"I'm here because Celestine was left with no choice." I answered him plainly. The old man stiffened. Seriously, if this kept up much longer, I was afraid he might turn into a statue right there on my settee. It seemed Toni had kept him in the dark about everything, sparing him the worst of it out of some misguided kindness. Damn. This was going to be difficult. He was elderly, and clearly very invested in Celestine's well-being, the kind of invested that made a person reckless with their own heart. What if he had a heart attack after hearing the details? Wouldn't that be on my conscience then? I did have a soft spot for this old man, resembling the chief as he did, right down to the way he held his shoulders. Better to ask first and be sure.
"Before I get into it, Your Grace, do you have any illnesses I should know about? I'd feel terrible if something happened to you from shock, and I'd rather know now than find out the hard way." Count Halcyon blinked at me, surprised, before offering a small, reassuring smile. Though I could still detect a thread of anxiety underneath it. I chose to ignore that. At least it meant he'd finally decided I meant no harm. No more murderous looks aimed my way.
"It's alright, young lady. Please, say what you need to say. I can take it, whatever it is." He said, with conviction. I nodded. If he said he was fine, then so be it. He had more right than anyone to know what had happened. And honestly, he didn't have much choice but to listen to me anyway.
"Why. Why was Celestine left with no other choice? What happened, that led to this?" I could hear the impatience under his tone, rising with every word, evident even as he tried to hold back the urge to bombard me with questions all at once. Trying not to be too obvious about it. Rude, otherwise. Must be that need to uphold his dignity as an elder and a noble Count.
"Toni, I mean, Celestine, was afflicted with the Equinox Flower disease." I started gently, softening the blow as much as I could. Still, shock and horror flitted across his face, followed by a flash of pain. It made me sigh, deeply. Man, I'd been sighing a lot this past hour.
"Equinox Flower disease? H-how? Why, why would she..." Count Halcyon's voice trailed off, unable to finish the thought. I wasn't surprised. Even the short explanation Toni had given me made me feel horrible. What more for a grandfather, learning his granddaughter had contracted something so terrifying?
"I know she's pretty gifted in divination. She bragged about it, actually, more than once. I don't know the mechanics of it, but it seems she had a prophetic dream, about her, how do I put it, about her not-so-bright future. So she tried divining a way out of it." I explained as clearly and concisely as I could, softening the edges with a little euphemism here and there, watching his face for signs he might not survive the rest. We both knew what "not so bright" meant, really. Anyone with a working mind could fill in the blanks. That was about as far as my eloquence could carry things.
The old man slumped in his seat, defeated, understanding settling over his face like a weight he'd been bracing for without knowing its shape. Guess he'd gotten it. Smart people really were a joy to deal with, at least when it came to sparing me the trouble of spelling everything out.
"She tried to pry the secrets of heaven loose. She tried to go against fate. It's no wonder she was punished. The Equinox Flower disease is lenient, all things considered. If she hadn't been a magister, she would have died on the spot." Count Halcyon sighed. He looked as if he'd aged another ten years in the span of a minute. He gestured for me to go on.
"Toni told me the same. She said she'd been reckless, forgot your reminder. She's a tough girl, though. Even sick, she found a way out. But a complication came up." I paused, glancing at him. He was listening with rapt attention now. Okay. I think I'd been too brief.
"She. She researched ways to treat it and found an arcane spell capable of healing the soul. With everything she knew about soul magic, Toni could handle the finer points of the spell most people couldn't. But she missed one crucial thing. Her soul doesn't have an anchor. The only way for her to survive was to change vessels. One that also had no anchor. So, here we are."
The retelling came out flat, like it didn't really concern me at all. Maybe that was some sort of defense mechanism. I was still a little touchy about the anchor thing, if I'm honest.
"No anchors, truly." Count Halcyon whispered, looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite place. I couldn't name the emotion behind it, but I'd take that over outright pity any day. Being pitied never felt good.
"I see. I. I should have done more for her." The old man said, voice trembling with regret, his hands curling loosely in his lap. I felt a flash of indignation at that. Truth be told, Count Halcyon had already done more than his share for Celestine, more than anyone else in this entire wretched household combined. It was the others who owed her those words, not him.
"If I may say so, you've done enough. It's the rest of them who need to hear that, not you. Sorry, but I won't take it back for saying so. They're the ones who drove Toni into a corner. I blame them for this. Toni deserved better. I only know her from that brief conversation before we each went back to our own bodies, but I have her memories. In a way, I've lived her life alongside her. Celestine von Trier deserved better."