"Natalia, are you okay? Did she do anything to you….."
Natalia rested her head on his chest, sighing. Anger flared in Sebastian's chest as he thought back on what happened.
"She didn't do anything. I'm just…..tired"
"She's nothing but an abandoned princess. I can make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble for you. I can take her back….."
"No, it's fine. The duke is too troublesome an enemy for us"
"Natalia, I hate when you talk like that, like you're already defeated. He doesn't deserve you, she doesn't deserve your kindness and yet….."
"Bastian, do you really think...I'm not angry?"
Sebastian finally calmed himself, wrapping his hands around his sister. With how she was being treated, there was no way Natalia wasn't angry. Her patience really knew no bounds, tolerating the woman her husband loved and the husband who blatantly disregarded and disrespected her.
"Getting revenge on them is not what I want. What I want….is for both of us to be happy. I already told you that the throne would eventually belong to them both. Rather than fight against them and get ourselves killed, we observe and strike when the time is right. All of these….is minor"
"Still, it hurts, right?"
"Hmm, it's painful"
"I'm sorry for being so insensitive, my precious. I'll listen to you from now on. If you want to cry, I'll lend you my shoulder and my ears. If you want me to stare dumbly and smile, I'll do that. So please, forgive this insensitive brother of yours, okay?"
"I could never get angry at you, silly. Bastian is my favorite"
An image of the younger Natalia laughing herself silly, singing 'Bastian is my favorite' flashed through his head. He smiled, kissing her forehead.
"As I thought, the coat really looks good on you" she said, after pulling away from his embrace. She nodded in approval, turning him around to inspect it.
"Where's the attendant? I have more to buy for him"
"You have so much money to spend" he commented.
"I have my business running. Thanks to your hard work and this new marriage, my taxes have greatly reduced. I have so much money now"
The two left the store, recognizing the Duke's carriage by the road. They turned and walked away before they could bump into the ticking time bombs but lady luck just wasn't on their side that day.
"Your grace, I want to thank you for helping me out today. If you don't mind, can you accompany me for lunch?" Alana smiled, the Duke just a few paces behind her. The siblings just couldn't believe the shamelessness of the princess. However, they were determined not to get involved any further.
"There's no need to thank me, your highness. I was just doing my noble duty. And as for lunch, I'm afraid I can no longer fit anything in my stomach as we had a hearty lunch earlier. My apologies"
"You'll be joining us for dinner then? And you as well, Lord Adamantine?"
"I'll apologize in advance, your highness but I want to accompany my brother for a few more days. I hope you enjoy your stay, your highness. If you'd excuse us….." they both walked away, not looking back once. Alana balled her fists, a feeling of hopelessness overcoming her. Even though she dared to be shameless, the two found more reasons to avoid her. Things were too different from her last life for her to tell how it would turn out. The suspicion that she wasn't the only one brought back to the past strengthened.
"Would you like to leave now, your highness?" Fredrich extended his hand. She looked at his hand and looked away, walking over to his carriage. In a little while, he joined her and they rode back to his home.
{Your organs are decomposing at a fast rate. Are you sure you don't want me to heal you?}
Natalia looked down at the bloodstain on her gown, noting the flaring pain in her chest. The blood she vomited earlier after dinner was a sign that the basilisk's poison was working how it should in her body. The day she would be able to fake her death and escape would come soon.
"There's no need to heal me right away. If I die, then it can be counted as freedom. There's no disadvantage to this"
{Even after seeing your brother, you still want to die?}
"I can change his fate before he dies. No, I've already done it by bringing him here. I have….no regrets"
Even after coming back to life for three months, her overwhelming lack of a will to live had still not been resolved. Madaline wouldn't have minded but Natalia was more than a human contractor. She was special beyond compare. And the fact that the guardian of the fae had been drawn out, it wouldn't be long until the other races involve themselves with the humans.
{You interacted with the contractor of the fae guardian today}
"I interacted with a lot of people…." Natalia coughed, blood spilling out of her mouth. The ache in her chest flared up even more, making her cough harder. Madaline's hands glowed green but Natalia raised her hand, stopping her.
"If you heal me now, all I've been doing would go to waste. I understand your worry but I know what I'm doing. It's not the first time I've ingested poison before. It's just a little stronger than the last"
{A Basilik's breath isn't something even fairies would want to deal with. Let me help you, Natalia}
"Your help is already more than enough. Escaping after this would be the hard part. I would be relying on you for that, Madaline"
There was a knock on her door.
"Natalia, are you okay? You've been coughing a lot"
"Get rid of the blood. I can't let him know"
There was a flash of green and everything was gone. Natalia staggered to her feet, shaking her head to rid herself of the dizziness.
"I'm just a bit tired, Batian. We spent a lot of time near the forest of damnation so it's affecting me quite a bit"
"Should I call a doctor?"
"No, I just need a little home made soup and I'll be fine"
"Natalia...I love you. I want you to remember that"
"I know, Bastian. I….love you too"