I stepped into the room to find Xavier standing in front of a woman with similar chestnut hair but with eyes of crystal blue, glimmering with tears. Before them, two men who looked like mercenaries stood menacingly, hands on the hilt of their swords, readying to draw.
They turned towards me as they heard the door opening, eyes boring into menacingly. I swallowed my saliva nervously as I stood firmly on the ground, feigning confidence.
"Y-you! Do you know who I am? How dare you barge in here uninvited!" I stammered as I folded my arms. I looked down on them as best I could, only to be face to face with their swords, pressed against my throat.
"Heh, and who are you? Big talk for someone who acts superior but is shaking like a leaf." one of the man said, snickering. I lowered my arms shakily as I held my gaze with the man. He was right, however, turning Xavier to become savage was just as bad as dying. "H.. Hah! M-more like big talk from a small fry like you! If you don't know who I am that's already a sign of your ignorance!" I said as I pushed the blade away from my throat, keeping an eye on Xavier.
"What?! You!" the man fumed as he cornered me against the wall. I panicked as I tried thinking of a way to turn the tides to favor me, recalling a minor line that Lily said when she was in the royal academy of magic.
"E-earth... comply to my words... and build a sturdy wall... to work as my shield..." I gasped nervously. I shut my eyes as I hoped it would work but nothing happened. The men just laughed as their swords pierced my throat, causing some of my blood to trickle down their swords.
"I thought you were some great mage, fooling us by that incantation but nothing happened. Hahaha... Perhaps we should sell you along with the boy." the mercenary said. My blood drained as I felt the fear take over me. I clenched my fist thinking about my short lived second life when suddenly a ray of light appeared on the ground showing a magic circle.
All of a sudden, there was a rumble from the ground when a huge wall of earth rose, pushing the men upwards with it. The wall pierced through the roof taking them along with it. I'm sure they had passed out...
***
"Are you alright, dear?" the woman asked as she rushed towards me, her voice laced with worry. "Oh... I'm fine... Thank God it worked..." I replied as I grabbed her outstretched hand with mine. I noticed the quivering from my hand was still present, making me more relieved that I had saved Xavier's mother and him as well.
Cain came rushing into the house as he heard the commotion, dropping the bread from his hands as he saw me. "... Sister!" he cried as he dashed to hug me. He sobbed, holding tightly against my chest as I patted his back trying to calm him. "Cain... I'm alright now." I replied.
"Eh? You're... A girl?" Xavier asked, making me flinch. "O-oh... what are you talking about... there's no way... Cain was just mistaken..." I replied, averting my eyes from his gaze. It was too soon for me to meet him if I were to follow the storyline. "No! Sister is... sister is sister!" Cain cried as he hugged me tighter, negating my previous statement.
"A girl..." Xavier muttered. Before I could say anything, footsteps pounded heavily on the ground outside of the house. I turned in shock to find the knights of my house entering through the opened door. The bracelet... did Cain use it?
"Young Miss! Are you al-!" the knights asked as their expression changed when they saw the blood trickling down my neck. They placed their hand on the hilt of their swords readying to draw their swords; only to be stopped by me.
"Do not draw your swords! If harm were to befall this two, I will punish you myself!" I said standing up, carrying Cain as I stood in front of Xavier's mother. "I have already dealt with the problem. Go and arrest the two men on top of the roof. They even went as far as saying they would sell me as a slave. THAT... Is an insult against the esteemed House Lacroix! Make sure you deal the appropriate punishment... or else..." I said eyeing the knights. They nodded as they glanced around the room to the wall of earth beside me, making them panickly scramble to leave the room.
I held my breath until the sound of the knights upon the roof was heard. It was more than comforting as I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that those men were arrested.
"Y-young Miss?... You can't possibly be... the Young Miss of House Lacroix?! My... Great thanks for helping us! No word of thanks can be enough for me to express my gratitude... Ah! Xavier! What are you doing?! Bow as well! Don't be rude!" Xavier's mother exclaimed as she forcefully shoved Xavier face down against the floor.
"A-ah... It's alright. I'm happy to be of assistance... I'm glad you're safe... Please. Raise your heads... I accept your gratitude... If you don't mind..." I replied, thinking of how to word my sentence.
"I... want to be your guard! That thing you did... And for helping my mother... I will put my life on the line to protect you... just like you did earlier... it's the greatest honour for a beast folk... if you will accept." Xavier said as he raised his head to meet my gaze.
This... never happened in the novel. Xavier was forced to be Lily's guard and never pledged his loyalty. Well, I meant his traditional clan loyalty. He in the end betrayed Lily and pledged his beast folk clan loyalty to Delia. But...
From the way he phrased it, what he meant was that he would follow the traditional laws of the beast folk clan and devote his entire being to following and protecting me with his life. Ehhh... I just changed another major plot in the story!
"Eh... umm... Well... it puts me quite in the spot though... but... I was actually going to ask you the same thing." I replied with a nervous chuckle. I guess it's better to keep him by my side rather than by Delia's side as he was difficult to predict and his movements were precise, nearly taking Lily's life in one of the chapters. He's basically a ticking time bomb. However... it shouldn't be too bad if I raise him right... right?