Chapter 81 - Shattered

Should I just go and hide myself somewhere?

What had I just done?

Kill me.

"Um..." I mumbled, hearing the sounds of my own heartbeat. 

How had all the shrieks just stopped? I had just called out once, for goodness' sake, not knowing what would happen. But now that I had everyone's attention, maybe I could help the situation.

I could avoid us confronting the assassins.

"Listen up, everybody," I bellowed, my voice penetrating through the hall.. "Nobody will fret over what I'm about to say. Unfortunately, it has come to my notice that there are assassins in the area, which is precisely why the ball was cut short."

All of a sudden, a flood of murmurs spread through the crowd. Even though I couldn't see anybody, I could just tell how worried they were.

"Again, not to worry!" I assured, not knowing how to go about the matter. As I spoke, somewhere inside me, I knew I was being stupid. I knew I couldn't save anybody. What if the girl had just been talking bollocks? There was no knowing if I was making a fool of myself, but then how else would someone explain the event being shut down like this? It was a suspicious matter, indeed. 

"Alright, listen to me!" I called again as the low murmurs evolved into loud mutters. Again, I had everyone's attention. "Though I'm not much better than you all, I've devised a plan to save us all from the assassins. Here's what we do..."

Quickly, I told my plan while everyone listened silently. When I finished, the scrutinizing silence hung amongst us all. 

"Why should we trust you on this?" someone called from the crowd. It was a high pitched voice and very irritating. "How do we know if you're telling the truth?"

"Yeah!" others joined in. "How do we know if you're not lying?"

I stood on the platform, wringing my hands. I had expected it, in truth. Even I wouldn't have believed myself if I was in their place. I mean, assassins at a ball? Who would've ever expected?

"It's true, there's no way to prove that I'm truthful," I sighed. "But what have you all got to lose if we go through with this?" 

There was a silence of consideration.

Then someone decided to speak up again. "But what if-" 

I think that's when it happened. The shattering glass dispersed everywhere. Window after window exploded with the most ear shattering sound I had ever heard. Fear-filled screams filled the hall as the broken glass rained on the crowd, tearing through their skin in the process. Even though I was standing in the middle of the room, I felt glass fall on my head and with the speed it came charging at me, I felt the warm blood flowing down my cheek before I even felt the pain.

"We're under attack!" someone screamed. If I had thought all hell had broken loose before, this was a totally different level of hell.

"Everyone, calm down!" I tried to diffuse the situation. "We must remain silent so that they would think the building's empty! Everyone…!" But my calls were of no avail. Everyone was running around, screaming mindlessly. The shattered glass on the floor must be hurting those women who lost their shoes, I thought. Exploding the windows, huh? It really was a flashy way to announce their arrival. 

"SILENT!" I bellowed and the screams stopped at once, though there were a few sobs coming from somewhere within the crowd. Now that everyone was afraid and vulnerable, would my words hold more weight? "First step of our plan: We do not speak! At all! Make the enemy oblivious of your presence. Come on, everyone, hide under the shelter of the shadows."

It was as if my words were magic. As soon as I shut my mouth, people were on their feet. I could tell since I heard the shuffling of feet. The amazing thing was that nobody said a word as shade from the moonlight was sought. With the windows broken, the moon shone its light inside more readily than before, and everyone came to be visible. Patiently, I waited while everyone was well hidden and jumped down from the platform. 

"Alright, good going, ladies," I called quietly, so as not to raise the assassins' suspicions. "Everybody's comfortable?"

There were several mumbles of 'yes'.

"Okay, now we lie in wait, hoping that the assassins would leave just as quickly as they arrived."

"What if they decide to snoop around?" a girl with a gentle, scared voice murmured. 

"They're not here for us," I said, determined. "They still think that the Marquess is inside the Plaza. We must prove he's not. Maybe then they'll leave us alone."

Somewhere, someone scoffed. I turned, alert. 

"You're not really planning to sit and have tea with them, are you?" the girl spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "They're assassins! They won't listen to reason when they're annihilating all of us! Did you see how they blasted the windows-"

"I know!" I cut in before she got any more hysterical. "What else can we do but hope? If you want, you're welcome to walk out the door right now. Go on."

We all knew what that meant. It was a suicide mission. Walking out the door meant running straight into the assassins' hands, and apparently, nobody was willing to risk that.

"Then do we just leave it to luck?" someone whispered. 

"I guess so," someone else replied. 

A heavy silence fell on everyone. I know that I had somehow made a motivational speech or whatever, but in truth, I was not confident in my words at all. At all! I could die tonight. Everyone here could die tonight. Only the future holds the anticipated turnout to that. And I sure do hope it's in favor of us.

That bastard, Marquess Huxley!

✿

Amice's funeral was a small one, not even coming in comparison to the Crown Princess's grand departure. 

As Reynard stood on the dry grass, wearing his blackest coat, no words could have described the anguish he felt over the loss of his dear mother. 

The grave was patchy and unshaped, the dome not looking quite like a dome. Reynard had paid instead of his father for the funeral proceedings, with the only attenders being him, his father, Rosa, Aunt Faustine and her kids. Everyone wore similar expressions on their faces, twisted with grief and pain, except Cael who had no idea what was going on.

The funeral attenders prayed for the well-being of the deceased's soul and for it to protect them in their lives. 

"Are you alright, dear?" Faustine asked sadly as she patted Reynard on the back. "Want some hot milk back at my place?"

"Thank you, Aunty. I'm okay," he replied limply.

Faustine looked at his face worriedly. "It's only been one day and you look so weak, hon. You need some food in you. And would you look at those eye bags? Are you getting sleep at all?"

Reynard didn't reply to any of those questions, for he was too tired. 

"I'll manage, Aunty," he murmured as he turned away in fear that his face would crumple again. 

Rosa overheard them talking and came over after praying over her mother's grave. 

"I'm looking after him, Aunt Tina, so you've got nothing to worry about." She smiled, her porcelain face looking bare and whiter than usual. The color had vanished. "I'll make sure to feed him night and day. I'll sing him lullabies like mother used to sing in case he won't sleep, too."

Faustine smiled and patted Rosa as well. "Don't be too hard on yourself, love. If you can't handle all the work, call me over anytime."

Rosa frowned. "Who'll take care of Cael, then?"

Faustine shrugged, not really worried. "That's what I birthed Lennard for."

"Hey!" Lennard called from afar.

"Shut up, Lennard."

Rosa chuckled and Faustine smiled tenderly, happy that not all was lost. She was just as grieved by Amice's death as her children, but she knew that in the afterlife, there would be a very special someone waiting to greet Amice in her arms.

"Take care of her, Lissy, won't you?" she whispered to the skies. 

"Let's leave, everybody!" Simon called everyone. "And no talking in the cemetery; we must never disturb the dead."

"Psshh, yeah," Lennard muttered as he walked beside Reynard with his hands in his pockets. "He's the one yelling here. Seriously, your dad's so weird. I was shocked to see him after all these years. He looks nothing like he did a couple years ago."

Reynard didn't respond in any way as he walked down the stone path and out the cemetery gate. Lennard looked at him and frowned, nudging him with his shoulder.

"Cheer up, mate!" he said lightly. "It all goes uphill from here."

"Mm."

Lennard sighed. "I've lost a father, remember? I know what you feel, Reyn, believe me. Come on, I'll treat you to some grilled fish. You like that, right?"

"Mm."

Both of them went one way while Faustine insisted on accompanying Rosa to their house.

"Let me help clean," she said as she walked alongside Rosa. Her father was way up ahead with Cael on his shoulders. "And let's all have dinner together. Maybe that'll help cheer everybody up."

"Thank you, Aunt Tina. Really, you're a godsend."

Faustine laughed and told happy stories about her academy life with her two friends all the way home. It was a bittersweet funeral, but it was soon to be forgotten, for time heals all wounds. At least, that's what they all hoped for.