"So, are you working for Sir Henrik Quille now?" Libitina folded her arms around her knees. Brian followed her sitting posture, and together, they peacefully admired the map of silver stars in the sky.
"Yup. Apparently, the King of Clomodor wanted to erase all evidence of survivors in Enzak," Brian spoke indifferently, his voice still hoarse.
"What?"
"Yes," Brian affirmed. "Being the son of the trusted Duke Quille, Master Odin was deployed to wipe out the survivors, including me. But he did not. Instead, he absorbed everyone into his secret forces and faked the report to his father and the King. You look surprised."
Libitina nodded. "Yes. For all these years, I thought he was the bad guy who betrayed Enzak and us."
"He didn't," Brian smiled happily. "Master Odin is not that kind of person. He took everyone in, the old, the injured, the sick and the weak. We were not allowed to lead ordinary lives anymore, but it was better than being killed by your own king. I, for instance, volunteered to train and become a spy for Master Odin. I only found out about his true identity when I entered the spy section."
"Wait, Brian," Libitina interrupted, raising up her hand. "Are you sure you can tell me all of this?"
Brian nodded. "Yes. I trust you. Don't you trust me?"
"You trust people too easily, Brian."
"I don't. But I got better at seeing people for what they are. I trust you, Libby."
Libitina paused in discomfort. "Well, why are you Samantha's knight then?" she tried to change the subject.
"It's all because of you."
"Me?"
"Master Odin is really interested in who Lady Libitina Merveille is," Brian winked. "So, care to tell me about how you became the Lady of the Merveille House?"
Libitina smiled and told him the entire story, excluding all of her business collaborations and her discovery about Persephone. Brian was equally amazed at her transformation, just as Libitina was with his. After all, one had changed from a washer boy into a knight of great finesse, while the other had rose from a common girl with nothing to one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom.
Finally, Brian gave Libitina a big hug. "Libby, I am Samantha's knight for now, but I swear I never hurt her. You can tell her the truth, since I have revealed my identity anyway. I will pass on the information about what happened to you to Master Odin, I am sure he will look forward to meeting you."
Libitina rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead gently. "You tell her. Get ready to be fired. And…stay in touch, Brian."
"Stay in touch, Libby." Brian smiled as he started to walk away. "And…maybe you'll see me sooner than you expect."
As she watched Brian's back draw closer to the mansion, Libitina's smile slowly faded from her face.
'Tudor, is he gone?'
'Yes, Master. He can't sense us anymore.'
'Good—'
With a groan, Libitina collapsed on the ground with a thump, a trickle of blood escaping her lips as she started gasping. Except, the blood that flowed was black and thick, like a slime, and it did not smell like the rust of normal blood but held a strange and bizarre fragrance.
'Master!'
'Master! Are you okay?'
Libitina rubbed the blood stains off roughly as she pressed against her chest hard. She hadn't gotten used to it. 'The Eleanor seal is weakening.'
Tudor and Willow manifested in front of her and she saw their worried eyes.
'Master,' Tudor tweeted and flapped his wings in frustration. 'You used too much power and your emotions got out of control. The seal has weakened momentarily, please do not worry.'
'Yes, Master, just calm down and rest,' Willow cried as it huddled up to Libitina and caressed its soft body against her. 'Master must rest.'
Libitina smoothed the wombat's fur before looking up at Tudor with serious eyes.
'Has my time shortened, Tudor?'
'Unfortunately, yes, Master. The seal is supposed to last five years. About three years have passed. The expiry could happen after a year under your rampaging powers. We cannot reperform the seal too, as the current power you have in your body is insufficient to overcome the accumulated spiritual powers in the seal.'
'Guess I have to work harder and speed up my search in Clomodor, then find some place to explode,' Libitina sighed as she looked up at the dark sky. Time passed too quickly.
But the days will still pass, and dawn will soon arrive, the start to a new tomorrow.
She let Tudor and Willow run around the fields for a short while before going back to bed, her heart full of worries that she cannot control.