Ilya and Halkias returned inside the cottage, joining Reverend and the nurse for dinner.
During the entire meal, not one of them uttered a single word. It might've been for the best since the two knights looked weary enough as they were. Reverend kept on sighing as he chewed his food, urging Halkias to do the same. Ilya even stopped eating for a short moment, only to give them a curious look.
Once they were done, Ilya helped the nurse in cleaning up the table. Meanwhile, Halkias and Reverend went outside to have a talk.
Reverend looked at the sky, putting his hands inside the pocket of his coat thereafter. Without looking at Halkias, he said, "Commander, we need to depart today. That's unless you want to ride a carriage in the early hours of the morning."
Halkias didn't answer right away, savouring the night air with his eyes closed. For some reason, Reverend felt the need to copy his Commander, so he did the same.
Nearly a whole minute had passed when Halkias responded.
"We'll be departing today. Fret not. We're required to oversee the trial."
"Oh, you're attending the trial, Commander?" Reverend asked as he glanced at Halkias, "I thought you won't be able to attend again?"
"I haven't received a summon yet. However, I doubt that I will see the trial through. I have to show my face in one of the most important trials after all. The nobles will start to speculate if I don't."
Reverend simply sighed at Halkias' answer. The young knight knew that the most preoccupied person out of all involved was his Commander. Not only was he forced to appease the minds of the officials of the Parliament, he was also being repeatedly sought out by the Royals.
Whenever Halkias would try and catch a break, some Nobles would bother him with inquiries. The knights of the third order could only watch Halkias helplessly, considering that the Nobles preferred to talk with the Commander rather than the subordinates.
"Commander, how about taking a leave? You can apply anytime, right? You've racked up several leaves throughout the years. It won't be bad to use at least one of them."
Halkias just shrugged at Reverend's suggestion. A smile crept up his face, albeit it didn't reach the corners of his eyes.
On the other hand, Reverend was staring at his Commander, his mouth agape.
"Seriously, Commander, are you trying to exhaust yourself by overworking? It's not like your salary can compensate for the amount of danger and trouble you're facing."
"I'm not doing this for the money, Reverend. I'm about to inherit my father's title soon. Our treasury is enough to last me more than thirty life times worth of living lavishly."
"I'm very much aware of that, Commander. You don't have to brag."
Halkias gave his subordinate a glance, tapping him on the shoulder afterwards.
"I'm not bragging. Anyway, the Grand Commander won't grant my leave even if I beg him to. Commanders aren't supposed to take a leave whenever there's an incident."
Before Reverend could utter another word, Halkias took his leave. He went towards the garden and found Ilya sitting on the bench, drinking a cup of tea. Halkias immediately sat beside her, leaning back to take a brief rest.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Ilya queried as she placed her teacup down on the table in front of her.
"Yes, please."
Ilya grabbed the teapot, pouring the tea slowly into an empty cup. She then put a teaspoon of honey in the cup and mixed it.
"Here you go," Ilya said, handing over the cup to Halkias.
After the man took a sip, he looked at the surface with his eyebrows knitted.
"Where did you get these tea leaves? I haven't tasted it before."
"I had nothing to do for the past week so I made them myself. I'll ask the nurse to pack some for you and Sir Reverend."
Halkias just nodded, proceeding to take another sip. His face brightened up, letting the taste linger on his tongue.
The two of them spent their time in silence as they drank their tea. Once they were done, they allowed themselves to breathe for a while ahead of resuming their conversation.
"What's your plan, Ilya von Bismarck?"
Ilya glimpsed at Halkias' for a second, returning her gaze towards the empty cup afore her.
"Since the entire estate was burnt down, it would take a few years just to rebuild it. For the time being, I will stay here until the matters with the estate are sorted out."
"Will that suffice you?"
"I somehow prefer living this kind of life. And I have no power yet." Ilya then took a deep breath, "Our enemy is someone who doesn't deserve us in our weakest state. If we want to capture them, we will have to assemble the most exemplary force in existence."
Halkias brought his hand to his chin all the while contemplating Ilya's words. He went on and raked his hair with his trembling fingers. He drew a breath, a smile that now reached his eyes had appeared.
"You don't know how enraptured I am just hearing the idea."
Ilya chuckled at his sentiment, replying with, "It's too early, Sir Halkias. We have a myriad of preparations to do. And our path is riddled with nothing but obstacles."
"I am most aware of that."
Ilya stood up and walked towards a nearby bush. She bent down and picked one stalk of lavender. On the other hand, Halkias chose to stand behind her as he waited for her to speak.
"Sir Halkias, what's stopping us from thinking that there are others beside? Those who have regained memories of the lifetime we've already gone through."
"Come to think of it…" Halkias hitched a breath, running the tip of his tongue inside his cheek, "The main suspect might have even been gifted with their memories."
The woman raised her hand, stopping Halkias from speaking. She then faced him and took his hand, placing the lavender stalk in his grip.
"That's the reason why we have to be discrete, Sir Halkias. From this moment on, silence all the people who are aware that I'm alive. Also,"
Ilya guided Halkias' hand so he would tighten his grip on the stalk. She looked deep into his eyes, heaving a sigh thereafter.
"Forget that you know me. Forget that we're ever acquainted. Forget that we've ever met."