Rael didn't stop running—clearly, he knew that his life was at stake if I didn't get out of danger fast—and I couldn't fault him. If I did pass out completely, he'd never hear the end of it. I was on the verge of becoming a human disaster, and he had the misfortune of being stuck with me.
"I promise, Mochi, you're only alive because I'm the most patient person on this planet," Rael grumbled, his footsteps thudding loudly on the castle floors.
"Oh, I know," I replied drowsily, swaying in his arms. "I'm like a really stubborn cat. You know, the one who knocks things off the shelf and then gives you that little look like it was your fault?"
Rael glared at me. "You do realize you're not making this any easier, right?"
I grinned, trying to keep the mood light even as my head spun. "But you love it. You wouldn't want a normal, quiet life. You'd miss my... charm."
Rael didn't respond. He just kept running, jaw set, eyes sharp with determination. Meanwhile, I flopped like an exceedingly melodramatic fish.
"What if I faint, then?" I asked, my voice dripping with over-the-top drama. "Will you miss me? Will you hold a huge, melodramatic funeral? Maybe play a song on the violin, like in one of those tragic romance novels? You know, the kind where the hero always broods over the grave?"
Rael didn't even glance at me, probably because I was dangerously close to being serious about passing out. "I'll make your funeral very dignified. Get a nice spot with a view of the castle so you can feel special."
I snorted, wincing as the pain in my side flared up. "I'll want a good angle. Gotta gaze down on them all, just to remind them that I was the greatest assassin, and they never even suspected. Maybe leave behind a few cryptic messages for them to figure out. That'll really blow their minds."
Rael shot me a sharp look, his eyes narrowing with concern. "You're making this harder."
"Harder is my middle name," I smiled, though it came out more like a wheeze than a proud declaration. "I'll just... rest my eyes for a second. You know, for dramatic effect. You'll get to carry me the rest of the way. It'll be an emotional moment. Very poignant. Just don't mess up my hair."
Rael's shoulders stiffened. "If you pass out on me, I swear..."
"What?" I asked, batting my eyelids in mock astonishment. "You'll do my bidding and become my permanent servant? Oh, Rael. I always knew you were secretly in love with me."
There was a long, heavy silence, but this time, Rael wasn't avoiding me. He was really trying not to laugh.
"You're impossible," he muttered, shaking his head. But there was that faint, amused curl of his lips that I wasn't about to let slide.
A few moments later, I was unceremoniously dumped onto a couch in one of the castle's side rooms, and Rael paced back and forth like he was waiting for some divine intervention—or perhaps just debating whether he should strangle me for turning this whole situation into an unnecessarily grand affair.
"So," I tried to sit up, only to fail dramatically, "what's the game plan, boss? Do we send out invitations to my going-away party? I can picture it now: 'Mochi, the Assassin Who Never Got Stabbed in the Side'—it's gonna be legendary."
Rael rubbed his forehead like he was dealing with an especially trying child. "Mochi, please. Hold still for two seconds."
"Fine, fine, I'll stay still. But only because I'm the injured one here," I huffed, flopping back against the cushions with exaggerated care.
"You've really got a knack for making everything a spectacle," Rael muttered as he rummaged through his bag for something to bandage me with.
I opened my eyes wide and innocent. "Spectacle? Me? Never." And I smiled. "Okay, maybe a little. But come on, I'm not that bad."
Rael raised an eyebrow, his voice dry. "Oh, you're not so bad. Except for getting stabbed and then making a joke out of it while I'm left to bandage you." He wrapped the bandage around my waist, his hands tense with focus. "Do you ever take anything seriously?"
"Of course I do!" I said, attempting to appear as innocent as humanly possible. "I'm taking this extremely seriously. Seriously concerned that my hair will be destroyed by all this bandaging. You know, it takes a lot of work to look this good."
Rael didn't even flinch. He just finished wrapping the bandages, exhaling heavily. "You're lucky I'm not leaving you to bleed out here for the sake of comedy."
"Oh, you wouldn't," I huffed, my voice dramatically gasping. "Not when you care about me, and I'm the only amusement in your life."
Rael looked down at me, his lips curling into the faintest of smiles. "You're the only source of anything in my life, alright."
I smiled back, though it was starting to fade as the fatigue set in. "Aw, Rael. You do care."
"I haven't got time for your rubbish," he shot back, but his tone softened, as if he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that this daft injury wasn't the end of the world—at least, not quite yet.
I sank back into the couch, letting my mind drift toward sleep. "Well, I'm not dropping my aspiration of being the world's most well-known, undefeated assassin. I'll just need to come up with a totally dramatic history behind this injury."
Rael didn't respond right away, and for a moment, I thought he might have actually dozed off—until I overheard him mumbling under his breath.
"Next time, no more drama. Got it?"
"Got it," I answered, my smile lazy as my eyes finally drifted shut.
This wasn't the end of me, after all. No, just a temporary glitch in the life of the world's greatest assassin. I was certain of it.