Lady Rosewood and I sat across from each other. We were once again having tea in the pavilion in the center of the water garden. Lorelei sat next to me, looking a little nervous. It was almost noon the day after the duel, and I was still recovering from my injuries. It was our last day in Rosewood City, and I had wanted to spend it resting at the hotel. However, I needed to tie up some loose ends first.
After the duel, I spent most of yesterday in the House of Healing. The priest who officiated the duel, whose name was Ethan, worked with Halsey, Terra’s priest, to heal the rest of my wounds. Back in the plaza they had dealt with the worst of the injuries, but it still took a few hours to heal the rest. They used a combination of Holy magic and mortal medicine to fix me up.
Thankfully, I hadn’t been hit in the abdomen, so they hadn’t needed to check that area out. Otherwise, they might have seen the Hidden Lamp Seal that hid my cultivation.
My friends had followed us to the House of Healing. Lorelei rested on a bed next to mine, since she was still recovering from her own injuries, while Corie and Leroy watched over the both of us. Annabelle was there in the beginning, but left after a while without saying a word to anyone. Avianna followed her the entire time. From the way the bodyguard studied me, it seemed she now considered me an even bigger threat than before.
I wasn’t surprised. As a First Circle wizard with a single thread, I somehow managed to kill a Second Circle wizard in an open fight. It was unprecedented, and people would be talking about this in the months to come. The difference in power between the First Circle and the Second Circle alone would have made this a notable event. However, Second Circle wizards could also use shield spells. This essentially made them invincible when facing First Circle wizards, or the equivalent.
Despite that, I managed to kill Xavier.
In Avianna’s eyes, I was now an actual threat to her charge.
Not really. I would never willingly hurt Annabelle.
Except by keeping the truth from her, a traitorous part of myself said.
I ignored it.
When evening fell, and the priests finished their work, I insisted on returning to the hotel. Everyone argued against this, but I remained stubborn. Since I was healed, there was no reason for me to remain at the House of Healing. I just needed some rest.
At the end of the day, literally in this case, I got my way. My friends and I made our way back to the hotel, where I crashed into my bed and fell asleep right away.
When morning arrived, I received a message from Lady Rosewood. She wanted to meet with me to discuss the aftermath of the duel. Since that was what I wanted to do anyway, I had no reason to refuse her invitation.
To my surprise, Lorelei wanted to come as well. She didn’t tell me why, but said that it was important that she attend this meeting. After giving it some thought, I accepted. Of course, that meant that Corie had to come as well, since she refused to let Lorelei go anywhere without her. It went without saying that Leroy went too.
In the end, the four of us piled into the House Sturm carriage and made our way to Dawnrose Hall. When we arrived, a servant led Lorelei and I to the water garden, while Corie and Leroy followed from a distance. When we arrived at the water garden, the two of them had to wait outside the garden while Lorelei and I continued on to the pavilion.
Lady Rosewood raised an eyebrow when she saw Lorelei, but made no objections. I made sure not to mention that Lorelei was the one stabbed by Xavier.
It was a beautiful day, and the water garden put me at ease. I could see why Lady Rosewood liked to meet people here. It was relaxing, and when people were relaxed, they were more amenable.
However, from what I could tell, Lady Rosewood looked anything but relaxed. While the signs were subtle, I could tell that she was exhausted. Wrinkles that weren’t there before now appeared on her face, though they were very small. Dark circles hung underneath her eyes, though they were hidden beneath a layer of makeup. If I hadn’t been looking for them, I wouldn’t have noticed them.
I doubted that Lady Rosewood had gotten any sleep last night. What a great way to start the last of our talks, with the both of us exhausted and in piss poor moods.
Despite this, Lady Rosewood still looked beautiful. She wore a frilly green dress. Combined with her pink hair and dainty build, she looked like a delicate flower.
“You tricked me, Lord Gabriel,” Lady Rosewood said as soon as we finished with the initial greetings.
I arched an eyebrow at this.
“Tricked you how?” I asked.
She studied me through narrowed eyes.
“You were never after recompense, were you?” she asked. “You wanted revenge all along. That was why you made such a ridiculous demand. You wanted the duel to happen, and you knew Bertie would choose Xavier as his champion.”
I shrugged.
“I suspected your son would,” I said. “Given the way he acted, I doubted he would have fought me himself.” I gave her a fake smile. “But you’re not wrong. I was after revenge. After what your son did to one of my people, how could I not? Don’t worry, however. If he had fought me himself, out of respect for you, I wouldn’t have killed him. I would have made him wish he was dead instead.”
Lady Rosewood’s eyes darkened, and she didn’t say anything. Instead, she took a sip of her tea.
“That isn’t to say that I don’t want the recompense,” I said. “I very much do. It is what we agreed upon, after all. Unless you plan on reneging on our agreement.”
If she did that, there wouldn’t be much I could do on my own. I would have to get my House involved. That would be a quick way to escalate matters even further.
“As tempted as I am to do so,” Lady Rosewood said. “I won’t. We had an agreement, and I will honor it. You won the duel fair and square.”
“You should hurry then,” I said. “The caravan returning to Icefall City leaves tomorrow.”
Lady Rosewood gave me a withering look.
“I am well aware of that, Lord Gabriel,” she said. “The sooner you leave my city, the better. I believe it goes without saying that I hope we never see each other again.”
“I don’t know, Lady Rosewood,” I said. “Except for the situation with your son, I’d say we got along very well.” I paused before continuing. “What is going to happen to Lord Bertrand, by the way?”
“For attacking you after the duel?” she asked. “Don’t worry, Lord Gabriel. I will punish Bertie myself. He went too far this time.”
I believed she meant it this time. However, that wasn’t what I meant. Yeah, I was pissed about the attack, but I was too tired to make an issue out of it.
“I meant in general,” I said. “You know you can’t have him succeed you. He isn’t a fit heir.”
Lady Rosewood paused, before giving me a frosty look.
“You overstep your bounds, Lord Gabriel,” she said. “The affairs of House Rosewood are none of your business.”
I could have let it go. I should have let it go, but I refused to. Despite my recent issues with House Rosewood, I didn’t hate them. If nothing else, I liked the city they had built. It was a beautiful place, and I didn’t want to see it go to shit. That was exactly what would happen if Lord Bertrand became Patriarch of House Rosewood.
“Maybe I am overstepping my bounds,” I said. “But I believe my words need to be said. If Lord Bertrand becomes Patriarch, House Rosewood will be destroyed.”
“Is that a threat, Lord Gabriel?” Lady Rosewood asked.
I felt her mana seep into the pavilion around us; the wooden pavilion.
“No,” I said. “That wasn’t a threat. It was a warning. Lord Bertrand is a petty, immature, and arrogant coward. He’s also an idiot. I mean, he decided to pick a fight with Lady Annabelle. Not only is she a guest of yours, but she is a member of House Thorne. If something had happened to her, they would have retaliated.”
“You picked a fight with Lady Annabelle, Lord Gabriel,” Lady Rosewood pointed out.
“Yes, so I know from personal experience how much of a bad idea it is,” I said. “I say again, Lord Bertrand is an unfit heir. You know this. I saw it on your face when Lady Annabelle and I confronted you in your office the other day. Despite that, you still protected him.” I leaned forward. “If Lord Bertrand succeeds you, he will run your House into the ground.”
While the oldest living child of the current head of a House was often the heir, that wasn’t always the case. If the current heir proved to be unfit or unworthy in some capacity, the head of the House could appoint a new one. This could be anyone within the House. As long as they had a blood connection to the House, they were a potential candidate.
Lady Rosewood sipped her tea again. Despite her apparent calm demeanor, I could feel the fury radiating off of her. Her mana had seeped all the way into the wooden pavilion. It felt like being in a cage that could close at any moment, or in the jaws of a beasts ready to snap shut and devour us whole.
“It’s best if you leave now, Lord Gabriel,” Lady Rosewood said. “I will have everything you demanded sent to your hotel before you leave tomorrow.”
I resisted the urge to sigh. Well, I tried. If House Rosewood imploded and destroyed itself, it had nothing to do with me.
“Lady Rosewood, I have a message for you,” Lorelei said.
After the initial greetings, she hadn’t said a word. In fact, she had been so quiet, I almost forgot she was there.
“Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it,” Lady Rosewood snapped out. “Both of you leave. Now, while I’m still feeling polite.”
I felt a faint divine presence come from Lorelei as the magical symbol for “Earth” appeared on her forehead.
Lady Rosewood stared at her in shock, her mouth hanging open.
“I will deliver my message,” Lorelei said. “If you still want us to leave after that, then we will go. However, first, I will say my piece.”
I leaned back as Lorelei did her thing. This was her show now, and I was curious as to what would happen.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Lorelei closed her eyes. I watched as a change came over her. It wasn’t anything obvious. It was the little details. Her expression, her body language, the way she held herself. I thought she was preparing herself to deliver her message, but this was different. It was as if she became a different person altogether.
This feeling grew stronger when she opened her eyes, and I saw someone else looking out. Lorelei wasn’t in the driver’s seat anymore. The strangest thing was, I had seen those eyes before, though I couldn’t remember where.
“If Lord Bertrand remains your heir, little rose,” Lorelei said, or rather the person speaking through her. “Then House Rosewood will soon cease to exist.”
When she spoke, Lorelei’s voice sounded different. It was still her voice, but there was another layer underneath it, as if there was another voice speaking with hers. This second voice was deeper and richer than Lorelei’s. It was more.
It was familiar to me.
Yet, no matter how much I racked my brains, I couldn’t remember where I had heard it before.
I wasn’t the only one. Aurora sat up and took notice when she heard the voice.
“The land itself will turn against you,” Not-Lorelei continued. “Don’t forget where your roots are planted, little rose. Your wealth will wither, and the beauty you so value will fade away. In a few generations, nothing will remain of your House except dust and memories.”
Not-Lorelei reached forward and brushed the back of her hand against Lady Rosewood’s cheek. Lady Rosewood, still in shock, remained frozen in place.
“I know this is difficult for you, little rose, but this is the price your son must pay for harming my Chosen.” Not-Lorelei’s voice hardened. “It is also the price you must pay for failing him as his mother.”
Not-Lorelei drew her hand back. She turned to me and smirked.
“I can see the wheels in your head turning, Celestial Thunder,” she said in the language of Spirit Earth. “It’s amusing to see you try and figure out who I am. Keep at it, I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”
Her words hit me like a thunderbolt. However, before I could respond, Not-Lorelei gave me a wink and the symbol on her forehead faded away. She closed her eyes again and slumped forward. I caught her before she could fall over.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
That wasn’t the question I wanted to ask. I wanted to ask who that was, though I had a pretty good idea. How did she know who I was? How could she speak the language of Spirit Earth? Most important of all, why did she seem familiar? When she spoke to me, it sounded as if she knew me, or at least, she had known Immortal Celestial Thunder.
I suspected I knew the answer to some of these questions, but I wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. I put them off to the side for now. Lorelei needed my focus.
For a moment, I thought Lorelei wouldn’t answer me, but then she opened her eyes. It was Lorelei, and not the person from before.
“Yes,” she said in her own voice. “Or rather, I will be. Channeling Lady Terra’s presence took more out of me than I expected.”
Well, that answered one question, though I had already guessed as much.
“In that case, let’s go back to the hotel,” I said. I turned to Lady Rosewood, who continued to stare at Lorelei in shock. “We’ll take our leave of you now, Lady Rosewood. My companion here needs her rest.”
My words jolted her out of her shock.
“Yes, of course,” Lady Rosewood said, sounding a little dazed. “We wouldn’t anything to happen to…Lady Terra’s Chosen.”
As a former Immortal, meeting a Chosen and hearing a goddess’ voice wasn’t that big of a deal to me. To a mortal, however, it was an earth-shattering event.
Perspective was funny like that.
I gave Lady Rosewood a nod, before I helped Lorelei stand up. Together, the two of us walked out of the water garden. Lady Rosewood remained in the pavilion, staring off into the distance.
After we left the garden, Corie rushed over to us when she saw me supporting Lorelei’s weight. Leroy followed close behind.
“What happened?” Corie asked, almost frantic. “Why is she like this? What’s wrong with her?”
“I’m fine, Corie,” Lorelei said, giving her a smile. “I’m just a little tired after delivering a message to Lady Rosewood.”
Corie studied her for a moment, before turning to me.
“She’s fine,” I assured her. “Channeling her…patron’s presence took a lot out of her. She’s fine, however. She just needs some rest.”
Corie and Leroy stared at her.
“Her…patron?” Corie asked, before lowering her voice. “As in Lady Terra?”
Lorelei nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “She asked me to deliver a message to House Rosewood.” She paused. “I think my lady has ties with them. She almost felt…maternal towards them.”
That would explain why Terra called Lady Rosewood “little rose”. It was a term of endearment.
“As interesting as this is,” I said. “We shouldn’t discuss it here. Let’s go back to the hotel.”
The others nodded their agreement, and we started to make our way out of Dawnrose Hall. However, we didn’t get far before I felt a familiar presence brush against my divine sense.
Annabelle.
A part of me wanted to ignore her and just leave without saying anything. Yet, I refused to do so. We were leaving Rosewood City tomorrow, and this was likely my last chance to speak with her before then. I wanted to see her again.
“Here, take Lorelei,” I said, handing her off to Corie. “Head back to the hotel. I’ll be there soon. There’s someone I need to say goodbye to first.”
Corie was too focused on Lorelei to do anything but nod. Leroy, however, gave me a sharp look.
“Young master,” he said, his voice filled with weariness and resignation. “You have a distressing habit of leaving me behind or sending me off. You’re making it difficult to perform my duties.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Leroy,” I said. “But I want to have a private conversation with Lady Annabelle before we leave the city. This will be my last chance. Just escort Lorelei and Corie back to the hotel. Don’t worry about me, I’ll find my own way back.”
Leroy sighed at this.
“Very well, young master,” he said.
With that, my friends made their way out of Dawnrose Hall, while I headed in Annabelle’s direction.
----------------------------------------
I found Annabelle in another one of Dawnrose Hall’s many gardens; a rose garden in this case. The roses were planted in flower beds that were laid out in a pattern. This pattern wasn’t obvious from the ground level, but from above it formed the image of a rose. Thanks to my divine sense, I could see it just fine. Those with a developed spirit sense would be able to see it as well.
A rose made of roses.
Annabelle wandered around the rose garden, seemingly with no destination in mind. She wore a yellow dress that made her seem sunny and bright. Her blonde hair was done up in an intricate style. Despite being surrounded by a garden of roses cultivated by a family of Wood wizards, Annabelle’s beauty outshone everything around her.
Avianna wasn’t in sight. She was around, but she had hidden her presence. Not that it mattered to me, since I picked her out with my divine sense.
I approached Annabelle from behind. As I did so, I sensed Avianna watching me. If I tried anything, she would make her move.
I tried moving quietly, but Annabelle sensed my presence anyway.
“Hello, Lord Gabriel,” she said in a soft voice.
She paused her walk, but remained facing away from me.
“Greetings, Lady Annabelle,” I said, giving her a bow.
“What brings you here?” she asked. “After what happened yesterday, I thought you would be resting.”
Annabelle resumed walking. I rushed forward until we were even, and then I matched her pace. Avianna followed us from a distance. I felt her eyes burning holes in the back of my head.
“Lady Rosewood invited me here to discuss the aftermath of the duel,” I said. “Since I was already here, I thought I’d say goodbye to you as well. I’m leaving Rosewood City tomorrow, and this will be our last chance to see each other for a while.”
“Ah, so I’m an afterthought to you,” Annabelle said, still facing away from me.
I blinked at her in surprise.
“What? No.”
My gut told me that she was upset with me.
“Aren’t I?” she asked, her voice deceptively soft. “You came here to meet with someone else, just happened to see me, and came by to say goodbye on a whim.”
I stopped walking and stared at Annabelle. She continued forward for a few steps, before stopping as well. She kept her back towards me.
“You’re angry with me,” I said.
“Oh?” she asked, her voice tinged with amusement. “Whatever gave you that impression, Lord Gabriel?”
“Call it intuition,” I said.
“Come now,” Annabelle said. “You can do better than that.”
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at her, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Very well then,” I said. “One, you keep calling me ‘Lord Gabriel’ instead of ‘Gabe’.”
“I thought you detested that nickname.”
“I do, and that’s why you keep using it.”
Annabelle started to snort, but caught herself.
“So when I don’t try to annoy you, that’s a sign that I’m angry with you?”
“Yes,” I said. “Two, you’re speaking in a soft voice. That’s not you. You’re loud and brash.”
“Weren’t you the one who told me that a proper lady should always be demure and soft spoken?”
I had, back when we both attended the academy.
“That was a long time ago,” I said. “Back when I was an idiot.”
“As if you aren’t one now,” Annabelle muttered.
I ignored her words.
“Three, you haven’t looked at me once during this entire conversation.”
Annabelle didn’t respond right away. She remained quiet for several long moments.
“Why, Lord Gabriel,” Annabelle said, still speaking in that deceptively soft voice of hers. “I’m surprised. I hadn’t realized that you knew me so well.”
I froze at that.
Fuck.
Lord Gabriel wouldn’t know these things. He never bothered to learn much about Annabelle as a person, consumed by jealousy and envy as he was. Brandon Norwood, however, was another story.
“Given how much I angered you before, when we both attended the academy, I learned to read the signs,” I said.
It was a complete lie, but it was the only thing I could say without arousing suspicion.
“I see,” Annabelle said. “You’re wrong, however. I’m not simply angry with you.” She clenched her fists. “I’m fucking furious!”
Annabelle turned around and looked at me, anger twisting her face.
“You idiotic, selfish son of a bitch!” she yelled, marching right towards me. “Do you know what if felt like, watching you almost kill yourself yesterday?”
Stunned by her words, I did nothing as she shoved me. I stumbled back, but remained on my feet.
“The worst part was there wasn’t anything I could do about it.” She shoved me again. “You almost died, yet I had to stand back and do nothing because that was what Lady Annabelle would do.” Shove. “I even had to leave the House of Healing early, because why would Lady Annabelle show any kind of concern for an stupid shithead like Lord Gabriel?”
She shoved me again, almost pushing me into a rose bush. I managed to stop myself in time.
“Wait, that’s what you’re upset about?” I asked, incredulous. “Lady Annabelle, I told you that I was going to be fine. I had everything under control.”
“Under control?” Annabelle reached for me again. However, instead of shoving me, she grabbed my clothing and pulled me forward until we were face to face. “You call that under control? I saw how much blood you lost. You almost died!”
“But I didn’t,” I said. “I knew I wouldn’t. Holy magic excels at healing. That is one of the reasons why the Church of the Sun officiates duels between House scions. I knew what I was getting myself into.”
Annabelle growled at me.
“Really?” she said. “I find that hard to believe, considering what happened the last time you got into a duel. You got your ass beat and your Circles shattered. Most people would take that as a wake up call. But noooooooo, not you. Instead of learning your lesson, you remain as arrogant and cocky as ever.”
I almost pointed out that she was the one who shattered my Circles and almost killed me, but my survival instincts kicked in and I kept my mouth shut.
“Why do you care?” I asked instead, giving Annabelle a mystified look. “We’re not friends, and we’re certainly not lovers. In fact, until recently, we were enemies. Why do you care what happens to me? Is it because I owe you a favor?”
Annabelle gave me a stunned look, as if I had slapped her across the face, before rage twisted her features once more.
“You really are an asshole!” she snarled.
Annabelle pulled her fist back, ready to punch me in the face. I prepared to block her attack. Not because I would get hurt, but because she would. Given my level of cultivation, she was more likely to injure herself if she hit me.
However, the expected punch never arrived. Instead, the anger turned to sorrow and tears filled Annabelle’s eyes. The sight stabbed me in the heart. She dropped her fist.
“Do you really not know?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion. “I can’t tell if you’re in denial, or just that dense.”
Tears started to run down Annabelle’s cheeks. She leaned forward and buried her face in my shoulder.
“I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t keep pretending like this.”
At that moment, the truth hit me with the force of a semi-truck speeding down the highway at full speed. Her concern for me, the way she outplayed me at the lake the other night, her willingness to forgive me so easily. It was obvious, looking back on it now. Hindsight was funny like that.
Annabelle knew who I was. I didn't know how, or why, but she did.
Annabelle knew.