"You are right, it seems Clair doesn't need me anymore, I will try to move on," said as I sulked.
Oh, truck! What sins I have done to be stranded like this?
"Things will get better, I am sure of it," she said pitying me.
There she goes again, mocking me. I must stop sulking or else she will get at me again.
"Yeah., yeah I am okay, I am cool. Put this topic aside for now. What we were talking about again? Ah, I remember that prank of yours!"
I spouted by mistake. Shit! I am done for.
"Prank?" Clair inquired seemingly confused.
"Nothing, nothing I was just delusional for a second there," I said quickly.
Thank God/Truck! She didn't figure out things. I thought I was a goner for a moment.
Clair snapped back from her confusion
"Anyway, Steve you need to run away. I have already planned out a route that helps you get out of this land. Once you get out you can escape to anywhere you please, even possibly some other country," she said imposing herself on me.
"Don't wanna," I pouted.
"Eh?" Clair reacted clumsily to that response.
She paused, but gauging that there is no response coming from me, she inquired, "But why? You are a human even though you are summoned, if you escape now no one will realize that you are an otherworlder and you will gain your freedom. I will make sure that you are not caught after you escape."
You will make sure, huh? But what will happen to you if Lapis catches air of this?
Even though that's none of my concern, I don't want to leave for a different reason.
"If I travel alone, I will get very lonely."
Clair was at a loss for words. She was confused as to how to react to my childish self.
'Call me childish, call me immature, I don't care. It's much better than being alone'
*********************************************************
"If I travel alone, I will get very lonely"
Clair was taken aback by that.
She had always found Steve to be always cheerful. She had firmly believed that Steve unlike other summonses from the underworld was not affected by its miasma.
Any human who was ever summoned from the underworld has always been found mentally unstable. It is unknown what causes them to end up in such a state cause whenever they are asked they always freak out. It is also because of this very reason that they are easy to enslave.
However, ever since the first day, she had never seen such defects in Steve. He was always joyful, always cheerful so much so that it was hard to believe that he was summoned from the underworld. Even natives would appear pale before his brilliance.
But now, she didn't know what to say.
Steve had done a good job in hiding all of it. This man was indeed all alone in this world with no one to call family, no emotional support. She understands too well what Steve is going through.
If anything at all she would commend Steve for how mentally strong he is. If he could resist the underworld, then he must have a heart of steel.
'What's more, if what Steve said was true then finding out that his lover doesn't recognize him anymore... That must have been hard'
"You know home arrest is not good as well... but at least I can talk to you"
"Steve you... that's not fair"
Clair realized that although Steve hid his weakness... his loneliness from everyone but was yet willing to share it with her.
She was Steve's emotional support in this world. That's how she interpreted things.
And she knew that the same was true for her. Ever since she met him a lot changed within her. She can now laugh without restrain and even speak up to her employer without fear.
She took a deep breath.
"If that's your concern then let me accompany you," she said. It was a very abrupt decision that's what she felt. But, she didn't think twice.
"You will? What about your job?"
"I was going to quit anyway"
"Your friends? Family?"
"I don't have anyone to call family"
She didn't lie. After all, she had pledged not to be humiliated by Lapis anymore. If Lapis had gone back to her ways she would have quit without thinking about any repercussions. It's okay if she starves but she can't handle humiliation anymore. She can't be a coward anymore.
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that"
"Leave that. I am going to run away today so come with me," she said.
She giggled, "I will accompany you to scare away your loneliness. To think that you can't live without me. Seriously, what will become of you without me?"
Clair took hold of the opportunity to get back for all the teasing she had received. And her arrow hit the bulls-eye for Steve ducked his head in shame.
"Hey, that's unfair! I wasn't prepared yet," Steve complained.
"Fufu..." Clair laughed at his childishness.
"Stop laughing, will you? You caught me off guard this time, but I am not that easy!" Steve cried.
That caused her to laugh all the more.
***********************************************************
Clair came back to her room. As soon as she came back her eyes drifted to her little cupboard. A plain wooden piece with a white tarnish on it.
She reached out to it and pulled it open. Inside was all that she had gathered for her whole life. In this whole mansion, this little cupboard was what she could call her own.
And even though she cherished this place there was nothing here worthwhile to show anyone. Just change she had acquired by doing some petty side job. A dress, the only one she was able to buy when Lapis had disappeared without her on an excursion. Some keepsakes she had received and a jade box in which she stored her milk teeth. That jade box was the only thing that reminded her of her childhood. A childhood that was lived under the shadow of her employers.
There were times when her employer had passed on sovereigns to her when she had to accompany her on her excursions. And there were many a time when her lady forgot to take them back from her but she chose not to keep them in this treasure house of hers. Cause to her this cupboard was a special place where she wants to only keep those things that BELONGS to her.
However today, she was finally taking those memories out from their resting abode. Only to make more memories... more than what that cupboard could ever store.
Author's thoughts:
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