Sofia was visibly upset. In the middle of the ladies lamenting for not able to win the Saint's heart and congratulating Claudina for her win, Claudina savored the face of absolute defeat on Sofia's face.
"Thank you," she giggled "but Lady Sofia your complexion seems pale. Are you alright?"
She now looked hurt, "Could it be…you are not happy for me? Oh Sylvester dear whatever should I do?" And she threw herself on to Sylvester who let her clung to him while patting her head. Quite sobs were muffled as he hugged her more closely. "It's alright, my love. Shhhh. Easy now."
Everyone expect Sofia cooed at the adorable picture they painted.
She shakily raised her head from his, tears gathered on her long lashes threatening to spill. "I used to look up to Lady Sofia so I wanted her to congratulate me but she doesn't want to."
'Someone should give her an award for her acting.'
"Lady Sofia, do you hate me?"
Everyone turned to Sofia. She flinched before saying anxiously "Wh-why would I ever hate you? Haha…"
"Then why aren't saying anything?" a girl spoke up.
She twitched again. "N-no I…I of course w-want to say…"
"It seems like Lady Sofia doesn't matches the rumors I heard…" another said.
"Wh-what are you tal-talking about? What rumors?!" she stammered out. She bunched the fabric on her dress in her fist.
"Oh dear! Lady Sofia, you should at least pretend to be happy!"
"That's right. Don't you always brag about being the epitome of noble grace and Blue Blood?"
"You can't even control your expression and call yourself a lady. How pitiful!"
"Tsk! Was Lady Sofia like this?" She looked up in fear.
Claudina was staring haughtily down at her. A cruel smirk played on her red lips.
'This is no merchant daughter. This is someone who is used to the battlefields of social circles.' Sofia was terrified of her. Someone she met a month ago was able to bring her to her knees so quick.
'Why? Clearly I am the best. I always was. Everybody loves me. Even the Queen so why? So why am I defeated by her?!'
Everyone looked down at Sofia. Everyone turned their backs on her. For the first time she was not able to give a comeback. She shivered. 'I hate this. I hate them. I hate everyone in this room. I hate her. I hate Claudina. She did this to me. It's all her fault.'
'She turned the tables on her. Was Claudina aware of Sofia's attraction towards Sylvester? If she knew then she also knew about her reputation beforehand.'
He signed. 'So she enticed them to tell the truth and later on made use of the energy to turn them against her. Is that why she played so low? She is more like a demon than a saint. She should have been the Queen of the kingdom. Negotiations with the diplomats would be much more efficient.'
Claudina laughed. It was not the high pitched one that she always used but a low and calmer. It was something she rarely used since it didn't suit her. It was cold and devoid of life. It only meant one thing; something or someone will die, soon. Everyone flinched. Even Sylvester was wary of her.
And Kain didn't want needless bloodshed from a family feud. 'If you can call them family that is.'
"I am sorry. I took the prank too far it seems." Kain could see the Sylvester's shoulders easing. As did the rest. "You see we decided to play a practical joke on you. We didn't expect you to burst into tears." A lie.
The other ladies agreed. Sofia was still shaking all over.
"Please don't mind. But I am sure someone like you will surely understand. Or are you?" She snapped out. "NO!" She trembled again. "N-no it's fine. Haha…It's completely fine. I overreacted. It's my fault. I apologize."
The others appeared quit smug. "As long as you understand."
Sofia lowered her head. No one paid any attention to her as she sat there with her head down. Every laugh made her twitch and anyone who did talk to her it was spoken condescendingly and she meekly answered.
'Truly evil…I need to end this.'
He tapped on Claudina's wrist. She shrugged him off. Next he tried for Sylvester's attention. He didn't budge from being practically used as Claudina's chair. When she had moved to sit on his lap he didn't even notice.
He no longer tried anymore when a hand gripped his. It was Sylvester's. Claudina slightly bent down before muttering. "Flip the table. Don't worry about the consequence. We will be able to leave faster this way."
He glared at her in disbelief. What god in their right mind would flip a table of their host? No matter how much they favor their saint, they will not willy-nilly do something so humiliating to their host.
Apparently he was not that god. So he did just that.
He flipped it.
He flipped the table.
The contents went flying. Tea, pastries and treys flew high in the air. Then he saw it. It was quick like lightning. A dull red smoke was in the air for a brief second. It was Claudina's magic.
Gods like him, people with Holy magic, mages and sword masters are able to see the true essence of magic. She directed most of the flying cakes on Sofia. In an instant she was covered in cake frosting.
Everyone fell silent. Instead of looking at Kain they were all looking at Sofia. Her new silk dress was spoiled and her hair had bits of fruit slipping down.
Tears freely fell down her cheeks as Sofia stood up. "I apologize but I remembered I had an errand to run." With that she rushed outside, the bell jangling violently.
It was still silent in the room. Kain wondered if he did the right thing. He had no intention of making the girl cry.
A few moments later two city guards jostled in the salon. They wildly looked around. "Excuse me we just heard someone causing a ruckus in here," one said.
"Someone told us that there was a bugler in here. The lass was covered in cake," the other spoke.
"Tsk! That wench-! Sylvester now!" Smoke filled the room. His eyes stung and he could hear the others' coughing as well. 'What sort of smoke is this that injuries a god?!'
He tried to stand but his legs had no strength in them. So he sat down coughing up a lung. Suddenly a gloved hand caught hold of Kain's hand and dragged him up from his seat. Blindly he followed them. He briefly heard the door bell jangle.
The residue of the smoke didn't allow him to open his hurting eyes so he let the hand lead him. The person holding his hand quickened their pace so he was forced to run behind them. He could hear unintelligible words talking all around him making him feel nauseous. Bile was rising up his throat.
"Stop!" he told them and they did. Gasping for breath he pressed a hand on his mouth.
More jumbled words.
A gloved hand landed itself on his back and another one on his other hand. They slowly walked when someone else pushed his hair back and closed his eyes. He heard someone say something close to his ear.
He understood what they were trying to do.
He released his mouth, leaned forward and threw up. He bleached emptying his stomach and leaving a horrible taste on his mouth. He gasped shallowly. Shaking he stood up but the bit of strength on his leg left. He slumped on one of the person holding up before feeling the sensation of someone carrying him on their back.
He was still not able to open his eyes or hear anything though the smoke seems to be gone from his system. He heaved a few breaths to try to clear his head. It still remained in its gorgy state. Somehow even his godly powers-which he was starting to feel again-were out of reach.
Wind rushed on his face. His carrier didn't stop when Kain painfully dug his fingers on their neck. They abruptly stopped and he felt himself being lowered. He could almost hear something when something cool and wet hit his face. He gasped, finally blinking open his eyes. The glare of the sudden onslaught of light left him seeing spots in his vision. But he was glad for it.
Mostly he was glad that his head cleared up. It was starting to get harder to breathe too. Spluttering out water he rubbed off the excess from his face. He looked up.
They were in the square standing beside the fountain. Sylvester was holding him up while Claudina was standing with an empty bucket water dripping from it.
"Okay. Let's go." With that Kain was hoisted up on Sylvester's back and they ran like the wind.
He realized how they were running. Or rather the streets they used. They were no longer using the cobbled street. No. No. No. No.
They were running across the rooftops of the buildings and shops. How they climbed up with Kain on their back was a blur to him. One second he saw them charging straight for a shop's wall and the second Sylvester was scaling another rooftop while Claudina kept up with them.
'These children…aren't normal. Just what did their training entailed?!'
That brings them back to the present. They had finally stopped running and now took shelter at a café downtown.
Kain was wringing out any remaining water from his clothes and hair. Sylvester hunched over the table panting for breath. Slightly gasping Claudina bought over a tray of cider and glasses. She poured one for each and pushed the two glasses in front of him and Kain.
Sylvester grasped it and drowned it in one gulp. Claudina poured more which was drunk in quick succession. She poured one last time before collapsing on her chair.
Kain waited for them to catch their breath back.
"Kain, are you alright now?" It was the first thing Claudina asked. He confirmed he was alright. "Good." She banged her head on the table with a thud. Sylvester leaned backwards. Both of them were tired with all that running.
He let them get their much needed rest while he kept a look out for any city guard. There didn't seem to be any patrolling this area; just people going in and out of shops.
He bought his hand up. Mumbling, a bright glow emitted from his palm. What little power he was able to harvest in this timeline returned. He clenched the light before releasing it. The light shot up and splintered in different directions. 'There. That should do it. I will know if anyone enters the barrier this way.'
"Phew!" He looked up. Both of them regained their strength. Sylvester's glass was empty again. The jug of cider was nearly empty. Claudina silently pushed her glass towards him which he took. A moment of silence later they fell in rapture of what they had done.
"Seems like the two of you are in the most amicable moods after nearly killing me," Kain coldly said. They froze. Slowly they swiveled their heads.
"Ch-chronos w-we didn't try to kill you!" Claudina said with a nervous smile. Sylvester nodded his head so hard it seemed like his head will fall off.
"I recall saying to tell me your plans so that I could give you the go ahead. But no! I was kept in the dark till the end."
"It's fine isn't? I mean nothing bad happened."
"Yeah. So calm down."
"From now on we promise to tell you everything. So forgive us just this once."
"Enough with your excuses!" he barked. They were quite again. Overhead the weather took a turn for the worse. Thundering on the sky were grey clouds hiding the sun. Gusts of wind blew off leaves and hats. People scrambled for shelter. Sylvester and Claudina exchanged tense looks. His mood had worsened so much it was affecting the weather. They had to come clean now.
"What sort of smoke was that?"
"What?"
"That smoke you used in the end. What was it?" he said slowly as if explaining that 2+2 is 4.
Clearly they took offence but they tried not to show it. "That smoke was…" Sylvester trailed off.
"What is it? Speak out!" Raging winds continued with more ferocity.
Claudina inhaled. "Chronos what we are about to tell you is something we uncovered these past few days."
"We don't want you to get even angrier than you already are so please calm down."
The raging subsidized but the rain clouds didn't let out the sun.
If he is going to more angry then it is best he composes himself. He doesn't want to destroy this kingdom. Not after the war all five of them had fought. And he has come to love the humans that resided in this kingdom.
Even these two bumbling, morally grey Saints of his.
"Alright let's hear it then."