(Chapter 29 A Promise)
*Knock Knock*
"Lady Furina? Can I come in?"
A voice Tempest was all too familiar with came from outside the door.
"K-Kiara?! Don't come in right now! I-I'm changing!"
"Oh, okay!"
The voice outside the door replied, causing Furina to glance at Tempest with growing panic. Her eyes widened as she realized the gravity of the situation, her mind racing to come up with a plan. Tempest could see the anxiety on her face.
"My Lady was tha-"
"C-Can you stand?! You need to hide somewhere q-quickly!"
Furina said in a quiet panic, her voice trembling with urgency. She stood up from the couch and gently pulled Tempest's hand, urging him to move. However, Tempest remained seated and simply looked at her.
"T-Tempest?! Can you not stand?! And why are you looking at me like that?!"
Furina said urgently, her voice rising slightly as they were running out of time.
"My Lady, was that Miss Kiara?"
Tempest asked her in a hushed tone.
"Huh? Y-You know her?"
Furina said to him, and she let go of her hand.
"I do, My Lady... I trust her she won't say anything about this... And I want to ask a favor from her. Let her in."
Tempest requested her, and Furina simply sighed in response.
"If things go awry and you end up in trouble, I won't be able to assist you."
Furina said to Tempest, her arms crossed, clearly not convinced about letting Kiara in.
'Melusines are agile and swift swimmers. If I could ask her to go to Poisson and inform Callas and Constantine that I'm here at the Court, I could ensure a safe and sound escape from this situation.'
Tempest thought to himself before speaking.
"Yes, My Lady."
"Fine then, but if things go sideways, don't blame me! I've already had my fill of House Proudmoore's shenanigans and rudeness towards me for 500 years."
Furina said, and shortly she walked towards the door intending to let Kiara in.
"My apologies, My Lady..."
Tempest said as he lowered his head at the mention of his family.
Furina glanced at Tempest as she stood at the doorstep of her office.
'That was a bit harsh of me...'
Furina thought to herself as she opened the door, revealing Kiara standing on the doorstep outside.
"Lady Furina! You didn't change at all! Huh? Kyaa!"
Kiara glanced behind Furina and noticed Tempest sitting on the couch without his shirt. Quickly, she averted her gaze and covered her eyes.
"Kiara! It's now what you think! I swear!"
Furina waved her hands frantically in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
Kiara peeked through her hands, and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the bandages covering Tempest's body and the blood seeping through them.
"Mister Tempest!"
Kiara rushed past Furina, her face etched with worry and concern as she hurried to check on Tempest.
"Miss Kiara, we meet again."
Tempest said with a smile.
"W-What happened to you? You're bleeding! Hold on okay?!"
Kiara quickly reassured Tempest, her voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. As she scanned Furina's office, her gaze fell on a handkerchief and a pitcher. She swiftly grabbed both, pouring water into the pitcher before dampening the handkerchief to tend to Tempest's wounds.
"Lady Furina, did you give Mister Tempest, a dose of morphine?"
Kiara asked Furina, as she climbed the couch.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, yes! I did!"
Furina replied to Kiara, and she simply nodded in response.
"Please bear with me for a while, Mister Tempest."
Kiara said to Tempest.
"Thank you, Miss Kiara."
Tempest smiled at Kiara. Without hesitation, she gently began to wipe the blood from his left bicep, her touch tender and practiced. The cool dampness of the handkerchief offered a small relief from the pain, and her movements were steady and reassuring as she worked to clean his wounds.
She then grabbed a bandage at the first aid kit.
"Please lift your arm, Mister Tempest."
Tempest nodded in agreement and complied. Kiara expertly wrapped a fresh bandage around his left bicep, her movements precise and efficient.
'I guess Kiara should have been the one to find Tempest... She's tending to Tempest's wounds flawlessly...'
Furina thought to herself as she observed them quietly, feeling increasingly out of place. She scratched her neck, realizing that her presence might no longer be necessary.
"Mister Tempest, can I ask-"
"Miss Kiara, can I ask a favor?"
Tempest stopped her before she could ask where he got his wounds.
"Mm? Sure."
Kiara replied as she finished patching up his left bicep.
"Could you go to Poisson and inform Callas Caspar that Tempest Proudmoore is here in the Court? I need him to come pick me up."
Tempest explains to her his favor.
"Huh? Wouldn't it be better to wait until morning? Also, given your current condition, Mister Tempest, I suggest you stay put and not move around."
Kiara replied to her, her face full of worried.
"I have to, Miss Kiara, if my Father knows I'm here, he will be very angry at me, so please, Miss Kiara..."
Tempest pleads to her, she contemplates for a while before giving him her answer.
"Okay, I got it, Lady Furina? Can I entrust you with Mister Tempest please?"
Kiara turned her to Furina.
"Mm? Oh, sure."
Furina replied to Kiara, she then turned her head back to Tempest.
"I'll be back as soon as possible, I promise, Mister Tempest."
Kiara said with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Miss Kiara, thank you..."
Tempest said as she patted her head.
"Hehe, you're welcome, I'll be back!"
Kiara quickly rose from the couch, her expression a mix of determination and urgency. Without a word, she dashed out of the room and took the elevator, leaving Tempest alone with Furina.
"Do you still need my help?"
Furina asked Tempest.
"Please, My Lady."
Tempest replied to her, and Furina responded with a weary sigh. She then walked closer to him, with a look of concern etched on her face.
"You should've let Kiara stay a little longer to patch your wounds... In fact, Kiara should've been the one to save you on that elevator... "
Furina said as she grabbed a roll of bandages, she then knelt down and started to patch the scorched wounds on Tempest's left thigh.
"If it had been Miss Kiara, My Lady, I doubt I would have been able to convince her to stay quiet and not tell anyone. I am grateful that it was you who found me, My Lady. I was too prideful, thinking I could make it to Poisson on my own despite my condition. I probably wouldn't have survived the journey. You saved my life, and for that, I am forever indebted to you."
Tempest said to her, and in response, Furina looked up at him. A small, genuine smile formed on her face, softening her expression.
"Well, if you want to repay me, then show it by your actions once you take the position of Duke of House Proudmoore. Words are cheap, but actions speak louder than anything else."
Furina said as she finished securing the bandages around Tempest's left thigh.
"I promise you, My Lady, I swear it to the seven Archons."
Tempest declared.
'He really is different from the ones I met...'
Furina thought to herself for a moment before standing up, having finished securing the bandages on Tempest's left thigh.
"You better keep it, Tempest Proudmoore. That's an order."
Furina said, her face set in a serious expression.
"If I can kneel, I would, My Lady."
Tempest said this time he smiled.
"Oh my, you can actually smile don't you?"
Furina smirked.
"Save it for the accolade, Tempest Proudmoore."
"I shall wait, My Lady... I will wait."
Tempest said to her, and Furina nodded in response.
"Let's move on to your other wounds. I didn't realize you had a Pyro Vision, when did you receive it?"
Furina asked him, her brow furrowed with curiosity, as she began to carefully untie the bloody bandage wrapped around his right bicep.
"It's not a Pyro Vision... My Lady... It's something else..."
"Mm?"
Tempest reached out to his pocket using his left hand grabbed the Pyro Delusion, and showed it to her.
"What is that?"
Furina glanced at the object Tempest was holding between his left fingers, her hands pausing momentarily at unwrapping his bandages.
"A gift from the Fatui... A few days ago, one of their members tried to persuade me to join them. I refused, of course, as I have no desire to join people known for backstabbing others."
Tempest explained, and Furina sighed in relief upon hearing that he did not join them.
"It's called a Delusion, the opposite of a Vision. I tried to return it to her, but she told me to keep it, saying it was a 'good gesture.' It allows me to manipulate Pyro, and the way I activate it is through my hatred for my Father..."
"You must really hate your Father, huh?"
"I do, My Lady..."
Tempest replied to her, and finally, she finished unwrapping the bandages on his left bicep.
'Another bullet wound? Just how many times was he shot?'
Furina thought to herself. As she finished unwrapping the bandages, another gruesome bullet wound was revealed.
"Tempest, tell me how you- huh?"
As Furina turned her head, she saw that Tempest had fallen fast asleep, the effects of the morphine finally taking hold. His head rested on the soft cushion of the sofa, his left hand still clutching the Pyro Delusion. Furina sighed in response, a mixture of relief and concern washing over her.
"How rude..."