I wake up around lunch time to find one of Delic's wolves next to me.
"Thank you for watching over me," I say to the wolf as I snuzzle into its fur.
"Anytime, my Lady," the wolf replies as it disappears.
I sit up on the bed in order to get off when Delic's voice rings in my head.
'You're finally awake?' he asks.
'Yeah... my head still hurts though,' I reply walking over to the bathroom.
'Do I need to excuse Xander for the day so that he can help you around?'
'I should be fine as long as I don't exert myself too much. I don't want there to be unnecessary panic among the other three that get left at school.'
'I understand. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call any of us.'
'I will. Don't worry.'
I turn on the water in the tub to let it fill up while I pick out something simple to wear that won't take too much effort to put on. I slip off my clothes and slide into the tub after it fills up then sink inside up to my nose.
Michael's scent keeps bothering me. I didn't get a chance to ask him what happened at school yesterday, so whatever happened then might happen again. He already has a haughty attitude, so I'm afraid that he might get himself into trouble if he decides to confront whatever is bothering him. God, it's times like these where the mind link could come in handy so that it won't keep distracting me.
Speaking of mind links, Isaac isn't connected to me either. He seems to have calmed down a bit compared to when he first came here. Maybe I could prepare the ritual for him since he plans on staying here and working for me. Michael still doesn't have his mind set on whether he will stay here or not, so I can't give him the mind link. I could always just wait for Michael to decide once we prove his innocence. Plus, it would be easier on me if I did them separately instead of at the same time like the twins. I absolutely do not want another aphrodisiacal side effect to come over me again. Who knows what I will do this time with more guys around?
I should really take this time to think about a plan on how to prove Michael's innocence since I'm not distracted with anything at the moment. For one thing, Michael can't fly back up to the Sky District to make a claim even if he wanted to. He lost his blessing, so he has been cut off. The only other way is to have another angel who is in good standing to sponsor him to go back up. I don't have any connections with the angels who work in the hospital, though. Maybe if I can hold a meeting with the head of the hospital, we could work something out, but knowing angels, they aren't easy to persuade.
Angels are the poster race for good faith and golden hearts when in reality they are just as cold and calculating as those in the Underground. An angel uses up their lifeforce in order to save those who are injured, but angels also have their own lives to live. They don't want to cut their lives short just to save others. That's why they do the bare minimum in the hospital and have the patients take medications or come in for check ups so that the angels don't have to use up so much of their lifeforce.
Working every day and using up their lifeforce makes the angels very upset because that means that they won't be able to experience old age since they end up dying early. In order to pull away from that fate, those in charge of admission will calculate who will need more healing than others, categorize them in order of bare minimum to full heal, and dispatch out to angels who have enough lifeforce to use where it won't end up killing them. Those with minor injuries are allowed a full heal while more serious accidents only get the daily bare minimum to prevent angels from dying too quickly. This will prolong the healing process which will incur lots of hospital charges and some large compensations to the angels on duty.
The head of the hospital will have to cast a large amount of lifeforce on Michael in order to sponsor him to go up to the Sky District if I manage to persuade him to be on Michael's side. If my memory is correct, Father's city records contains a page regarding the head of the hospital, and he is known to be stingy about releasing his lifeforce to anyone unless they are willing to pay huge bucks for it. I don't have that kind of money right now since the Warehouse and Fields aren't at full capacity yet. The pay I get from the mayor for controlling the snow and ice is plenty for sure, but it would probably take two or three times what the mayor gives me to be able to afford that angel's lifeforce.
I finish my bath and get dressed so that I can go to the kitchen and find some food. When I step out, I'm greeted by the two men that Delic has assigned to guard my door. They follow me to the kitchen where I meet one of the cooks and ask for some soup in order to get some warm food for me. I'm still recovering, so Delic would probably lecture me if I don't take care of myself appropriately. I sit at the small dining table that the five guys are standing around this morning and eat my lunch.
"I should also probably start practicing on how to make ice sculptures. The festival isn't for another two weeks, but I'm not confident enough in my skills to just trust that I will be able to make an ice sculpture perfectly," I say to myself as I stare at the small flower centerpiece on the table.
Stretching out my hand, I close my eyes and imagine a simple cup. It's best to start out with something basic that doesn't require a lot of details. I feel the cold rushing through my arm as it escapes out of my hand. I hear a loud shriek in front of me, so I quickly open my eyes. The table is covered in sharp ice. I look around to where the shriek came from and find one of the female dark elves on the floor covered in hot coffee that was meant for the workers outside.
"I'm sorry!" I shout as I rush over to the woman's side. I help her up and hand her the table napkin so that she can wipe off some of the hot coffee. "I didn't mean to scare you," I explain, twiddling my thumbs. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, my Lady," the woman replies with a little laugh. "I was just surprised by the sudden ice that shot across my face."
The woman excuses herself to change her clothes, and I return to my chair clearing the ice as I do.
Maybe a cup was too much to start with. What could be simpler than a cup? Oh! How about a block of ice. I don't have to think of adding a handle or making an indention. Just a concentrated block.
Once again, I hold out my hand and close my eyes. I think about a simple box. Not too big but not too small. Enough that it can be held without too much effort. The chill rushes through my arm again along with the ice. I hear a light thud, so I open my eyes.
"I did it!" I quietly exclaim. A perfectly cut block of ice about three inches by three inches sits on the table. I pick it up to find how surprisingly light it is. "Let's see if I can create other basic shapes."
Over the course of an hour and several trial and errors, I manage to recreate most three-dimensional shapes. I attempt to take it a step further and try to create a cup, but my body gets a bit weak and cold.
I seem to have used up a lot of my energy. I should probably ask one of the maids to bring some hot chocolate to my room.
Getting up from the chair, I limp back to my room with Xander's men following close behind. As I get in my bed, a maid walks in with the hot chocolate and sets it on the nightstand next to me. I take a sip before laying down and resting my eyes. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have used so much of my power while I'm recovering from losing so much of it the night before. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep only to be woken up by Delic's warm touch.
"Master, are you feeling better?" Xander asks from beside Delic.
I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes. When I can finally see clearly, I find the five guys surrounding my bed. Each one with a look of worry worse than the next.
"I'm feeling much better after some rest," I reply, giving everyone a reassuring smile.
With the news of my recovery, the guys let out a sigh of relief and practically fell onto my bed. Surprised, I jump up to prevent my feet from getting caught under the stack of guys laying on my bed.
"What's wrong with you all?" I ask, laughing at their exhaustion.
"I was worried about you all day!" Isaac says with near tears in his eyes.
"I wasn't able to relax all day knowing that you were here without anyone watching over you," Michael adds, covering his eyes with his arms.
The tension of the unknown must have kept them from going about their day at school. It was a first for everyone, so I guess this is to be expected. I give everyone a gentle pat on the head and laugh.
"You didn't have to be so worried. You saw me this morning walking around, right?" I ask, tilting my head.
"Well, you did end up passing out on us in the middle of it," Alex reminds with his head in his arms as he lays on my bed.
"That's true," I sigh. "But I'm all better now, so there's nothing to worry about. Okay?"
"Okay," everyone responds as they stand back up from the bed.
Isaac and Michael, who are at the front end of my bed, walk over to my side, and Delic and Xander move out of the way to let them in. They kneel down at my bedside and hold out a hand to me.
"We understand that we are still incompetent and have a lot to learn when it comes to serving you," Isaac begins.
"But if you don't mind having us, we would like to continue serving by your side as we learn," Michael finishes staring deep into my eyes.
I slide my hands into theirs and firmly grab them. "When did I ever say that you two will stop serving me in the first place?" I jokingly answer.
The two men explode in joy as they happily stand back up and help me off the bed.
"We thought that you might not need us anymore when Delic told us that you had finally awoken and were going to prepare yourself without an aide by your side," Isaac explains as he takes me over to the door.
"I am still fully capable of handling myself since I have been doing it for fifteen years before I became the Winter Vessel. Delic is the one who insists that I have someone by my side at all times since I'm fragile now," I comment, taking the clipboard from Michael when he catches up to us. "It's just become second nature to always have someone next to me every waking moment."
"I bet you were lonely when all of us were at school," Michael teases as he opens up the door leading outside.
"You five were lonely without me, and it showed immaculately just a moment ago," I retort as I walk outside.
—
"Do you think those two are really taking in what we talked about during lunch?" Xander asks as he fixes my bed.
"Judging from how happy they were to get the Young Lady's approval, I think they have learned their lesson," Alex replies carrying my empty hot chocolate mug out the door.
"They seem a bit happier than they were before the accident," Delic mentions as he fluffs my pillows. "Accidents are opportunities in disguise if you're willing to survive."
As Xander and Delic finish cleaning my room a bit, Isaac, Michael, and I are taking our time while I'm doing my rounds. They are a bit pushy when it comes to my safety now, but I understand that they are trying their best to be cautious.
"Michael, since we have some time, would you like to talk about what's been bothering you?" I ask while on our way to the other side of the estate to the garden.
"Nothing's bothering me at the moment," Michael swiftly replies.
"You say one thing, but your scent says another," I mention looking up at Michael.
"What do you mean by my scent?" Michael questions looking down at me.
"A fox's nose is very sensitive to the scents around them. A scent of anger and frustration lingers on you despite being masked by your joy," I explain.
"You did tell me that you were half fox, but I didn't think you could still use your fox senses as a human," Michael says, loudly sighing. "So, you were able to tell that I was mentally preoccupied with something yesterday and that's why you asked me if I was okay?"
I proudly smile giggling to myself. Michael could do nothing but laugh in defeat.
"I ran into someone yesterday that I don't particularly get along with," Michael elaborates with a serious expression. "We exchanged some words, maybe some empty or not-so-empty threats, and parted ways."
"You know that you should be acting accordingly as my aide," I state, nudging Michael's arm a bit.
"I know, but this guy is bad news. He is the one who got me in this situation."
"In this situation? You mean as a fallen angel?"
Michael nods.
"Who is he? As Student Council President, I might be able to use my power to have him separated from you at school so that you two won't have to run into each other."
"It's more than that." Michael tightly clenches his fists as he tries to hold back his anger. "He told me that he paid off the Sky Council to have me found guilty and sentenced as a fallen angel. I wanted to slug a hard punch into his face when he told me that at school, but Isaac said that it would make you look bad."
"Who would have that kind of money to do that? Why did he even do that in the first place?"
"My partner was apparently his fiancée. He was furious that I had his fiancée captured while I was free."
There are only a handful of angels that go to my school who all are in the high wealth class. Each of them have parents who make a lot of money in the hospital, so narrowing them down is next to none. It's my job as Michael's master to protect him just as much as he protects me, so I have to find out who it is. It might also be the key I'm looking for to get Michael back up to the Sky District.
"What's his name?" I ask, gripping onto Michael's arm.
"Nakir Raphtale."