The ship sailed without any incident.
Since they were heading straight for the norther kingdoms and skipping the Gull's Land island, they preserved their stored up their provisions.
Because they would be out in the sea for a month the five saints would spar or practice their magic much to amusement of the people in the ship.
Only Claudina would spend much of the day inside the cabins until she hunted the cabins like a ghost. She memorized all the portholes and upper deck staircases to avoid them.
If the saints mostly Sylvester and Oriane came down they would try to coax her with threats, bribes and promises for her to come up. She hadn't told them the real reason why she avoided the sea.
She wasn't worried if they came to find her strange of being scared of the sea. She wouldn't care if they hated her-she has a fair shar of people who dislike her along with her admires after all. No what she was truly worried of is her secret being exposed.
The backlash she and Crowley dukedom would face. Her enemies will use it over her, she who built a façade of having no weakness would be destroyed. Her father might lose his business partners if her fear came to light. That's why she never had a doctor come to check her health when she fell sick. Having a single weakness will tarnish the great reputation and pride of the Crowley dukedom. Whatever weakness the children of Crowley dukedom had was stamped out in a early age or hidden with extreme secrecy.
People will view her as a failure of a Crowley. When that happens they will always see her as a failure and never again give her the opportunity to stand up again.
It would be dangerous if it ever got out. And her father would kill her if it did.
Without stopping for Gull's Land Island the ship took a detour and reached the northern kingdom, Halieas in a month as anticipated.
When Claudina had went back in time it was early spring and now it was drawing near winter. However the tell tale signs of winter hadn't reached Chronostis since it was a nation of spring and sun showers with the exception of few winter territory. Here in Halieas winter was all year around.
Hivea kingdom had a mountain range on all its side and the harbor was in front. The mountain range looked like sharp misshapen teeth jutting out of the snow covered lands to devour the kingdom.
From the deck Claudina could see the cathedral that rose up in sharp spires. Usually it is the governing palace that is highest building here however it is the opposite. The cathedral was what covered the back of the kingdom. Since the kingdom is protected from all sides expect for the front it was daily subjected from pirate and sea serpent attacks. So the entire kingdom was rebuilt like a slopping hill so if there is an attack, archers from behind could easily strike down the enemies without any danger of hurting their allies.
"Ah! Miss Fairy look! I heard the water around the Halieas kingdom harbor never forms ice! It seems like it was true."
Claudina clenched her cloak. 'Shut up! Stop trying to make me look! I am barely holding on to my sanity!'
"Claudina, do you know why it is like that?" Oriane asked. "It has quite romantic story. Do you want to hear it?"
As they approached nearer Sylvester had informed her that they would soon arrive. So for the first time she crept outside.
She instantly regretted it. Sullivan in his cheerful persona and Oriane's over eagerness over her stifled her. Normally she would humor their antics but today was a day to test her patience. Not to mention she was close to what she hated and feared the most. One look and she would spiral into hyperventilating mess.
She wildly looked with her eyes to find either Anatole or Sylvester. Either one of them could keep her safe from Sullivan and Oriane's constant probing and most likely would not comment on her excuses. But she couldn't find them. They were nowhere on the deck 'I swear when I find them, I will strangle them!'
Shulia was standing a little way of tightening her fur cape. She shivered. "Aghhh! I hate this weather!"
'Shut up Shulia before I haul you off the ship! You are making my nausea worse!'
She turned towards them "You must be used to such weathers huh? You fought in the frontlines so…"
'I am punting you off the ship.' She smiled. "This weather is colder compared to the frontlines."
"You must have nearly froze to death!"
She lightly chuckled. "Not really, no. We wore heating magic tools while we slept in the trenches." "I wish I bought some magic tools in Whirlpool Reefs!" she whined.
'I am killing. I don't care if there are witnesses.' However before she could move the ship bumped on the docks startling them.
"We are here."
Claudina turned to see Anatole standing right beside her. 'When did he get here?! Was I so delirious in my head that I didn't even notice his presence?!'
She straightened up while holding her head. "Saintess are you alright?" he whispered. She glanced sideways to see Sylvester had distracted Sullivan and Oriane. "Why wouldn't I be?" she murmured back.
"Well you're sweating despite the weather."
"It's nothing," she lied.
"Are you sure?"
"Shut your mouth or I will shut it for you!" She flinched.
Anatole didn't react. Then again he rarely reacted against anything Claudina said. And if he did he's face was always hidden with the veil.
They didn't speak again until they clambered down the ship.
The harbor was the same like all the other harbors with the key difference being everyone was wearing dark warm wooly clothes trimmed with fur and animal pelts. Snow that fell on the harbor floor was stamped smooth.
Claudina held up her handkerchief to her nose. Somehow the fishy smell was more pungent here. Holding her suitcase in one hand and the handkerchief with the other she followed Sylvester behind.
The people of the north were larger in size with ghostly white skin and snow specked eyebrows. Claudina was tall for a girl but compared to the northerners she was a dwarf. To keep herself from not being pushed around she stuck close to Sylvester. He in turn held onto her wrist.
"If we are going to stay in an inn again, I'll go reserve a hotel room for myself," she grumbled at the back. "We are not," he assured. She frowned. "You are hiding things again. Sylvester I swear if there is a repeat of Whirlpool Reefs I am going back to Chronostis."
He shook his head. "It won't be anything like that I promise." He squeezed her hand. He slightly tilted his head to her. "I believe you would enjoy this."
Not convinced she skeptically stared at the back of his head.
Boots now crunched into the deep soft snow instead of the slippery port.
Snow littered every inch of the ground. Snow tipped sparse evergreen trees were fanned behind brick houses. Smoke came out from the sooty chimneys. Icicles hanging down from the roofs glimmered with a thousand colors in the late afternoon sun. Metal lamp posts were being lit with a purple fire. Warmth like fire spread around the lamp post as soon as they were lit. It appeared to be a special magic tool.
The northern kingdom was poles apart from green scenery that Claudina was used to.
One particular scene caught her eye. It was a warmly dressed woman standing by the door of our house calling out to her child. The small boy came waddling back from his group of friends. They were now joined by a man who she presumed as the father with how the boy squealed when he lifted him up to kiss his cheeks. She could hear the woman lightly chiding her child but there was affection in her eyes. She wrapped a warm scarf around his neck. As he ran off his mother called out to be back before dinner and to be safe.
She stopped to stare at the interaction. 'If…I came from a normal noble family would the woman whom I call mother, will she look at me that affectionately? Would my father also show real familial love rather then an act for others? Would I ever need to…hide my true self?'
Alarmed by her thoughts she took a step back. 'I am thinking unnecessary things. It's not required for them to show me any love nor do they require it from my part. They had an obligation and now I have an obligation as well. No need to concern myself for impractical things.'
She turned around to leave, her fur coat flapping in the movement. Clutching at the ribbon tying her coat she hurried to catch up with Sylvester and the others.
'I am foolish to think they would change if we had a normal family.' She scoffed. 'No matter where we are or what we will be in the future, I know this though; we will never come to see the other as family. We will forever see the other as a means to gain something.'
Lost in her thoughts she bumped into Sylvester. He looked down in surprise. "Sorry," she muttered rubbing her nose. 'Deja vu?' "Its fine," he beamed. "We are here by the way."
She looked up to where he was pointing and lost her breath.
Before her standing in all its glory was the most popular hotel of the northern kingdom. On the gate was stone pillar that had plaque that read 'Crowns Ring.'
A large mansion with a snow dusted slanted roof. At first glance the mansion resembled a house made of ash and coal when she noticed tiny crystal like stones. When she got close enough she noticed they resembled magic tools to warm up the entire building. The front of the mansion had large courtyard with fir trees clustered in small rings growing. Sugar clear windows reflected the warm fire burning inside the rooms.
The outside of the mansion was nothing compared to the inside. A much more polite reception greeted them at the door compared to the inn in Whirlpool Reefs. A magnificent foyer had soft enough carpets to lie down on. The murals in the foyers were framed in gold. The pillars that supported the architecture had jade curving up and swirling around it and the rooms were large enough to fit a field.
The concierge a cheerful woman with gray eyes and brown hair specked with silver opened the registration book when Shulia informed who they were. Eyes brightening up with recognition she assigned their luggage to page boy. Watching the page boy push the trolley away Claudina said in a small voice, "I thought the luxury was something saints should not year for." This was still enemy territory. One wrong mistake and the plan will go up in flames.
"No one here years for it," Anatole answered her. "But in a previous letter I wrote to Lord Eros had him fuming. When he heard a lady from the nobility was living in a countryside inn he made a fuss and he sent people here prior of us arriving to reserve the rooms in "Crowns Ring.' I don't know why he thought it was good idea."
"I am liking Lord Eros more and more. He at the very least knows how to treat a lady unlike a certain someone I know. At this rate you will forever remain single. You are already what 22-23?" She turned away to admire a painting that caught her eye.
"What is she talking about? Sylvester do you know?" he asked him.
Sylvester gave a pitying look. "You still can't understand a woman's heart."
"What? As if you can!"
"I have experience in that department."
"Your sisters don't count."
"They don't but I know what they want. And that's all that matters." He had a smug face when he said it. "But our dear Anatole here can't."
"What are you talking about~" Sullivan popped in between them. Sylvester smirked . "Nothing we are talking about insensitive Anatole is about the needs of a lady."
"Anatole you shouldn't be like that~ Sure Li-Li and Ori will endure their pain but seriously~" he pouted, "You should know that both of them despite how brutal they are towards demons are normal girls at heart. They are delicate like a flower."
Anatole looked over Sylvester's shoulders. Shulia, Oriane were now watching the paintings with Claudina.
He recalled the first time he met Shulia. She had punched the air out of him at their first meeting. Oriane gave him a heart attack when she crouched over him in the middle of the night during joint mission. Her deathly pale skin glowed hauntingly under the low lighting. And now Claudina. A beautiful butterfly like her namesake but in reality a plotting snake.
'Nothing about them is delicate. Especially the wench Claudina.'
"I tried explaining to him but he won't listen!"
"Oh!" Sullivan clapped his hands. "Maybe he just swings 'that' way?"
"Anatole you swing that way?"
"You little pieces of shi-"
"Ladies? Gents?" Claudina looked back. The concierge had the keys to their rooms in her hand.
They took the keys and followed the page boy to their rooms with Anatole and Sylvester silently bickering all the way.
Unlike at the inn where they had to share a room each one of them had a room of their own.
With the promise of meeting for dinner at 8 O'clock sharp, Claudina waltzed inside her room. She gave a small squeal of delight as she took it all in.
A king sized four poster bed sat at the middle of the room. Oil paintings of ships and flowers were decorating the warm beige walls. A gold mantelpiece was wrought in small rubies over the grate covered fire. An ample supply of coals was near the iron poker. A wardrobe with birds covered in it had the customary fur and wool coats and spare blankets. A more expensive vanity table with a full length mirror was beside a changing screen. The seat of the vanity table was made out of soft velvet and had gold tussles at the bottom while the changing screen had pictures of roses and leaves as the theme. A polished table furnished with a comfortable chair was opposite of the wardrobe. In front of the fireplace was a large armchair with inviting pillows.
She went over to the bed. Rich deep red curtains were tied at the four poster beams. On the bed was a silver fox pelt as the cover of the duvet. The quilts had fur and were extremely soft to the touch. She sat down and the bed sank down before the spring pushed her back. Grinning like a child she laid down, nuzzling her face on the many pillows. They smelled like ripe apples and sun.
She grinned up at the curtain obscured ceiling. No wonder this place was used by foreign ambassadors when they came to Halieas.
She giggled. This was so much better then the inn and ship cabins. Lord Eros really knew the way to a woman's heart. Sooner or later
She should tell her father that maybe she wouldn't come with him on his diplomatic trip to Halieas. After all she already got to experience what she wanted.