Chapter 40: Pounding Heart
Lily spread a mat for us and simultaneously taught Hilda the process of smoothing the mat, including lessons on the perfect locations for setting up picnics.
Steam oozed from the top of the redhead, but it was for her sake-
She had to learn and improve-
...Who am I kidding? This is vengeance for all the times she hit me.
Half of the reason I requested a picnic may or may not have been because I wanted to watch Hilda suffer.
Something about it feels good-
...
Ahem!
Opening my mouth, I received a cheese and 'tomato' sandwich from the small gap I opened below my mask. I call it 'tomato' for convenience, but its real name is ciletro. It is this world's version of a tomato, except bigger, juicier, and slightly more sour with a deeper red colour.
...Enjoying Esme's handfeeding.
...Watching a pretty pond.
...And using Hilda's suffering as entertainment.
What a lovely day.
Unfortunately, the aurora was soon to set within the next four hours. Considering the journey back to the palace, including the fact that we'd leave at an earlier time to ensure a return before night-time...
I have two and a half hours to get to the clinic for information gathering purposes.
Periodically glancing at the clock tower, I vaguely passed hints along to Esme and Lily; not Hilda, she's a hopeless case 99% of the time.
If she spotted me staring at that clock tower, I'd bet half my remaining life span she'd say something along the lines of: [Oh~! Do you like clocks?! Have you never seen a clock before?! Or! Or! Is there a super secret lab hidden inside?!]
...Something like that sounds about right.
Poke.
A finger stabbed my side.
"Little dummy~ Little dummy~" Hilda whispered into my ear.
Oh no, she noticed-
"...Are you okay?"
...?
"What are yo- Cough!"
Hilda quickly covered me with her body, "Shh... Quiet. Blood is coming out from under your mask."
Then, she turned and spread her arms wide-
"Lady Esme! Lily! Can I jump in the pond?!" Sparing no time, she rushed past the bewildered girls and towards the water. Her hair blasted in the wind, and the flowing breeze created by her rattled the other girls' hair.
With a hopeless face, Lily stood up and said, "Stop, you stupid girl!" She ran after her with all the strength she could muster in her two thin legs.
Esme, giggling, watched over from the mat with curled eyes.
...While right behind them...
Swoosh.
The mat whipped in the winds, deleting all traces of the girl who had been sitting there moments ago.
-----
Ohdear.
...
Whatwasitagain?
...
Rightthistimeit'smyheart.
Releasing the mask from my face, I laid it to rest on the counter.
In return, I received the vile reflection of this creature.
Its mouth cracked open:
"76,204,549."
It was increasing, countlessly, endlessly, over time;
The number never stopped rising.
Ba-dump.
This creature's petite heart pounded with voracious anger, rupturing portions of the muscle encapsulating it.
Facing this life-ending threat, this creature placed its mouth over the sink and-
Blurgh!
-it released heaps of thick, sticky Cursed blood.
Splattering the white sink, it stained the edges and struggled to filter through the drain. Its viscosity almost ruined the creature's plan, forcing it to twist the tap open and release the floodgates.
Once the water came in contact with the Cursed blood, a flurry of sizzling noises hissed across the enclosed bathroom.
While this occurred, the creature hastily patched up the holes in its heart with streams of Curses. The binding of burning, freezing, tearing and crying molecules flooded her nervous system with pain.
Familiar pain.
Releasing the remaining blood, it wiped its lips; splashed its face with water, and neatly cleaned the stains.
It could not allow for any remnants.
...Sticky, pitchy, darkness clung onto the creature's soul.
Its brain sank deep into the thousands of sealed memories, plunging grimly into the abyss of its past.
Yet, even so, the creature took a deep breath.
Gurgling cold water, it spat out the faintly red liquid and promptly hopped off the stool.
With its reflection nowhere to be found, I picked up the mask, attached it back on, and took my exit.
There was no reason to linger any longer; Esme and Lily may find it suspicious were I to take too long.
Thud.
Stepping out, a head smacked face-first into my chest, again.
"Not again!"
A vaguely familiar woman's voice crackled through the silence and into my ears.
The head that smacked into me was also familiar, a head of brown hair...
"...It's you again."
Nervously lifting his head, the little boy, Leon, was it? He crept back and slammed into his mother's embrace instead.
"Ugh... Sorry, little lady...?" The mother belatedly realised I was the same person as last time.
Rubbing the back of Leon's head, "Did my Leon hurt you again? I'm sorry." Putting on her motherly voice, she stared at my eyes with a very familiar...
A very warm...
Peaceful...
"Yes, mother."
The robot responded without hesitation, repeating its lines mechanically.
"Oh? Did you mistake me for your mom, little lady?" Chuckling, she pushed Leon's back, "Go on to the toilet, Leon."
Nodding, Leon scurried past me with a flushed face and into the bathroom.
Left with the mother and the baby in her arms, the little creature waited. It couldn't move till mother told it to-
...
But the voices came to her rescue, awakening her from this state.
"Sorry."
Rushing out that apology, I skirted around Leon's mother and dashed back the way I came. I had to get out of her perimeter before my brain clicked back into that mindset.
...Staring at the little girl's back, Leon's mother looked back in her memories, from just a few seconds ago, of Leon's face.
At his flushed cheeks.
"...He hasn't shown an expression like that ever since he started to get disoriented."
Worried and practically helpless over her boy's condition, she nuzzled her baby's face and whispered, "Let's get Leon some new friends, shall we?"
"Gyaa~!"
Cheering, the baby nuzzled back, tickling her cheek.
Tweet-
The mesmerising singing of canaries seemed to resonate with her words.
-----
"Dear sister, you're back." Esme didn't ask where she went this time around.
"Mhm. Hilda didn't do anything weird, did she?"
"Nope. She's a well-behaved girl, are you not, cute Hilda?" Esme teasingly prodded Hilda's puffed cheek.
"Hmph! Yeah, I'm a good girl! Mommy and Papa agree!"
Esme puckered her lips and planted them beside Hilda's ear as she stood on her tippy toes, "How will your Mommy feel if I tell her her dear Hilda is punching and dragging around the Lady Alora of Light?"
Plop!
Hilda dropped to her knees.
"I ask for your forgiveness, your Grace!" Bubbly tears slithered out of her eyes.
Those tears are fake as hell.
While observing this amusing scene, Lily sat by my side with her maid's outfit folded neatly beneath her knees. "Hopefully, Hilda doesn't do any inappropriate to you again, Lady Alora. Perhaps this time around, she's learned her lesson."
"Sure..." I didn't believe that for a split second, give her one minute of alone time with me, and I'd bet my life that she'd be lying on my lap or pestering me with something nonsensical.
"By the way, that clock tower." Pointing at it, I nudged Lily's shoulder, "It's St. Neuvae's Clinic, right?"
"Mhm, it's famous."
"For Flamms?"
Lily carefully glanced at me, "Did you speak to Lady Yulei?"
"Yes."
Sighing, Lily first asked for my permission with her eyes, and I nodded.
Pomf~
She laid her hand on my head, carefully rubbing her slender fingers across my scalp. I could feel a light layer of callus from her years of dedication.
"That, Lady Alora, was rude. You shouldn't have questioned Lady Yulei about her disability, it may have soured your relationship." Lecturing as a mother would, Lily released her hold of my head and-
Poke.
She tapped my mask, "Promise me you won't do that again, okay?"
Holding out her pinky finger-
Pinky promises, huh...
I latched my pinky around her and shook it.
"I promise."
I'll try not to hurt her too badly next time around.
"Want to go there? We can if you want, it's not very pretty inside though."
"Yes, please!"
Immediately accepting the offer, Hilda and Esme returned to our side moments later. They had heard the last part of our conversation.
"St. Neuvae's Clinic? Isn't that where...?" Esme tapped her chin, a habit she'd picked up from our mother.
"Yep! Yulei's thing's clinic, we talked about it with her a little bit ago. Little d- Ahem! Little Alora was curious about it and wanted to visit!" Hilda flinched and carefully fixed her words once she witnessed Lily's fist of justice rise to the heavens.
"Dear sister, surely you didn't-" Noticing that I didn't retort to Hilda's words, Esme gave me an odd look, "...Right?"
"Ahem." Clearing my throat, "Anyway, Lily-"
"What do you mean 'anyway'?!" Esme grabbed my shoulder-
Her fingers are so warm.
-and shook me side to side, "That's so rude!"
"I told her the same thing." Hilda shrugged.
You didn't exactly tell me, you more so threatened me with a sword.
Lily couldn't save me from this debacle, her master was Esme and unless she childishly crossed a line...
"Say you won't do it again!"
"Yeah, little dum- Uh, little Alora! Say it!"
Pincered, I raised the white flag:
"I won't do it again."
"Yay!"
"Good job, little dummy's sister!"
High-fiving, the girls held onto each other's shoulders and stood over me menacingly; it's only because Hilda lowered herself enough to let Esme grab her.
It's in these rare moments that I'm reminded that Hilda isn't just a violent little monkey with hyperactive tendencies.