87 Exodus

"Please, read out loud everything from this note," Iten asked Tiana and handed her a piece of paper. She ran through the text and raised her questioning gaze back to Iten. "It doesn't make sense, I know. Just read aloud."

"Another boy closed the distance, excited and g-g-giggling," Tiana paused, fighting her voice. "However, Iness Jason kept leading her mother Nemesi, ig-g-g-noring obstacles. People quarreled restlessly, seeking the truth. Ultimately, v-v-victims w-w-were xenophobic, yapping zealots."

"I see. Only certain letters and exclusively at the beginning of the words or in the first syllable, hm. Okay, let me check you once more," said Iten thoughtfully, and then chanted:

"-Major Status!-"

"-Major Condition!-"

While Iten was going through the data, the rest of the guests exchanged worried looks. Maria Pestoni, Onuki, and Nana stood behind Iten, watching him work with an embarrassed Tiana. The admission took place inside the same room of the Rosamond Mansion, because to this moment, Maria had been keeping secret the fact that Tiana woke up.

"I can see traces of the past improper healing, and because of them, your recovery won't be complete, I'm afraid," said Iten, a pained expression distorting his face.

"Iten, please, you don't need to w-w-worry about this minor inconvenience! I'm alive because of you," she took Iten's hands and shook them, her gaze then turned to the rest of the crew and Maria, "and because of you, as w-w-well. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Please, rejoice together w-w-with me and be merry."

Onuki averted her head uncomfortably, while Nana was eyeing Tiana with her usual calm expression. Maria could no longer hold her emotions and rushed to embrace Tiana, her eyes full of tears yet again.

"I w-w-wish to thank you all properly and show how g-g-grateful I am, but I understand that it is not yet possible," continued Tiana. "But please, g-g-grant this foolish me one more request - do not be sad. Because of your skills, your relentless effort, because you risked your lives, I'm alive and w-w-well now instead of slowly w-w-withering away. I am confident to call it a g-g-great success, an astonishing achievement on your side. I promise you all to overcome this little mishap. So share my joy and start smiling already."

Under Tiana's constant nudging, the rest of the procession had given up one by one and were now smiling. They had had a small talk until Tiana finally moved to the topic everyone had tried to avoid.

"How is Orisa doing? She is overworking herself like usual, am I right?" she asked, trying to sound normal. To everyone in the room, however, Tiana's worry and sadness were obvious. She scolded herself inwardly for being selfish and unreasonable, but couldn't help it and asked about her closest friend's absence.

"She probably is," Iten let out a sigh.

"For all we know, she might be slacking off somewhere, enjoying her honeymoon," Onuki snorted and turned her gaze to Nana.

"The ways of the ex-leader are unfathomable, or so they say."

"W-w-what? Honeymoon? Ex-leader?" Tiana panicked. Her brain began to race, trying to connect the dots, but got overheated in the process.

The trio of Hounds looked at Maria with a silent question, but the maid only shook her head slowly:

"I haven't said anything yet."

"Haven't said w-w-what?!" Tiana got up from the bed, shamelessly revealing her bare legs, and grabbed Maria's shoulders. "W-w-what happened to Orisa?"

"Ahem, you see, Tiana..." Iten began with the tale of the past.

Tiana's expression had been changing through the story from sickly, then to devastated, and to infuriated, until Iten finished, and her face became a calm mask. She turned to Maria and asked:

"Did Bassa or Ramulie v-v-visit me?"

"Only their father, master Mace," Maria said solemnly.

"Did my Father attend this place at least once?"

"I'm afraid not, my Lady."

"I see."

Tiana got up from her bed, ignoring her semi-transparent short nightgown and making Iten politely turn his head away. Her posture wasn't steady yet, but she collected herself and straightened up, looking at the people in front of her.

"The situation exhausted itself, and everything became clear to me. There is no reason to try and follow promises of the past for there w-w-was no chance of fulfilling them from the start. I stop lying to myself today." She paused, eyeing the room of her childhood. Many memories, both fond and bitter, were associated with this place. "The time has come to g-g-grow up and move forward. Maria, tomorrow, I'm leaving this place. I need a few days to recover completely, and then I'm meeting my father. A talk is due."

"Yes, my Lady," answered Maria with a warm smile on her face. It was her long-standing dream to get Tiana out of her obedient shell. It came true, albeit in a horrible situation. At least, some silver lining for the event.

"After I'm done, let's move after Orisa."

"We don't know her location, Tiana. And have no means of contacting her directly. Their last letter was about moving into the wilds," said Iten apologetically.

"You don't need to w-w-worry, Iten, there is a chance her location is known to us. Let's meet in three days. I shall talk to my father, and in the meantime, Maria w-w-will explain everything to you."

---

---

A knock on the door disturbed Supreme Commander. He grimaced and put the paper he had been working on to the side, near a huge pile of similar documents. His working hours were perfectly known to assistants and guards, therefore no fool would dare to bother him without a good reason. Which, in turn, meant that it was something urgent, unpredictable, and quite possibly, troublesome. Letting out a tired sigh, he closed the seal used for stamping official documents and said:

"Yes."

Tiana entered the room and closed the door before moving closer to the giant brown working table. A shadow of a surprise crossed her father's face, but he remained silent and kept looking at his daughter that miraculously overcame death. Tiana mimicked her father and stood wordlessly, awaiting his reaction.

"Is this urgent? You know my working hours," he finally muttered.

"Does this mean your only daughter w-w-waking up from a coma isn't urgent by itself, father? Yes, I am w-w-well, more or less. Thank you for asking, father."

"What's with your voice?"

"An aftermath, I suppose. Though I understand that you expected more than just stuttering."

"So now you are not only useless but crippled as well? Another letdown for a family yet again, although I'm already used to being disappointed by you."

"Oh, indeed. How dare I did not die from such a perfect plan of yours. Sorry for being such a disappointment ag-g-gain, father."

"Talking to you is such a vexing endeavor. Is this all you have to say? I'm busy."

Supreme Commander opened the seal and stamped the document he had been reading before. After placing it on top of a smaller pile, he took another paper and began to read its contents.

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"So you aren't denying the part about w-w-wanting me dead?"

"I'm used to people muttering nonsense. Apparently, your brain was too damaged for you to continue being coherent and sane. I should call for a doctor."

"Hoh, now you are calling for doctors? That's something new, considering you haven't thought about them while I was in the coma," Tiana said and crossed her hands, studying her father's indifferent expression.

"How would you even know about that, stupid girl? Stop with your delusions and leave already."

"I'm not leaving until you overturn the conviction of Orisa."

"Who is that?"

Tiana grimaced. She was expecting something similar, but it still felt awful.

"The person sentenced for my condition."

"I see no reason to do so. The court ruled out that she was guilty, and the decision was based on the testimony of a Noble," he said calmly without getting his eyes up from the paper.

"Here is a testimony of two more Nobles saying that Ramulie lied. I talked to master Mace, and he confirmed that. Besides, her w-w-words contradict my memories, too."

"So what? I won't call a hearing because of one mental kid and a sore excuse of a Nobleman, especially for some random trash."

"Trash? I'm honestly appalled by your complete lack of shame. In one month, she did to me more than you had managed for the past sixteen years. And now you went and ruined her life for saving me."

"Which makes her the second person whose life was ruined after saving you, am I correct?" her father calmly said.

Tiana was thunderstruck. Her vision turned red, and blood became lava inside her veins. Every horrible thing that this person had done to her for the past years surfaced in her memories now. Every time she tried to follow her promise and please him but got thrown away, every time he baselessly and pointlessly insulted her, everything came rushing at her and broke the last straw of her mother's plea.

"How dare you open your rotten mouth, you sore excuse of a human being? You left your only daughter to starve to death, helpless in a situation you made yourself. It just so reeks of you, of your ug-g-gly cowardice. You couldn't even finish me by yourself, you slug. And now you brought my mother to this conversation just to g-g-get back at me. That w-w-woman honestly loved you despite you being an apogee of trash. She stayed by your side and did everything you w-w-wanted, and that's how you decided to stain her memory? How much more of a pathetic scum could you become?"

"One more word and I will disown you ungrateful, spoiled, useless brat," he muttered through his teeth.

"Don't make me laugh. You are a coward and couldn't possibly do such a thing. Just imagine how it w-w-would look in the public eyes - the Supreme Commander has disowned his only daughter that miraculously came back to life. I already see the fear in your ugly fish-like eyes. You are a loser clinging to your family name and position because you are just a lonely scared nobody w-w-without them."

"You have five seconds to leave, or I'm calling guards to throw you out." Tiana could hear the sound of his teeth gritting.

"I politely asked them to leave, so no one w-w-would answer your cry. So w-w-what's your next move? To scheme another accident because you are a spineless coward and can't do a thing by yourself?"

Supreme Commander abruptly stood up and stormed to Tiana. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted above the floor a bit, muttering through his gritted teeth:

"If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead already. There is nobody here to stop me, and I don't need guards or schemes to get rid of an insolent naive cunt."

"Try me, slug," Tiana said with a mad grin and spat in her father's face.

The man let go of his daughter's collar, and she dropped on the floor. Stepping over her as if she was a pool of dirt, he left the room after slamming the door. As her rage and adrenaline began to leave her body, Tiana's head started to spin violently. She could not believe herself and what she did just now. But at the same time, she felt so light and free, so weightless. And so clean.

After calming herself, Tiana stood up and prepared to leave, but her gaze stumbled over the father's table. Stacks of papers, documents, and clean sheets lay together with his favorite pen and the stamping seal.