Chapter 246 - A Vague Promise

[Author's note: Just like before, to avoid confusion I will keep referring to the Original Seri as such. Our Seri will be referred to as Seri or Leia depending on the context. Furthermore, this chapter is in third person since our Seri is too drunk to narrate.]

Seri looked at Gilyn still in a drunken stupor, "You know who I am?"

"I do."

"Since when?"

"Since the moment you walked into the bar."

Seri scratched her head in confusion, "But how? I completely hid my identity. Not even my hair was showing this time."

Gilyn answered calmly, "I won't forget the color of eyes belonging to the one who caused many of my fellow men to die."

Seri clicked her tongue as she muttered to herself, "Guess I also need to wear contacts."

Gilyn ignored her, "I know that you snuck in to the City that day. There is no way my men would be asleep at the gate nor are they lax on letting pale skins in without trouble. However, the King still killed them because of what you said."

Seri scratched her cheek guiltily, "It's not that I wanted the King to kill them… I really didn't think he would do that. Don't bosses either fire workers or make them do exercises as punishment?" 

She stopped as she realized something. She pointed at him accusatorily, "Hey! You just admitted to giving pale skins trouble entering the city!"

He pushed her finger out of his face apathetically, "Have you forgot we are at war? If we just let pale skins in without trouble then we will be destroyed by the inside."

Seri sized him up with a frown, "I guess that means you're a loyal dog."

Gilyn took a step towards her, "In the bar you mentioned your objective. What exactly were you talking about?"

She looked at him with a sly smile, "This is precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. However, you walked out before I could say anything."

The Original Seri was standing next to her listening to their conversation. However, she felt her nervous tick begin to start. She looked at Seri nervously, "L-Leia… Y-You shouldn't t-tell him-"

Seri just waved her off casually, "I'm not too concerned. Did you forget? I'm immortal!"

The Original Seri felt that if she had a body, her soul would certainly be leaving it at that moment. She shouted quickly, "You aren't immortal!! How many times have you died or almost died?! YOU STILL BELIEVE YOU ARE IMMORTAL AFTER ALL THAT?!"

Gilyn didn't hear their conversation and spoke up, "I don't care about your delusions. Tell me what I want to know. What is your objective?"

His figure towered over Seri's, but in her drunken state she didn't feel threatened or afraid. The liquid courage had done it's job properly. Perhaps too properly.

She gave him a wink, "To kill the King and overthrow the current- URK!"

Before Seri could finish her sentence, Gilyn had grabbed her throat and hoisted her up in the air. She clawed at his hands while kicking her feet. The Original Seri began to panic as she helplessly watched Gilyn choke her. 

Gilyn's face was expressionless, but his dark eyes held traces of evil. Evil that had been placed in his heart from countless wars and those who died at his hands. His voice was threatening, "Conspiring to kill a King and overthrow the royal family is punishable by immediate death."

Even though Seri's face was turning red, she still did not seem to be that concerned. She struggled to talk, "Bet! The bet!"

His grip loosened upon hearing this. 

Seri took advantage of the loosened grip to continue talking. She spoke quickly with a raspy voice, "I won the arm-wrestling competition! Since I won the bet, that means you must listen to what I say and not punish me whatsoever!"

Gilyn released his grip and Seri plunged to the ground coughing and gagging while holding her bruised throat. Gilyn stared down at her, "Why exactly would you think to tell me this?"

Seri picked up her head wincing from the tightness of her own throat, "Because I need your help."

Gilyn scoffed in irritation, "Ridiculous. I am the head of the royal army. I would never listen to such dribble."

He turned to leave, but she shouted promptly, "Don't forget! The bet said you had to listen to me!" 

Gilyn stopped in his tracks. Even though he still believed Seri cheated, he knew that she still beat him. 

Seri noticed him hesitate and spoke, "I need you to help me. The Palace gates remain close unless the leader opens them. I need you to open the gates when the people come for the King. I also need you to stand down and not kill any of the insurgents. I can guarantee your army's safety, but only if they do not try to hurt any of the people."

He spoke over his shoulder, "And why should I do that? You are from the Imperial Kingdom. It is obvious your goal is to create discord and chaos. You plan on destroying the Sanki Kingdom from the inside in order to win the war for your own Kingdom!"

Seri snickered, "It's true that I want my Kingdom to win the war, but that's not the complete story. If the Imperial Kingdom wins, what will your Kingdom become? Will it be destroyed? Will it be oppressed? It won't. But can you say the same about the Imperial Kingdom if the Sanki Kingdom won? I seem to recall this war started because the Sanki people were greedy. They wanted more. They wanted more land. More material possessions."

Gilyn turned to her with furious eyes, "Don't speak about things you know nothing about!"

She smiled mockingly at him, "Then tell me why. Why exactly the Sanki Kingdom went to war with the Imperial Kingdom?"

"It's because we wanted-" Gilyn paused without finishing his sentence.

Seri finished it for him, "It was because you wanted what the Imperial Kingdom had. It's no secret the poor were starving and suffering. You could have just traded with the Imperial Kingdom for the things you needed. However, instead of trying to work with the Imperial Kingdom, your King decided it was best to start a war."

"This wouldn't have happened if the Imperial Kingdom hadn't broken off the trade agreement and refused to even help us out with a glass of water!"

"Oh? But why would they suddenly just break the trade agreement? It was because your King ordered your men to go and forcibly take over the neighboring villages belonging to the Imperial Kingdom! There you looted, burned, murdered, and raped innocent people! Those people didn't care what Kingdom they belonged to; they only cared about surviving. So are you really surprised that the Imperial Kingdom retaliated against the Sanki Kingdom?!"

Faced with the truth, Gilyn couldn't speak. He knew better than anyone about the horrors that went on at the occupied villages. Those who did manage to survive, sought revenge on the Sanki people. It was one of the reasons the tensions were high in the Imperial City. The Sanki guards didn't trust the pale skins, and the pale skins didn't trust the guards.

He spoke with conviction, "This war must still be fought."

"This war is pointless and you know it!" Seri took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she looked at Gilyn with determined eyes, "In war, it isn't just the army that suffers. The poor men and women starve and watch as their own children die before their eyes. They are unable to do anything. They have no voice in this war. If you allowed them to speak, they would tell you that they have no interest in fighting this war. So, let me ask you this: Are you loyal to the King or to the people?"

Gilyn clenched his fists, "I am loyal to both."

He turned to leave the alley. Before he left, he heard Seri click her tongue. Her voice was filled with disappointment, "I guess you are loyal to the King then."

Gilyn hesitated. He muttered, "I will consider your plan, but I promise nothing." 

Seri was left alone in the dark alley with her head still spinning from the alcohol. She sighed, "The Sanki people really are rather an obstinate bunch."

The Original Seri looked at her in surprise, "Seri. How did you know all of that about the trade agreement and the state of affairs in the Sanki Kingdom?"

Seri scratched her cheek, "I am not sure how I even knew all of that. I guess I really was paying attention during class."

"No." The Original Seri spoke next to her, "You were asleep the entire time."

Seri tapped her chin, "Could it have been hypnopedia?"

"What does that mean?"

"Learning while you are asleep."

"…"

The Original Seri could only shake her head in disappointment. When she had first met Seri as Leia, she had found her domineering and impulsive. Yet, she was so lonesome that the Original Seri pitied her. 

However, when Leia became Seri, she soon realized that her initial assessment was wrong. She was selfish, but she was also kind and soft-hearted. The only times she showed the darkness in her heart was when someone antagonized her too far or they messed with someone she loved.

Thus, the Original Seri came to admire her. Leia was not only strong-willed but could also get things done. The original Seri found herself appreciating Leia's sense of morality. However…

She also gave Seri too much credit.

A wicked grin spread across Seri's face, "Say… How about I show you what it feels like to be truly alive?"