Emris shuffled into the room, her breath quickening from her mentally draining study session and her recent lack of sleep. Immediately, like magnets, her gaze met Ashton's, but the burning hatred she claimed to feel took too much energy that she did not have, so she just moved away, locking eyes with the soft rug on the floor.
Ashton also turned away and focused on his tea's sweet taste, which became the perfect temperature after sitting for a while.
Emris brushed Conan's feathers, intertwining them with her fingers. Conan looked up, wondering what her relationship with the Imperial Family members was like since he hadn't asked before or gotten involved with her business.
"Hello, Mister Stephen. May I ask why you wanted to see me?" Her lips curled up into the same smile. Though she was tired, she couldn't find in herself to show her exhaustion for some inexplicable reason.
"Since it's been a week, I wanted to check how you're doing. I see your wound has fully healed; it's great that it didn't leave a scar." Stephen looked past her bangs through the few strands that parted from each other to show the sliver of her soft skin from where the wound was.
Emris brushed the strands of hair, pushing them against her forehead, flattening the volume of her luscious hair. "Yes, I was quite happy about that too; thankfully, someone was able to help me through the healing process so it wouldn't leave a scar. I'm very grateful to that person and to you, Mister Stephen, for checking up on my current state."
Stephen reached out and patted her head, lovably chuckling, his posture and appearance radiating with love and care for someone he held dear to his heart as his best friend's daughter.
"As it's late and you have only recently recovered, I will end the conversation here and send you on your way. I'll look forward to the next time we meet, Miss Emris." Subtly, he opened his arms, enclosing them around her, carefully placing them on the back of her head.
He shut his eyes while Emris and Conan opened them wide. Emris was unsure what to say or do in such a random situation, so she raised one of her arms and patted his back, squishing her cheeks against his chest.
Conan saw the tense stiffness of her lips and the twitching clench of her eyes, but it didn't seem like she was uncomfortable but rather unsure of what to do with herself.
How much does he love Emris that he hugs me every second he sees me? I feel awkward, and when he hugs me, I notice how small I actually am compared to him and wonder if he feels the warmth from my hug the same way I feel it from his. This sensation that stirs my stomach and makes my heart feel fuzzy is strange, but I've learned it's better than the cold tile or wood floor that usually holds me.
The fabric of his tailored suit brushed away from her cheeks, and his bent elbows around her straightened as he pulled away. His curled smile was the first to catch her eyes and influenced her smile to be the same.
Ashton glanced over, his lips still pressed to his cup of tea. He watched closely the energy that surrounded Stephen and Emris. His sights were set on Emris and her smile.
Today, the smile on her face is less fake. The wound on her head has also healed properly, it appears that she is doing better than before. I'm certain of it now; she's not someone I need to be concerned about; she's more naive than cunning. My observation of her is finished.
His attention that wrapped her released its grip and treated her with a chilly ignorance. Ashton crossed his long leg with the other and read the few reports on the table that he'd skimmed hundreds of times over to keep himself busy and distracted.
"I shall be on my way now before the nightfall approaches; I'll write to you, Mister Stephen, goodbye!" Emris left. Not a single glance was spared for Ashton this time; her only attention was on Stephen, who waved to her like a father waving goodbye to his daughter on her first day of school.
The room reverted back to the way it was once the last shred of her left when the door closed. Stephen turned to his son as soon as she was gone, his feet planted to the ground and bent from his knees like a rabbit hoping.
"Ashton, you must follow Miss Emris and make sure she gets home safely. Only now has it occurred to me that the night will befall Emris in the middle of the trail to Moon Hollow. I made a mistake. Will you please help me? I promise you this is the last time." He pleaded, his violet eyes capturing the sparkles of his golden blonde hair.
"I'll have one of the knights from the Imperial Knighthood follow her home. How is it that once she left, you realized it? Never mind, it doesn't matter. I'll have a knight assigned the task, but I refuse to follow her myself." Ashton threw the papers in his hands on the desk, letting them scatter into a mess.
"No, the knights won't look after her well. They won't watch her as closely as I believe you would, so please, Ashton, look after her."
Ashton couldn't understand the careful thought his father put into Emris. What exactly was so special about her that was worth protecting when he met her only a few days ago? The adamant expression of his father, who whimpered without pride for someone who shouldn't matter, pricked his brain.
He knew well of his father's scheming plan involving Emris, but out of the duty of his heart and the values of his character, Ashton couldn't win any argument against his father. In a way, Ashton had always turned the other cheek with his father and complied with his requests not out of love but a sense of responsibility as his obedient son.
"Alright, Father, for your sake, I'll keep my eye on her until she enters her home. I'll have Reinfrid bring me my coat before I go."
"Thank you, Ashton. As promised, this is the last thing I will ask of you." His lips bent upward into a smile, but his eyes held the gloom of the void between him and Ashton.
Stephen left the room with no response from his son, who ignored him as usual to do the things he felt were necessary.
Pushing his feet forward, Stephen felt the palace walls enclose him with the memories of what he would have done differently had he gone back in time. All his regret seeped into the walls like a ghost haunting him. Abruptly, he stopped and clenched his fists, his face darkening from his consuming sadness and constant reminders of the past.
My son, my most beloved and cherished person.
"Where do I even begin?"
He mumbled between his thoughts, appearing to look toward the moon but looking back at himself from the reflection of the clear glass window. The relationship of his son and himself tangled around his throat and throttled him every time they were together.
I want you to be happy. You may not see it now, but it's best that you and Miss Emris end up together. She will save you, and you will save her, Warin, and I believe the only way to protect you both is to give you what you need. I can no longer protect you, not with the strains of our relationship.
Your indifference and my mistakes are a horrible combination to begin to repair anything. I try to laugh, and I try to brush it off, but the truth is I'm lost and in shambles. I'm trying so hard to keep you from ending up like me, like my father and mother, so that you may experience lasting happiness.
I love you, Ashton, from the moment your tiny palm grasped my finger. This much I at least hope you know from all the words you wouldn't accept.
***
Shadows of the leaves falling above resembled raindrops. Emris, only now exiting the Imperial Palace, reached out to feel the droplets against her bare skin. Thankfully, her hand was left dry, and the leaves that slowly swayed back and forth fell.
She breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the howling wind, which was the only thing present. Her hair flowed to the howling wind's pitched song, the tips of her bangs sticking to her eyebrows.
"Is everything ready? I'd like to go home now, please." Emris asked politely, treating the workers with every ounce of respect they loved hearing from her affectionate voice.
The horseman removed his flat-topped hat, revealing his Grey hair, the folds of his forehead lines deepening from the rise of his furry brows.
"I apologize, my lady, but the carriage is unsafe for you to ride. It will take a while to repair." The horseman of old age fretted with an apologetic tone. Discomfort wasn't what he felt rather he felt like he'd let down a person he cared for as that was the case for someone who had worked for the Fallow Dutchy most of his life.
Emris gasped, the fog of her breath lingering in the air from the cold. "What a shame; what happened exactly, and how long will I have to wait for repairs?"
"For some strange reason, the wheel is cracked and could break before we even leave the capital. We should have it repaired for your return in about an hour, My Lady. Forgive me, My Lady; my ignorance allowed such a mistake to occur; I should have prepared for such an incident." He bowed his head, sniffling the boogers of his red nose while the fog of his breath filled the air more than hers.
Emris smiled, removing her scarf and tugging it around the old man's neck. She tied it into a firm knot, ensuring it covered the fat of his neck and a sliver of his chin. Conan stared up from the ground where she had left him, seeing her kind acts and cheerful smile, though her nose and fingertips were too blush red.
"I'll take this as an opportunity to look around Aurilin. My father told me so much about what a beautiful place it was, so I should take this time to see it for myself, isn't that right?" Emris was always eager to take a look around the capital but never had the best moment to take the time to do so, as she was always cooped up in her room reading.
Knowing well of Emris' habits he encouraged her to do so and was most certainly happy that the joy in her colorful eyes had reemerged. Emris wished them luck and arranged for a place to meet when she would return an hour later.
With Conan in hand, she hummed a sweet melody, bathing in the saturated happiness of feeling the breeze freshen up her burning cheeks that warmed her frustration from before.
Off to the side, where the bushes sprouted and covered the things behind with their dark shadow, they rustled, the silhouette of two men keenly watching the young woman humming with her penguin.
At the central square, lights wrapped around the lit lamp pole's burned brightly in various shades of light pink. The square was bustling; wagons bumped the stones of the street path, and carts of foreign and homemade items clustered to her eyes but were actually organized in a certain way known best to locals.
The simplicity kept the swelling of her heavy chest separate from her. Since she had a bit of cash in Emris's clipped-together wallet, she decided to buy something hydrating for Conan and her.
"Let's see, what should I get?" She tapped her chin. Seeing as only a single cart sold something of her favorite flavor, peach, she purchased it from the woman who owned it.
The woman met with the face known for its angelic appearance and greeted her with a smile. Emris requested a peach beverage and a smaller empty cup. The cart owner got to work preparing her a peach smoothie, and Emris bent down with her open wallet, showing Conan her money.
"Is this enough? I haven't gotten used to the currency yet?" She whispered in his non-existent ear, covering the echo of her words with her palm.
Conan nodded when she showed him 300 billings, equivalent to 150 US dollars from her original world currency. Conan sweated when she'd exposed her money like an idiot and glanced up at the price bulletin to calculate her order for her.
He reached inside her purse with his feathered flipper and pulled out precisely 20 Billings, equivalent to 10 US dollars. He pressed them in her hands firmly, judging with a silent stare, slamming the money as if trying to leave a print of it in her palm.
So this is the amount I need? I wonder if it's expensive. I'm not sure yet about the calculations of the money here, but since I'm temporarily rich or whatever, why not? It's alright. I'll pay the money back tenfold when I execute the new idea I've come up with, but right now, it's in the planning phase, so it still needs some more thought.
The cart owner placed the smoothie and cup on the counter, telling Emris the price was about 20 billings.
Emris handed her the money and sat on a nearby bench underneath the shade of a tree filled to the brim with leaves. She drank the first sip of the juice and felt her taste buds scream joyfully from its juicy goodness. It wasn't too thick and perfectly balanced, tang and sweet.
Emris popped off the cap, grabbed the empty cup, and trickled some of it into the cup to hand to Conan to try as well. The distance between her and Conan shortened in her mind; she felt they weren't as far apart as when they first met. The edge of her uncertainty and cautiousness faded with the time she had spent befriending him.
Conan grasped the cup and lifted it with his flippers down his beak to consume it well and let the flavor settle in his mouth. He licked his beak of the peach residue and found it unexpectedly delicious.
"How is it? Isn't it the best thing you've tasted?" Her flowery voice and long lashes connected to the eyes that captured the sparkle of stars within them prompted Conan to tell her the truth.
In Emris's viewpoint, Conan was like a stuffed doll with cute movable features and chubby fuzzy cheeks as squishy as marshmallows. She found him to be the cutest stuffed animal and hugged him.
"You're the cutest thing, Conan! You're so much like a stuffed toy that I can't resist squashing you with my strength."
Conan cringed and pushed away from her like a cat, trying to jump out from a suffocating embrace.
From the sidelines of the heartwarming scene, Reinfrid and Ashton squatted in the bushes like two stalkers catching sight of a target. Reinfrid ducked his head, the weight of his disturbance crushing his skull.
The thought that he was watching Emris like this with Ashton brought him great unease that he wanted to be punched in the face till he was unconscious so he wouldn't have to continue.
"…Your Majesty, I don't understand why you would fold to the Grand Emperor about something as degrading and disgusting as this. How can you stay crouched, watching a young, innocent woman so closely? I mean this…this is—"
"Shut up… You're overthinking such a simple mission that it's annoying. It's because your brain is full of muck that you think that way. That innocent young woman is only being watched because it's our duty to protect her per the request of my father, nothing more, so stop complicating your nonsense fantasies."
Ashton was cold in his tone, as expected, treating the person closest to him at the time with distance. Reinfrid scowled and believed that it was because Ashton was so casual and unbothered by things that he had no problem with their mission.
To Reinfrid, though, he felt an unnerving feeling about creeping around the bushes and peering through to catch little glances of her. Ashton wasn't the type of person to do anything like this, but because his father requested it, he complied.
Reinfrid felt that it was more than just compliance from how Ashton's eyes were glued to Emris' expressions like he'd been taking frame-by-frame pictures of her every move. It made him believe Ashton was hiding something regarding Emris since, for a cold man like Ashton, he would reject his father's requests if they had anything to do with a woman.
Again, Reinfrid parted his mouth.
"Your Majesty, I hate this. I may be your aid and personal knight, but this order is too much." A large hand, as shivering as ice, covered his mouth and sealed his speech.
"Reinfrid. If you say another thing, I will slice off your lips with the blade in my coat pocket." Ashton was rarely a man of threats, but with Reinfrid, he felt a need to threaten him every second for insubordination or other shenanigans he'd pulled.
Reinfrid kept his lips sealed, his eyes dying of disobedience. Though he knew that Ashton wasn't a killing type of person, he knew Ashton would give him a hard load during the next training session of the Imperial knights and run him to the ground.
Back at it again, Ashton watched Emris chat with her little penguin, which she seemed to value in his eyes from the close, informal speech she used around it.
It's been a long time since I've seen that deep stare. It was always the stare that made him look the least alive, the one he always used when he was trying to figure out a person's personality. He was always good at reading the people around him, no better than the specialized machine he was then.
For an expert like him, I would have imagined that the observation of Lady Fallow would be concluded by now, but even more than before, he's staring at her like no progress has been made.
The mysterious Emris Fallow, I, too, wonder what kind of person she is, but not to the extent of Ashton. Had I not known of his habit, I would have believed he was a stalker obsessed with her.
***
The clock tower chimed the first chime of its telling of the passing hour. Emris ceased her steps around the square and looked up from the ground to its height above the tallest tree.
"I guess that's it for today. Let's head home before it gets any later, and we forget the way back."
As if predicting her own fear, she and Conan got lost in the nearby forest by the capital. Emris blamed herself for forgetting the directions the horseman gave her earlier but also regretted not writing them down.
Her feet ached, and her muscles quaked; the back of her shoe pinched her skin until it made it red and stinging. Unable to move in such pinching shoes, she sat on the dirt and took a small break with Conan in her lap.
"Haa…Sorry, Conan, I accidentally forgot the directions, but we'll find it. Just give me a second to rest." Emris still kept a smile, though she ached and panted. Conan saw her foot and decided that he would head into the forest to pick up something to soothe her pain.
To get her attention, he patted her knee and pointed toward the forest. He signaled to her about how he wished to go but not why. Emris tilted her head and tried to figure out the charades of his actions.
"…Do you…want to go into the forest? Is that it?" Emris said, not really sure if that was what he was saying to her.
Conan nodded and hopped off her lap, imprinting his webbed feet on the smooth, untouched dirt. He was about to head off when Emris asked him with a look of concern.
"Are you going alone? Don't you want me to join you?"
Conan shook his head because moving again was going to be strenuous on her feet. Emris didn't question any further and allowed him to go, telling him to be careful and come back soon.
"I'll wait for you here then."
At the beginning of the wooded forest, Conan decided that a wet leaf would be best to ease her muscles, so he looked for a pond first or any type of clean water.
A few seconds had passed, but the night's darkness created a wave of anxiety the second Emris was left alone. Emris hated the darkness that reminded her of the confined space where she was abandoned almost every night.
She brought her feet forward and sat with her legs squeezed together and her arms hugging her knees. The chills and paranoia of looking everywhere made her even more uneasy.
All sides of her felt exposed and bone-chilling, the constraining thick darkness crushing her; she pulled out the orb from her bag and turned it on to illuminate the area around her.
She sat with it at the center of her space and hugged her body, enclosing it to feel safest.
Again, the cold ground is the only thing hugging her body at a time like this. She touched the cold, hard ground and remembered how Stephen's hug brought her peace of mind. Emris looked at her dirt-covered hand and felt the difference in warmth and comfort from then and now.
The light of the orb burned bright, keeping away the soullessness of the forest near her, but her imagination betrayed her with the thoughts of things that scared her most. In short, Emris became a victim of her limitless imagination and her mind, which had already seen the scariest images.
Ashton and Reinfrid squinting their eyes closed to catch the blurry expression of Emris in her moment of loneliness. Emris covered her face, streaming a few tears, burying herself into the embrace of her legs.
"She looks scared, doesn't she, Your Majesty?"
"…"
"Your Majesty?"
Ashton had disappeared unnoticed for no reason. He slipped away, and unknowing of where he could've gone, Reinfrid was reluctant to leave Emris alone, so he remained in the same spot.
While he glanced around for the traces of Ashton, Emris was spooked by the sound of a twig snapping in half in the close distance. She jumped the bumps on her skin, freezing up and her muscles tightening.
Her eyes, not even capturing the gleam of the orb's enchanting light, became numb and empty. Devoid of the staring light that everyone claimed they held. Eyes that gave in to a gut-wrenching fear, her quaking limbs that turned to jelly met the sharpened blade and deviled eyes of the person welding it.
The knife was held to her sweet penguin's throat; his feet hung and kicked to be set free. Emris buried her hands deep into the dirt, pressing them as if sinking to the bottom.
The masked man dashed off with Conan, and the last glance of his was one full of pleading desire to be saved. The act of heroism didn't cause her to run into the forest after the man, but the fear of losing someone dear to her.
With her trembling body, she used her strength of attachment to lift her up. Her quick dash kept Reinfrid wondering why she had run in the first place. He was about to race to follow the feeble woman into the dangerous forest.
However, Ashton came from the path that she had entered at first. He looked around and saw no sight of Emris.
"Where is she, Reinfrid?" Ashton swished his head, but no trace of her was left, and Reinfrid widened his eyes and bit his lips because of the lack of time given to explain fully. "Reinfrid?"
"In the forest! she ran into the forest, Your Majesty! We must save her now before it's too late!" Reinfrid screamed with urgency, his knitting brows conveying the message of stress he felt and worry as he was a person who cared about the safety of others.
His sense of concern led him to shout and command Ashton even though he was the Emperor solely because they were best friends and Ashton had known Reinfrid's personality since long ago.
The entirety of his being sank to the depths of the ground; Ashton had gone around immediately once he saw that she was distressed from the darkness but made it too late to see what had happened to her.
His lips, left in a gap, felt dry as if his soul had been sucked from his body. Ashton picked up her orb and bag, frowning, thinking of the earlier picture of her weakness before he left.
He didn't think of her reasons, only the urgency to find her immediately and bring her to safety. He threw her items to Reinfrid and changed his gaze to one full of rush and seriousness.
"Which way did she run!?" Ashton's stoical composure fell to a man who was desperate to save the life of one of his citizens, not out of love but care for the people he was assigned to look after.
Reinfrid gestured to the area she took off to, and Ashton headed quickly to follow her steps and find her.
"Reinfrid, you stay here and wait for her penguin. I'll go save Lady Fallow."