Sophie looked up at Vyce, with a truly unsettling feeling about Lunetta’s birth now brewing within her.
Vyce snorted. “She ain’t just tied to ’em. She’s the second princess.”
“I see...” Azuello replied. “’Twas some hundred years ago that I last spoke to humans from that kingdom. They were arrogant and brazen—they thought themselves the greatest in all the land. Is that still the case even now?”
“Well, I’m not in any position to talk. I ain’t some shining example of humanity myself,” Vyce said, and Sophie heard a snapping sound.
Wondering what the sound had been, Sophie looked at Vyce’s long fingers and froze. Vyce had crushed the porcelain teacup he had been holding. Tea was dripping down from the black gloves that he wore.
“I can’t stand those bastards,” Vyce said. His voice was cold and low, steeped in what was almost certainly rage.
Sophie practically heard a blustery wind tear through her heart at Vyce’s icy tone.
His anger was palpable and tense, so much so that Sophie could hardly breathe—only for a nonchalant voice to interrupt.
“Oh wow...” Livio started, taking his time and then some. “Aren’t your hands burning?”
“I got gloves on, don’t I?”
“If you say so!” Livio said, tossing Vyce a cloth, which he caught, sighing. “Don’t worry. I’m not planning on asking.”
“And I ain’t planning on blabbin’ even if you did!” Vyce bit back.
“Is that so?” Livio asked. The conversation felt relaxed now, stripped of its pressure.
Sophie gave a sigh of relief, only to find a hand gripping her own from beside her. The hand was big and warm, rugged and firm on the underside.
Sophie glanced up at Livio, greeted by a kind, beaming smile. Whaaa? Jeez, I like him! Sophie felt like her heart was being squeeeeezed so tightly it might very well burst.
M-My heart! While Sophie was quietly in the middle of an internal uproar, in front of her, Azuello stood on his hind legs and looked up at Vyce as he wiped his hand.
On that note, Vyce’s hand seemed to be just fine, despite the fact that he’d crushed the teacup, and he didn’t show any signs of taking off his gloves. Wow.
“The picture thou doth imagine is likely the same as my own.”
“Feels good knowing we’ve got a god on our side,” Vyce replied with a sarcastic laugh, looking terribly displeased.
Whatever that “picture” or whatnot was, it was probably something far less than pleasant. Sophie remembered the look on Lunetta’s face—a look she’d never wanted to see—and the rose-colored interior of her brain to grow cold all at once.
If she could, she hoped to see many different expressions and looks from Lunetta. She wanted to see her face colored with the shades of all sorts of different emotions. But that look on her face—that wasn’t what Sophie wanted to see. She wanted to see Lunetta beam with a grin from ear to ear or watch her blush beside Vyce. She didn’t want to see her sad or in pain. And just which one of you put that look on her face, huh? Come on out!
“To think Lunetta would make that sort of face, it’s...” Sophie whispered.
“Yeah,” Vyce said, lifting his head. Sure enough, his own face was marked by the same old familiar wrinkle running across his brow. “Only thing is, it’s unusual for her expression to show how she’s feeling. Prolly a good thing she at least learned to make a face like that.” He gave a breathy laugh. Even being generous, he looked terrifying. It didn’t matter what Vyce did—he always managed to seem coarse.
So just what was it then? Why did the tone of his voice and the look on his face seem kind somehow? Vyce was the type to look out for others or get angry on their behalf, so Sophie was glad to know that he was right there by Lunetta’s side. And what about Sophie herself? Just what could she do for Lunetta? Sophie thought of the woman’s small frame with her back turned away, and her chest tightened with pain.
She looked at the ground, only to hear Livio’s bright voice stroke her ears.
“Then we’ll just look on the bright side.”
Livio squeezed Sophie’s hand. He was kind. That’s right—he’s been kind ever since I met him. This whole time he’s been so kind and bright, and he’s always been there when I’ve needed him. Perhaps that was why Sophie herself wanted to pass on that kindness—to be kind to Lunetta. It came as a bit of a surprise to discover this within herself.
Almost like I’m just a normal person, Sophie thought, looking up at Livio’s profile, as perfectly shaped as a statue’s.
“So now we know that our unknown miscreant is presumably a magician from Magyck who’s picking fights with gods. Both Azuello and you, Sir Vyce, have an idea of what he might be planning as well. In other words, we’re better off now than when we had no idea who we were up against.”
Just like the broadsword he wielded, Livio cleaved through the unpleasant air that had settled upon the group in one clean slash.
Vyce gave a long sigh. “I guess. Settin’ those monsters free back in town was probably just an experiment for him. We just happened to stumble across it. You sayin’ we should count ourselves lucky?” Vyce laughed, only for Livio to nod.
“Yup. And based on what I’ve observed, it seems you and Lady Lunetta have some sort of unsavory tie to this, correct? If that’s the case, then there’s only one thing to do.”
“You’re right...”