Yuki flinched. Startled, she looked up to see him biting his lower lip and clenching his fists—he was pained by what she said.
…What’s going on? Did I do something? Did I say too much at once?
“Yuki was executed and killed by Maruk due to my actions! Why do you even have knowledge of such a thing?! And WHY do you mock the deceased with your farce?!”
“Hey, Ain.” Gys grabbed Ain’s quivering shoulder. Ain’s face was red with fury. Yuki could only gape at him.
“…What?”
I…died?
“What in the world is your problem?! Who in Aridol are you?! Why do you know about Yuki?!”
“Because I am Yuki!”
“Please cease from speaking of such a thing! I don’t want to hear it!” Tears filled Ain’s large, black eyes. “I don’t want to remember anymore! And yet you come here and drudge up old wounds?! Who are you?! Is it fun poking at someone else’s pain and loss?!” he howled.
Yuki was dumbfounded by his angry yelling. “I’m…not dead.”
“…Are you possibly that Witch?”
“Ain, calm down! Okay?” Gys grabbed his arms and held them behind his back to stop him from rampaging inside the room. Bound in place, Ain glowered at Yuki with hate-filled eyes.
“You screwed with my memories making it take time for me to remember, but while I am a failure, I am still a Mage. I remembered. Why was I sheltered safely in the Northern Forest? Because you transported me there.”
“Wait, what?”
The lack of blood flowing to Yuki’s mind made it even harder for her to follow what Ain was going on about. So basically, Ain is confusing me with Vivi?
“Ain, you’ve got it all wr—”
Ain spoke over her, “What part do I have wrong? Then how do you explain it? You are responsible for the same crime! Why did you let Yuki die without helping her?! Why did you save me and not her?!”
Let me die?
Something felt out of place about Ain’s rage.
“Yuki was burned alive in front of my very eyes! I saw her go up in flames! Can you understand how I feel? The powerlessness of only being able to watch as a young friend is devoured by flames! The way the scent of burning flesh sticks with you and comes back every night in the form of horrific nightmares!”
Ain was under a grave, decisive misunderstanding. Yuki hadn’t been killed. As such, it was absurd for him to have seen the execution go all the way through.
“You’re wrong! Ain, listen to me!”
Ain loudly sighed. “…There is nothing for me to hear from you,” he said frostily and turned to speak to Gys over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Gys. It is unlike me to lose my head. I’m fine now. Will you release me?”
“…You sure?”
“Yeah. She may be a Witch, so you are welcome to toss her out on the streets.” Ain fixed his dark-blue cloak and tightly said, “Be grateful I’m not having you arrested. I cannot remember the details, but it is likely you saved me. This is how I will repay you.”
“Ain! Just listen to me! You have it all wrong!” Yuki protested, fighting to kick her dazed brain into thinking of a way to make him believe her.
“I haven’t the faintest idea why you have come to Adolunde, but please return to your dwelling immediately.” Ain briskly strode over to the door. “Gys, I apologize, but I am feeling unwell today. I must return home. Please handle the rest for me.”
“S-Sure…” Gys was astounded by Ain’s sudden level-headedness and stared after him as he left the room.
“Ain!” Yuki shouted at the door slammed behind him. The instant she leapt out of bed to chase him the strength left her legs and she slumped onto the ground. “Why?!”
She fought and fought to stand, but the strength wouldn’t enter her waist down. It was almost as if she were paralyzed.
Move! Move, you stupid legs! I have to hurry! I need to catch him, force him to hear me out, and make him understand that I am Yuki! And then…I need to ask him about Luca! Shouldn’t Ain know where he is and how he’s doing?
Yuki put her hands on the edge of the bed and clung to the mattress to try and pull herself up. All her yanking amounted to was pulling the blankets off the bed.
“…It’s pointless to try.” Having utterly forgotten about Gys, Yuki looked up at him in surprise. Staring at her with pity in his eyes, he walked over to where she had fallen. “That guy’s as stubborn as they come. He’s usually got his head in the clouds, but once he flips his top he becomes impossible to reason with. I haven’t seen him lose it in ages. Well, once he sleeps he’ll go back to normal though,” Gys said as he put his arms underneath Yuki’s armpits. He lifted her and sat her on the bed.
“You were out cold for three days. You went three days without eating or drinking. It’s no wonder you can’t move. You’ve got the complexion of a corpse.” Gys’ jade-green eyes searched Yuki’s. The friendliness he showed her meant he didn’t believe Ain—he neither feared nor took preemptive action toward Yuki who Ain dubbed a Witch.
“Ain said something about you being a Witch, but I’ve never heard of a Witch looking like she’s on death’s door. Well, I have to say I’m curious why you know about Ain’s affairs though.” A sharp glint reflected from his beautiful eyes. Kindness filled his tone, but his eyes pierced through her, searching for the truth.
They can doubt me all they like, but I was the victim he mourns for. I was there for the execution and the escape. How could I not know? But what good would it do her to say those things aloud? As she held her tongue, her stomach quietly gurgled. It took that sound for her to realize she was hungry.
Oh yeah, when did I last eat?
“You were out cold for three days.”
“Three days?!” she accidentally shouted when she remembered what Gys said. Gys jumped at her abrupt shout. “Wait a minute. Three days means…”
It took me three days to get here. I spent three days looking. How many days will my return take? Plus, I lost my horse. How much money do I have left?
Yuki frantically started searching for her bag. She sighed when she spotted the jute bag and quiver sitting beside the bed. Then her mind returned to ruminating over how long it would take to get to Fol without a horse. No matter how she worked her numbers, there weren’t enough days left. Traveling by horse carriage would take a week.
“…I haven’t even found any clues about Luca either…” she muttered.
This is frustrating! Why did I sleep for three straight days? Poor health is nothing more than an excuse. Resentment and guilt knotted her stomach.
“Luca? Are you talking about Prince Lucat? Prince Lucat is holed away in the castle. I heard he’s assisting Prince Orga with government affairs?”
“You did?”
“It seems like he’s buried under his workload because I haven’t seen him since his return to the capital. What do you need clues for? What are you plotting?”
Yuki was speechless.
Luca is…living normally? That fact was shocking. But Rhad told her Luca had been sleeping for months. Yuki considered the possibility of him waking up while she slept, but Gys’ tone made it sound as if he had been functioning normally all along.
Someone was manipulating and fabricating information.
But who?
Rifaenotis said he was locked somewhere like a dungeon. Rhad said he had been unconscious for months. Gys said he was assisting Orga with government affairs. Just thinking through the facts sent her fried brains into another dizzy spell. She was forced to see just how unapproachable and out of reach Luca was to someone like her.
What was true? What was false? She found herself in a vortex of thick fog. Where should she go? What should she do? She couldn’t even begin to guess.
Regardless, I have to go.
Something stirring Yuki to action kept pushing at her back. Her heart whispered she had to ride on with the tailwind directing her. In a world of lies and falsities, she had to grope around for the truth and drag it out of the grime. Putting all her strength into her hands, she shoved herself off the bed. Her blood must have started pumping again, because the numbness left her legs and they held her up.
“What are you doing?” Gys asked in a suspicious tone when she suddenly started moving. Yuki pretended not to hear him as she snatched up her jute bag, quiver, and bow.
“Ain told you to toss me onto the streets, so I will take my leave here. Thank you for your care,” she said and headed for the door. Not eating or drinking for three days led to her walking like she was a drunk, but she couldn’t waste her time on such a thing.
“Hang on! Oi! I don’t get you!”
Yuki wrapped her hand around the doorknob. It wouldn’t budge when she yanked on it, so she pressed her body against it and pushed—the door finally opened. She was astonished her stamina and energy levels had dropped so low. On the other side of the opened door stood a girl of ten with black hair and rounded green eyes. A tray of food rested on her hands. Realizing the food was for her, Yuki smiled.
“Thank you. But I don’t need food. Thank you for everything you did for me during these three days.”
The girl peered up at Yuki and gave a small nod.
Get a grip on yourself! She scolded her legs, which seemed as if they would give out on her the moment she let down her guard and made her way outside the building.
In the distance it sounded as if someone were cackling inside her head.