Chapter 82 - God Forbid

Everyone held their breaths as we waited in the dark.

"Are they coming?" someone whispered beside me. 

"Shh!" came the reply from her companion. "If you don't shut up, they'll be here faster than you can say 'Good Lawd'. Now sit still, Lily. And get off of my foot, you're crushing me."

This followed with a bit of shuffling and then an 'Ow!' After that, all went silent again. I felt a drop of sweat fall onto my bosom as I waited in the dark, hoping the glass shattering was as far as the assassins would go. There really was no knowing what God had in store for us. 

While I lay in anticipation, crouched on the floor beside a large vase, I thought about the girl who had warned me to begin with. Her voice was familiar, I know that.. But who had she been? And why the hell did she not leave when she had the chance to? 

I scratched my head in confusion, and that's when I heard the faint crunching of footsteps. Footsteps on grass. Others must've caught the barely audible sound as well because I felt the girl beside me- Lily- go rigid. The assassin, or rather, assassins, were here.

Any soft murmuring went completely dead, and everyone held their breaths, trying to flatten themselves against the walls. From my point of view, I could see no one at all. Even though the glow of the moonlight shone from the windows, the only reassurance that I was not alone came from the trembling girl beside me. 

I bit my lips, hoping the footsteps would fade away, but they kept coming nearer and near, the crunch, crunch, crunch of grass beneath their feet becoming more audible by the second. At one point, I knew they were outside the window closest to me. Well, someone was. 

I gave a shaky breath and gulped. God, I know I've been a bit dumb up till now but please don't let them come in. Please, please, please.

"Is this the right place?" The voice was gruff and low, but I could still make out the words. The people outside the window had started to talk. 

"That's what the boss told us," came another voice. "I'm sure there was an event happening here an hour ago."

"Well, it's not now, is it? Where's my hand cannon?"

A bit of shuffling and tinkling was heard. "Right here, Sid. When did you say were the rest coming?" 

"They were right behind us. I think they stopped for a water break. It's been a long journey after all. And what for? There's no selection ball like the boss told us about. What a waste of our resources."

"Calm down, Sid, let me go and check inside. What if it's just an act to throw us off? Boss's rarely wrong, y'know."

With that, a tall, lean figure hopped in through the window with commendable skill, not once touching the sharp glass edges still hanging off of the window borders. I felt like I was going to puke. Or faint. My head was spinning, as if indicating my near death. I couldn't imagine what the rest of them must be feeling, considering if they already hadn't dropped unconscious. These noble women were fragile. 

The tall man gave a look around for a while, walking comfortably into the middle of the ballroom floor. At first I had thought that he seemed dark because of the night, but the closer he came, the more I noticed that he was dressed in all black, probably to take easy cover under the night. Closer… Crap, he was coming closer! 

I gulped and made no movements, scared that he'll detect the motion despite it being barely visible. God, please. Not now. I can't die now. Not after I've went above and beyond to save myself in the first place. 

"You were right, Sid, it's empty in here," the figure turned back and hopped back outside through the same window he had used to come inside. "But it's strange, isn't it? I could've sworn I heard people talking about the ball on our way here. Could it be that the murderer anticipated our arrival?"

Sid chuckled. "He may have been smart enough to kill the heir and get away with it, but I don't think he knew we would cross the border just to complete the dirty deed. Sadly, I'll have to say you might be right." There was a slight pause. "Oh, look. Here comes Klyn. OI, KLYN! MISSION FAILURE!" 

"Whaaat!" came a faint reply, way away from the Plaza. 

"MISSION FAILURE!" Sid called again. "Gosh, he's as deaf as a rock. Shall we return then?"

"Alright," the other guy replied. As they left together, I heard him ask, "Where we staying tonight?"

"An old favorite inn of mine. It's far, but we won't regret it. Gather the men!"

They must've joined up with Klyn because we heard a new voice. Soon, the seemingly innocent chatters faded into the distance, till they were no more. 

I waited a few more moments, just in case they had been playing a trick on us and some of their men were still outside, hiding. But after ten minutes, it seemed like they had gone for good.

"It's safe," I called out as I slid out of my spot, my throat dry and scratchy. "We can get up now."

Slowly, but reluctantly, girls in crumpled ball gowns emerged from the darkness. Some fell about, faint, while some clutched others in their arms to soothe them of the trauma. There were sniffs and sobs all over. 

"Ashli!" someone called for my name. It was Haziel.

"I'm here!" I called back, but before my sentence had even finished, she came running into my arm. "Oof, easy there." I smiled fondly. "Are you okay?"

As soon as she knew I wasn't going anywhere, she burst into tears. 

"Easy, easy.... It's okay, they're gone now."

She blubbered, "I was so scared! Oh, I was so scared!" She gasped and wheezed in my arms, proving how fragile she really was. I patted her head softly. 

"It's okay now," I said calmly, sighing a sigh of relief. Then I turned to the crowd. "Shall we all head home, then? Go out one by one, and stay cautious of your surroundings, and you'll be back in no time."

✿

"So how was it?" Sven asked. He had returned exactly one and a half hours after he had dropped me off, with the same carriage (believe it or not). 

"How was what?"

"The ball! Did you have a good time?" I could tell he was curious by the way he leaned forward in his seat, his eyes wide. "Did he choose a bride, then?"

I shrugged. If I say 'yes', he'll ask me who it is and I'd have no answer. If I said 'no', he'd ask me why and I'd still have no answer. It's not like I could tell him about the assassins; he'd burst. 

"And why is there glass in your hair?" he asked as he removed something from my head. I flinched away from him and he stared at me, alarmed. "What?"

"N-Nothing," I uttered, my voice an awkward croak. "And um, it's not glass." What do I say!? "Small pieces of confetti, maybe."

He tilted his head in clear disbelief, but decided to stay silent. There was a sudden bump in our ride and I held onto my seat. 

"So who did he decide to marry?"

I chuckled. "Why so interested?"

He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Selection balls are a rare occurrence. So I'm curious if he got anything good out of it."

I strained a wrinkle on my dress, worried that Mama would think I ruined her dress. "I think I was in the restroom while he proposed. So I don't know."

"What??" he scoffed, disappointed. "What rotten luck. Anyways, we've got some visitors back home."

I looked up. "Visitors?"

Sven nodded. "That's right. Just thought I'd give you a head's up. It's some old customer she used to know in her inn days. He decided to turn up with a few of his friends out of the blue, saying he came all this way just to meet her again. Mama couldn't refuse letting them in."

I frowned. Something in what he said seemed suspicious to me, but I couldn't point at it. 

"How many people?"

"Six," he replied.

I scowled. "Six? But there are only five free rooms."

Sven muttered something under his breath.

"What?"

"Mama says we'll have to share."

I tilted my head, puzzled. "Share what?"

He sighed and looked me in the eye. I pulled my face back, suddenly afraid. "Rooms. We'll have to share for the night."

I guffawed, appalled. "You're kidding." He firmly shook his head. "You're not kidding? Well, hell! I've got dibs on the bed."

He frowned. "Aren't you... Aren't you disturbed by that?"

I shook my head. "Why would I be? We're friends. Sharing for one night won't be so bad. You'll just have to sleep on the floorboards, with all the creepy crawlies."

He sighed and put a hand over his eyes, putting his head back. "The creepy crawlies are the least of my worries..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

I looked at him for a minute, and then my thoughts instantly returned to my unlucky night. Oh, how could I ever have known that the seemingly nice Marquess Parr Huxley would turn out to be a murderer. God forbid. I sighed heavily and Sven removed his hand from his face, worried. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" 

"Yep!" I exclaimed extra cheerfully. "After this long night, I can't wait to get back and have a peaceful night."

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I couldn't have been more wrong.