Fool – Part 05
Lisa was busy cracking open the pile of walnuts she had ordered like a little squirrel, completely absorbed in plucking out the kernels. She didn’t forget to take a swig of her drink in between bites. Meanwhile, Aria, sitting beside Cecily, was gulping down her drink like it was water, laughing for no particular reason. She seemed happy.
It was hot. Cecily unfastened her breastplate to loosen the front of her shirt. Feeling liberated, she let out a sigh of relief, fanning herself with her hand. Her skin glistened. A bead of sweat trailed down her cleavage. It was sweltering.
“Hey, Cecily. Have some shame, will you?” Aria said.
“What?”
“Look at Luke. He keeps sneaking glances while his nose is bleeding.”
“Hey, don’t make me out to be some kind of pervert!”
“Luke, that’s a glass, not an ashtray. You’re not exactly subtle.”
Cecily watched blankly as Lisa picked up the glass Luke had flicked ash into. The heat was dulling her senses.
Luke, his face slightly flushed, wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve. “But you, in a gown at the ball? Now, that’s something I’d pay to see.”
“R-Really?”
“Out of morbid curiosity, yeah.”
“You take that back!”
As much as she hated it, if she was to attend the ball as an escort and not as security, she’d need a proper gown. Her father had a trusted tailor. She’d ask Fio to place an order there.
Suddenly, Cecily remembered something. “Aria said you got invited to the ball too, Luke. Are you going?”
“Nah. I’d just end up being a sideshow.” He tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray a waiter had brought over. “It’s no surprise you don’t know, but the real purpose of the ball is to gather sponsors. They’re hitting up bigwigs for financial support in the war against Valbanill. The whole ‘unifying the continent’ thing is just for show. The general public doesn’t even know Valbanill exists.”
“Financial support?” Cecily failed to follow. “But aren’t the nations deploying their military? Why would they need more funding?”
“Because Valbanill brings wealth.”
Even through Cecily’s hazy mind, the word wealth slipped through.
Luke popped a walnut Lisa had peeled into his mouth and chewed. “Valbanill is known as the worst Inhuman in the continent’s history, but from another angle, he’s useful as an near-endless source of Aetheria. The Crowd Powers are particularly shameless about it, treating him like some kind of mechanism. Performance and contribution in the Valbanill Campaign will give prestige and affect how benefits are distributed afterward. Nations don’t wage wars just to burn themselves out for nothing. That’s why everyone’s so keen to reforge the Sacred Sword. The ball is just a glorified fundraising event to make sure the military campaign runs smoothly. Most of the discussion will be about dividing the spoils once Valbanill is resealed.”
Cecily was so disgusted that she sobered up.
Peace. Protecting humanity. What should’ve been top priorities were nothing more than hollow excuses. The nations and their leaders only cared about lining their pockets. Even the Continental Law Commission, supposedly responsible for maintaining order on the continent, was complicit in these schemes.
How pathetic. Sorrow prevailed instead of anger.
“So, if Luke showed up at that event,” Lisa said, having cracked all the walnuts and divided them into four equal portions. “It’s obvious he’d get dragged into what happened three years ago. It wouldn’t be fun at all.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Cecily agreed. After how chaotic the last summit of national leaders had turned out, she could easily imagine what this ball would be like.
So I’m attending that kind of event, huh?
As the mood grew heavier, Aria slammed her empty glass onto the table. “Don’t worry, Cecily. I’ve got your back. No one’s going to mess with you.” She raised her glass. “More, please!”
Cecily smiled. Aria’s cheerfulness always lifted her spirits.
“I’m counting on you,’ Cecily said.
“Leave it to me!”
Yet despite her smile, Cecily’s heart felt heavy. Was she ultimately powerless? Frustration clung to her like a shadow. And resignation. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was really nothing she could do.
Despite her bravado at the summit, reality had her stuck in a rut. She knew nothing about the situation surrounding the Inhuman and escaped convict, but she was forced to follow orders anyway for the sake of the people. Above all, the Independent Trade City hosting this ball meant the city itself was complicit to some extent.
As a mere knight, her options felt limited. Her drive fizzled.
How could I ever stand tall?
When would she shake off this sense of powerlessness? Cecily clenched her fist under the table.
“You tend to mix up political issues with your personal feelings.”
Cecily lifted her gaze.
Luke took a sip of his beer, his eyes half-closed. “Maybe you should consider compromising a little? You’re romanticizing your job too much.”
The fading heat rushed back to her head, but her mind felt surprisingly cold.
“What did you say?”
Was it the unfamiliar alcohol making her tipsy? Perhaps the intoxication had clouded her judgment. One thing was clear: she resisted the idea of a compromise.
“Are you insulting me and the Knight Guard?”
“How’d you get that from what I said? You’re overthinking things. I’m just saying, relax a little.”
Luke was a little tipsy too. He pressed further, hitting right at the core of her problems.
“There’s only so much you can actually do.”
Cecily rose abruptly, knocking her chair aside. “That’s not—!”
True. She couldn’t finish her sentence. The words caught in her throat.
“C-Cecily?”
“Luke.”
Aria and Lisa looked on nervously. Cecily locked eyes with Luke, staring fixedly into his right eye.
“Yeah, I’m powerless. I know that. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just sit around doing nothing.”
“A commendable attitude, but I’m saying you should ease up. Keep pushing like this, and it’ll break you eventually.”
“Then, so be it. If I break, I break.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
“It’s just who I am.”
“Not exactly charming.”
Her mind went blank.
“Like I need to hear that from a man who can’t let go of an old flame!”
Luke’s right eye instantly grew cold, and she froze. He leaned back, his face hardening into a mask as he looked up at her. His emotionless gaze pinned her into place. The effects of the alcohol vanished in an instant.
“I, uh…” she stammered, lowering her gaze. “I didn’t mean that.”
“And what exactly is wrong with that?”
She felt as if a hand seized her heart.
“One woman to love in a lifetime is enough.” Luke’s voice was low. “What’s wrong with holding on to that?” His words cut deep. “You, a mere acquaintance, have no right to bring that up.”
“She’s a formidable opponent. You best be prepared.”
“Cecily!”
Without looking back, Cecily bolted. She didn’t care if she bumped into people. She just wanted out. Ignoring Aria’s voice calling after her, she dashed out of the bustling market, plunging into the still darkness beyond the reach of the lamps’ glow. She kept running mindlessly, through the pitch-black night, as far as her legs could take her.
“Hah…hah…hah…”
When she finally stopped, exhausted, she collapsed, clutching her chest in pain. Where am I? It was so dark she couldn’t see anything. It didn’t matter where she was. Nothing mattered. She roughly wiped her face, damp with more than just sweat. Once her breathing steadied, Luke’s words, his gaze, and his voice replayed in her mind. She clutched her head in her hands.
“There’s only so much you can actually do.”
Regret gnawed at her.
“Not exactly charming.”
The shame cut deeper than any anger.
“You, a mere acquaintance, have no right to bring that up.”
She wished she could crawl into a hole.
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