

 

I know of Kuro’s sentiments on what I did, when I forbid everyone else—including him, from seeing Lily while she was unconscious.  Well, it’s not that I didn’t want him to come and see her.  It’s more like I’d like to ‘selfishly’ spend some private time with my closest friend—and sister—after her long absence.

 

“…”

 

And yes, there’s that issue about his presence at the palatial gardens and how it affected my work, according to Lily.  I didn’t want to lose Kuro, and yet, I also wouldn’t allow Lily to be separated from me ever again.  Of course, for a while now, I’ve been weighing on my options, carefully balancing the choices and the consequences…

 

Then, I finally found my answer to this problem of ours.

 

And so, once I solved that, I called Lily and Kuro over into my private quarters to talk about this.

 

“…”

 

It certainly was kind of awkward.  The atmosphere between the three of us suddenly got tense, for some unknown reason.

 

“Err…so, is there any problem right now, Maddie?” it was Kuro who eventually broke the silence.

 

“Well, not …” I answered, looking for an opportunity to insert the subject I summoned them for.

 

“…” Lily was quiet.

 

“Okay, I guess I’ll have to drop this now.” I summoned my courage and proceeded, “It’s about Kuro, Lily, and me.”

 

“What about us?”

 

“Well, first, it’s about our engagement.  Second, it’s about you and Lily.”

 

“Oh, I see…”,

 

“I don’t want to lose you, Kuro.  You’ve been a big help, not only to me but to the others at the Holy Palatial Gardens as well.  You’re an irreplaceable person in my heart, and I’ve grown to love you because of that.” I honestly admitted to them, “However, I also don’t like to let go of you either, Lily.  You’ve been a sister, a trusted confidant, and a mother, to me.  Losing you would equal to me being deprived of my right hand.”

 

The two of them remained silent while I explained my feelings.

 

“But, if keeping both of you would only lead to trouble and suffering for many others…” I steeled my heart for this moment, “…I’d rather step down as the Saint of Chersea.”

 

“!!!”  

 

At that moment, both of them rose from their seats and told me, “Don’t you ever do that!”

 

“Well, if that’s how it’s going to be…” Kuro said, “Then, I guess, I  need to go someplace else; that’s my plan, anyway.  I could always drop for a visit anytime!”

 

“Hey!  Why are you the one who leaves?” Lily asked him, “You’re Maddie’s fiancée now!”

 

“As someone who serves her faithfully, I won’t tolerate Maddie’s downfall.  If possible, I’d like to see her succeed, even if I have to make the sacrifices.”

 

Kuro’s unwavering expression looked cool at that moment; I think Lily and I both have the same opinion of him at that moment.

 

“Listen.  Chersea needs you, Maddie, and you can’t just abandon the people who believe in you, just for someone like me!”

 

“Kuro’s right; Listen to him!” Lily was quick to back him up, “I could always adjust to the situation!  Don’t worry about me!”

 

“But, if I continue to be a Saint while Kuro’s around, I might revert to the irresponsible me!  I don’t want to lose you, nor do I wish for Kuro to go!”

 

“That’s perfectly fine, Maddie!” she insisted.

 

“Yeah, come on!” now it’s Kuro’s turn to follow-up on her, “Remove your holy garments, and you’re just a normal, human girl!  And from what I’ve seen, young ladies like you would want to feel loved, and fall in love.  I guess there’s nothing wrong with that, all the while you do your duties from time to time.”

 

“I see…I understand.” I nodded in agreement, “Thank you for your sentiments.”

 

“It’s good that you finally see reason, Maddie!”  Then Lily added, “In fact, it’s good that you don’t plan to let go of Kuro!”

 

“Huh?  What do you mean?”

 

“Well, this!” Lily drew near Kuro and—

 

“!!!”

 

I think my heart stopped beating when I saw her kiss him on the lips.  I couldn’t find any words to say for that.  Kuro was similarly shocked as well…

 

What’s the meaning of that?

 

“Sorry for that, Maddie.” Lily had a mischievous smirk on her face, “It’s just that, like you, I realized I couldn’t part from this fellow over here.  Starting from now, I will be your rival for Kuro!”

 

“What?” I blurted out, quite annoyed.

 

Did Lily just steal Kuro’s first kiss from me?

 

She then had a smug look on her face, “Well, I mean, you stole a step ahead from me and got engaged to him!  Isn’t it fair that I steal his lips?”

 

“Oh, alright!  So that’s how it is, huh, Princess Lilyhaven?” I couldn’t help but feel competitive, “Well, let me show you how much I love Kuro!”

 

“!!!”

 

I uttered a spell and out came a misty cloud that formed in a dense circle in front of them.  And then, with a flick of my finger, I proudly showed to Lily my entire collection…

 

“T-That’s—” Kuro was flabbergasted by what he saw.  Of course, it’s my greatest treasure!

 

“M-Maddie…those are…paintings of Kuro!” Lily was trembling, her nose was leaking blood, “And those are porcelain dolls, right?  Where did you get those?  Aren’t those plushies, too?  Kuro’s cute in that likeness!  I want one too!”

 

“HAH!  Back off!  No one could equal my love for him, even if you’re my blood-sister!”

 

“Maddie, please!” she pleaded desperately.

 

“This is in my quarter’s secret antechamber back in the palatial gardens, so of course, unless we teleport there right now, I couldn’t give you one.” I excitedly pointed out some other things, “There, look at those blanket designs!”

 

“It’s Kuro’s face!”

 

“That one’s a dakimakura!” I heard Kuro pointed towards a body pillow with his image as the design.

 

“Is that hair?”

 

“Oh, that?  Those are Kuro’s hair, which I secretly cut one time I entered his room while he’s asleep.”

 

“What?  Isn’t this talk turning into a weird direction?” Kuro exclaimed.

 

“Maddie, how about those dirty plates and cutleries over there?”

 

“Those are the pieces of kitchen utensils where Kuro used his saliva.  I used preservation magic to have those maintained its appearance.”

 

“Ha?”

 

“Ooh!  And those must be his clothes?  But why does he have it on him right now?”

 

“Ah, what he’s wearing right now are just copies.” I explained, “I had them swapped with the originals, which I kept in pristine, unwashed condition after he removed it while bathing.”

 

“Damn!  I…I’ve been outwitted!”

 

“Uh…Lily, a-are you sure you should say that?” Kuro asked her.

 

Triumphant, I taunted Lily, “How about it?  May the best woman win then!”

 

“Grr…you win this time, Maddie!  So, I bow to you…” which she  did, but she followed it up with, “I’ll defeat you, Your Holiness, and be his number one!”

 

“Then come at me, Head Maid!”

 

“Uhh…guys?  Don’t I have any say in your contest?  Normally, in harem stories, you’d ask me to choose between you, right?” I heard Kuro in the background trying to interject, but never mind him!  This was a personal (yet friendly) fight between me and Lily now!

 

 

***Elbrei, main port Sekhtem and of the Kingdom of Calabria***

 

“Well, seems like your plans went for a naught.”

 

When he alone returned to the building that served as their base, Traveler could only stare blankly at Seirna.   She cast a mocking look on him, to which he paid no heed.  What’s on his mind was the fact that not only did he lose a significant portion of his men at the Battle of Hagena Castle, the opportunity to rein in the Iron Princess was ultimately wasted.

 

And what’s worse is that he’s answerable to the Emperor who gave him considerable support.

 

“I guess, this is the limit of human power.” he heard the Saint of Flame commented, “That’s why you remain stagnant for far too long; you barely have the will and capability to stand on what you plan to do.”

 

“Your Holiness, with all due respect…” the Traveler answered her, for he would never tolerate a bad word regarding the sacrifices his men made, “My men did what they could; it’s just that I led them to ruin.  I, alone, am responsible for this mess.”

 

“Indeed, you are.” Seirna smirked, “However, though that human footstool of an emperor may throw you out, what do you say of an opportunity to work for me?”

 

“What do you mean?” he asked, quite confused.

 

“I’ve seen your folly…” she explained, “…and I’ve seen your potential as well.  Aren’t you also plotting your vengeance?”

 

“What do you know?”

 

“Have you forgotten?  I can read minds.” Seirna then floated around him, “And your desire to avenge the downfall of your once highly esteemed and revered noble house has been known to me ever since I met you, Umberto Benicci, Prince of Amaranth…or should I append the word ‘former’ to that?”

 

“That won’t be necessary.” The Traveler, Umberto Benicci, replied, “I’ve long abandoned that title.”

 

“But not the ambition and desire to get back to that beautiful, silvery-blue-haired girl, right?”

 

Umberto kept his silence when he was reminded of her, the lady who caused the ruin of his house, and the current sitting Human Saint of the Holy Palatial Gardens, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth.

 

“That’s good.  Remember why you’re doing all of this.” Seirna whispered, “Madelaine Ann Rubinforth.  That human ‘saint’ is leading humanity to its ruin by leaving its progress close to stagnation.  It’s time to remove her and have your revenge as well…”