"Damian! Brother! Let me in!"
Tia pounded on the door of Damian's flat for me, the magic doorknocker frowning at her abuse disapprovingly. It worried me even more that he was taking so long to answer. Usually, he would've foreseen my arrival and hurried to greet me on my way with flowers and a charming smile.
Finally, the door opened and Tia almost knocked a weary Kyle on his face. He blinked.
"Lady Valentina!" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. "You must be my holy saviour! Come in, come in."
I entered to find the comfortable suite that had once been a philanderer's love nest transformed into a mad mage's workshop. Scrolls scribbled with spells floated about, enchanted trinkets hovered aimlessly, and strange runes weaved through the air, the light that hit them reflecting off in fantastic colours within a mist that smelled faintly sweet. In the midst of the chaos, levitating under the vaulted ceiling, Damian danced gracefully. The magic flowed around him, like a musician conducting a mesmerizing concert.
"So, Damian's been doing that," Kyle scratched his head. "A bit too worrisome for me to rest with this going on, so I've been staying up with him, and boy is his sleep schedule concerning. Worse, when he's in the middle of it, there's not getting to him. Watch."
He picked up a nearby kettle and hurled it at Damian. It slowed to a stop as it neared my brother and poured out a cup of tea by itself in the air. The filled cup quickly flew towards Kyle without spilling a drop; when he swatted it away, it avoided him while maintaining perfect balance and offered itself to me instead.
"Quite a predicament, indeed," I mused. Fortunately, I knew just the thing.
I drew my pistol and fired.
Hope was not all lost for humanity: the bullet infused with the strongest of the temple's blessings made it further than the kettle. It struck through the haze of magic, freezing in mid air right next to Damian's cheek. When it came to a halt, everything else stopped too. Damian lifted his gaze, and suddenly a whirlwind swept the room. When it dissipated, he was bowing before me, dressed in a fine cloak I'd never seen before, his suave composure restored as he held out a bouquet of flowers with my bullet as the centerpiece. The chamber had been meticulously restored to its usual form, the scrolls lining themselves in a neat stack on the work bench.
"You dropped this, my lovely Val," he said, his voice melodic but oddly melancholic.
"Thank you, Damian," I received the bouquet with a smile. "If only you were as cooperative in answering the temple's summons."
"Ah, but then its charming saintess would not have visited me personally. I'm afraid she's forgotten all about her brother recently."
"She's been swamped with preparations for the demon subjugation," I took his hands and patted them, batting my eyelashes. "But rest assured her most precious brother will always occupy a special place in her heart."
"I know, sweet Val, I know," he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Alas, it is the demon subjugation you are here for, and it is that I regret to inform you that I cannot attend."
"But why?" I pulled him closer. "You must know the importance of this."
Without the real saint's powers to defeat the demon king for once and for all, the priests reported that a yearly subjugation would be necessary for the foreseeable future. After last year's success, I wanted this year to go just as smoothly to reassure the people, especially after a tumultuous year with the smallpox outbreak and the attempt on my life. It would also leave my heroism fresh on the people's minds for Catherine's trial that would shortly follow. It was unfortunate enough already that-
"I do," Damian whispered. "I promise, Valentina, I am not like that prince brought down by some silly physical predicament. Even if I had lost all my limbs and broken every bone in this body, I would find a way to be by your side. It is my mind that I fear."
A shiver ran down my spine. No, even though I had done so much, tried so hard to defy fate… yet perhaps it was because of all I had done, preventing the saint's powers from awakening, that there really existed no cure for my brother.
"Don't fret so, dear sister," he kissed my cheeks. "Rest assured that I have no intention of leaving you, Father, and Mother just yet, which is why I cannot come with you this time. However, if you must compel me, I will obey your wishes, as always. Thanks to the Magician's Vow that binds us, if I do succumb to the demon king, my life will be taken before I can cause any harm. That was what it was originally created for, you know? Not nearly as romantic as the plays make it out to be, is it?"
I embraced him, holding him tight to try to suppress the sinking feeling in my stomach. "Let's take a holiday after the season's over. We'll go far, far away, for a good while, like you always wanted."
"I'd like that very much," Damian rested his head in the crook of my neck. "I love you."
"And I, you."
A few moments later, I felt his whole weight upon me, and heard a faint snoring.
I looked around and shot a glance towards Kyle, who had been lounging in a corner and now quickly came and lifted Damian off of me, easily picking him up into his arms as if he'd done it many times already. He took Damian into his bedroom and emerged again.
"We will still be sending our state-of-the-art charms and enchanted devices, Lady Valentina," Kyle bowed. "In fact, Damian took immense care in the development process to ensure that you and the conjugation party will succeed. I would volunteer to go in his stead, but my impact would be that of an ordinary exemplary mage that the Institute is already sending so many of, so I will serve better by remaining at Damian's side."
"Thank you, Lord Kyle," I dipped my head. "A true friend like you is hard to come by, and I hope Damian will come to recognize that. My present position makes it difficult for me to satisfy all his whims or to pay him as much heed as I would like, so I implore you to stay with him despite all that may come to pass. You have the heartfelt appreciation of my family and I."
"Ah, no need to be so formal, Lady Valentina," he scratched his head, flushed. "I was planning to do that anyway, so don't you worry. Nothing will happen to him for as long as I'm alive."
We bid each other farewell. I made it down the empty hallway before the anger bubbled over and I hit the stone wall with the side of my fist. A painting across the hall peered curiously.
Oscar falling ill was a mild misfortune, but this was fate jeering at me. I hated that despite being the head of the temple, the future queen, and the star of society, I still could not protect my own family. No, this would not be my bad ending! I had to trust Damian to last until… after Catherine was completely eradicated. Yes, surely she was the reason behind his worsening condition, like she was for all the world's problems. That was the way it was in the novel too. When she's gone, my brother would heal, or I would be able to act more boldly in utilizing the kingdom's resources to find a cure.
In the novel, this pleasant June was when the villainess, Valentina Avington, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. I had already come so far, I would get the rest of what I wanted, too!