Even though Otome had told me to stay where I was while she went out of the room, I had a strange feeling that I should be going out too. I lifted the blanket off and swung my legs to the side of the bed getting up. I felt a bit sore but, It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.
I carefully stepped over to the door and opened it fast enough so there wasn’t a creaking sound from the hinges. I then stepped into the hallway and walked into the room where Elysia had gone. Inside there were multiple beds lined against walls. I saw Elysia with a man with moderately dark wavy hair that was parted on the right side and deep maroon eyes that were etched with exhaustion.
“Madam, tell me where I am.”
“We are in the Luminastra march, in one of the villages near the border,” replied Elysia with a calm demeanor.
Even though I was standing a ways away, I somehow could still hear what he muttered under his breath, “So we got away…”
I approached the two of them and then saw that there was another person that the man was standing near defensively. As I got a glimpse of her face, I realized that it was the lady I had clashed with when we were fighting near Moon Dallah.
I froze mid-step, my eyes locking on the woman lying on the bed. It was her—the woman I had clashed with near Moon Dallah. The memory of our fight flashed vividly in my mind: her relentless strikes, the precision in her movements, and the dangerous glint in her eyes.
What was she doing here? And why was this man, who looked just as out of place as she did, standing so protectively near her?
Elysia’s calm tone brought me back to the present. “This is no time for hostilities,” she said, her voice sharp and measured. Her orange eyes flicked to me, catching my movement as I approached. “Tokei, I told you to stay in your room and rest.”
“I couldn’t just sit there,” I replied, my voice low but steady, my gaze not leaving the pair in front of me. “Who are they? And why is she here?”
The man’s maroon eyes darted to me, narrowing slightly as if assessing whether I posed a threat. “We don’t mean harm,” he said cautiously, his voice hoarse. “We’re just… trying to stay alive.”
“That doesn’t explain much,” I shot back, my fists clenching at my sides. “The last time I saw her,” I nodded toward the woman unconscious on the bed, “she wasn’t exactly friendly.”
“Do you know this woman?” Elysia questioned.
“I guess you could say that, I ran into her once and our encounter wasn’t all that pleasant.”
“How vague of you.” After pausing Elysia continued, “Regardless of how you feel, they are patients under my care at the moment, so I would like there to be no fighting here. She has sustained major head trauma that I hadn’t noticed earlier and, likely, she might not wake up for a while due to it.”
I shifted my weight uneasily, my eyes narrowing at Elysia's words. "Fine," I muttered, though the tension in my body remained. "But don’t expect me to just ignore the fact that she’s here. Head trauma or not, she was dangerous before, and that doesn’t just disappear because she’s unconscious now."
Elysia crossed her arms, her gaze unwavering. "I understand your concerns, but my priority is their recovery. If she does wake up, I’ll be the first to handle it."
I glanced at the man, his maroon eyes watching me carefully. There was something about him—wary, calculating, but not overtly hostile. "And what about you?" I asked sharply. "Are you her ally? Her partner?"
He shook his head slightly, his expression guarded. "I don’t think I owe you an explanation," he replied evenly, then sighed. "But for what it’s worth, I’m not your enemy. Neither is she—at least not anymore."
"Not anymore?" I echoed, curious as to what he meant.
Elysia stepped between us, her tone firm but diplomatic. "Enough, both of you. Tokei, I need you to trust me on this. Whatever happened before, they’re not in any condition to harm anyone right now. And as far as I’m concerned, they’re just people in need of help."
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I bit back a retort, my jaw clenching as I glanced back at the unconscious woman. The memory of our fight lingered, vivid and raw. But Elysia was right—at least for now. She wasn’t a threat, and neither was he.
"Fine," I said again, my voice quieter this time. "But if she wakes up and tries anything, I won’t hesitate to finish what we started."
Elysia nodded, her orange eyes meeting mine with a calm intensity. "Understood. Now, if you’re feeling well enough to argue, I suggest you use that energy to rest or help around the village. There’s plenty to be done." she leaned in closer and said, “If you feel up to it, make your way northwest of the village to where the Luminastra estate is located, Once you get there look for the clocktower and head east from it, there you will find a bakery which my maid frequents during her time off. Go there at 9:20 and you should run into her. She had abnormally green hair and blue eyes, you can’t miss her. Tell her that Elii would like to have a rematch at chess. And she’ll know that I sent you. She’ll give you more instructions on what to do from there.”
I blinked at Elysia, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone. Her calm intensity had shifted into something more cryptic, almost as if she were passing along a secret message.
“A rematch at chess?” I whispered skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “That’s… oddly specific.”
Elysia’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “It’s just a way for her to confirm it’s really me that sent you. She’s been with me for years and knows how to navigate things discreetly. If you’re serious about our deal, this is the first step.”
I crossed my arms, considering her instructions. The mention of the Luminastra estate left a sour taste in my mouth; I wasn’t exactly thrilled about getting involved with noble family politics. Still, if this would get me closer to finding Otome and a way back to Tekuno, I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Fine,” I said after a moment, my voice resigned but firm. “I’ll go.”
Elysia nodded, her expression softening slightly. “Good. But be cautious. My family may seem kind and magnanimous on the outside but they are truly wretched people who are only good at managing a territory.”
“Alright then. I’ll be back once I’ve spoken to your maid,” I said.
Elysia’s lips twitched into another faint smile, though her eyes held a flicker of worry. “Good luck, Tokei. And… thank you.”
Without another word, I turned on my heel and left the room, the weight of Elysia’s words following me. This was just one more obstacle in my path, but if it meant reuniting with my sister and finding a way back to Tekuno, I’d face it head-on.
----------------------------------------
After concealing the SUV they had commandeered, Otome, Victoria, Huranti, Nanik, and Farthington regrouped in the dim glow of the forest’s canopy. Tension hung heavy in the air as Otome broke the silence, her voice trembling with urgency. “We have to look for Tokei! She might still be out there somewhere.”
Victoria hesitated, her lips parting as though to speak, but she held her words back. Her eyes betrayed a flicker of doubt, but she seemed determined not to dampen Otome’s resolve.
Nanik, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they lost Tokei during the chaotic car chase, finally spoke. His tone was calm but carried a weight that drew everyone’s attention. “Tokei is smart and resourceful. She wouldn’t die so easily. We’ll go and look for her.” He paused, his gaze distant, as though recalling something. “This isn’t my first time in Ardem. I came here a long time ago, and I know someone who might be able to help us. If Tokei is still alive, she likely made her way toward the closest civilization—the village we stopped at earlier. As for those unknown soldiers, they pulled out not long after they started chasing us. They probably think their mission is complete and have left the area.”
Farthington crossed his arms, his skepticism cutting through the group’s hopeful atmosphere. “How do you know Tokei is really alive? What if we’re just wasting time searching for her when she’s already…” He trailed off, reluctant to finish the sentence.
Nanik’s gaze turned sharp, his normally composed demeanor replaced by something far more intense. Farthington flinched under the weight of his stare—one filled with a menacing certainty he’d never seen before.
“If she were dead,” Nanik said slowly, his voice steady and resolute, “the contract between us would have unraveled. But I can still feel it.”
Farthington blinked, his curiosity overtaking his nerves. “Contract? Do you mean like the ones we signed? Are you saying those are magically binding?”
“Yes,” Nanik confirmed simply, his eyes still locked on Farthington, daring him to challenge the truth.
Farthington broke eye contact, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. A bead of sweat traced down his temple as he muttered, “Good thing I haven’t done anything to break the contract yet…”
Huranti chuckled dryly, breaking the tension slightly. “Let’s focus on finding Tokei instead of worrying about what could go wrong.”
Otome nodded fervently, her determination rekindled. “Then it’s settled. We find Tokei, no matter what.”