Karl plucked out the crystal jammed into his flesh, wincing as the wound started gushing blood. Even though he had yet to awaken his bloodline talent, having the latent ability allowed him to use his mana to stop the bleeding.
He prompted Aurelia and their companion to follow along. They had already arranged for new steeds, so finding them was easy enough. He pushed ahead and secured the reins and climbed atop. Aurelia followed suit, but Alice hesitated at the last moment.
"We need to hurry, so if you will get astride your steed, we can leave this place faster." He spoke to the cloaked alchemist.
Alice didn't answer him, though; neither did she take the reins of her steed; instead, she looked at Aurelia with an expression of hesitation. "Actually," she began, "I don't know how to ride one of these, so..."
Although she had left the rest unsaid, Karl couldn't help but groan. He shared a look with Aurelia and moved his steed to stand beside the alchemist. "Climb aboard," he invited while sliding a few inches back.
She looked at him for a few moments, overcome by indecision. At his urging, she finally mustered up her courage and grasped his hand. With a mighty heave, she was pulled up and atop the steed.
"Alright, hold tight." Feeling his arms snake around her waist, she tensed slightly, but then their ride took off with a startling speed, and all she could think about was how fast the scenery passed beside them.
They travelled for hours upon hours that even her back was beginning to feel stiff. Subconsciously she leaned back and felt his warmth connect to hers. In any other situation she might have pulled back, acted awkwardly, and avoided notice. But as it was, she just let herself sink into the moment, feeling safety and assurance against that kindness.
When she finally saw the wall coming close, she couldn't help but blurt out, "How did we arrive at the castle without passing through the city?"
Karl smiled at her question and found amusement at how she immediately bristled after the utterance. He decided to spare her the awkwardness and answered. "The Bloodrock castle lies close to the Bloodmist Mountains, and if we wish to avoid any rumours from flying around, we usually take the back entrance."
Even though he couldn't see her face from behind, Karl could feel the tension escape her body. His answer had put her at ease, but he couldn't help but wonder what had resulted in her developing such a personality.
"I will move ahead and contact Father; you sneak through the back." Aurelia advised. "And it's best if you keep Alice hidden for now. We will come up with something for her later."
Karl nodded and watched as Aurelia sped off into the distance. He looked at his lone companion and smiled, "Well, it would seem we have to make our way back on our lonesome."
Alice didn't reply, but he could feel her tense slightly. It was more the social awkwardness than any fear of being alone with him. He kicked at his steed lightly, and they marched ahead.
Aurelia had attracted the attention, and that had left the gates unguarded. Taking advantage of the moment, he quietly slipped inside and moved through a memorised route. Due to the lack of funds, Bloodrock Castle didn't have much in terms of staff, and that was true for security also. Discounting the knight regiment, there were only enough men to guard the keep and keep watch.
Karl reined in his steed at a particular juncture and climbed down. He held out a hand and was glad that he didn't have to force her to come down as if coaxing a child. She was by no means acting immature, but the unnecessary distance she was putting between them made the task wearisome.
They moved through a secret passage and into the hallway. From there it was a brisk walk back to his room, where he promptly let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to be back home, and he stretched his limbs to work out the ache.
Removing the cloak, he tossed it aside and rummaged through his pocket. He went with a single potion into the meeting, but he always kept a spare just in case. In fact, the rest of the potions were kept in the dimensional pocket of his grimoire. He pulled the cap off one and drank it in one gulp.
A burning sensation emerged from his body but concentrated on his leg. He watched as the flesh knit itself and healed the damage. From the side, Alice watched the spectacle with wide-eyed anticipation.
"Is that...?" She trailed off while pointing at his leg.
"The potion? Yes." He spoke. "I have already discussed this with your sister, and I believe 200 a month is a reasonable amount. Will that be a problem?
Alice snorted but shook her head. "No. Although I need to see the recipe first."
"I was going to hand it to you later anyway, but here we go." He pulled open his drawer and pulled out a piece of pre-written parchment. "This details the entire preparation. The ingredients and all."
Alice took the paper and skimmed through the text. "I have heard of some of these ingredients, but never really tried them." She spoke. "Like this Crimson Heart Grass and Golden Shade Flower."
Karl smiled. "Of course everything will be provided in whatever quantity you desire. I just have a single request. Factoring in the time it would take to create these potions, I want to add another three hours in which you will have to prepare some potions for me. Again, the required items will be provided beforehand. The rest you can have for yourself."
"And how many of these Health Cross Potions do you expect me to prepare in a day?" She asked, clearly understanding the meaning behind his words.
"Not many." He spoke. "I was able to prepare eight potions in twenty minutes, and I'm not even talented at alchemy."
Alice quirked a brow and glanced at the recipe again. "If that's the case, how about 50 potions a day?"
"That will be ample enough." He replied.
As the discussion petered off, Karl stripped off his coat and hung it on the coat rack. "You can take some rest if you'd like. Or look around if you're curious? Just don't leave the room."
Alice nodded solemnly, and Karl departed the room with a soft smile adorning his face.
As he left the room, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a frown. They were ambushed by Aamon's men, so Aamon knew about his outing. At the very least he knew when he wasn't present in his castle any more.
If it hadn't been for the Blood Moon, he might've had difficulty surviving tonight, much less to say about ensuring Aurelia and Alice's safety. He sighed and shook his head. With the funds he had gotten from Ann, he could finally bring some stability to his territory. With the grimoire on his side, it was only a matter of time before he raised his strength even further. At that time, he would have his fun toying with that bastard.
He made his way to his office and nodded at the greeting extended by the men standing guard. One good thing about having a higher status was that you never had to explain your actions to those below you. This was probably the only aspect of nobility he prized.
Knocking on the door, he entered. Ronald stood alongside his daughter inside, and the two were staring right at him as he walked in.
"I heard we have a new guest." Ronald spoke. "I'm glad that you all arrived back home safely."
Karl smiled and nodded. "We were lucky."
"About Alice," Aurelia interjected, "I believe we need to create a cover story for her. If we let others know her true identity, it wouldn't end well."
"That's right." Karl nodded. "If Aamon got wind of it, he would use everything at his disposal to finish her off. Honestly, it still bothers me that High Mage Hope would let her sister move to Night Realm."
"Well, if we want to hide her," Ronald said, "we need a visible disguise. We need to make it so that she isn't seen as a threat while also not keeping her existence a secret."
"Like staff?" He proposed.
Aurelia nodded. "But of what kind?" She asked.
Ronald smiled and looked at Karl.
"What?" Karl prompted.
"I believe you haven't had a personal maid in years; isn't it about time you got one?"
"Seriously?" Karl drawled.
Aurelia adopted a difficult expression, and Ronald felt his smile widen. Karl looked between the duo and felt something amiss. Then shaking his head, he sighed, wondering how he should break the news to Alice. Would she even accept? No, she probably would. Though he might have to face her perpetual scowl the entire time she spent in Night Realm.
Ah well, he survived in negotiations with a High Mage and fought off an ambush by his enemies; surely he could ignore a venomous look. Surely.