My eyes darted from between Mrs. Reed and Alex as panic took over my consiousness.
"Your impeccable ability to lie and get away with almost every toe you step out of the line." He said threatingly.
Hmph. I always thought my siblings had the benefit of it. Coming to think of it, I did always got rid of sticky situations by lying perfectly. Except perhaps when it came to lie infront of the Queen.
"Whatever are you talking about, Alex?" I scrunched my eyebrows innocently. God forbid he spoke about my undying wish to get inside the Legion. That would be suspicious.
"About how you so easily leave your house in the dead of the night and come visit us. It is rather commendable, honestly. Especially since we don't fall into your class."
I coughed terribly and gulped down the life that had threatened to pulsate out of my body. If Mrs. Reed ever got to know about my ever so shady buisness here and there, it would break years and years of trust.
"Well, it was commendable initially. Now it feels like home." Mrs. Reed said tenderly. "But Alex! Shut it with your playing around. You got me scared. I-"
"Mrs Reed!" I basically shouted. Both of them looked, considering my tone. I laughed awkwardly before proceeding ahead. "Didn't Mr. Reed make a mess in the kitchen while we were leaving. Perhaps you should hurry back." I wasn't good at making excuses at all. "I would stay back with Alex. Some company for him."
The kind and innocent lady smiled and left us alone, completely unaware of the heated tension that brewed out around her.
"You were very transparent today, perhaps I should remind you I can be the same as well." I rasped at him the moment I realised no one could hear us.
"You always have been transparent, Ambre." He growled back with equal intensity as he stood up to face me. "Always seeking for me to get things done. Things that are may result as very problematic for you. Tell me, Ambre..." he sneered. "What would Mr. Reed think if he gets to know about your undying wish to get into the legion. Do you think your familiar bond with him excuse you from his patriotism? Hard luck Ambre. Hard luck."
He turned away from me and picked up the the dessert vessel to wash it away as my nose flared with boiling anger. Perhaps, Alex's behaviour was justified after all that we had faced with each other. All the bitter exchanges that took place certainly had a deep impact. And the empty threats was the outcome.
But that didn't mean I couldn't give it back. His hand wasn't completely clean as well. Remembring my principle of 'give what you get', I smiled maliciously before grabbing a fruit kept around and biting into it.
"Atleast at the end of the day..." I started. "I get to go home to my actual family...unlike someone." I nodded visiously.
Alex stopped and thought for a moment. Probably coming up with a fitting reply. "This is isn't about me."
"Let's make it about you then. You live alone after all. Maybe it'll give you some solace." I continued eating carelessly.
"I told-"
"No seriously, Alex." I cut into his words. "How damaging must it feel that you had to leave Tallow, you home when your family did not approve of you joining the legion at all because of your locality's conservatism." I walked around him, taunting him with double the intention than he did. "I consider it courageous rather, it is definately not an easy task to do."
"I-"
"But there is so much to you than just this. I haven't even mentioned the unmentionable. Tell me, Alex. What will Mr. Reed say when he hears about your entire past? Heavens no, your life is so scandalous it must spread to the entirety of Evendon. Imagine then...what will you feel? What will people say?"
"I told you about my past in confidence. That is not for you to spoil." He muttered under his breath.
"Aha!" I exclaimed. "So did I! Then it's better for the both of us to keep our mouths mum, don't you think?" I raised my brows.
Alex returned a small nod in my direction reluctantly, admitting defeat. "That's more like it." I replied.
I knew my way with words atleast.
After somehow finding my way back from Alex's to the Reed house, I found myself facing yet another obstacle. These seem to never stop.
Pete was sitting in the living room with the Reed couple, all three carrying concerned faces and exchanging quite whispers. "Is everything alright?" I asked, breaking their focus.
Pete sucked in a long breath and looked at me with all of the worry of the world on his shoulders. "The security of the village has become much more sensitive than before. I don't know the entire story due to my injury; though I heard that the loot couldn't be recovered this time."
"People from neighboring villages have experienced much worse. Villages that do not have people to protect them." Mr. Reed continued.
"We've hit what seems like a deadend. No response from the Palace, no action taken. We have no idea what to do." Pete's voice grew grimmer.
"I've heard...." I started spontaneously. "That there is supposed to be a group of 'Vigilantes' that protect the towns and villages during the night. These people are employed and assigned by the palace....."
Mr. Reed's eyes shot up at me with shock as I finished after a while. I did not tell them how I found out and who was behind the whole thing, only the aspects that they should be told ofcourse, not all. Even if I had told them about Wilius, he would refuse to believe it at all. He God-worshipped the royalty.
"It might've not crossed His Majesty's eye." He said defensively when I tried to go against.
I could barely stop myself from rolling eyes upon the comment. Did all people in the entirety of Asnovitch not know the reality of their so called 'Majesty'?Talk about being influenced to no extent.
"I will bring this to His Majesty's notice." Mr. Reed said with assurnace.
"Do what, write him another letter?" Mrs. Reed who had been silent all this time, spoke up strongly. "Dear, all you've done is write the King letters over letters for the past few months. There's no time for baby steps anymore, take a giant leap."
I looked at the Reed couple with uncertainty, unsure of what Mrs. Reed meant.
____
Ruby would mock me for having less intelligence since the day she started talking. Wilius quite literally is used to insult me on the same topic. Perhaps they forget everytime, it was me who taught them to say these exact same words. Regardless, no matter how much the matter escalated I never thought about it to an extent. However, it was the first time I questioned whether they were correct after all.
I realised that my throat had gone all dry when I tried gulp nervously as Mr. Reed bowed infront of the King.
The Reed couple definately had a way with words. I couldn't fathom what they did to be able to secure an audience with the King himself, but it somehow discerned me to be lying to such sharp people. Mr. Reed proceeded to deposit the unread letters from months for the King to read and looked at me with the highest of respects.
"Your Highness." He punctuated. I nodded my face and tried best to move my nose or lips in an awkward way so he wouldn't recognise me.
And I suddenly regretted taking every decision I had taken since the morning. Getting pissed at a worker for not doing their job properly in the Grand court, snapping at a random soldier during my practice session....karma had made it's way back into my doors. I shuddered as I prayed to all those sitting in heaven to make sure Mr. Reed doesn't recognise me. You see, the difference between 'Amber' and 'Ambre' is not very large. A sharp eye my way and my cover goes flying away. Just a slight alteration in my voice and Mr. Reed would immediately know who I really am. He was the last person to whose I wanted my cover to be blown. Years of perfectly curated lies goes down the drain and so does the trust Reed couple had put with me.
I could easily tell what the letter contained. The increase in the bandit attacks and the obvious absence of the so called 'Vigilantes'. All fingers pointed at Wilius.
Mr. Reed looked at me for a few moments twice and had obviously started to get suspicious about me. It was a clear sign for me to leave.
Before I could even open my mouth to say something, the King's eyes were on me already. He had a very sombre expression on his face mixed with guilt. It made me remember some of my heavy words from the past.
'I step one toe out of the line , you act as if I made the biggest treason and when the others do so much more, you don't even blink an eye."
It was time for His Majesty to actually open his eyes.
____