Chapter 41 - Death

Geraldine looked up and down from where she's currently standing and tried to think of any reasons as to why she ended up on the forest ground.

"Don't tell me I fall from the top of that mountain... down here," She cocked her head to the side as she imagined how painful it was if that really happened and worst, she could have died but she's still alive, even if she's feeling her muscles screaming for rest, it was not enough to determine that she really fall.

"Ah, thinking about it won't do me good as for now, I should focus on going back home and increasing my poison intake as I have babies to feed," She looked at the eggs as well as the glowing light, "It must be your servants huh," she said as she crunched down and touched the lights when it entered her body and disappeared.

She remained calm and prevent herself from panicking. Geraldine gather the eggs and carefully place them on the empty bags she prepared beforehand to contain them and to keep them away from prying eyes, after all, it wasn't just a small egg, like the eggs of the chicken, it was way bigger and taller.

Mounting her horse, she left the area to go back home while chewing the poison tablets as her candy. She has lost count by the number of days that she has been away from home and got worried if something happened to Alexjin and his mother while she was away.

Geraldine couldn't help but pause for a while and thought about how she can keep the poisonous butterfly eggs as a secret from them as she didn't want them to know about what she's doing and didn't want them to mingle with her affairs.

She knows that Alexjin will ask about it and she knows that he won't stop knowing what it is even though she'll dismiss the topic.

"Ah, sh*t, that kid is also a pain in the @ss," She cracked her neck to release some tension and took out the documents she found in the cave.

"Let's see if we could find something useful here," She said and flip out the papers to search for something that could gather her attention.

"Red Lights," She read the title of the document and that made her look into her arms where the red glowing lights disappeared.

She put the rest of the documents back in her bag and securing them tightly. Making herself comfortable riding her horse, she reads every word from the documents to make sure that she understands it all without missing a single word.

"So these lights are really the one who feeds the eggs to sustain it with food, they're the protector. They are also the ones who will choose to whom they'll serve," What she read made her eyebrows raised, "The master can command them in exchange for poison blood and if that person can no longer give them what they need, they will devour the master."

Geraldine knows about the poisonous butterflies eating the master if it could no longer provide for them but there are no documents about the red glowing lights.

"Hmm, since the eggs haven't been hatch yet, let's try you instead," Geraldine extends her hands up and thinks about what shall be her first command.

"Bring me a rabbit and make sure it's alive," After she finished her command, the red lights came out of her hand and went to the different location in search of a rabbit and it didn't take long before a group of lights came back to her while holding the rabbit in a cage. 

They dropped it on her thighs before vanishing in the thin air again. Geraldine was shocked and speechless for a couple of minutes before she grabbed the rabbit by the ears and released it into the forest.

She didn't want to kill nor eat the rabbit meat, after all, she has food with her and she just wanted to see how the red light will follow her commands.

Feeling satisfied with her accomplishments, Geraldine took an early rest by the lake as she washed away the dirt on her hair. It smelled bad and some of her hair are sticking together like glue and it was hard to untangle it without breaking some of her hair strands.

When she was done, she dried her hair and watch the clear sky, "I wonder when will I ever go out and enjoy the sun again without troubling about the future," She mumbled as she leaned on the tree trunk.

***

It took her three days before she reached the entrance of the forest of her home. It was noontime and she's sure that Alexjin and his mother are at the store but she won't take any chances.

Stopping her horse, she patted the ground to look for the secret window of her basement and when she did, she opened it carefully.

Then she took out the three eggs and command the red lights to put them on the bed she created before and ask them to take care of the eggs while she was gone. 

After she confirmed that the eggs are safe and sound, she rides her horse towards the stables and lets him rest. Geraldine took out her things and hide the important documents that were on her bag inside her cloak.

Geraldine went to the back door and carefully stepped inside to see that it was indeed empty which makes her sigh to release her nervousness. She doesn't know why she needs to be nervous when she's the owner of that house and their master too.

Closing the door silently, Geraldine makes her way towards her room and hides the documents inside the secret drawer of her bed. She also changed her clothes into clean ones after she showered.

She also checked the house if something changes but it was still the same, even cleaner than when she was there before but what caught her attention if the glass on the floor.

"Hmm," She put the glass on the sink and decided to rest in the living room, even stretching her legs on the table as she felt comfortable being alone at that moment.

But then, she just couldn't sleep nor even take a nap. Her instinct is telling her to go to the store and because she has a strong instinct, she followed it with a groan of tiredness. 

"I just want to take a rest!" She stumps her feet in annoyance and grabbed her fan to cover her face.

She took a shortcut towards the store and saw that it was still full of people, "Ah great, good for business," She nodded her head in satisfaction and was about to go away when Alexjin came out of the door with her mother on his arms.

"HELP PLEASE!" 

Alexjin was shouting desperately while the other nobles are stepping away from them as Aurelie's mouth is fuming with bubbles and it makes the other feel disgusted.

No one dared to help them and just turn their heads to the side as if they see nothing. This makes Geraldine rushed towards them, making Alexjin shocked to see his master finally by his side.

"Master!!! My mother!" He screamed which makes Geraldine stopped in her tracks as people might know who she really is if she walked further.

Alexjin also realizes his mistake and took a step back as Geraldine tried to blend in with the crowd.

He went back inside the store and locked the door so that nobody could go and see what's going on inside. Geraldine also sneaks around and went inside through the back door of the store.

"Alexjin!"

She called for his name when she saw him crying over to his mother's chest.

"Ma - master! Yo - you're back! I thought you'll never come back to us anymore," He wipes away his tears as Geraldine looked at him as if he was a kid.

"I never go back to my words Alexjin, you should remember that," She patted Alexjin's head to calm him down and look at Aurelie.

"What happened to your mother?" Geraldine asked as she wipes away the saliva on Aurelie's mouth.

"Well, nothing much happened today, it was just like normal days in the store except when she ate something that leads her to what she was now," Alexjin said as she tried to remember in detail.

"What did she eat? Can you show me?" Geraldine smiled at him, "Don't worry, It will be okay."

Alexjin nodded and stands up to find the food that her mother ate and while he was busy doing so, Geraldine is transferring some of her mana to Aurelie to help her ease the pain she felt without the knowledge of Alexjin.

"Alexjin, bowl some water and make some medical tea for your mother," Geraldine called out but Alexjin only looked at her with a confused look. 

"Why does my mother need to drink tea?.... She's dead."