Chapter 52 - The Cat That Ran Away (2)

Chapter 52 – The Cat That Ran Away (2)

Lila’s eyes widened. This was too sudden. “I… I don’t know how to summon a ring,” she said nervously.

“Ring is something you summon on your own,” he explained, “Try once, perhaps it will come to you.”

Lila was anxious. It had taken Hir eight whole years to summon three rings in the original novel, and that too with enormous help from Hizette, Roxana and Lugar. There was no way she could summon it here instantly. Lila tried to put some force and direct her concentration on her grip. Nothing happened.

“Try directing your aura at the end of the gun,” he instructed.

“Au… aura?” stuttered Lila. His explanations were useless. It made no sense to her.

“How about shooting like last time?” he asked, sensing her difficulty.

“It won’t work,” she said dejectedly.

“It’s alright,” he assured her, “Just try it once, okay?”

Lila nodded and pointed the pistol. She prepared her posture and took a stance. Her posture was perfect despite the limitation of her vision in the darkness. “So, do I just shoot?” asked Lila. She prepared and took an aim at a tree far away. There were no bullets inside the pistol, so she didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. As she pulled it, she felt something warm swarming from her wrist, her nerves were on edge. With a loud bang, a golden light shot out of the mouth of the barrel.

“Brilliant!” exclaimed Lacias. “Truly remarkable!”

Lila looked at the golden ring, stunned. It had shot out of the barrel of the gun, severed the tree and returned to her. Lila looked down at her palms, unable to articulate the amazement she felt.

*

Lila was anxiously pacing in her room. She had a bad feeling. She sat down at her desk to write and address the cards. She had many questions, but one kept her awake at night. She wondered how things were going so smoothly when she had interfered in the original work. She had even summoned a ring when only a hundred people could manage such a feat in the entire empire. She felt that this was only a momentary quiet before a raging storm.

Lila’s worries were interrupted when the door to her room flew open. Jane entered hurriedly, her face flushed. “What’s the matter, Jane?” asked Lila, lowering her quill.

“Madame, the emperor is here,” said Jane nervously.

“What?!” exclaimed Lila. She got up from her desk, pushed Jane out of the way and hurried through the hallway. She could hear a man calling her name. When she reached the living room, she found Enrique, the Emperor of the Ahibalt Empire.

Lila bowed her head. “I greet the sun of the empire,” she said, respectfully.

“Your greetings bore me,” he said, looking around the living room, “I have come to escort you.”

“Had you sent a messenger, I would have visited the palace, your majesty,” said Lila, “saving you the trouble of travelling all the way here.” Lila hesitated a moment. “Escort me where exactly?” she asked.

Lila spoke indifferently but maintained the proper etiquette for addressing him as the Emperor. Enrique ruffled his gold hair, smiled and walked towards her. He stared at her intently. “Say meow,” he commanded in a silly voice.

Lila stiffened. She looked at him coldly. Even the emperor did not have the right to humiliate a woman who would become a duchess. However, Enrique was the vilest scum of the empire. He popped up occasionally to bother Lacias and Hir. He was also a shadow who used contaminated rings. He was the nastiest villain who ever existed.

“You remind me of my cat that ran away a few years ago,” he laughed, “We can finally solve that problem now.”

Lila was scouring her memories on reading about this villain. She wondered if he and Madame Marshmell knew each other. It was never mentioned in the original work.

“You are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you,” he said.

“I don’t—,” she began but was interrupted as he grabbed her and flung her over his shoulders. “Hey, let me go,” she shouted, “I can walk by myself.”

“No, kitten,” he said mockingly. Lila squirmed to get out of his grip, but Enrique held on to her tightly. He walked through the hallway with her on his shoulder. Jane covered her mouth in stunned silence as he passed by. He didn’t seem to care about that at all.

“I came here today to abduct you,” he said scornfully, tutting his lips. He narrowed his eyes and laughed maniacally.