Chapter 40 - Under One Condition (1)

Chapter 40 – Under One Condition (1)

Everyone in the hall stood as still as a statue. None of them could believe that Lacias was acting this way towards anyone, mine as well another woman. Lugar, who had been drinking tons of wine at the bar, spurted out his drink when he first heard the way that Lacias spoke to Mrs. Marshmell. He turned towards the fellow knight sitting next to him.

“Uh … Roxana. Do we have to call Dr. Michelle? I think he’s cursed!”

He waited about a minute for a response but Roxana just sat there with a blank expression. “Hey, Roxana?” He started shaking her back and forth and he still got no reaction.

Oh no! Roxana’s even worse! She’s not reacting to me shaking her! What’s happening!

“Roxana! Are you alright! Did you faint?”

Her eyes finally returned to reality and she held Lugar’s arms so tightly that he stopped. “Shut up! My head just hurts.”

Before Lugar could say something stupid again, she swiftly knocked his chin up and quickly turned to Lacias with her full attention.. Although most of what came out of Lugar’s mouth was mindless words, she thought about one thing that he said.

Do I really have to call Dr. Michelle?

Lacias was completely out of character in their eyes. They have never seen him show any signs of affection towards anyone. Even his own mother. They really thought he had been cursed. On the other hand. Lila saw this attitude as completely ordinary.

“Ok I’m sorry to make you anxious-” She was about to give him the answer that he so longed for. However, something in the corner of her vision caught her attention. “Oh! Uhh … but there is something else that needs my attention at the moment,” she said, stopping her comforting voice so suddenly.

Lacias felt more irritated than ever. He spun towards her again the moment she stopped talking to him. Why must so many things be more important than consoling me? It was a thought that kept coming back to him.

“How much more do I have to do to get a yes?” He said, trying to smile but the smile was clearly emotionless.

“You’re doing enough,” she said nonchalantly. More than enough, actually. But I have to focus on our goal.

“Then, why-”

She cut him off quickly. “Hiln Senior has come.” Lila said, pointing with her eyes at the man who had just entered the room, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Lacias frowned a bit when he looked in his direction, instead of being happy at that moment he would get his mines back. He considered the weightage of the two and bit back a sigh before nodding to Lila.

“Ok then, ten minutes.”

“Right.” She nodded back and they both went into the balcony. Hiln Senior was busy greeting guests so he didn’t notice their movements. She knew that she couldn’t stay inside in plain sight any longer.

Lila bit her lip at the breeze of cold air. “It’s a bit dark.”

Lacias held the railing. “I like it.” She could see his smile but not that clearly. Imagining the rest of his smile strangely comforted her.

“Hm, maybe you can see well but I can’t.”

He leaned on the barrier and looked downwards. “No, I just like the dark.”

There were a couple of small sofas on a more hidden side of the balcony with canapes and a Caprese Salad laying on a compact glass table, as to be ready for some guests to take their seats here.

Lacias saw her sitting down on the sofa and walked towards her calmly scratching his head, trying to act like he had known the sofa was there the entire time. He noticed her  holding herself from the cold weather and swiftly took off his coat.

“Here, have this.”

Like a prince in shining armor he dramatically came to her rescue and covered her arms in his coat. She on the other didn’t even acknowledge his act. Instead opting for a simple nod of thanks and starting a new topic when he sat down on the other side.

“Why were you late today?”

He sighed to himself and silently wished that she would give him more attention for his efforts. “I had work.”

Lila waited for a moment and when she noticed that he was silent she prompted him to elaborate. “You did? What kind?”

“I was looking for something, but my knights came back empty-handed.”

Although he expected her to ask what that ‘something’ was, she didn’t. Little did he know that she was aware of what he was searching for already. At this point in the story Lila remembered that he sent off Lugar and Hizette to search for traces of shadows. So she needn’t ask him anymore on the topic.