Chapter 46: Not A Bad Feeling
Love-filled eyes.
The purest of all emotions rested within the eyes of the nigh-identical sisters.
"...Good afternoon, dearest sister." Taking her place on the foot of the bed, she reclined with her arms spread behind her, causing the bed to sink on the opposite end.
Esme chose not to sit on the chair, instead inclining to share the same space as her sister.
Clearing her scratchy throat, "Good afternoon." Alora spoke with a drowsy voice.
Then, silence.
Singing birds filed in their voices from outside the open window, and the wind hissed past the crack under the door.
But, other than that...
Nothing.
It wasn't an uncomfortable, awkward silence.
Nor a tense, gunpowder-laden silence.
But a calm...
Tranquil...
Soothing silence.
And it remained that way.
Exchanging glances, the girls gently stared into each other's souls. They embraced the love overflowing through their veins, and they listened patiently to their pounding hearts in this rose-filled atmosphere.
Alora was glad to be wearing her mask, otherwise, she'd be looking just as flushed as Esme was at the moment.
Her cheeks were bright red, and the warmth spread to the tips of her ears.
She was practically steaming.
"A, are you feeling better?" Esme broke this odd silence with a perfunctory question.
"Mhm." Nodding, Alora flinched with hesitation.
Confirming it, Esme continued, "Then..."
Alora held her head down.
"...rest up, okay? I must attend lessons from the Maiden now, take care."
Yet, Esme did not ask a single other question. Instead, she patted Alora's leg from under the covers, hopped off the bed, and warmly gazed back at her sister.
"Bye-bye." Waving, she smiled and took her exit.
Click.
The door closed quietly behind her, and Alora was left utterly bewildered.
What she had expected had not happened.
---
"...Lady Esme."
Lily stood behind her quiet lady, carefully watching over her retreating demeanour.
"May I?"
Esme nodded.
"If I may, these past few days have been agonising for you. So why did you not ask?"
With her face still out of sight, with her eyes lurking in the darkness, and her shoulders slumped:
"...You don't get it, do you?"
Lily shut her mouth.
"Alora, my dear sister, is sick. She is not okay. She was never okay. Yet I have been selfish, rude, even. And to attack her at her lowest point? When she is clearly still uncomfortable with revealing the truth?"
Squelch.
The sound of flesh tearing came from Esme's lips.
Drip.
And the crimson splattering onto the floor revealed the extent of the damage.
"That would be pathetic of me. Of her sister. Of I, me, Esme, The Pure One, The Curseless One, The Gaze of Heaven; how could I do such a thing to the one I adore?"
"How could I be so-"
Grip- Flash!
She balled her fists whilst flames trickled outwardly, sizzling the air.
"-so cruel...?"
---
Huh.
I feel surprisingly...
Free?
I think that's the right word.
Perhaps, liberated?
It's odd.
Like a shackle lifted off my body, the heavy weights weighing me down have fallen off; I'm free?
Esme did not ask, she did not question, and she did not pry.
I didn't have to explain or reveal anything; nothing has changed except for my unhealthy body having been exposed.
Shifting my position in bed, I curled up with a carefree smile. I felt good, ecstatic, euphoric, even. The need to hide my issue has disappeared, and the requirement to speak, to reveal the truth, is gone.
She still has no idea that this disgusting creature is sick because of its pathetic deeds. As long as she believes it to be a normal disease, one unrelated to our fates...
That would be good.
...
Hmm?
...
Sighing, I reluctantly pushed the covers away and sat up. The vile mess scattered across the bed squelched as I reached for the severed head.
Wiping the white tears off its face, I picked it up and passed it back to its rightful owner.
...
"...Whatever."
Scratching my scalp, I promptly hopped off the bed, temporarily took my mask off to slap my face, and bent over.
This time, I picked up a flayed arm. White blood oozed from the depths of its mangled flesh, this one was another one of the bastards' belongings.
An arm of his beloved?
I think that's what he said.
Something along the lines of-
Theymadeusburnburnburn-
-oh right, what was I thinking again?
...
Right, another pair of eyes this time around.
I have a lot to catch up on from missing these past two weeks; the number of bastards has multiplied since.
It's quite the hassle.
I, for one, didn't have the right to complain about it, though. They had already helped by providing me with clues and information; the best I could do was ease their maddening plea for release.
...Now then, what was it again?
77,777,778.
Comfortably stretching-
Squelch.
-Woops, I put my hand inside a torso dangling from the chandelier laden with crystal lights. The intestines oozed with white liquid, oddly lacking in pus and maggots.
Is it odd?
I don't think so.
...But why don't I think so?
Huh.
I paused.
I shook my head.
What was I thinking again?
...
Right, let's pick them up for you.
-----
The aurora may have risen from the west today.
It's a wonderful occasion, a moment to be celebrated!
Why, you may ask?
Well, just look at her!
Her hands are tied together, her head is tilted, and her mouth is shut!
Hilda is quiet and docile for once!
Pressing my hands together, I mockingly prayed to the Empyreans who chose to abandon this accursed world.
"U, um-!" Biting her tongue, Hilda lowered her flushed face, "Uuuu..." Adorably whining, she kept her head down whilst flicking her eyes at me with hope and, most notably, regret swirling in those ruby-red depths.
Releasing my breath, I lowered the playful prayer and looked Hilda in the eyes.
Her thoughts are quite obvious.
[I'm sorry for hurting you.]
It's written all over her cute face.
I'm not forgiving her so easily, though.
Shrugging, I turned my eyes away, picked up the peeled mango that had been sitting there for a while, and ate away.
"Eek!" That odd noise came from Hilda, her eyes exploded with even brighter expectation when she saw me eat the fruit...
Did she peel it?
I pushed the plate back onto the bedside table.
"Uuuu..." She deflated into a flat balloon.
I picked the plate back up.
"Hehe~" Her face lit up with excitement.
Is she a dog, a cat, or just an idiot?
Probably all three.
Nom~
Consuming the delicious, juicy mangoes, I kept my face from showing any emotion. I couldn't let her get away with it so easily, or else she'd be back to hitting me again.
Hmm...
How should I...?
...
...Oh?
...
Now that...
...
It would look amazing on her face, would it not?
That adorable;
That cute;
That love-filled face;
To watch it crumble.
Smiling, I proceeded to say, with the most bland tone imaginable:
"You know, Hilda, my oh-so-cute Sword Maid..."
Her face lit up.
"...I resent you."
Hilda froze.
The sides of her lip twitched as she audibly gulped, her fingers gripped the apron of her maid's outfit. Little tears could be spotted forming as she tightened her powerful grip.
Blushes of shame filled her chubby cheeks.
"I, I'm, s, sor-"
Oh, shit.
"But!"
The guilt of doing this to a child abruptly came flushing into my brain, I rapidly stumbled over my words, to try and get something out before I broke this innocent child-
"...If you follow all my words from now on, I may forgive you."
-what did I just say?
My left hand reached over, it filled Hilda's vision as I...
Grip.
...I grabbed her cheek, gently caressing it.
And, with a scratchy, drowsy, heart-warming tone;
With love-filled eyes;
With a gentle touch;
"You will listen to me from now on, right?"
I asked with a mellow tone.
And, not daring to look back at me, to question me.
She solemnly nodded.
And hollowly said:
"Yes, Mommy."
Flashesofchestnutandbluecloudedmyvision.
And I-
With guilt-
With hatred for my actions-
With disgust at this creature-
Beyond her vision.
Where she could not see.
I grinned.
Promptly removing the smile, "I'm not 'Mommy', Hilda." I gripped her chin and tilted her head upwards.
I forced her to look at me.
Her teary, bubbling, bloodshot eyes stared at me with regret and sorrow.
"I'm 'little dummy', right?"
Shivering, Hilda stuttered, "Y, yes, little dummy."
Nodding, I slowly caressed her face whilst moving my hand upwards. Landing it on her head, I began rubbing her scalp, softly kneading her hair as she bit her lips with shame.
"Good girl."
I felt her attempt to lower her head, to move her face out of my line of sight, but I held her.
I didn't allow her.
"You're a good girl, right, Hilda?"
Faintly nodding:
"Yes, little dummy."
Creak-
The door groaned open, and the Commander of the Sanctified Knights stood there with a gruff look and his usual messy hair. I retracted my hand in time, before he could survey our situation.
"Good evening, Lady Alora of Light. My daughter over here is out of time. We came rushing back when we heard that you woke up, but my wife is waiting for us at home. We need to get back before dinner gets cold, or else~" Chuckling, he stepped behind Hilda and patted her head.
"Come on then, let's go."
"...Yes, Papa."
Standing up, Hilda avoided my gaze and quietly left the room. She didn't leave behind any words, just her shrivelled back could be seen as the door shut behind her.
Lowering my waving arm, I stared down at that palm.
At that thing that had just committed that act.
...Huh.
I don't feel bad about it.