Chapter 32: The flow of time. (2)

Chapter 32: The flow of time. (2)

"A maid?"

Alice raised her head from the book her nose was buried in, her head tilting curiously. She was happy that Gabriel had come back earlier than usual on his day off, but slight caught off-guard by the topic he brought up.

"Correct. I was wandering through the town when I found someone who could become a new maid for you. She has three brothers she has to raise so she is desperate for a job, I have already given her an offer, you simply need to meet her and decide for yourself."

Gabriel had returned straight away after meeting with Teresa. He would have liked it if he could bring her straight here, but it wasn’t as if he could just bring four strangers into the duke’s estate so he would have to bring Alice out to meet her instead.

"Okay! I don’t think I need anyone other than you, but if you recommend them then I’ll trust them."

Alice snapped the book shut, when it came to reading about the duchy’s history or taking an outing with Gabriel, it wasn’t hard for her to choose which one she preferred. Thus, she quickly packed away the books, and after Gabriel helped her change into something more fitting for venturing into the city, they headed out.

"This is a ‘stall’ isn’t it? One of those street vendors that sell cheap food?"

"Oh, I read about places like this! This is a ‘bar’ right? They sell alcohol, and for the right price, some of the waitresses will accompany you for the night, right?"

"I read about this clothing store. They’ve been in business for almost 200 years and have even provided dresses for the Imperial Family. I’d like to buy us clothes here one day if we get the chance."

"That street, Gabriel! One of the books I read said that streets that look like that always house the so-called Red Light District for prostitutes, is that true?"

"That! That right there, Gabriel! I want to buy and taste that!"

Alice was like a kid on a school-trip as they strode through the city, stopping or pointing at everything she found interesting. She’d rarely ever gotten the chance to leave the estate so this could very well be the first time she got to visit the city and just walk around as she pleased.

Some of the things she spoke of made him question just what the Earhart Empire was putting in their history books, but she clammed up when he questioned her.

"You said I can’t lie to friends, so I’m going to be quiet instead!"

He couldn’t well protest against that statement, seeing as he was the one to use it against her first. As such, he could only keep listening to her until the entered the slums and reached Teresa’s house.

"It’s me."

He knocked on the door, a few muffled sounds coming from beyond shortly after.

"Just enter, my hands are full."

Teresa’s voice came from inside so Gabriel pushed open the door and led Alice in. Teresa was currently sat on the ground with her back facing them, two of her younger brothers sitting obediently in front of her. Gabriel could just barely see that she was struggling with her last brother, a kid barely more than an infant. She was wrapping his leg in some of the bandages but he was kicking fiercely to stop her.

"Do you... Need some help?"

Alice seemed unable to stop herself from asking when she saw Teresa wriggle about as she struggled. The girl trying to patch up her brother stiffened when Alice spoke up, Gabriel could practically see the gears in her head turning before she spun around and hurriedly lowered her head.

"My Lady! Forgive me, I... I didn’t know that you had also arrived."

Her head was lowered, both arms trying to calm down the struggling infant. She knew her position well. Gabriel had brought food and medicine that she could use, but it was only because he wanted her to be the maid of this lady. If she failed to acquire that position then this one time gift would remain that and her brothers’ situation would return to what it usually was.

"Should we not... bandage him before we talk?"

Gabriel could hear Alice swallow down the stutter that almost spilled out. She’d been like this when he first accepted being her knight as well, it seemed like she was just weak to people giving her any semblance of respect or goodwill.

"I don’t know how to bandage, but I can hold him while you do it, that should make it easier."

She sat down on the wooden floor in front of Teresa as she spoke, placing her hands carefully on the small child so that it couldn’t kick as wildly as before. Teresa lit up at the aid, but she still cast a somewhat uncertain sideways glance at both Alice and Gabriel. But then again, she wasn’t in a position where she could push aside an outstretched hand, no matter the intentions.

"Then... Please. He hurt his knees when he tried to crawl across the floor so I need to bandage them so that he doesn’t aggravate them later on."

She quickly picked up the bandages she discarded as she spun around and got to work again, rolling up cut open potato sack the infant used as clothing. His knees really were scraped up, a few splinters still stuck in the shredded skin. She got to work plucking out the splinters while Alice held the child’s legs, her eyes sweeping across the rough wooden floor.

"Gabriel said that you were willing to become my maid?"

Her eyes continued to sweep about as she spoke. The pile of cloth, the lack of any kitchen or toilet, the bed that was basically just a bundle of dried grass. Alice now considered her prior life poor, but at least she always had a bed to sleep on.

"If you will have me."

Teresa didn’t reject or refuse, but she also didn’t raise her head, completely focused on the crying little child that was trying to wriggle out of their grasps. Gabriel had already stepped past the two of them and was distracting Teresa’s two other brothers so that they didn’t poke their heads into the mess. Luckily, Nergal was so small that kids like them would easily be distracted by him.

"I have to tell you, but I don’t have a good position in my house, I’m basically being ignored. Gabriel... Is the only one who takes care of me. I can’t give you much even if you come."

Alice didn’t want to hide it. She may have gotten a title promised for the future, but her current situation in the duke’s estate wasn’t much better. In essence, she was treated as if she wasn’t there, neither good nor bad.

"Anything is better than nothing."

Teresa almost scoffed. Right now she had to fight just to get some scraps for her brothers, and even that was only barely enough because of how small they were. Once they grew a little, once the hunger started getting to her... She didn’t want to think about what she would have to do to feed them at that time. So, even if Gabriel’s offer was more than just suspicious, even if she would have to serve the blackest sheep in the world, she would accept the outstretched hand.

"Then... Gabriel, we’ll need to prepare more rooms for the four of them."

Alice made up her mind. Teresa was suffering. Alice had suffered. Gabriel had suffered. But Alice reached out to Gabriel and Gabriel reached out to Alice, and together she felt like they could make up for the hurt. Now... Now she would perhaps be able to reach out to someone else and do the same.

He climbed partly down the ladder and dragged the floorboards back into place before he descended all the way down. A stone hallway stretched out in front of him, dim lamps leading the way to a wooden door. He placed his hand on the handle of the sword that hung at his side, his other hand already starting to trace a spell.

"Alright then."

He strode forward until he reached the door, a few hushed sounds already reaching him from the other side. They quickly quieted down as he pushed down the handle and opened the door, several pairs of eyes landing on him.

"Good afternoon gentlemen."

He spoke politely to the men already in the room, the corners of his lips naturally curving up. A wooden table with some papers and a few candle, several chairs, a cabinet, and seven men lounging around. They were already looking at him by the time he opened the door, and as he greeted them they all sprung into action.

Five of them drew crossbows while the last two grabbed the papers on the table and hurriedly brought them towards the candles. But Gabriel was already prepared.

"Karas Lagu Haral." (Darkness Bind Them.)

The shadows that stretched through the room elongated at his command, stretching out from the corners of the room like tentacles as they wrapped around the men. Some were pulled back and held against the wall as the tendrils slithered across them while others fell to the floor, the tentacles coiling around their every limb so that they couldn’t move.

"You should have burned the papers the moment someone touched the handle outside of the planned meeting time."

Gabriel unsheathed his sword as he spoke and moved forward, stopping in front of one of the two men that had tried to burn the papers. He stabbed the tip of the blade into the wrist of one of them, nailing his arm to the table so that his grip would loosen. He snatched up the papers and repeated the process on the other bound man, gathering all the papers into a neat stack before he skimmed them.

"Really, if you’re gonna plan something like this at least do it in a better spot. This is just too shabby."

He couldn’t help but scoff as he looked at the papers. They were planning to assassinate the Vritara duke, or at least Marion if they failed to get to the duke. He wanted to laugh as he read the plans and saw the location. When he last assassinated a duke he certainly didn’t... When he last... When he last... He lost the thought and his mind felt blank for a moment.

"Gwahh!"

A scream from one of the bound men dragged him back to reality, his previous thought completely gone from his mind as he turned his head.

"Ey! No! Spit him out!"

He quickly hopped away from the table and kicked Nergal, who had at some point come out and was now in the process of swallowing one of the bound men. It was still extremely small so it just looked comical, a squid-like creature with a maw filled with circular rows of teeth opening its mouth wider than its entire body as it worked on pushing a grown man down its throat. It was using its tentacles to force him down, his legs up to his knees already within Nergal’s mouth.

Nergal’s entire body jiggled when Gabriel kicked him, but he couldn’t feel the presence of the man’s legs even though he should technically have hit them in that kick. Nergal’s eyes moved across its body so that they could look straight at Gabriel, turning as round as saucers as it tried to give him the puppy eyes.

"No, spit him out. It’s supposed to look as if they turned on each other, how is it supposed to look like that if you just eat them all!?"

He crouched down and hit Nergal on the head. Yes, he did come here to kill these people, but he had a use for their bodies so he couldn’t just let Nergal eat them as he pleased. The little creature continued to give him the puppy eyes, but seeing the unrelenting gaze that greeted him he could only spit out the man. But even so, Gabriel had to rub his forehead.

"Oh for god’s... The legs as well, Nergal."

Nergal had indeed spat out the man, but the parts below his knees, or rather up to halfway up his thighs at this point, did not join the rest of the body out. He was bleeding heavily as a result and probably wouldn’t even life for another minute. Nergal’s eyes became downwards facing crescents and he spat out the rest of the man, but looking at what came out Gabriel could only sigh.

"I swear to... If they’re gonna be like this then you may as well just eat him. Fuck man... Just don’t touch the rest of them."

The legs that were spat out were completely shredded, torn to bits. It was as if Nergal’s circular jaws worked like saws. There was no way Gabriel could disguise this as sword wounds so he may as well just get rid of the body entirely.

Nergal let out a happy buzz, but since it sounded like a swarm of flies around rotting meat it was probably only Gabriel who could see it as happy buzzing. He raised his sword and pierced through the man’s chest before Nergal got to work, closing the door so that the baron who would be showing up later wouldn’t see things before it was too late.

"Right then, gentlemen. Please put on some adequate expressions, I would prefer it if my Lady wasn’t too shocked when she finds you."

Gabriel brandished his sword as he spoke, Nergal already chowing down on the meal he was given. Gabriel didn’t notice it because it was rather minor, but he could breathe a bit more easily after Nergal finished indulging in his snack.

————

"Is it already the last day?"

Alice sat up from the bed with a groggy expression, turning her gaze to the window. She could just barely see glimpses of the city in the distance, a myriad of fresh colours decorating it.

A festival to pray for good luck in the Crown Princess’ magic affinity test was taking place across the empire. Alice had missed the first and second day because of studying, but the third and last day she had some time off.

"Correct, the test itself will take place in the evening to mark the end. Afterwards, the festival will continue for another week."

Teresa stood in the room, pouring a cup of tea for Alice to help her wake up. She sipped the warm drink and savoured it in a relaxed manner, clapping her cheeks a few times after she finished the cup.

"Alrighty, up we go. Gabriel, what dress do you want me to wear?"

She hopped out of bed after she properly woke up and turned to Gabriel, who was also in the room. She held her arms out towards him so that he could remove her nightgown. Teresa was technically her maid, but Alice always forced Gabriel to help her change.

"I went with the red one, the one decorated with black lace roses."

Occasionally, Alice forced him to choose what she would wear, that was especially the case on days where they would venture into the city. He had no clue about fashion and the like so he just picked things he liked, and the dress he went with for today was a slightly darker red one with black lace roses beneath her bosom and black lace along the hem of the skirt, which went to her knees. It covered her shoulders and front, some of the lace crawling up her throat to finish the dress. She was after all not even 10 yet so it had to be quite modest.

"Red and black... Red and black... Got it!"

Alice muttered to herself for a bit before stretching out her arms again, gesturing for Gabriel to help her put on the dress now that he helped her undress. As had become habit, he did as she asked and helped her into the dress, offering his hand with a slight curve of his lips.

"Well then, my Lady. Shall we go and explore the festival?"