"After all, Astra is my friend."
Titania winced after hearing the Archduke emphasize the word 'my.' She felt disappointed but not surprised. 'Of course. He wouldn't have any interest in me,' she thought as she rolled her eyes at the man.
"Yeah, right. Now, can we call Astra?"
"He's busy."
"Busy with what?"
The Archduke glared at Titania for asking too many questions, but Titania didn't falter and continued looking at him with an eyebrow raised. 'Since I already escaped death, this doesn't scare me anymore,' is what she thought.
"So you have grown accustomed to this life?"
Titania shuddered after hearing an unfamiliar voice of a woman. She looked at both of her sides to see if there was a person near. However, the Archduke and her are the only ones inside the carriage.
As if a cold breeze touched her body and made it frozen still, fear envelops her and makes her have difficulty breathing. Her whole body can't move, but her fingers and legs are trembling.
"What's happening to you?"
Titania heard a loud laugh echoing all through the corners of the carriage, making her ears hurt. She felt a sudden pain in her chest as if someone stabbed her, making her gasp for air.
"Hey!" The Archduke sat beside her as he kept on asking what was happening.
"I'll let you go this time."
The voice vanished, and Titania could breathe again. She looked at Sylvester with tears in her eyes as she coughed continuously. "Didn't you… hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That voice! A woman's voice!"
She could see uncertainty in the Archduke's face. "I could only hear your stupid voice."
Her mouth gape as she scoffs of disbelief, "Why do you have to be so mean!"
She exploded and screamed at him. Sylvester, who couldn't process his thought thoroughly, felt taken aback by how Titania raised her voice. When Titania noticed what she had just done, she began panicking.
Just as the Archduke was about to say something, the carriage stopped, and the coachmen told them that they had arrived. Titania raced out of the carriage and was about to get inside the main gate.
"You really thought that I'd let you get away just like that?"
The woman's voice came back inside her head, and her body crashed to the ground as she lost consciousness.
This surprised Florian and the other maids that were waiting for their arrival. What happened to the lady flipped the manor upside down. When Florian was about to touch the lady, Sylvester blocked him and carried Titania as he commanded Blaze to call Astra immediately.
"Prepare Titania's chamber," Sylvester said to Florian as they walked towards the inside of the manor.
The sudden event left Sylvester confused, but he chose to stay calm and wait for Astra. Although he noticed something weird, the thing is, Titania's not breathing. He doesn't want to make the people in the manor feel terrified. That's why he kept it to himself.
When they arrived in Titania's room, he told Florian to keep everything a secret. It wouldn't result in something nice if the other nobles knew about this.
"You're giving me a headache."
Sylvester sat on the side of the bed as he looked at Titania's angelic face. Although he doesn't know what he will do if she ends up dead, he's still hoping that Astra might have something that could help the lady.
"This would leave a bad taste on my mouth if you die now."
The sudden presence he felt in the room caught his attention, "You're finally here."
"What happened?" Astra went to Titania's bed to check her condition, and he was beyond surprised after seeing the young lady lifeless.
He looked at the Archduke in disbelief, "You, don't tell me you killed her because she pissed you off?"
"Stop it with your assumptions and start fixing her." Astra looked at Sylvester with disgust. He scoffs. His friend is an unbelievable man, is what he thought.
Astra shook his head, "You really do need to fix your attitude, your grace," he sarcastically mentioned. "She's not an object that I could bring to life again if she's already dead."
Sylvester stared at Astra. "She's still not dead. Find a way to wake her up." He said as he walked towards the door and silently went out of the room. Astra slapped his forehead as he grunted out of frustration.
He took a deep breath before checking Titania's pulse. Astra began using magic to trace where could Titania's soul be. He closed his eyes and focused on finding her. "Darn it. Where are you?" He whispered into the air as he struggled to find the lady.
Astra saw something peculiar while wandering in the Spirit Realm, making him feel astonished. "What in the world…?"
Five days have passed after Titania collapsed. The whole manor was gloomy since the lady was the only one that brought them joy and energy, with how cheerful and free she was.
Her maid Marie would always wipe her body with a wet and clean cloth to talk to the sleeping lady. Astra made way for her soul to go back to her body, but he saw something that he couldn't tell anyone, even the Archduke.
The next day, Marie was doing her usual routine cleaning the young lady's body and changing her clothes. But to her surprise, Titania opened her eyes and looked at her with no emotions.
Marie didn't know how to react as she became frozen at where she was standing because of how indifferent her young lady's eyes were.
"I… I'll inform the Archduke." She excused herself and quickly went to Florian on the first floor.
They hurriedly went to the young lady's room while the other maids informed the Archduke about the news. Marie stood quite far from the lady because of her cold and distant look.
She felt scared that the lady might have forgotten about her and worse, she might have lost her memories.
"What's with the commotion?" Astra said as he went out of the closet. He wasn't surprised after seeing Titania, who is awake now.
"Took you long enough." He added, his gaze shifted to the door when the other maids arrived with the Archduke.
"Leave us." The Archduke commanded, making the servants leave the three of them in the room.
"Why is she looking at me like that?" Sylvester's forehead creased as he noticed Titania's lifeless gaze at him.
Astra sat on the bed beside Titania as he checked her pulse. "It was hard to pull her back, so don't give her that kind of attitude." Astra nagged. He also doesn't know why she's acting like that.
He knew that he tried his best not to create any damage as he pulled her soul back into this body.
"Hey, Titania." Astra waved his hand in front of Titania while the young girl slowly regains life in her eyes. She gasped and began coughing too much that blood came out of her mouth.
Sylvester didn't know what to do as he stood there, while Astra began rubbing her back as she coughed lots of blood. "I-I thought I died," Titania said as she used the back of her hand to wipe the blood on her lips.
Sylvester regained his usual stoic expression as he crossed his arm. "You did."
Titania looked at the Archduke with her mouth in agape. "And?"
"I actually have something to explain overall." Astra got in between the two because they'd been staring at each other's faces as if they were ready to attack. "You did die."
Titania's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. She looked at the blood on her hand and began trembling with tears in her eyes. "I hate this." She began sobbing as she punched the nearest pillow beside her.
"Calm down. Didn't I bring you back safe and sound? You should be kind to me." Titania looked at Astra and nodded simultaneously.
"Your body on the world where you came from is still in a state of coma."
"Wait, my body's alright on Earth? Does that mean that I could go back?" Her eyes twinkled with excitement with the news she heard, while Sylvester felt weirded out by her sudden changes of mood.
Astra nodded. "I pulled you back here before your soul could go back to your real body completely."
Confusion could be seen all over Titania's face. She couldn't process her thought well, "Wait a minute. If you didn't pull my soul back, then wouldn't it go straight to my real body?!" Titania slammed herself on the bed; she twisted and turned as she kept on kicking the pillows away from the bed.
"Why are you acting like a brat?" Astra couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"How could I not? When you blew my only way back to my real body!" Titania sobbed as she covered her face with a pillow and screamed at the top of her lungs. With how Titania is acting, the Archduke and Astra seem dumbfounded.
"Stop acting like a child and listen to his explanation first." Sylvester leaned on the wall near the painting.
Titania glared at the Archduke with tears in her eyes which made him taken aback, and he couldn't say anything.
"Here is why I didn't let your soul go back to your real body." Astra interrupted the staring session of the two. "I felt a glimpse of black magic on your real body. That was the first reason; the second one is, your real body is like an empty shell now."
"What do you mean, empty shell? Shouldn't Titania's soul be in my body right now?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But I only said what I saw, an empty shell." Astra shrugged while Titania has been biting her nails now; she has a habit of doing that whenever she's feeling anxious or panicky.
"Doesn't that mean Titania is dead?" Sylvester interrupted.
"It is hard to admit, but I think so."
Titania's mouth fell open upon remembering the last sentence that she saw written in the book. Titania is indeed dead.
"But did you see my body? Is it okay? Am I okay?" Titania bombarded Astra with questions while holding his cloak and pulling him towards her.
"No. I need another medium for me to see your real body." Astra explained as he pulled back his cloak. "What I saw was two lamps. Representing your body and Titania's body." Titania tilted her head due to confusion.
"If I did let your soul go back, you could die too."
The two were expecting another tantrum from Titania, but she caught them off guard when she started crying without making any sounds. 'Ugh, I can't handle her mood swings,' is what Astra thought as he gave Sylvester a look for help.
"I didn't even have my first kiss yet." Titania sobs and makes Astra hold his temples.
"I'll let you kiss Astra."
Sylvester received criticisms from the two after what he said.
"You guys don't understand. At some point in my life, I also wanted to fall in love! Not to die in an unfamiliar world with a foreign body."
Astra hesitated after hearing that. He knew that this girl would react violently if she knew what was about to happen. But he doesn't really have a choice since she would know it sooner or later.
"There's another problem." He gulped when Titania shifted her gaze at him. "Your original body would keep on pulling your soul unless you choose one to die permanently."
Silence filled the room. Titania didn't know how to react, but she was sure that she was feeling anxious.
If it was easy, she would probably choose her original body since she still has to find her best friend. But since her original body was said to be enwrapped with black magic, she couldn't say it confidently.
"I think your original body is not in its best condition. It's either you grew old, or you're sick." Titania didn't understand anything. How could she grow old when almost two months have just passed, is what she thought.
"Is there a way for me to see my original body?"
Astra sighs, "There is a tool that we need to be able to do that."
"Do you have it?" Sylvester interrupted again.
"No. I still need a few things to make it." Astra saw how devastated Titania became. "But I'll make it fast, so please don't use that face. It irritates me." What he said made Titania glare at him as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand like a child.
"Master."
Blaze appeared out of nowhere, getting the Archduke's attention.
"What is it?"
Blaze brought news about the Southern part of the Alynthian Empire, where the Archduke also met Titania. He said that it was once again being conquered by the demons. It was reported this early morning at the Imperial Palace.
"The Emperor wanted you to check the place," said Blaze.
Astra crossed his legs as he raised an eyebrow and looked at the Archduke. "It's obvious what the Emperor is planning. You wouldn't fall for his petty tricks, wouldn't you?"
Sylvester ignored him, "Give me the details."
"The Emperor strictly said that you should go on your own and don't bring other knights," Blaze answered.
"Are you listening? He must be pissed off with you since you stole his missy. I wouldn't feel surprised if he's planning to ambush you on the way." Astra kept on nagging, but Sylvester wasn't paying him any mind.
"You know that he'll just abduct this girl as soon as you leave." The Archduke's gaze went to Astra after he had said that. "You wouldn't let him do that aren't you?"
"Blaze, I'll trust her in your hands." Sylvester didn't let Astra block his way.
"You're an idiot if you leave her alone here. I wouldn't help you anymore."
Titania noticed the tension that was building up between the two. It doesn't feel suitable for her, for the times that she has stayed beside them, she knew that they're the best of friends. And something like this shouldn't destroy that friendship.
"I'll just go with you."