Chapter 296 - Face Your Problems (Part Two)

I slowly entered the house. A maid welcomed me in. 

My throat was awfully dry while I was getting drenched by sweat. 

What the hell was wrong with my body?

"I will inform the master at once." The maid was about to leave. 

But that didn't matter.

What mattered was that I was here for Marg. 

"Do you know where I might find Marg?"

"I believe she is in her mother's chambers by the west terrace. Would you like to go there, first?"

This was count Melheim's house. And I was trespassing. He'd be my father-in-law soon and since he was the master of this house, I had to pay my respects to him first. 

I sure as hell wasn't going to do that though. 

"Yeah."

"Alright then, I will lead you." Her English was good but not quite perfect. The same went for her accent. But the fact that she was readily accepting what I said was proof that she recognized me quite well. "She is probably taking a bath." The maid nodded to another maid nearby and then started walking. "This way."

With this amount of sweat, I also needed a shower. 

But for the time being, I just needed to see Marg. 

***

We walked. 

And with every step, with every reverb, my heart tightened. 

I could hear my heart; I could feel my pulse. 

My breath, erratic.

Nervous- the term didn't do the feeling justice. 

I was beyond nervous. 

My chest felt odd and I wanted to crawl into a hole. 

But I had to go on. 

I just had to. 

'I have to face this. I did this!'

"We have arrived."

We were at the end of the corridor leading to a terrace. There was just one door to the right. 

I gave it a knock. 

Nothing happened and no one responded. 

A slight tingle on my chest. Very unpleasant. 

I was about to knock again- when-

"Yes?" The door swung open. "Oh, Helio! I thought you'd be coming tomorrow." It was Marg's mother. She wasn't dressed in a maid's uniform but rather a long dress. She looked far too normal: nothing extravagant. And if her expression was anything to go by, she probably didn't know about the little skit I pulled. Which was great. 

The maid bowed and left. 

I cleared my throat. "Well, I figured it was time we met face to face, you know." And yeah, I still couldn't make shit up. 

I never really liked lying. And that was because I couldn't lie. I had this bad habit of always ending up speaking the truth. And sometimes I tried to lie because of that, to gradually became able to get out of certain situations and not make them too awkward. 

But really, I couldn't. 

"Well," She paused. "Come in."

***

This was awkward. 

We were alone in the room. 

It wasn't that big of a room: some furniture here, decorations there. But it did have an attached shower. And the water was running. 

"Have some tea, or would you prefer iced tea?" Marg's mother looked over at me. 

I was drenched. I wasn't wearing anything underneath this thin shirt, so my skin was pretty much visible.

"Just tea is fine." I sat down on a wooden chair. 

The air-con was working pretty well though. The temperature was comfortable and I was feeling better: still sweating. And I had a feeling this wouldn't stop till I talked face to face with Marg. 

Marg's mother went over to the corner and boiled a kettle. She was actually similar to Marg- in terms of looks. But perhaps she was slightly taller, almost as tall as me. Her hair was longer than Marg and unlike Marg, she didn't have blue hair; rather, brown. 

"Milk? Oh yeah, you had trouble digesting milk…"

A scent was in the air. It only made me more nervous. 

"A little is fine."

I just looked around. 

There was a painting in this room, some pictures here and there. A glass vase with artificial flowers and a broken clock. No Holo. 

This did not look like a room of modern standards.

The tea was ready. 

'That was fast.'

I took a sip- it was good. 

"Though this is our first meeting, I'm not really sure what to say." I took sips. So, I ended up being a bit too honest. 

'Good going, now she'll take us for a weirdo.'

Was it me or was the shadow talking a bit too much lately?

Oh yeah, the seal…. 

"Yes, I too find myself at a loss for words." She took a seat on a chair of her own and sat in front of me. "However, there are some things I'd like to make sure. Though at this point, I suppose they don't matter."

The water stopped. 

There were no other sounds. 

This place was eerily quiet. 

"Some things?"

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "Do you love Marg?"

"Yes." There was no doubt in my mind. I didn't care what love even was, but surely it wasn't different from this. The feeling of belonging, the fear of losing her. The feeling of making her happy, being happy with her. This had to be love. 

"Do you love any other girls?" She spoke but trod carefully. 

"I can't say I haven't developed feelings for others." I didn't want to lie, not here, not again. "But they haven't gone to that stage yet. And if Marg says so, I'll stay away from everyone. Marg matters more."

She let out an exhale. "Well, you heard him, why don't you hear him out?" She looked back. 

The bathroom door swung open and Marg came out. She was dressed; her hair, still wet. 

Marg didn't say anything and just walked my way. Once she was here, she grabbed my arm and gave her mother a glance. "We'll be back."

And everything went purple. 

***

I couldn't say anything. 

More like I couldn't bring myself to.

I hadn't closed my eyes, so I could see the black things around us. 

I could see them searching through the darkness.

We'd teleported, or in the middle of teleportation. 

Marg didn't quite look at me; her gaze was at the distance. But she did grab my hand tight. 

Her scent, that familiar scent drifted. It put me at ease but at the same time, made me even more nervous. 

The purple lining cleared, and was replaced by severe light instead. 

It stung; the light was too intense. 

It was hard to keep my eyes open even when I was trying to shield my eyes with my hand. 

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was young," Marg said, her voice normal. She let go and walked ahead. 

My eyes adjusted; the pain dissipated. 

We were in the middle of a field. Grass, large soft grass that drowned my ankle like it was nothing. 

There was just one apple tree here and nothing else. 

We headed for the tree.