A loud thud echoed inside the room, with Alexander falling from his seat and the two women looking troubled at the sudden discovery. Just when Felicia thought she could hide the fact that she was a Saintess, this dumb bird just had to expose her!
"Alexander?" She suddenly called as she saw her trembling while looking down. She couldn't figure out what he was feeling as she couldn't see anything other than him looking down. However, that soon feeling became a surprise as Alexander launched himself on the bird, and Noctua tried to escape him, flying above the air.
"Get that damn bird! This is witchcraft! What the hell! Get that bird so that we can kill it immediately!" He rambled as he began trying to reach Noctua while the bird was only a few higher above, looking problematic while looking at Felicia for help.
"Grab me that scissor, Olivia! We have to kill it before anyone in this manor knows this bird exists!" He added as he tried to reach and even told Olivia to become an accomplice for this murder.
"What?! Just because I exist doesn't mean I shouldn't have. What the hell is wrong with your brother, Felicia?!" Noctua asked, glaring at the man as he flew higher in order to escape from this wild man's horrendous idea of killing him.
"Everyone, calm down. Let's not make this a big deal." She sighed, pulling Alexander's hand for him to stop acting like a little boy then glared at him. "Stop it, Noctua is a friend of mine." She explained, pushing him to sit back.
"Are you out of your mind, Felicia?! That bird can talk! That bird can fucking talk! We should burn him already! That is no bird! That is a demon in disguise! Hurry up and kill it!" He was so adamant to kill Noctua that the bird just squawks at him, flew towards his direction and started plucking his hair in which everyone gasped at Noctua's action.
"Noctua!" Both Felicia and Olivia yelled as Felicia immediately stood next to Alexander, pulling Noctua away from Alexander who was trying to catch him, groaning in pain as his sharp beak tried to bald him.
"Okay enough! Stop! Both of you, stop! It's not the time for us to argue about this!" Felicia exclaimed, glaring at the bird on her hand and at Alexander who was glaring at Noctua while Noctua did the same.
Boys.
"Alright, shit. I didn't want you to know about this but Noctua was able to speak because of me." She said, looking at Olivia who slowly approached them. "Olivia, can you please release the curtains and make sure that the room is secured?" She asked towards which Olivia then followed.
She didn't ask her to leave since it was time to reveal something that I'd quite shocked on their part. Olivia must have been so curious too as she has no idea how Noctua was able to speak and at the same time has no idea who she really is.
"It's perfectly secured now, My Lady. Do you want me to go outside and wait for you?" She asked politely, thinking that her presence might be a threat to them. It's a confidential confrontation after all and she's just a maid.
"No, stay here and listen carefully," Felicia instructed as her eyes then gazed at Alexander who was staring at her with curiosity and confusion piquing on his face, clearly wanting to know what she was going to confess.
"This might be shocking news to you but I beg you that whatever you heard right now from me, or what you see right now will only remain in this room. If any souls have come into learning about the information that I'm going to tell you, I will personally send you to the Goddess." She said as she took a deep breath.
"Whatever it is, I will tell no souls, Felicia. Trust your brother this time, no one will be able to know about it." He swore earnestly while looking at her with his face set on neutral yet his voice held assurance, securing her trust in him.
"I too, my Lady shall not tell a single soul about it. If I did, I shall be struck by lightning tenfold until my body does." With serious dedication towards Felicia, Olivia made an oath about not telling anyone, making Felicia smile at the two of them for swearing.
"So shall it be," she commented. She placed Noctua on her lap, brushing the soft white feather of the bird while still thinking whether to tell them or not. She could just pass it off as Noctua being able to speak because of her training on him as he is an intelligent bird.
But that would be quite contradicting early given the unfortunate circumstances where this bird had to slip his tongue off, making her reveal her situation.
"Just like Noctua claimed, he is given by the Goddess in order to aid every saintess in the Empire. He serves the purpose of being able to deliver the messages of the Goddess. However, Noctua claimed that he wasn't able to get into the Goddess, as if she disappeared." She said, starting the story first with Noctua.
"It's quite a false accusation. The Goddess is everywhere, the Goddess does not disappear. What do you mean that she disappeared?" Alexander asked, cocking his eyebrow as he stared at the two of them.
"Noctua has a connection with the Goddess. Noctua can feel the Goddess and can talk to the Goddess. I, the bird that represents freedom and peace are not your ordinary bird. I am a holy being, like the Angels that I am." Noctua replied, shaking his body from the tingly feeling from Felicia's petting.
"However, Noctua has not felt the presence of the Goddess ever since and since the disappearance of the Goddess, the image of Noctua has been completely changed into a Dove, representing what Noctua represented. The faith of the country has never been this weak compared to what we felt when the presence of Goddess Kartara is there." He added, giving more information about what he knows.
"But why are you close with my sister? The Saintess is currently my step-sister, Helena. Additionally, if you are truly a holy embodiment, why has any of you been with the previous Saintesses?" He asked, feeling still skeptical about this bird.
He doesn't trust it apparently.
"That thing is your sister? Her? Is she even a saint to begin with? I don't think so. I can easily tell that she isn't one to begin with. Even some of the Saintesses ever known are the ones being proclaimed by the Pope himself, not the Goddess." He spitefully answered.
"What do you mean? The Pope was given the prediction that Helena would be the next Saintess. The pope has the ability to receive a message from the Goddess herself. Everyone knows that." Olivia argued, did not even dare to call Helena her Lady and proceeded to mention her name only.
So what anyway? She's not scared of her. Well, maybe a little.
"The Pope's job is to relay the messages from the Goddess. He has no right to put a verdict over the Saintesses as that is not his job! The Goddess is the one who chooses the people worthy of the position, not the Pope." Noctua corrected them, even glaringly for daring to even say that the Pope has the right to do the selecting.
He's not even a God! On what grounds do Popes have the right to ever select a Saintess?
With what Noctua said, Felicia suddenly realized something that caused her to frown. The questions that she had kept listed had only worsened after hearing everything from Noctua.
What happened to the previous Saintesses then if since before, the Pope has been selecting young maidens rather than obeying the Goddess? Are the Popes before have betrayed the Goddess? Is that why Noctua couldn't feel their devotion to her?
What happened to the Goddess? Why is everything so mysterious? Could it be that since then, the Church has always been so wicked based on Noctua's words alone?
"It has been years and I had forgotten everything ever since my last visit. Out of all the Saintess that this country possesses after the Goddess, I only served two of the Saintesses. Which includes your sister, Felicia and the Mother, Reverend Joanne of Houston. Aside from that, I forgot what followed next. Anyway, I'm here for Felicia." Noctua answered.
"What? You are not making any sense at all!" Alexander couldn't help but exclaim as he was frustrated with everything that he just processed.
He could feel his brain was already full of so much information that any minute from now he might be overlapping some of them. Curse this bird for causing this, whatever this is!
"Wait... You only served one before me? What happened?" Felicia asked, interested in this tale but as she stared at Alexander and Olivia looking troubled and disoriented, she had to stop asking Noctua and just continued with revealing to them.
"Right... I forgot... You need explanations..." She chuckled, yet no one laughed as their brows were knitted, frowning at her and in shambles. Their head is in turmoil! It's swirling already!
"I am the Saintess appointed by the Goddess herself. I am the true Saintess, possessing the qualities bestowed by the Omnipotent and the Omniscient." She introduced herself while having a small smile on her lips, hoping they'd understand.
It really breaks her nerve doing this revelation. It feels like she's being choked but at the same time, having her spirits lifted.
However, she came frowning soon after realising that their expression was quite... The unexpected.