Fourth Month, the 1st day, 1386. 22:45.
ICARUS is out for patrol, looking out for the knight guards on night duty. He approached the guards at the front door. There were four of them in total. All of them greeted their knight commander with a salute. Icarus smiles at that.
"At ease, I've only come to check up on you. Has everyone left the ballroom?" He asks them.
"Yes, sir. The nobles who have stayed in have been checked, listed down, and confirmed by Lord Felix," one guard answers.
"Total number is…?"
"Only about thirty of them, sir."
Icarus smiles. It's a smaller number than he had initially thought. There were at least two-hundred nobles in attendance. He predicted that at least a fourth of them would stay for the night. They are all guests of His Majesty, and the Palace has enough room to accommodate them. He was wrong, it seems.
Well, they may be busy with some other matters.
"Ummm… Sir Icarus," another guard called for him. He glanced at the man, and this knight had his eyes somewhere else. "Is that… the Grand Duke and… Dame Adela?"
Icarus immediately turns to that direction, and he confirms that it was certainly the mentioned individuals.
Snow white hair, pale skin, and a customized black and gold knight uniform. Everyone could recognize her odd features anywhere and name her immediately. And only the Grand Duke has such long healthy black hair among the men of nobility.
"...are they… playing tag?" another guard comments in disbelief.
Yes, the lady is chasing the grand duke at top speed, and they're certain she's pissed off. The grand duke on the other hand looked as if he's having fun.
He wore a stupid smile across his face as he ran as fast as he could, away from the lady. This surprised them greatly, even Icarus.
Icarus has never seen the Grand Duke smile like that. He was always the quiet and serious kind of man, even when they were at the Academy. He only had three close friends and never talked to anyone.
I was under the impression that Dame Adela was similar to the Grand Duke, but I didn't think they'd get along so well. And here they are… she clearly brought out his childish side, and he seemed to have unmasked her emotionless self, Icarus beamed a hopeless smile. He was somewhat happy about this development between two unexpected people… completely misunderstanding what's going on in their minds.
"Shouldn't we stop them, Commander?" one guard asks.
"Right, Dame Adela looks as if she will surely kill the Grand Duke!" another guard commented.
Icarus shakes his head as a form of rejection to the idea.
"Let them be. It's probably just a friendly game," Icarus shrugged. Well, she is out to kill him, but I can't intervene now, can I? He thought to himself. He has no such desire to come in between the clashing of those two individuals. It is never a good idea to stop either of them.
Icarus is confident the Grand Duke won't die… or will he? After all, he wasn't even carrying a sword, and the lady who's chasing him to death is one of the most respected knights in the Empire. Who knows if he might actually die this time?
Hah, impossible.
"But of course, if you want your life to flash before your eyes, then try to actually stop them. You yourselves are aware that Dame Adela hates anyone getting in her way," Icarus teased his subordinates. They shivered at the thought of it and shook their heads violently.
Icarus laughed at that. He turned back to the two figures finally exiting the Palace gates, then he noticed the night sky. The stars were blocked by the clouds, and it's certainly a windy night.
Somehow, I have a bad feeling about tonight.
HOW is this man not tired?
We've been on a game of tag for almost an hour, and now, we're here in the forest outside the Capital walls. Not that I didn't try to kill him during the chase, I threw my daggers at him and he dodged them effortlessly until I ran out.
I stopped my tracks as soon as we entered an open area and exited the land of trees. I think we're at the end of the forest, and in front of him now is a cliff, with rocky waters down if I recall correctly.
A dead end.
Unless he'll suddenly grow wings and fly away.
"Are you done running now?" I ask, annoyed at his childishness. He just stood there near the end, staring to nowhere.
While he stayed completely still, I walked in to secure him within my range. I watched him closer as I wondered to myself why he would choose to go in a specific direction. Yes, this whole time, he didn't seem confused with the directions he's heading to. He seemed determined to not die in the Capital.
"Rosalie," he called my name with such an affectionate tone. Unfazed, I took out my sword. I didn't have the energy to scold him for calling me informally again.
"Have you thought of how to greet the reaper?"
He laughs at that.
I simply stared at his defenseless back. Only the gods know how much I've played the part where I stab him mercilessly and cut his body parts in my head. I'm no pervert to take pleasure in killing, but that would cure this wrath towards him right now.
The long silence broke as the Grand Duke spoke.
"Why did you waste the oath to him?"
The Oath of the Knight.
It's a sacred pact made by two individuals, the Master and the Knight. It's only made possible through the blessing of a Saint. It ties the two individuals' cores—the magic that protects one's heart—together into one. If one should betray the other, whether it be the Master or the Knight, they may suffer damages relating to their health or their core.
This oath, however, is a knight's lifeline. Once it's broken, the knight can die. It's seen as some sort of slave magic for the longest time. Hence, the Temple has rejected any kind of request to officiate any kind of oath-taking ceremony for the past two decades.
In the first place, a knight isn't supposed to be a slave. With or without the oath, knights have been taught to be devoted towards their chosen masters and to protect their loved ones, as well as their country. They serve the people.
My oath with Hael, however, is not some public knowledge. Few people are aware that I made an oath to him.
"Why does it matter so much to you?" I ask. It doesn't matter how he learned about it, despite not visiting the Capital for a decade. I can't help but be curious about why he wants to know my reason for binding myself to Hael.
Whatever I do with my life is none of his concern whatsoever. Because, for as long as this oath binds us, I will stay as Hael's knight.
"At least tell me what I ask to hear from you."
Why does he sound like a puppy?
I shut my eyes and sighed. I gave up.
"It was at a point where I had nothing to do with my life... and His Majesty happened to ask me to stay by his side."
I am not lying, it was his exact words. It was Hael who asked for me, not the other way around. I was simply willing to do whatever.
"...that imbecile proposed to you?"
Huh?
I was completely dumbfounded, I faced him as he sounded so serious. I couldn't think of a word, or a proper way to react to what just came out of his mouth.
He then began laughing out loud, as he faced me completely. I felt a vein explode seeing his annoying smile again.
"HAHAHAH! THAT BRAT BASICALLY PROPOSED TO YOU! HE WANTED YOU TO BE HIS WIFE! YET YOU IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT HE WANTS YOU TO BE HIS KNIGHT! OH MY GODS! NO WONDER HE WENT FOR YOUR SISTER!"
"HAH?!"
He continued laughing, while my mind became a complete mess. I don't even know if I'm overwhelmed with everything or just annoyed. How the hell did he come up with that absurd conclusion?!
"HAHAHAHAHAH!"
I can feel my blood boiling and running up to my face. It was dim, only I knew how flustered I looked. I was holding myself back when suddenly…
"Kill him for me, Adela."
A voice reminded me of what I have to do.
Of course, Hael's greatest wish.
I am to do whatever he wishes.
With him being completely defenseless, I took that chance to take my stance and stabbed him through the stomach, cutting off his laughing.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
It was past midnight. Only the wind that brushed the forest trees were loud enough to be the only ones to fill my ears.
His body... barely moved, confusing me.
Why isn't he resisting…?
I glanced up to him and I saw his face.
Blood was flowing from his mouth, yet he was smiling. His eyes... were honest and soft. This is different from the man I know, from the man I hate.
This confuses me again. It was close to making me frustrated.
Why... Why is he smiling? Why is he looking at me like that?
I know nothing, I am clueless, and this makes my blood boil.
I pushed the sword deeper in his stomach out of frustration while staring at him, yet his expression remained unfazed. The blood from his mouth kept flowing, dripping from his chin to my clothed arm. I could feel something inside of me building up… nearly making me lose it.
Why?! Look at me angry! Stare into my eyes like you hate me! Don't look at me like that!
Slowly, he pulled his hand to caress my cheek. I flinch at his touch, silencing my thoughts. I can feel his warmth through his gloves. It was fading…
"...just learning that no one can have you even after I die... is enough to cast away my regrets."
My eyes widened in shock, brows knitted in confusion, and hair standing in a sudden wave of unknown emotions.
What...?
A quick moment of silence was interrupted as I felt something digging on the skin of my back. It wasn't one, but there were multiple blades stabbing my back. What's this?
Arrows?! Where?!
I forced myself to look behind my back, but I see no one. Only a rain of arrows going our way.
Despite the confusion entering my system, I moved by instinct. I took my grip off the sword and pushed his body by the cliff.
This man, on the other hand, seems to have no plans on dying on his own after sighting the arrows going our way. He held my hand and pulled me with all his remaining strength as we both lost our footing on the ground.
Why the fuck?! I glared directly in his emerald eyes. I heard him chuckle, as if we're both completely fine.
"I know you loathe me," he said midair, barely voicing it out. The moon shined brightly as the clouds shed away from it, and I can clearly see how delighted his expression looked.
"I feel the same way, that's why I can't have you dying in front of me."
In the middle of confusion, I was completely drained of energy. I didn't have the strength to think about his contradicting words. Although, I was left with a certain thought before I completely blacked out.
So, he's finally abandoned me…
All when I thought I would be cold with rain falling from the sky the moment I killed this enemy, I ended up dying with him under the clear night sky. My eyes closed, and the last thing I felt was Caius's warm embrace.
Together, we fell and disappeared in the dead of night.