Chapter 101 - Blinded By Sympathy

[Back at what was once Ogden Cove]

Hector did not take the news of Sidmund's demise well.

"What do you mean he's dead?" Hector bellowed in a blind rage. "He can't be dead! Sid's much stronger than that!"

"Calm down, boy," Mama hissed as she pointed a finger at him. "You want to bring all the neighbors to my door? I'd rather you not, considering all the bodies in my house at the moment." Then she turned to me. "Ashli, is Klyn up?"

I shrugged. "I'll go check."

Hastily, I retreated from Room#2 and creaked open the door to the first room before peeking in. At once, I came face to face with Klyn, his black eyes peering down at me. Furtively, I scanned his body and realized that his wounds had indeed vanished as we expected. 

But how was he taking the news?

"Um, hi," I said awkwardly. Gosh. "All healed up? M-Mama's asking for you in the other room."

He made no movements, except for narrowing his eyes at me in a strange, eerie way. I looked away, instantly intimidated. Then he opened his door wide and thudded past me while I stood there, rooted to my spot. I peered to my right just long enough to catch him stepping through the doorway of Room#2. 

"Gosh, is it just me or does he seem a little psychotic?" I mumbled under my breath before gathering up my nerves again and following his lead.

With his face held in his palms, Hector sat upon the bloodied bedsheet, where he had first lay wriggling in unbearable pain. I looked from him to Mama who was relaying something to Klyn in hushed tones as she stood with him near a corner.

"...passed away..." I heard her say. 

Carefully, I sat beside Hector where the bedsheet was clean and stared at the floor in thought. Should I talk to him? Would it make it any better for him if I do? I mean, several close friends of his just died. And not one, but three! I can't even begin to imagine the immense grief he was going through. 

"Are you alright?" I asked softly. 

At my words, I felt him flinch beside him, but he didn't say anything.

I took a deep breath. "I'm really, really, really, really sorry for your loss. He was a good guy." Believe it or not, I was being genuine. Apart from the fact that he had literally been an assassin, he really had been a good guy. He gave me the middle-aged uncle vibes, and even though he had been an assassin, I think it was for a good cause in his point of view after all. 

Maquess Huxley killed his brother, for God's sake! And for what? Just the title of duke? Could one be any more petty? A brother! I can't ever imagine doing something like that to Juwon. Never in a million years.

I shouldn't have thought about Juwon. 

Now I felt homesick. 

With a huge sigh, I stared sadly at the uneven edges of the floorboards, suddenly feeling as if another part of my heart had been chipped away. Hector shuffled beside me, and I noticed that he had lowered his hands from his face.

"Sid was one of the best men I ever knew." He blinked at his palms, likely searching for his vanished wounds. "He was a leader, y'know?"

I smiled. "I could tell."

He nodded. "Yeah. I remember when we had just started out as trainees. He always spent the most time in the training room. Usually, Sid was the last to leave and the first one to enter in the morning. We were all in awe of him, since we had never seen a man so efficient. Naturally, he was chosen as commander of one of the many squadrons formed after one of our monthly evaluation tests. I remember being ecstatic when he took me on his team." 

I hadn't known he was someone so many people looked up to. I glanced at Hector, who seemed to be dissolved in his past memories.

"Then the accident happened," he said, his voice cracking in the middle. "We were sparring, as usual, and I don't know what happened that day but somehow I missed and my sword cut him right over his eye. It had been a wooden sword, but judging by his blood dripping wound, I might have swung too hard."

I shuddered, remembering the scar that ran down the length of his cheek and travelled up to his forehead. I thought it looked really cool, almost heroic. But if he had had it in the modern times, I'm sure he wouldn't have shown it off with pride. 

"What happened then?" I whispered.

Hector grunted and rubbed his face with his healed palms. "'M not sure if you could tell, but he went blind in that one eye. Even then, he had dealt with it like a strong man. He never flinched or raved on and on at me about it. One look at the blood and he slowly made his way to the nurse's room."

Slowly, I nodded. Honestly? I was in awe. Even the seemingly worst of men could be dealing with their own issues. Then I remembered something. 

"Wait, he was blind in one eye?" I exclaimed in surprise. "But his eyes seemed perfectly normal."

Hector chuckled bitterly. "Do you know about glass eyes?"

I nodded uncertainly. "I've heard of them."

He interlaced his fingers as he stared at the floor. "Yes, he had one of those. After all, the enemy shouldn't find out about what we lack, or else it gives them the upper hand on us. Remember that."

I frowned. Was I being mentored by an assassin? 

"Anyways," he grunted, "it didn't matter. Eye or no eye, he was still the best commander we ever had. Too bad..." He gulped. "Too bad he's dead now. Sh*t!"

He slapped the wooden frame of the bed, startling me.

"Sorry," he murmured as he avoided my gaze. "I just- It's hard, y'know?" 

I nodded. No words were spoken between us after that, but I knew he felt much better after talking about it. Somewhere in between our conversation, I had noticed Mama watching us from the corner of my eyes. Our conversation finally ended, she came up to us.

"Y'all done?" she asked bluntly, her hands going to her hips.

I sighed, turning to her. "Yep. Are you done with your conversation with him?" I pointed my chin at Klyn who still stood near the corner, his back to us.

Mama nodded. "He doesn't seem to be taking it too well."

"You know even when he has yet to say something about it?"

Mama shrugged. "Yes. Just look at the state of him. Looks like someone told him his wife died at sea." 

We all turned to look, and indeed, he did seem grieved. With his shoulders slumped and his head bent low, one could easily tell that he was not gleeful. My hands trailed down to his fists, which clenched and unclenched. 

"Are we really going to turn them out now?" I whispered to Mama, worried about both of theirs' states of mind. 

Mama tapped her foot on the floor, staring at Klyn's back. "They might kill themselves."

"Mama!"

She frowned. "Shh. I don't want my place to reek like a slaughterhouse, but I guess throwing them on the pavement would be a bit harsh. Let's let them stay for one night. Oi, Hector!" Mama turned to him as he flinched. "One night's worth of a stay is all I can offer right now. Take it or get out with those friends of yours."

Hector winced at the word 'friends'. 

"Then, we hope to not trouble you for the rest of the night," he murmured.

Mama scoffed. "You can't, not anymore than you have already. I'll send over some new bedsheets. Both of you will stay in the rooms you chose. Lassie," Mama turned to me, and I stood to command, "you'll stay in the room next to your previous one, considering the fact that there's a dead man lying on your floor."

I nodded, furtively cringing at her blunt way of talking. I sure do hope this night goes well…

✿

[Meanwhile, at the Palace]

Night time approached rapidly, and before Yvonne knew it, it was time to attend the reception. 

"Ruby or blue?" Stace asked as she raised two dresses hung on wooden hangers up in her hands. Yvonne studied both the dresses, carefully considering each of them.

"Wouldn't red look bad with my hair?" Yvonne asked as her eyes swept over the breath-taking dress. It was sleeveless, with a shiny skirt overlaid with black tulle. The heart-shaped neckline was decorated with a rose lace pattern that went down the front in a thin streak. Black sequins were attached all over. 

Yvonne adored that dress, and had been keeping it safe for a notable event. But deep down, she had always known that her flaming hair would ruin the look of it.

The other choice- a silk blue dress with a mermaid style bottom- was far too inappropriate, considering that this was a formal event. Yvonne sighed as she sat on her bed, her eyes darting between her two options.

"Ruby it is," Stace said decisively and stuffed the blue dress in her wardrobe. "You know you're dying to wear it, hon."

Yvonne frowned. Was she being too obvious about her feelings?

"But won't it clash with my hair color?" Yvonne asked worriedly. 

Stace tutted. "Again with that nonsense? You're going to look a gem, don't worry! I won't let you leave this room until I make sure of it.." Stace lay the dress neatly on the bed beside Yvonne and then put her fists on her hips. "Now strip!"