Vail rose to his feet after speaking those words to Lyra, and left the place with steps weighed down by worry...
He gathered a fair number of men, as Irene had done. Then the two of them, and those with them, stood waiting, the tension pressing heavy on the air around them...
Lyra glanced around, and said to Vail:
"Hey, Lord Vail — where's that spoiled boy, Raym???"
Vail was stunned by her question for a moment, but tried to play the strong one, and said:
"Well, the boy has responsibilities he needs to see to as well..."
Lyra wasn't convinced by his answer, but she didn't press him either.
Some time passed, accompanied by an atmosphere of tension, unease, and suffocating quiet, until Irene's lips parted:
"He's here!!!"
And then a voice came from behind everyone:
"Oh — sorry for the delay..."
Everyone turned in shock, as though Lord Leo had simply materialized there, and he went on:
"I got a little caught up, so, as you can see... let's go."
Everyone exchanged glances as though none of them understood what was happening. Irene smiled quietly to himself, and said in a voice no one else could hear:
"Oh — he truly never changes."
Leo straightened his posture, striking a magnificent pose as though he were someone who could never be beaten, and turned his back to everyone, saying:
"Let's go."
Irene sighed, and said with sarcasm:
"The door's this way, Lord Leo."
Leo froze in place for a moment, then vanished outright and reappeared in front of the door, saying without turning around:
"Let's go."
Everyone looked at each other without a word, and followed after him. The door was opened for them, and they went out without a moment's hesitation, as though they were off to pay someone a visit.
From behind, Sephar watched in silence, not a word. And the moment the last of them had gone out, Sephar swept his arm and shut the door behind them.
Everyone walked on together, talking at times, resting at others. Vail could see something like fear, or loneliness, in Lyra's eyes, so he tried to draw closer to her to lift her mood, and said in a gentle voice:
"Oh — why is our lovely girl so gloomy???"
Lyra looked into his eyes and smiled back at him falsely, saying:
"Lord Vail, it's obvious that you're the saddest one here."
Vail's expression turned to confusion at once. And Lyra continued:
"You can't stay away from him, can you??? You're so attached to him... Vail, what is it about him that's so special?"
Lyra's eyes began to well as she said those words, and her words and her tears rained down on Vail like blows, one after another, with no pause to catch his breath.
Vail lowered his head toward the ground. He didn't deny what she said — he confirmed it. He sighed for a moment, then drew a deep breath, and said quietly:
"Well... that boy, Raym — I was the one who found him and saved him. He was only a boy of six, dragging a sword, covered in bruises and wounds down to the soles of his feet. That sight woke a memory in me that I'd been trying so hard to forget."
He paused a moment, his voice dropping:
"It's one of the things I regret... one of my unforgivable mistakes. Something I've never had the strength to face. So seeing that boy whole and well, and always within my sight, used to ease that feeling of mine."
He smiled a faded smile:
"But now there've been some tense moments between us — especially over what happened with Mr. Lonz, when I didn't believe him, even though I apologized to him sincerely. Still, he too owes me one."
Vail smiled at her, and said:
"Yes — and I'm sure he'll apologize in turn."
Then suddenly one of the men came calling for Vail, in a hurry:
"Heeey, Lord Vail — come quick, there's an emergency!!!"