As Aefia walked behind Nada, she felt herself trying to constantly soothe out the misunderstanding between them. Unfortunately though, she still questioned how Nada had gotten there and exactly how she had intervened in such a time. However, since Nada's mood was slightly out the line, it wasn't really a good time to ask all that.
"Nada... It's not what you are thinking..."
But no reply came from Nada, just a continuous uninterrupted walk towards the Countess' mansion.
"Come on... He was just angry at me and wanted to punish me..."
"..."
"Well I was only under his care because he was asked to. He was treating me for the toxins that—"
"I know I know! Just shut up!" Nada replied while turning to face her. Her eyes held a stern look, as Aefia suddenly closed her mouth. She felt as if Nada was currently the elder sister being strict to her.
"No really! He was asked to recover my health!" Aefia begged while running to catch up to her pace. "Believe me for the sake of god!"
"I do believe you!"
"No you don't! Seriously! There is nothing between us! You know what kind of a person I am!"
"I said I believe you!"
"I am too busy to think such things and I really didn't expect him to yank me by my chin! See! There is a bruise!" Aefia spoke while pointing to a red thumb print just below her chin, where her jawline was set. It wasn't really a bruise, just a temporary print that would dissappear soon. With her time spent in combat, it was always difficult for her to bruise.
"Oh my god Aefia!"
Before she knew it, two hands slammed at either sides of her shoulders as she looked into her cousin's hazel gaze in fear. This day all together was pretty shocking for her to take. Nada traced the seams of the mark with her index finger lightly, then stepped back to place her hand on her forehead.
"Look... I don't suspect you or him of being in a relationship. However, the thing I am thoroughly mad about, is whether you had actually been taking toxic sleeping medicines for eight months." Her face calmed down a bit. "Otherwise, I will assume he lied about it."
Aefia bit her lip in thoughts as she looked down at the ground, her eyebrows suddenly arching upwards into a frown. It was hard to admit it once again, since she already knew what direction she would drag this to. However—as she let out a sigh—she realized she can't falsely accuse someone who saved her so many times.
"Yes. Maybe more."
Nada's eyes widened at her words, as she turned more and more speechless. "And who knew about it back then?"
"At the very end, Lewis found out." Aefia answered while stepping up to her, as they neared the estate walls. "I am sorry I didn't tell you."
"And what is with that 'maybe more'?"
"I had become an addict, until I couldn't reach to them anymore all of a sudden." Aefia scratched the back of her head where her previous injuries were. The leaf, as Helio—had explained at the kitchen—cured almost all blood-related problems including draining injuries. However, it was hard for her to believe that every injury was cured by the leaf's extract only. Of course, she had grown accustomed to his healing magic.
But at the memories of that, she suddenly got reminded of the way her mind showed her vibrant pictures of having kissed his palm. If she said that to Nada, she was roasted, toasted, deep-fried, burnt and then turned into ashes. Or worse, just drowned.
She cleared her own throat while gritting her teeth, she didn't know that the aftereffects had laid her that transparent. However, she did look up to him for his helpfulness and excessive trust on people. Enough to think that he was currently curing a murderer, who killed many without mercy in front of his own eyes.
Does he not think about how I can kill him for his powers whenever I want? If I were in his place, I would have been more than just aware of my surroundings for sudden assassinations.
"Well, since it was quite the time ago, I can't blame you for it. At least you aren't doing it right now. Because if I see even a single toxic pill by your bedside, I will kill myself for you."
"Wha—what?!" Aefia felt herself in deep shock. "I don't even know if that is a threat or a literal statement that is supposed to punish me."
Nada wrapped her arms around Aefia's shoulders, as a warm smile popped onto her face. "You are just too smart to get over. So I stuttered and said that. I meant..." Her right hand coming up to rest on Aefia's head, as she tucked her head onto Nada's shoulder, suffocating her. "I will burn your favourite swords."
"No you won't! Let go of me Nada! Let. Me. Go! You are not touching any of my weapons," Aefia shouted with a muffled voice. Her arms squirming to fight off her cousin's grip while trying not to harm her.
Nada's hand came to an abrupt stop at her hair, as she took in the absurdity of someone who is deadly and childish at the same time.
Then, Aefia sudden stopped moving all together. Even when Nada let go in fear that she accidentally killed her.
"No really... Don't do that." Aefia clung to her while whispering.
"Why—?"
"The guardian of silence took away too much from me... At one point, I feared losing you too. But I am not going to lie when I say I was feeling disadvantageous towards my own family member. Like I was a leech who was sucking away their time and value for other things, with my declining health and mental health.
"I felt isolated and pushed away already, and like a burden who doesn't get to deserve what I was given. So I decided to permanently distance myself from everything else. I tried to hire a hitman, bring myself upon execution, and none of them were successful. At the end, I was only successful on putting them into more burden. To a point of no return. I don't want you to feel that."
Nada clenched Aefia's shoulders so tightly, that her bones felt like shattering. It was a profound anger inside her, that her own cousin could feel despite not showing her face to her. Other than that, she silenced out, completely shutting herself up as she pulled back from the hug, placing a distance between Aefia and herself.
"Aefia, what if I didn't participate this rundown competition?"
"Hmm?"
"Say I remained on Earth, would that have kept you from all this trouble?"
"No." She replied while clenching her hands beside her. "It would have complicated my mental health one way or the other. I think I am still sane thanks to you."
"Then that's a relief." Nada spoke while tugging at Aefia's wrist towards the mansion, making her completely disarrayed as she ran with her force. "Get some rest for the sake of your health. He said you had a fever which would come momentarily and then dissapear."
"I thought he was the only one asked to be taking care of me. When did you get asked about it too?" Aefia asked in surprise, as a smile fell onto her pale face regardless of how tired she felt.
"Does it matter? You have worked too hard up until now for everyone else, so now it's our turn. Don't you think?"
"Oh... Really? Because as many as I killed, less than that many I helped. Do I deserve it yet? I have already accepted it as a punishment."
"But you have regained a human side of you, do you really care about your past-self anymore?" Nada asked while pushing open the door to the suite that she was staying at. "Now, Elanor also votes for your safety. So you better succum to her words as she is the owner of this house. And you are only a guest."
As soon as they both entered the room, Aefia was slammed against the bed. Nada immediately placed a blanket over her head, then drew the curtains shut.
"I will go get the ice packs just in case."
"Did he honestly force you into this?" Aefia asked sleepily while looking up at her cousin's wandering back.
"No Aefia... I chose to do it. I actually volunteered to do it. Now, is there anything you want done?"
"Yes, one of the few viles of the extract that you brought along with you, give it to Elanor. Say she has to ingest it."
"Alright, consider it done." Nada slammed the door behind her, leaving Aefia in the middle of the bedroom to rest. Before she knew it, the tiredness took over and she fell asleep. Her fingers twitching for a moment due to the overlaying toxins, before resting completely flat against the sheets. The effects of the toxins had completely ruined her, and that was also why she wanted to actually get herself cured.
***
Maybe peace isn't always a thing.
"Ah! Hah..." Aefia gasped for air.
She sat up while clenching her throat tightly with her hands, her breathing becoming slightly eased over the time.
"When did I get sleep paralysis like that... Or is it that my lungs have gone this worse."
As soon as her breathing evened out, she slumped forward to cover her face with both her hands to calm down. "Do I need to put someone next to me as I sleep?" She laughed while standing up with dizzying steps at first. Her hand already reaching out for a glass of water at her coffee table. Her fingers trembling as she gripped the glass with all her might.
She wanted to pay Nada a visit, but her limbs were too weak to move forward anymore. So she slumped down on the sofa instead, thinking it would be best to stay near a water tumblr just in case. However, her mind has already out-calculated her, forcing her to stay sat up and not slump back into a sleep.
"I wish I had my sleeping pills, it would have worked well since I am already filled with toxins..." She spoke to herself as her head leaned onto the headboard of the sofa. "But then... To recall, I have no amount of pills left. Ha! What a joke..."
As soon as she was about to droop back into a sleep, she heard a sudden thud from her room door which made her stand up with her nauseating mind. She turned to look.
With a sudden flash of navy blue hair, Cedric hugged her before stepping back just to check for any injuries.
"I am so sorry for leaving you behind that day! I didn't expect you to suddenly start coughing up blood like that! You said it was your illusion!" He spoke with a panicked voice as she looked away for a while towards the open door.
"Honestly, I didn't know why either. But it turned out that my illusion's injuries returned to me when I absorbed my skills back. Maybe because I still haven't figured out the dynamic of my new magic, but I have completely messed up a few things with my combat experience too."
"Oh... But still! Next time, I won't let you go if you risk yourself to save a few people who don't even know how you are!"
"Don't worry... It is all up to you if you return to your family you know." Aefia smiled at him while stepping back a bit. Her dizzying mind treathening her of collapsing. So she went to sit down for a while on the sofa. "I am sorry for my sudden rude behaviours, but I am just a little sick. Please understand." She politely added while looking up at his face. Her tired, swollen eyes giving out her struggles completely.
Cedric sat down on the opposite sofa, with a sort of respectful and worried expression on his face. "I am supposed to be sorry to you because of what my family has been doing—that you are having to take care of."
"You aren't currently part of your family. Are you?" Aefia laughed with her lungs giving away to a sudden cough. Since she had just suffered from a sleep paralysis, it could be easily said that she was still trying to recover from the stress on her organs she had faced.
"But still! I will take responsiblity for it. You are too volatile right now to even give a care to their drama anymore."
"But here I am, still dealing with their drama. Don't worry about me, I am not so easy to kill. I can handle more than this. Its just that I had overexerted myself that day. That is all."
"Aefia! Stop taking the blame to yourself! My family is the culprit." Cedric raged like a toddler, going up in flames where he was sitting.
Aefia simply laughed in his words. "Don't worry, why would I have to blame myself when my friend is already taking responsibility right now."
"Phew! Then that is settled. So how are you feeling? Your injuries were so bad! How did you get yourself treated so fast?!"
"I have... A personal physician. His house is not that far and he knows everything about my health. So don't bother." Aefia replied as a drop of sweat fell from the side of her face. "He is actually the best at his work."
"Oh. Well I am glad you had a good physician by yourself. Then are you taking your medicine correctly?"
"Oh yes! Thank you for looking out to that fact. Now that you mention it, I do need to find Nada for it. She had the 'prescription'." Aefia lied while looking towards the open door.
In the meantime, she could sense the tense atmosphere around Cedric, as he hung his head low. His teeth gritted as much as his eyes narrowed down under the pressure of a specific thought, which Aefia of course didn't know about. She wanted to ask if he was alright, however, in case he was mad, she didn't want to mean any offense towards him. When suddenly, his voice erupted again.
"If you don't mind though..." Cedric breathed out hesitantly as he clenched the sofa beside him. "I think I am ready to tell you my story."