The ships bellowed while the gulls cried overhead.
Claudina was sitting on top of the pile of suitcases of the saints. Sullivan who was sitting beside her was sipping a cup of cocoa. "Miss Fairy do you want some?" he asked a line of chocolate foam on his upper lip.
She resisted the urge to wipe his face. 'It will be quite disrespectful. He's a decade older than me after all.' "No thank you." She adjusted her fur hat.
Today they will be leaving Halieas.
Sylvester and the others had come ahead of them as Claudina and Sullivan had last bit of packing left.
Now that they had arrived at the harbor, they couldn't find the other saints or Blakeley. All that was here was their unattended luggage.
Currently that had been waiting for them since it would be at least an hour for the ship to set sail.
In the distance were children laughing and adults shouting. She expected a small festival celebrating the coming coronation was being held nearby.
"What do you think they are doing?" she asked him. She crossed her legs with one hand resting on her lap while she leaned on the other.
Beside her Sullivan finished off his cocoa. "Maybe they are saying goodbye to the King for all the good he's done!" he gleefully answered.
She snorted. "So you are saying the King's reign has ended over before it started. Slandering the Halieas royal family can lead to treason."
He jokingly slapped her arm as he gasped loudly. "Perish that thought! I am an innocent, fun loving saint. The last thing I want is to be tried for treason when I have to reach my prime!"
She shrugged. "Well it can't be helped now can it. The king looks half way to death's door. I won't be surprised if his toddler son was the new king when I return back."
"Who's slandering the royal family now?"
"Ah."
Sullivan jumped from the suitcase to throw away the paper cup.
"How long till the ship boards?" he asked once he came back.
"About 47 minutes," she replied taking out her pocket watch. "Why?"
He pointed behind her. "Because of that."
Bemused she looked back and was immediately repulsed.
Riding on a white horse in front of a marching band was Lucas May. Flowers were thrown at the band as it slowly made its way to the harbor. Lucas would blow kisses to whichever maiden caught his eye and they would swoon with hearts in their eyes.
"No. No. This is not happening." She vehemently shook her head. "I don't want to get engaged again!"
"Maybe if you release Baron form your Ancient Power and set it on him you can avoid it," he said twirling a stray hair.
"You just want a reason to kill him!"
She chewed her lip as they came nearer. Something. Anything.
Glancing at Sullivan it finally came. An idea.
Claudina grabbed him. "From here on out you are my child."
He seemed surprised before grinning evilly. "Oh~ Ok~ whatever you say, mother dearest."
She made a disgusted face. 'Gross. So gross.' She shivered in disgust but tried not to show it. Instead she pretended not to notice Lucas coming towards her. She pulled out her handkerchief and wiped his foam coated lips. "Stay still," she whispered.
"Of all your theatrics this is the most amusing."
"Silence! One more word and I will slam your head in the pavement."
"Really~ maybe I shouldn't play along with you after all."
She applied more pressure on his lips. "Hey. I still have those notes of your former subjection of demons. Should I release them to the press that one of the saints was an ex-heretic?"
He gazed coldly at her. "I can see why one would want to kill you."
She smiled. "All done~"
She stood back up and said in loud voice, "Honestly Sully why can't you be careful with your clothes? You are causing trouble these days for me!"
He frowned but decided to act out this scene with her. 'I pity her parents for raising such a con artist…' "I am sorry. I promise to be more careful." Then he hugged her waist since that is the only body part of her he can reach with his tiptoes. She in return patted his head thinking it was Baron or one of her younger cousins.
"Miss Spade!"
Claudina rolled her eyes at Lucas who had now gotten down from his horse and was walking toward her with a huge bouquet of red roses. The same red ones he tried to give Oriane that time.
He grinned broadly as he knelt down in one knee in front of the two. By now the entire harbor had become silent busy looking at the show.
She signed while frowns appeared on her face. "Mr. May for the last and finale time my-"
"Ah, ah, ah," he wagged a finger under her nose before beaming at her. "Don't say a word and just listen to me."
"Miss Spade the moment I saw you I wanted you to be mine. Everything about you is beautiful; from the brightness of your green eyes to the flowing black hair, the unblemished frosty skin of yours to the redness of your lips."
"At first I only thought of you as just another pretty girl I see in my travels. But as we spent more time together, I noticed those subtle attributes that made me fall for you. That made you endearing to me. Your intelligence, the gaze you have when looking at your favorite things and the bantering we shared every time we met, I loved those moments. I would lay awake in my bed at nights replaying the memories in my mind because you plagued my mind while I am awake. When I could finally sleep I saw vivid dreams of you beside me."
"I tried to resist you as you rejected me the first time but my heart wouldn't listen. So I resigned myself to my fate."
He looked at her in confidence "So here I am now. I am now asking that you marry me. If you want me to court you first I am willing but please just agree to be mine." He then dug for something in the bouquet and fished out a box. He opened it to reveal a thumbnail sized emerald surrounded by a ring of obsidian stones sitting on a band of silver. The emerald was the same shade as her eye.
'…The ring is so…tacky…' Salty tears started to flow out her eyes.
The people thinking it was a 'yes' began to cheer for them. Even Lucas, who couldn't believe his luck, gingerly stood up and promised to invite everyone to the ending when a piercing scream cut through the festival.
Everyone slowly turned to look at Claudina with her shoulders shaking as her breaths came out in little huffs and tears dropped on the cold snow driven pavement. Sullivan was still holding on to the skirts of her coat also shaking.
"I said it again and again I never wish to see you. You make me uncomfortable." She looked up with her tear stricken face. "How many times do I have to tell you that I am married? And that I have a child!"
The crowd went silent for a different reason now.
Lucas was shocked.
"So what if I first introduced myself with my father's name instead of my husband? It doesn't mean you can always come up ways for me to try and cheat on my husband."
The crowd started whispering. 'In a kingdom where the cheating of the late crown prince was seen in disheartening manner do you think you, a measly envoy, can escape unscathed?'
He must have caught on for he tried to diffuse the situation. "No! Wait…she…"
She stared down the pavement. "The first time I understood due to the initial confusion. Hence why you flirted with me," she raised up her head in fury. "But what about the second time? The third? Or the fourth, sixth time? When I had already cleared up the mess since day 1?"
"Because of you…" she gripped her mitten covered hands close to her chest. "Because of you my husband and I are fighting. He thinks I did something behind his back."
She cried profusely as she fell down in a heap. She sobbed in her hands gaining more pity form the crowd.
"Mother!" Sullivan gasped and went to comfort Claudina. She stretched out and held him close.
"Just leave me alone Mr. May. Before you completely ruin my marriage, give me rest. I want to leave these icy shores and return to my father's abode. Please leave me alone."
The crowd stated to jeer at Lucas who was staring at Claudina in disbelief. "Why would you do something like this to me…?" he whispered. Hate and hurt overtook his expression as he lunged for her.
Thankfully someone stopped him. "Arche?!"
Arche looked neutral before his face turned serious. "Understand the situation and come along."
Lucas squirmed in his hold. "Let go of me! I need to teach that woman a lesson!"
Unfortunately the crowd heard him and yelled at him to go away and leave the weeping woman alone.
"Lucas. Lucas! We need to leave now!"
Claudina peeked out form her hands. Lucas was being stopped by Arche who had arrived. They scuffled but in the end Lucas was pushed back.
A middle aged woman helped her back on her feet.
"Are you travelling alone? Both you and your child are too young?" she said kindly.
She sniffed. "N-no. I am travelling with the saints back to my home land. We'll be boarding the ship soon before this…" She couldn't go on and lowered her head as she shed more tears.
"Oh dear don't cry. I am sure your marriage will be saved."
"Yes I hope so too," she said with a smile before stroking Sullivan's head. "I want my child to be happy you see."
"Mother, don't cry." He clung to her waist. "If you cry than I will cry too."
She wiped her eyes. "I am not crying anymore dear." She turned to the woman. "Thank you for your help but I am alright now."
The woman smiled. She left after giving some words for encouragement.
"Let's see the useless rag's state," she whispered.
They side eyed to the other side.
Lucas was still screaming about teaching her a lesson while Arche somehow managed to shepherd him back.
However since Lucas' head was facing them he could clearly see what they were doing but he was arguing with Arche.
At last he did look at them. When he did his blood boiled with renewed hate.
Both Sullivan and Claudina were sneering at him. He again thrashed under Arche. "Did you see that?! That woman just-!"
"Lucas May that is enough!"
He led him away and the crowd was slowly resumed to normal.
"What happened here?" They turned back to see Blakeley and the saints standing behind.
"Nothing much~ other than me being Claudina's child who was comforting his mother's failing marriage," Sullivan said in a singsong voice.
Shulia made a face. "The hell? Oldie are you sure you are taking your meds?"
"So the usual then yes?" Sylvester interjected before a fight broke out. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
Claudina smirked. "Yes. The usual."
"…Take your bags. We are boarding the ship." Anatole stared to walk on ahead. He was already carrying his suitcase.
The others followed suit.
"Where were you?" Claudia asked Sylvester as she slid beside him.
"We were saying goodbye to the king," he answered. "He was a bit sad you weren't there too."
She scoffed. "Just what we need. Another psycho to ruin this kingdom."
"Don't be like that. People are mesmerized by beautiful things. I am sure King Stephen is the same."
She warily smiled. "…That may be so but I am not a possession for someone to own. Everyone I met so far wants to keep me for themselves."
"Then why did you annul your engagement with Prince Lucian? Whatever you said about him I could gather he was a true gentleman who valued your companionship over anything."
"Lucian did. And while what he felt for me was not those creepy obsessions I couldn't see myself be tied down to him. I know I am the best Lucian could ever get but what he needs isn't a strict teacher who he has a puppy love for. Rather he needs someone who can help him rule by being his equal. And he is not my equal."
Sylvester fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are you bragging?"
"…Yes."
"But!" He looked at her again. "I meant it when I said Lucian needs someone else. Not a trophy wife, a manipulating, scheming woman or a queen only in name. He needs someone kind, gentle and wise to understand the chess pieces of the political world. Make use of those pieces not for her gain but the nation's gain. He needs someone who can rule alongside him, both equal in power and knowledge." She smirked. "Else I will outshine him."
"But I think you would be happy to outshine him. You want to be someone with enough power to even shake the gods."
"Yes. In fact I have enough evidence to sentence the royal family to death. I have that much power. However I can't use it."
"Why not? You could reform the royal family. I think Lord Chronos will be a bit upset at first."
"Indeed I can but there are some things I first must do. People...I must find. And besides," she side eyed him. "I am not a good enough person to help the nation. Hence why I can't stay beside Lucian. Unfortunately he himself will never know it."
He surrendered a begrudging smile. "Heartless till the end..."
"I am a villain after all."
"Whatcha all talking about?"
Shulia grasped them from behind making Claudina knock off her feet while skewing Sylvester's hat.
"Two black haired people talking together is never a good sign in Gaiarit~"
Sylvester started at her. "I see you are still complaining about my dyed hair."
"Yeah cuz it looks so bad. Go back to being brunette."
He signed. "Claudina are you alright?"
"Nearly dropped my suitcase there...Yes I am good...Now...Do you need something Shulia?"
"Nope. I am here to bother you."
She rolled her eyes with a slight smile. "Go right ahead. It takes a lot to test my patience."