Calista sighed for the nth time, staring at the pile of letters in front of her. Wearing her nightgown with her still messy bed hair, the lady rolled her eyes with dark circles around them.
It had been two days since the incident at her engagement party, and Calista couldn't get a wink of sleep at all. First, she wouldn't care about the rumors of her being a jealous woman who ended up killing someone, but the reputation she maintained for years was suddenly tainted in just one night.
"Was it because of him?" Calista mumbled, fiddling with the ring she took off from her finger. "Bad things happen when he's around me. It's like he's the bringer of bad luck in my life," she added, frowning.
As Calista shut her eyes, an image of the man she wished she hadn't met flashed in her mind, sending chills down through her spine.
"Ah! I shouldn't have sent the invitation," she grumbled, getting up from her seat. Her long, wavy, golden hair fell on her back as she trudged back to her bed. "It's all his fault," she whispered before burying her face in the pillow.
Thinking back about what happened that night, Calista realized she was more bothered by her engagement with Damian Crown than the sudden appearance of Evangeline's corpse at her party.
"Right… I should think about clearing my name about what happened to Lady Zara," she said, facing the ceiling. "Of all places, why would her body appear at my party? It's as if someone who did it wants to blame me," Calista continued, shaking her head.
"Too bad," she muttered with a smug face. "I'm not the type of person who'd care to explain about something I didn't even do. They could investigate me all they want. Someone has to take care of it but me," Calista stated as she rubbed her temples.
"Lola?"
A petite maid appeared almost immediately, holding a basin of water and a clean piece of towel. "Good morning, My Lady," Lola greeted with her head low.
"Good morning? I can't believe it's still morning. I thought it was around noon by now." Calista sighed. She planned to spend her days sleeping until the rumors about her killing Evangeline subsided. "So, what does the public have to say about me by now?"
Lola raised her head with concern, filling her round brown eyes. "Yes, My Lady. As you predicted, people are still talking about what happened two nights ago. I'm afraid the news has already reached the Imperial Palace," she informed.
"Ah! The Empress will not sit still about this. She's probably going to nag me more than what my parents did," Calista complained. "Speaking of my parents, what are they up to?"
Calista told her parents she had nothing to do with Evangeline's death. Although the Duke of La Forte didn't say a word, she knew her father believed her. As for the Duchess, she only told Calista to get a rest after that night.
"They went to visit the palace today, My Lady. Yesterday, the Emperor summoned the Duke and the Duchess," Lola said, putting down the basin on her lap as she sat in the bed next to her lady.
"Please allow me to wipe your face, My Lady," the maid said, doing just what she intended.
Calista sighed once again and let Lola clean her face. Her brain was exhausted thinking about what she should do next and Lola just knew when she should step in to help.
"I'll have to talk to Duke Crown first," Calista blurted out.
"My Lady… Are you sure?" Lola looked surprised by her statement. She could tell how much Calista disagreed with the infamous Duke of Crown, but it wasn't as if her ladyship had ever agreed with others. "I heard that Duke Damian Crown fancies beautiful ladies. I won't be surprised if he wants to continue getting married to you," Lola said, observing Calista's reaction.
"Lola, don't forget that tonight is the third full moon of the month," Calista mumbled, hinting at a threat.
"Yes, My Lady. I will talk nothing about you and Duke Crown again," Lola replied, hiding a playful smile. "Will you stay with me tonight again, My Lady?"
Calista turned to face the maid and looked her in the eyes. "Will you rather have Troy to keep you warm, then? You know, he's not as good as I am, but he knows what to do with your situation. Besides, he's one of the few people in the mansion who swears to keep your little secret to the grave," she said, excluding confidence and bravery in her tone.
"N-No, please." Lola avoided her lady's gaze with a flushed face. "I prefer you do it for me, My Lady."
Calista smiled. "Good girl," she said and patted her maid's head. "You should know nobody else can help you better tonight than myself," Calista added. "In exchange, I need you to do something tomorrow morning. How's that sound?"
Nodding her head, Lola replied. "Anything for you, My Lady."
"I'm going back to sleep now, Lola. You can leave when you're done with my face," Calista said and closed her eyes. Although she stayed awake for a couple of nights, it wasn't like she couldn't force herself to sleep.
Perhaps she preferred having company while she fell asleep, and Lola was perfect to stay by her side as she drifted to dreamland. After all, Calista trusted nobody but herself and her maid.
"Understood, My Lady. Please sleep well," Lola whispered and gently dabbed the wet towel on her lady's face.
Just like what she said, Calista slept long and deep. And after fifteen hours of sleeping, she finally got off the bed.
"This is bad," Calista groaned as she dragged her body away from her bed. Otherwise, she'd end up falling asleep again.
Letting out a deep sigh, Calista checked the time on the clock sitting on her bedside table. "It's almost midnight," she whispered drowsily.
Calista sauntered to the window and pushed it open. She was welcomed by the beautiful full moons. Her green eyes turned into a faint shade of red as she stared at the sky. Calista always found solace when looking at the moon and it's the reason she always looked forward when night fell.
"Lola…" Calista blurted out her maid's name when she remembered something else was going on when the three moons in the sky were in their full form. "Where is she?" She whispered and ran to the door.
"Lola?" Calista called out, waiting for her maid to reply. "It's almost midnight. She must have been in the basement."
With her heavy steps echoing through the empty halls, Calista hurriedly ran downstairs to the basement. She was sweating hard when she reached the door. "It's unlocked," she mumbled and pushed them open.
"Lola?"
Calista sighed when she heard a soft roar. "Thank goodness! You're here," she breathed and turned around to close the door.
Calista walked to the side where the torch should be placed. She lifted her hand and flicked fire with her fingers to light the torch.
The La Forte family was blessed with the power of flames. They could summon and command the fire all they wanted, thus earning a place as one of the Four Great Guardians of the Empire. Calista, however, was born with a unique ability. She could also summon and command the fire like her ancestors, but other than that, she could create it.
Calista was the fire herself. She could turn her body into flames, spit fire like dragons, and just simply make fire out of nothing whenever she wanted. Her short temper and domineering attitude earned her another title in the empire—the fiery goddess.
"Are you ready?" Calista asked Lola who had her body tied to a chair. "This will hurt a bit, but I will make sure not to burn you. I just need you to trust me, Lola."
Lola nodded her head as tears streamed down her face. She was scared when Calista didn't wake up before her symptoms started, but was relieved when the lady came to find her.
"T-Thank y-you, M-My Lady…" Lola stuttered.
"Save it, Lola. You need not speak right now," Calista said, drawing a circle of flames around her maid. "Actually, I have an idea. Do you want me to try it? If this is a success, you will only have to suffer for an hour instead of five. Although I don't know if you'll be able to endure it."
Lola didn't need to think about an answer. She nodded her head furiously, willing to let her lady do what she wanted with her.
"Silly. You can die if this fails, you know?" Calista shook her head. "Anyway, I'm not letting you die. So, let's get started."
Calista took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Her body gradually turned into flames in seconds, starting from the tip of her toe to the ends of her hair. When everything perfectly turned into fire, Calista opened her eyes.
"Are you scared, Lola?" Calista asked her maid as she walked toward her, stepping inside the circle she made earlier. "Seriously, I will not turn into this form if you say you're scared."
Lola shook her head. "No, My Lady. I'm not scared at all," the maid responded, facing her lady.
"Good," Calista smiled. "I wouldn't know what to do if you fear me in this form," she said, bending down as she inched her face to Lola's. "Then let me take care of this beast in you."
With that said, Calista, in her otherworldly form, embraced her maid's body and wrapped her in flames. When Lola's body was entirely engulfed in flames, Calista smirked and tightened the hug.
"Ah!" Lola cried as the beast inside her battled against Calista's flames.
"Shh. You wouldn't want others to find out what's going on here, Lola. I need you to be quiet," Calista warned. "I think this will not last long," she added when an idea struck her.
"Brace yourself," Calista whispered, turning her flames into blue.
It was Lola's first time seeing Calista's blue flames, and instead of getting scared of it, she fell silent.
'Beautiful' was all the maid could think of.
Mesmerized by the enchanting sight, Lola forgot about her urges to rampage. She slowly regained control of her body and surging strength, and it was all thanks to Calista's help in subduing the beast within her.
"It's all done now, Lola." Calista gently let go of her maid and turned back to normal. She took a step back and almost fell when her vision blurred. "Ugh!"
"Careful, My Lady."
Calista looked up and saw Troy. She smiled at him, held onto his arms, and stood straight. "Thank you," she said in a weak tone. "I think I'm reaching my limit tonight too," she mumbled and walked to the door.
"Take Lola to her room," Calista ordered, before walking out of the basement.
Troy bowed his head. "Yes, my lady." He turned his gaze to the side where Lola was left unconscious.
"Thank you for saving her, again."