Fool – Part 06
Her morning couldn’t have started worse.
She had no memory of how she’d gotten home, but somehow, Cecily awoke in her own bed. Opening her eyes, she saw Aria’s hand resting on her forehead. It was cool. Apparently, Aria had stayed with her through the night.
Her head pounded, and her throat was parched. When she sat up, her vision blurred. It was an entirely different kind of dizziness from the pleasant buzz of the night before. She stayed still, overwhelmed by a wave of nausea.
“That is what they call a hangover.”
So this is what it feels like.
Aria didn’t bring up last night’s events and simply suggested she took the day off. But Cecily had been assigned as Siegfried’s bodyguard starting today, and a hangover wasn’t a valid excuse for calling in. She forced her sluggish body to cooperate and got herself ready. Stepping out into the sunlight, she realized she’d skipped her usual morning training, which further dampened her mood.
To make matters worse, as soon as she arrived at the government office, she ran right into Reginald. Though they were colleagues, he was both older and her senior. She greeted him gingerly as they crossed paths in a hallway corner.
Reginald sniffed, raising an eyebrow. “Coming to work reeking of booze? Some nerve.”
“What?”
Cecily quickly sniffed her arms and shoulders, but her sense of smell was dull. She glanced back at Aria, who gave a resigned sigh.
“A hangover means the alcohol’s still in your system. I’m not surprised you didn’t know that, though.”
Cecily’s cheeks flushed. Had she been walking around stinking of alcohol?
Reginald scoffed. “Some of us are going out there to search for the convict, while you’re here on cushy guard duty.”
“…”
“Guess you can handle the assignment even when drunk. Must be nice.”
Without waiting for her response, he walked off. Cecily couldn’t utter anything back.
“Don’t mind him,” Aria huffed. “Plenty of Knight Guards come in hungover, including Hannibal. In his case, the mix of sweat and alcohol is just awful.”
“Right…”
Still, it wasn’t an excuse. Letting her health slip to the point it affected her duty showed a lapse in discipline.
When they reached the mayor’s office, Aria unexpectedly stepped back.
“Sorry, but I’d rather stay in my sheath today. There’s someone I don’t want to run into.”
Surprised, Cecily asked, “Siegfried?”
Aria shook her head. “That lady in black—the Infernal Blade. Stuff happened during the Charlotte incident, and I don’t want to see her just yet. Not until I feel more confident. I still need some time. I’m sorry. But if you feel sick or something happens, just call for me, okay? I’ll be there.”
“A-All right.”
Cecily sensed she didn’t want to discuss it further, so she didn’t press. Instead, she brought up something else.
“About what happened last night.”
“You and Luke both went too far,” Aria replied.
Cecily groaned in embarrassment. Smiling, Aria brushed Cecily’s bangs with her fingers.
“I’m on your side. Just do what you think is right.”
Cecily stayed still, letting Aria comb through her hair. Her touch was ticklish but soothing. When she finished, Aria gave a small, approving nod.
“I know you won’t believe it unless you’re told, but you’re pretty, Cecily.”
Momentarily speechless, Cecily watched as Aria murmured an incantation and transformed into her Infernal Blade form. A gust of wind left behind a lone rapier, its surface giving off a muted shine. Cecily chuckled dryly. She realized she’d been completely seen through. Aria was as elusive as always, toeing the line between maturity and childishness. She couldn’t ask for a better partner.
Cecily sheathed the rapier and gave herself a quick slap on the cheeks to brace herself. Her head still throbbed, and her joints were so stiff, she could barely stand. But no matter. She would carry out her duty as Siegfried’s guard and apologize to Luke later.
Nodding to herself, she knocked on the mayor’s office door and entered when she was called in.
“Good morning,” she greeted.
I won’t lose heart.
Though, she almost did.
“W-We’re really doing this?”
“Stop whining and lead the way. You stink of booze.”
“I-I don’t think how I smell has anything to do with this.”
The searing heat of the Independent Trade City was brutal. It was still early morning, and the sun was just beginning to crawl into the sky, but it was already sweltering. Beads of sweat formed on foreheads and underarms. Citizens, pushing through the heat, sent their children off to school and opened their shops.
The trio walked along the cobblestone path of the Third District’s shopping street. Cecily was accompanying Siegfried and his prized sword, Evadne, to a designated destination. Truth be told, she wasn’t particularly thrilled about her assignment. She had committed to seeing it through, but some mental preparation would’ve been nice.
Meanwhile, Francisca was out with the Knight Guard, searching for the escaped convict. Cecily would have much preferred joining them.
Curse you.
She shot a resentful glance behind her. Siegfried and Evadne, both dressed in black, seemed utterly unaffected by the heat. Evadne, in particular, followed silently, as composed as ever, while Cecily’s bangs were already sticking to her forehead in the muggy air.
Citizens who spotted her offered greetings. They lifted the large shutters facing the street to let in light and leaned out to cheerfully call out to her. Cecily, though in low spirits, returned their greetings with a smile.
“What a dreadfully dull city,” Siegfried muttered.
“This is what peace looks like,” Cecily replied. “The peace you tried to destroy.”
“You’ve got the wrong—”
“Oh, just drop the act already. I’ve had enough of this back and forth.”
Siegfried shot her a glare, but Cecily didn’t flinch. Maybe the heat and her hangover had dulled her mind enough to be on the aggressive.
“You’re the mastermind behind all these recent incidents, aren’t you?” Her words faded into the background hum of city life.
Siegfried stopped, giving her a long, measuring look. “Yes, I am.”
Finally, he admitted it. Cecily hounded him. “So, you’re after the Infernal Blade. What do you plan to do with Aria? What are you plotting?”
“Oh, sure, it’s me,” Siegfried replied, shrugging, “but you still don’t have any proof.”
Whether from anger, her hangover—or both—Cecily’s head throbbed like never before. She grimaced. Her emotions flared, but she pressed on, keeping her voice steady.
“Stop playing games. What you did could have started a war!”
Demon Pacts. A hitman of royal blood. An influential figure within the Empire offering assistance. Any one of these incidents would have been enough to spark hostilities with other nations.
Siegfried easily dismissed her concerns. “Relax. War won’t break out. At worst, the chances are slim.”
“Are you serious? If the balance of power shifts, the tragedy from forty-four years ago will—”
“Which is exactly why it won’t happen.”
His odd choice of words made Cecily pause. Siegfried resumed walking casually, with Evadne trailing silently behind him. She’s like his shadow, Cecily thought.
She hurried to keep up. “Hey, we’re not done talking.”
“Calm down. We can talk as we walk,” Siegfried said without turning. “It’s pointless anyway. Nothing you can do will change anything. Getting all worked up is a waste.”
Every word out of his mouth was infuriating. Cecily almost shot back.
“There’s only so much you can actually do.”
The words caught in her throat.
“The continental powers are terrified of war,” Siegfried continued before she could respond.
Reluctantly, Cecily fell in beside him. As his guide, she couldn’t lag behind.
“Tell me, girl, how much do you know about the Valbanill War?”
“That depends on what you mean by how much.”
It all led back to the worst Inhuman in continental history, Valbanill.
Bound by humans using the Sacred Sword, the beast unleashed a “curse” in retaliation. This curse, etching death spells into human hearts, formed the foundation of Demon Pacts, a system that made people slaughter each other. Forty-four years ago, just as Valbanill had expected, the nations plunged into what was known as the Proxy Pact War, unleashing demons across the continent.
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