Ugh!... My mind is slowly turning foggy. Aefia thought to herself as she placed a hand against her forehead and the other hand on the stairs' railings for support. Her eye lids slowly became heavier by the passing time as she tried her best to distract herself by sometimes skipping a step, by mistake or by purpose, she still didn't know.
Just a little bit more... And I will be down to the nurse's chamber. It shouldn't cause me my life and energy to go down another fleet of stairs and walk two right turns and three left turns... And I will reach the area. Although... I am already healed... Then why do I want to go there anyway? Won't that be a waste of time?
For the next five seconds, she descended the steps with closed eyes until her feet felt solid ground, and jolted awake her entire mind with the false alarm of falling down. Darn... That was close. With her eyes now widened to no sort of sleepiness, she continued walking the rest of the way down with caution.
Throughout the way, she was constantly reminded about the assassination. If three people out of the Imperial family are targeted until now... It can clearly be seen who they are talking about. I was never brought to the public image, and since the Viscount had ordered his men to 'guard' this palace from every corner, then I believe and I can confirm with confidence that those people are... the Duchess, George and Lewis. If one were to die, either of the two would still run this kingdom.
Placing her bets onto this information she thought around the three weeks deadline. I have seem to realize one thing from the last time I had fallen unconscious, for about a week. Is that I can enter an astral form while I am away, and I don't know whether it's because I am a magic user or because I am not from this planet. But whatever it is because of, I think I will have to use that same skill of mine to sneak into his estate... Not even knowing where it is.
And then... I will be conducting a bunch of spying just to hear the lore... She deduced, while looking clearly down at the fleet of stairs that vanished before her. As soon as she reached the last step, her mind debated between running to the chamber or to walk there. It was a hard decision for her case unlike what people might be thinking if she asked that question out loud. For instance, she was already dizzy and taking a step felt like floating for a millisecond, which was a panicking thought due to her unconscious astral form scenario.
The fact is... If I run, I save time, but it also drains my health faster due to whatever trap the Guardian of Silence had placed me in. While if I walk there, I might not make it in time and practically pass out mid way, before even reaching the chamber doors. So consciously speaking, I am going to die in both scenarios, except if I can decipher a new shortcut and take it to save myself both time and energy.
Placing her hand onto her bandaged waist, she silently walked towards the chamber with the original path, hoping to bump into someone who was willing to help her stay upright a few more seconds. But that is just a lethal daydream inside this palace. Who the hell is willing to acknowledge me and help me there expect for the three servants I already know?
She lifted her gaze up towards the hallway as she smiled a little bit with the other servants ignoring her presence. This, unlike what she knew to this point, was an advantage in case they were going to go ahead and tell the Duchess or George about her condition, about her leaving the palace, and about her injuries... Which was the first thing she didn't want anyone to know. The collar was going to attract anyone's attention, despite it no longer buzzing and completely silent.
I was... Honestly a little dumb to have ignored my shoulder injury and the cut on my face. If not for this, I wouldn't have to visit the chamber. I took a very bold move by healing the children despite knowing there was already someone to do that work for me. And I didn't get to steal anymore of his magic after I used it all up... Just to free the collar... Well... That was a definite failure.
I might as well go about and hire a hitman to shoot me in my head without me knowing and then these people will bury me then I will be free when I wake up inside my grave and carve my way out into the world... At the realization of her own words, she shifted her gaze downward and recalled the idea again and again, with her ears blocking out every single noise around her, replacing them with a silent ringing. That's... Exactly what I can do... And will do!
She felt proud with her own thoughts and ideas, while her dark pair of eyes turned simultaneously souless, sinister and silent. It's a frightening thing... But one which can guarantee me multiple benefits! I need to check out on where I can hire a hitman to execute me without my acknowledgement... and I am finally free from being the pawn of this palace. Let alone... If I died with the family as witness... I can easily escape their minds without them having to try and find me... Because they already know... I died.
But then also... I did a huge mistake not so long ago. By telling Lewis I died and came back alive... Still stuck to her thoughts, she smacked her forehead while recalling the conversation she had a very long time ago. Nevermind him... I will probably already find a wierd memory forgetting spell and cast it on him so he never really remember the truth I had told him.
Just with that thought in mind was enough to drive her back into her mission of escaping their grasp. Although the dream was the exact representation of the abandoned house she had been to, the meaning that her mind had deduced was still stuck to her head. A fear she had where her own family members were going to kill her. Just when she was deep into her world of thoughts and overthinking, a familiar scent brushed past her.
Immediately, her head diverted towards her own handmaid with her hand reaching out to her shoulder in order to ask her for help. But a silent hesitation reached upon her nerves as invisible strings strung around her fingers and ice spikes flew towards her from every direction, restricting movements of her hand. Her gaze slowly started to shake, and it was almost unknown why this was happening.
Then, out of the corner of her vision, a golden hand reached out and held her chin at their fingertips. "My child... Don't... Ask... For... Help." Silence's voice echoed against her ears as her eyes slowly pulled on themselves with extreme tiredness. It wasn't just any sort, it was the tire of her life and this boring game she had unwillingly picked up with this pesky Guardian.
Why do I need to listen to you? She asked back as her hand stood their position and time seemed to be frozen in place. You are controlling my movements so I don't reach out for a hand and just fall into other's vision while getting caught...You may be the mastermind... But I am also a player with free will to choose my cards. Your suggestions will be more like cheating... To me.
"But also... Dying is going to release me from those ties that has bound me to a fate that I can't change... Nor can I alter." A small mutter left her mouth as her eyes narrowed down from the initial widened state. "I was already thinking about hiring a hitman to shoot me with a sniper without my knowledge... But if you want... You can take the blow and spill my blood right now. Its not like I would be conscious for much longer anyway. And then... Take your shot at my execution."
A smile dropped onto her pale face as the last word echoed into the Guardian's ears and this somehow felt a little too invalid at her eyes to see her enemy give up so easily. "No... I am not going to take the blames of killing a child like you! What makes you think death is so easy as to actually call for it this time?! You have a life!" She shouted at the girl's ears as a shadow fell onto her eyes due to the dark hair.
"You can drop the mercy and claim your victory. I don't care about this world anymore." Lifting her head up and sending it back, she laughed as the time turned liquid again and the rush of cold wind left through her body in a swift movement. Her confidence angered the Guardian, making her feel like she had failed with the thing she wanted to do, and went away without another word. The force of the departing wind caused warm, summer breeze to seem like entering through the open windows as it lifted her hair from her forehead, clearing her view.
With a single turn of her heels, she continued walking towards the chamber, without a second glance back at her maid servant who was left unbothered. I also... Didn't want to disrupt her work flow just by trying to attend my health. If I want to go without leaving a clear mark at anyone's minds... I must do things without them knowing.
She finally pushed open the door to the chamber and felt a heavy drop of her eyelids, causing her vision to darken from the corners as she stood still with the door shut behind her. The doctors, who had attended her about a month ago, immediately recognized the scared pale face. "What is it this time?" One asked while pulling off her hood from her shoulders and using the back of her hand to take her temperature.
"A slight... Laceration at the right shoulder. Well... Just a small cut at the back." She spoke while waddling like a penguin at her standing position. Just five more seconds! Just five! Her voice inside her mind echoed as her body fought to stay awake for the next seconds. There seemed to be two batch of nurses running from side to side, one batch handling the pharmatics while the other handling her.
As soon as the nurse walked away, her consciousness gave up entirely, as her body plummeted without her orders towards the open area. Darn... She faintly spoke into her mind as a pair of hands caught her by the shoulders, wrapping them around her arms just in time for actually falling down.
"And there she goes..." The nurse hurried back with a few wet wipes to clean the blood stains on her face. "She only comes at the last minute... Not even allowing time for setting her up." She clicked her tongue in hatred.
"... Or maybe she couldn't afford the time." George answered while placing her on the nearby chair. "Aefia doesn't just come last minute... She endures it and fights until the last second. Otherwise she won't have been standing up until now. The most you could expect from a patient like her, would be to see them sitting on the ground while crying out in pain for the last five minutes." He added while placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling forward.
"... But what would cost her time... That health becomes a far matter?" The nurse asked while walking over to the girl and placing the wet fabric against her face. "Anything... Related to just surviving first." George sternly replied as he glanced at the nurse with scary eyes. "She was trying to stay alive... And I don't think anyone needs to explain that part by the way the bandages are tied."
The nurse fell silent with the spoken words as she discarded the wipe and brought out the stitching equipments, clearly embarrased for the hate she has just shown. Within seconds, threads tied up the wound at her face that was then coated with a white plaster on top. The careful thread movements were all being watched by her elder brother as she stood in her astral form, enjoying the suffering of the poor, middle-aged nurse.
"Serves you right, lady!" Aefia spoke as she looked down woman with her unseen form of soul, looking towards her fallen body who didn't even budge. "Try messing with me and my brothers are ready to throw you into a ditch to die! ... But honestly I didn't know George was here until I became unconcious." With the free will of speaking without anyone hearing, she was having the time of her life like this.
Then, her eyes jolted towards the window with the curtains drawn. "Anyway... I thought I was in an intermission of making someone's day worse, so what am I stalling for?! Let's go get our minds reset! Right Puppet?!" Her excitement was intriguing as she glanced sideways to the elemental animal beside her. "Yeah alright... Let's not have too much fun like last time." It spoke while yawning and lifting it's paws towards the window.
"The last time... You creeped your poor brother to his bones by making him believe you were a ghost." Turning it's head backwards, it gave her a annoyed look. "I mean... What can I say?" Aefia shrugged while walking through the window without a single notice turning her way. "He did try to kill me... Twice. And I still want to torment him... But it's his birthday and I don't want to hear about his 'survival instincts from ghosts on a lucky day like his birthday' all the way back to school some day."
Her fingers made bunny ears gesture as she walked through bushes and ran towards the end of the palace barriers. When in her astral form, her steps would become as light with the gravity making her feel like she were walking on the moon, with the same physics applying for running and jumping. You know... The day has been fun until now... And I can't tell when I will get it back...
She thought to herself as her gaze turned towards the building standing in the middle of the garden. Should I stay? Or should I go?