Tonight, the moon which shines in the starlit sky seems beautiful.
Unfortunately, I am in no mood to enjoy this scenic night view.
With my tattered right arm and creaking knees, I made my way to Princess Violet who is nearby. Our assailant who hailed from the orphanage is already dead, but I really couldn't be bothered.
When I reached her, I saw Candy, who somehow made it through the battlefield and has come back. She sat a slight distance away from Violet, as though she is worried over aggravating her injuries.
From what I could see, Princess Violet's wound has already closed from her natural characteristic of regeneration as a vampire. Likely, the time of the night has accelerated the process of her recovery.
[Rey.] (Violet)
Upon my arrival, Princess Violet slowly sat up, patted Candy's head and faced me.
[Are you okay?] (me)
[I can't be okay when I see you like this.] (Violet)
I had asked her of her well-being out of concern, but her unexpected answer took me by surprise.
Silence took hold of us. For a while, the pain wrecking my body seems to cease along with the quiet night reigning over us.
Deciding to break the silence, I went to her and held out my right arm. She gave me a questioning look, to which I replied her softly.
[I'm aware of your preferences, but would you like some blood?] (me)
Widening her eyes, she looked at me with an unreadable expression. She shook her head, gently pushing my arm away.
[It's fine. I don't really need it now.] (Violet)
[Idiot. You have been stabbed through your chest and after that I clearly saw you breathing hard. There's a limit to how much you should put up a strong front.] (me)
[I couldn't possibly take it from you when you're beaten up to this point! Look at you!] (Violet)
[I am sure that when I'm talking to you like this while standing up, I'm definitely fine.] (me)
I left her with no excuses and held my arm closer to her. With that, she hesitantly took my arm. She spent some time gazing at it before opening her mouth and slowly sinking her fangs into where my veins are.
[...] (me)
[...] (Violet)
I can feel the canines in me and something draining out of me. Blood... no, maybe life force?
[Heh... While you're at it, why not convert me into one of your own?] (me)
Princess Violet stopped drinking and looked at me as if I've lost my mind.
[...Even if I want to, you're not in your best condition right now. Something might go wrong. Besides, why would I?] (me)
[I heard someone claiming me to be hers not too long ago...] (me)
[That's! No, no, no! It isn't!] (Violet)
I see her face flush in a fluster, which is kind of freshening. I unconsciously leaked a smile. When she saw my smile, she realised that I'm teasing her and pouted at me.
But this cheerful atmosphere soon faded away into the night.
I felt myself getting gradually exhausted as the night grew late.
At this moment, Princess Violet chose to break the silence.
[I am sorry.] (Violet)
This time, my eyes widened.
[I believe there is no need for any apologies.] (me)
Upon hearing my words, Princess Violet lowered her head. Her hair drooped over her face, hiding her expression from me. Such a subtle expression, for some reason, seems to prick my heart.
[I shouldn't have rushed in like that. I'm sure there were more options then. I just could not stand how things were just now... If only I had stopped and carefully considered, if only I had been better, you wouldn't have...] (Violet)
[No!] (me)
My outburst, which startled her and Candy, seem to emerge from frustration.
Unfortunately, I am clear of the reason behind my frustration within.
[Enough, let us cease this matter. It will not get us anywhere.] (me)
The words which I uttered are similar to my stern countenance, as if to stuff my emotions down back to the abyss. These words which I had spout are solely meant for a shameful escape.
Truly befitting of myself.
I am painfully aware of how her words reminded of myself. I yearn for strength. I crave for a power sufficient to protect and achieve what I want.
And I blame myself for the fault that happens upon us.
I never thought too much about it, but seeing it occur on another person makes it painfully clear.
[...I understand.] (Violet)
To clear out my mind, I deeply inhaled and blew out my breath.
[Sorry about just now. Anyway, you definitely look better. What matters most is that both of us are safe now, so let's go and search for Urkahn...] (me)
I turned around to start walking, but somehow the surroundings seem to rotate...
"Eh?" (me)
[Rey!] (Violet)
I felt an impact hit my right side, forcing the wind out of me.
Enemy attack!?
[You pushed yourself too hard! Please, rest first. These injuries... They're even worse than mine!] (Violet)
I hear her concerned voice nearby. Only after a while did I realised that my weakened knees had failed to support my weight and finally gave out.
In other words, I had shamefully collapsed in front of her.
After reprimanding her.
[Idiot...] (Violet)
I simply accepted her word in shame.
I could hear Princess Violet tearing off the hems of her dress and then bandaging me. Apparently, the wounds which I thought to have already close reopened. When they did, my bloody began flowing out through my attire, dying them in a deep shade of red. It made me look like a casualty of war.
Princess Violet certainly tried her best stopping my blood from flowing out too much. When she finished doing so, she gently, or tried to, rolled me to lay flat with my back on the ground.
[Ow ow ow ow.] (me)
[...Please endure it, I am incapable of levitation magic to do this gently.] (Violet)
I secretly consider it a miracle that her clumsy bandaging has yet to fall off. I kept my mouth shut in regards to how her superhuman strength is also hurting me.
Beside me, Candy arrived dragging my shaft and my dagger.
[To think you'd tell me that I'm putting on a strong front and then go collapsing like that...] (Violet)
I silently took in her words.
[Unfortunately, I can't use healing magic since I never had any need for them. We shall rest and move the moment you recover, or when I recovered sufficiently to carry you.] (Violet)
I gave her a nod of appreciation. Unlike then, my injuries aren't anywhere close to my torso, so I think I can last a little longer before I need a medic. When the time comes, I'll rely on her.
Thinking for a while, I spoke out to her.
[Princess Violet... There were things that I wanted to say before this... Before our encounter with the assassins.] (me)
I heard a slight pause of silence, before her light giggle reached my ears.
[I apologise, was there something comedic which I had uttered by accident?] (me)
She continued giggling, to which I had no choice but to wait in the dark.
[After that rough speech from earlier, I just found your sudden change in the way of conversing amusing.] (Violet)
I hear her sigh and she lifted her head to gaze at the moon. For a while, she sat beside me silently and watched the moon among the starlit sky. Candy, who was beside me, had curled into a furball and slept beside my neck before I noticed.
[Say, how long has it been since we met?] (Violet)
To that sudden question, I gave her a curious look.
[I'm sure we've been through quite a bit of things together, correct? You saved me from my traitorous retainers. We fought against your former superior, then escaped. We travelled together. Fought off the assassins and escaped the knights. Defeated and took down the Erden Hydra. And now...] (Violet)
She took her gaze off the moon and looked into my eyes strongly.
[It might not have been a year. I may be bad with time due to the lifespan of my race, but I'm sure this amount could have us speaking on a more familiar tone, correct?] (Violet)
I can only return her gaze wordlessly.
[I am sure your strength is genuine. You do not have to look at me and think you should respect my strength being superior to yours. You also should not see me as an unreachable existence due to our status...] (Violet)
She paused, and exhaled.
[After all, as you already know, I can no longer call myself a princess when I'm intent on going against the king himself...] (Violet)
Hearing her words, I sighed internally.
No... More than that, more than the intent of rebellion, I already knew that she just dislikes the idea of being called a princess. That was partly the reason why she visited Ocean Swarm in the first place. That is the kind of person she is.
Despite that, I've continued to treat her as a member of the royalty.
[Haven't we travelled together as fellow equals already? Fought on the same side together? I have begun to call you Rey, so why...] (Violet)
[Fellow equals huh... If you call spending my money being my fellow equals...] (me)
I trailed off slowly, seeing her staring at me in shock and shame. I slowly enjoyed that expression which changed to anger when she noticed my grin.
[Hey!] (Violet)
[You were being too solemn for such a simple matter. I figured you need a light joke. Well, I understand what you mean.] (me)
The tone which I replied her with seems to carry the answer she had asked for. Upon noticing that, her upset profile changed to that of a relieved smile.
That sudden change in expression seemed to bring out her attractiveness all of a sudden, so much so that I subconsciously faced away despite the pain in my body.
Feeling the awkwardness, I spoke in a fluster in an attempt to change the topic.
[I have to say though, the reason I treated you with respect isn't strength or status...] (me)
She gave me a look of confusion, pondered awhile but couldn't seem to find the answer.
[What is it then?] (Violet)
[Age.] (me)
That night, I narrowly escaped a slap filled with superhuman strength, which could have potentially twisted my neck and killed me.
***
[So, what was it that you wanted to tell me just now?] (Violet)
After she calmed down, Princess... no, Violet looked at me and continued our topic which she had diverted.
I told her about the entire situation and the conclusions I've surmised; it was mainly regarding the Earl, the assassins, Zenador and the mysterious power that came to our help during the battle against the Erden Hydra.
She paused to think for a little. All the while, she twirled her fingers around my short hair. I chose to remain oblivious as I patiently wait for her response.
[I really have not much choice. Among the humans I know, the Earl of Flurea is the only one who could help me. The others aren't much of a hope which I may rely on.] (Violet)
[...Why humans specifically?] (me)
She kept silent for a while, before giving me a reply.
[That is simply how far my connections reach. Think about it, I can't possibly ask the Orc Chieftain for help, right?] (me)
She isn't wrong... But I kept quiet.
Taking my silence as an urge to continue, Violet spoke and went down the list of problems which I had shared.
[The assassins are certainly a huge trouble. I can't say for certain that we have thoroughly eliminated them...] (Violet)
She paused, gazing at the night sky with a look of rumination.
[Speaking of which, the person that attacked us, was he affiliated with the assassins?] (Violet)
My running thoughts came to a halt. Never did I expect that I have to consider the connections between the two.
If they are related, it will mean that the assassins are connected the orphanage. That is a problem.
If they aren't, it means we are dealing with one additional force. That itself is another problem.
My head begin to spin from this line of thought.
[I'll eliminate them all the same! ...Is what I want to say, but my confidence wavered after this night.] (Violet)
[Yeah, I'm not expecting much from you either.] (me)
[Hey!] (Violet)
[By that I mean, you may be a vampire, but in the end there is only one of you. Having you carry all the burdens is unreasonable.] (me)
I heaved a small sigh.
[Well, it can be simple, if we can lead them against one another, it doesn't matter if they are related or not. It can be mutual destruction or internal conflict, and either way it will be solved.] (me)
[That's certainly one way to look at it...] (Violet)
Violet frowned at my comment. She must be thinking about how I'm up to my usual trickery and deceit about things, which isn't her style of tackling problems.
[As for Zenador, I think that we should avoid him...] (Violet)
I can see her uncertainty as plain as day, since she is looking at my wounds right now.
[Of course... I don't expect anything but tension between elves and vampires...] (me)
I reached out my right hand and softly caressed her hair.
[We won't meet him on our own initiative.] (me)
She must have noticed me consoling her, because she smiled gently at me.
[As for the mysterious power... I didn't really notice...] (Violet)
[Is that so?] (me)
My hopes were dashed for a moment, but her next words put me to attention.
[As a mage, I would have notice any disturbances in mana... Well, I'm more proficient to the rest I guess. But there weren't any signs of it, and if what you said is true... Likely it'll be either an innate ability of a race or the power of a curseholder...] (Violet)
[Curseholder?] (me)
[Ah...] (Violet)
Seeing her face, I realised that she must have uttered something that she shouldn't have.
[I'll explain when you get better alright?] (Violet)
I nod my head to her, feeling the fatigue which I've been holding back wash over me. Before I close my eyes, I looked up to see her beautiful face. And then, I realise that after all the farce had settled down, I finally get to enjoy the night scenic view.
She looks great with the starlit sky.
Maybe Princess Violet fits better with the night sky compared to the moon tonight.
[Princess, may I close my eyes for a bit? I... don't really feel the best now.] (me)
She looked at me gently from above, resembling that of a goddess conversing with a mortal on earth.
[Yes... yes, rest well.] (Violet)