Chapter 332: Impostor

Even though the time the two groups spent away from each other didn't seem too long in reality, to them, however, it felt like an eternity. 

For the next couple of minutes, only the silent sobbing of both girls was the only noise that disturbed the ensuing silence. On one side, the royal siblings, Drake and Scarlet were happy they were once again reunited, both of them looking at the other with eyes full of bliss and appreciation.  After the surprise attack, they were now hugging with adoration and happiness to be reunited once more.

"Brother! Thank god you are safe and sound!" The fiery red-haired woman's muffled voice could be heard. She slowly raised her head, looking her silver-haired brother in the eye for a brief moment, before a slight frown emerged on her woeful face. She lightly punched her brother's chest with her clenched right hand.

"You jerk!" She exclaimed, in a hurtful tone, continuing her rhythmic attacks without any pause. "Why did you have to do something so incredibly stupid and get yourself captured?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

Drake did not dare to resist, he merely attempted to raise his arms, trying to defend himself through his words.

"I am sorry, okay?" He started with an apology. "I wasn't expecting them to be so strong… You know we had to investigate."

His words did not manage to soothe the maiden's troubled heart, instead, it just irked her ire even further. She continued punching his chest, this time using both of her small fists.

"You idiot! What would have happened if Aiden and his friends wouldn't have been there as well? Did you even think about that? You would have died and I… I would have been…"

Before Scarlet could finish, Drake put her hand over her mouth, abruptly silencing her. With watery eyes, she looked at her brother with a hurtful glare but did not attempt to break free from him. 

"I am sorry. I was an idiot, that I am fully aware. I had the time to think things through, whilst I was escaping. I will not do something like that ever again, you have my word." This time he did not try to argue with the girl, he responded honestly, with a woeful look on his face.

A small smile began to stretch and show itself, transforming the sad, grief-filled look into one of emerging determination. His eyes cleared, it looked straight into her sister's teary eyes as he remade his promise.

"Remember, my dear sister. We are still missing our two brothers. I will not rest until we are all reunited and get back to father and make him pay for all the suffering he had caused regardless of his intent. He made you all suffer and that has to be paid back in full."

Listening to his brother, the hurtful look slowly vanished from Scarlet's face, in its place, the seed of hope and happiness began to emerge. She looked at her brother's determined expression for a while longer before she replanted herself in his chest and resumed to let out all of her grief with the silent sobbing.

While the siblings were busy in their own little world, on the other side the purple-haired leader of the guild's examiners and the daughter of the mysterious Masked Mistress couldn't hold back her erupting emotions. For the first time in a while, her girlish side returned with newfound strength, dominating over her stoic, trained, emotionless side. She sobbed and cried with relief just like an average girl would when her loved one returned from a particularly difficult battle.

"Uhm… Calm down Sarah, it's okay. Nothing bad happened." Although he regained his memories and wasn't that dense and oblivious to matters with the other sex, Aiden was still having trouble handling the situation. 

He understood that she must have been worried about him, and now that they were back together, both of them were relieved. However, so far, he merely looked at her as nothing more than a true friend, something similar to how he thought about Cole his first teammate, and to be honest, Drake. 

Even as the brunt amazon, Naybeah kind of forced her love on him, he was mostly shocked and stunned than anything else. 

Still, he couldn't deny that it warmed his heart to feel so cared for by another person. To be special to another being, to be worried about, and looking forward to being meeting with… Aiden couldn't deny that it did move him a little.

Eventually, he sighed, and hugged the sobbing woman's back, gently caressing her trembling back.

"There… there…" He muttered so only she could hear his words.

"Mmpfgh!" Muffled, incomprehensible mumblings were thrown back as a response, Sarah was still not ready for a separation, she needed to feel him slightly more. 

Aiden simply smiled that remained hidden behind his black mask, and just continued to caress the girl's back in silence, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

Meanwhile, Galina was looking embarrassed, not sure of what to do with herself. She felt troubled, as not just the friend, but even the Young Master was suddenly attacked by a woman. However, these ambushes weren't aimed to hurt or damage them, instead, they were the results of their aching hearts' desperate desires.

She was standing, fidgeting in her place, feeling completely out of place. Not daring to look at anybody. She only stole fleeting glances at her Young Master, hoping, wishing for some guidance.

At the other side of the study room, the famed Mistress, stood calmly, looking at the heart-warming scene without interrupting. However, her interest was way too piqued when she spotted the look of the third figure. Despite Galina's best efforts, there was no hiding from the nigh-omniscient gaze of this enigmatic woman.

Eventually, her interest reached a peak, she decided to speak up and putting a temporary halt to this reunion. 

"Apologies for intruding on your heartfelt scene, but I just can't contain myself any longer." She spoke up with a gleeful tone, causing all eyes to turn on her. 

She pointed at the third, lone cloaked feminine-looking figure, and asked with great curiosity. 

"Care to tell me, just who is she?" As she spoke, she flicked her fingers, causing a small gust of wind to breeze through the room, and throw her hood behind her back, revealing a shocking sight.

Scarlet almost fell to the floor in shock when she saw herself, or to be more precise, another version of her standing and looking at her! What was going on?!

"W-who are you?! Why do you look like me?!" She exclaimed with a heightened, agitated tone. She jumped away from her brother, her right hand was already holding the borrowed dagger. 

"Speak up, before I gut you!" She groveled. 

Sarah, whilst not jumping to an attacking stance immediately like the princess understandably did, also looked at the stranger with stoic coldness. 

Galina's eyes were darting between the two women and her Young Master, asking for him to step in and help before the situation would further spiral out of control. She couldn't respond, she could only understand their words through the connection she had with him. 

She could only raise her hands in front of herself, trying to motion for the girls to calm down, and that she meant no threat.

Whilst this was going on, Aiden was watching silently. He wanted to see how Galina would handle the situation first before jumping in. However, when she saw the scowl appearing on the real Scarlet's face and saw her getting ready to lounge at his cute little servant, he decided to put an end to this charade and stepped in.

"Relax, Scarlet, she means no harm. Hold your hands, do not attack her, she is with me!" He spoke calmly, stepping in between the two.

"Stand aside Aiden, this is an impostor!" Scarlet, however, wasn't ready to give in, she exclaimed, waving her dagger in the air, warning the boy to not stand in her way. 

Seeing this, Drake couldn't hold it any further either and stepped forward to assist his friends. 

"Sis, calm down. She is really with us. She is looking like this only because of an item!" 

This seemed to surprise not just the girls but even the Mistress as well. With interest, she asked.

"What magic item? How is it capable of creating such a stunning, life-like replica of the girl? Just what did you use? May I see it?"

"Enough!" Getting annoyed by the situation, Aiden flared up. The dark slits of his mask emitted a bright golden glow, his shout filled the room, startling everyone present, including the Masked Lady herself.

"She is with me, and she is staying. No, she will not take off the item, and if anybody has an issue with it, he or she can come to me!" He roared with anger, not giving any space for further debate. 

Then he turned to look at his servant. He gently rubbed the right cheek with the back of his left hand and warmly whispered.

"Don't worry Galina, nobody will hurt you as long as I am here…"