Chapter 68: Cupcake
Upper District in the Imperial Capital...
Fioravanti townhouse in the Grand Quarter.
——
"Tell me the truth. Where is he?"
Caterina, who was sitting on her armchair, had her hands crossed as she interrogated Elio, who stood across from her. The blonde haired valet had his hands behind his back, and his blue eyes were lowered as he avoided her gaze.
Even though the room was kept at a comfortable temperature, one could clearly see that the young man was sweating like a thief that had been caught.
"I know that you know where he is and what he’s been up to these days, so spit it out," Caterina added with a slight, intimidating scowl.
Elio shook his head quickly. "I swear I don’t know anything. I swear on my dead sister’s grave."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Caterina scoffed. "Do you think I don’t know that you are an orphan and an only child?"
Elio swallowed hard and cursed himself silently.
After a few tense seconds, he tried again. "I’m not lying, though. You need to believe me when I say I really don’t know."
For a long moment, Caterina just stared at him intensely, making him grow even more tense. Eventually, she leaned back and said, "Swear on our Goddess then. Swear by her name that you don’t know."
When he heard that, Elio felt a mild relief. The Fioravanti family only hired followers of the Moon, so it was assumed that everyone in the household shared that same faith.
However, for personal reasons, Elio had changed his faith a while back and was now worshipping the Night. The only person who knew this was Dante, so he had no problem swearing an oath to a Goddess he no longer answered to.
Clearing his throat, he raised his right hand. "I swear. I swear on our wise Mother who knows our deepest hearts, I have no idea about the young Signore’s whereabouts."
Caterina tilted her head, and a surprised look crossed her face. But that quickly turned into disbelief. She stood up and shook her head as she began walking toward a small side table nearby. "I don’t believe you."
There was a half-filled pitcher beside a glass. As she picked up the pitcher to pour some water into the glass, she muttered a few quiet words under her breath. Suddenly, her bright purple eyes darkened until they turned a deep, midnight blue.
After setting the pitcher down, she turned and began walking back toward him, holding out the glass of water.
"Are you thirsty?"
Elio swallowed again as he stared at the glass of water being handed to him. All of a sudden, his throat felt so dry, as if he had not drunk water in days.
He cleared his throat and even began to tug at his collar for air, but the burning sensation only continued to grow worse.
’No! I must not fall! I must hold on!’ he told himself, gritting his teeth against the irresistible urge to grab the glass.
After he was hired, Dante had informed him that his mother and his older sister both shared the same Purple Divine Skill: [Siren]. Dante had also explained some of the powers of that skill tree to him, so Elio was well aware that he was one step away from having all his secret thoughts dragged out into the open.
He quickly looked away from the water and shook his head. "No, Signorina. I am not thirsty at all!"
Caterina frowned, and her deep blue eyes narrowed as she gestured for him to take the glass. "I wasn’t asking, Elio."
Elio’s heart hammered against his ribs.
’No!’
Seeing that he had no choice, he decided to play his last card. "Forgive me, Signorina... But if you force me to take that, I will tell Dante that you used your powers on me! You know how much he hates the thought of someone prying into his business. He will be pissed! He’ll be so pissed that he’ll never forgive you. Yes. He might even hate you for life and might end up moving out of the townhouse!"
At the threat, Caterina frowned and took an imperceptible step back.
She might tease and annoy Dante, but the last thing she wanted was for him to fall out with her.
Her hands tightened around the glass, before she suddenly brought it to her own lips and gulped down the entire thing in one go. Then she turned her back on him and folded her arms.
"Get out."
Hearing that, Elio exhaled a long breath of relief and quickly gave a bow so deep his head almost touched his knees. "Thank you for your generosity, Signorina!"
Without wasting a second more, he turned and hurried out of the room.
***
Meanwhile...
Dante’s room.
——
Seated on the chair with her legs pulled up to her chest, Francesca took a bite out of an apple as she continued reading a book. There were large brass-rimmed goggles perched on her head, and the desk in front of her was piled high with open books, a few loose papers, and several tools which included tweezers, small gears, a fine copper wire and a black glove.
She had brought her work to Dante’s room, as she usually did anytime he stayed out late.
Her Script was also resting on the desk, just in case the troublesome boy decided to write to her telling her that he was fine and would either not come back soon or would sleep out.
’A heads up would have been nice,’ she thought with a light sigh.
Just then, the color of the crystal on her Script shifted from a milky white to green, indicating that a message had arrived.
Thinking that it was from him, she reached forward and dropped the apple and the book. Then, she picked up the Script, opened the lid and took out the parchment inside.
However, her expression dimmed a bit when she saw that the letter was not from him, but Helene. Francesca read the words:
"What are you up to?"
She tossed the paper to the side and began to turn one of the tiny dials on the side of the cylindrical device. She was about to use the voice feature of the Script.
Not long after dialing Helene’s registration number, a voice sounded from the device:
"Hey there, cupcake."
Francesca frowned as she dropped the Script back onto the desk and picked up her apple.
"I’ve told you several times not to call me that," she said before taking a bite.
"Why, though?" Helene chuckled over the line. "It suits you perfectly. On the outside, you are all plain and moody. But on the inside, you are sweet. Just like a cupcake."
Francesca didn’t say anything and just stared at the device in silence.
After a moment, Helene’s voice came again. "So what are you up to?"
Francesca’s gaze drifted back to her work before replying. "Just working on some boring stuff." She paused before adding quietly, "And waiting for brother to return home."
"Huh?" Helene’s voice sounded surprised. "Must you wait for the koala to return before you go to sleep? Isn’t he a big dude who can take care of himself?"
Francesca’s eyes drifted to the device. "Yes. But he’s a big dude with a panic disorder."
"He is?" Helene blurted. "He doesn’t strike me as the anxious type."
Francesca was quiet for a moment before saying, "It’s not obvious, and he might not even realize it himself, but if one pays attention to him, they could tell through some of his little mannerisms. For instance, he flips his lighter several times before he approaches people. He does that when he’s stressed, cornered, or uncertain."
She paused for a moment before continuing. "Also, Saturday nights are his worst. I don’t know why, but he hates Saturday nights. He can almost never sleep on them. So yeah. I’m a bit worried."
"Ah..." Helene sighed softly over the device.
It was quiet for a few seconds, before Helene chuckled lightly. "See?"
"What?" Francesca arched a brow.
"Plain and gloomy on the outside, but sweet on the inside," Helene replied. "...Just like a cupcake."
Francesca didn’t say anything and just reached for the apple to take another bite.
***
...
..
.
Lower District in Sylveria...
Inside one of the rooms above a different tavern.
——
The clink sounds of a silver fliptop lighter echoed through the quiet room as the lid was snapped open and shut.
Seated on a chair by the fireplace, Dante kept flicking the lid. After a moment, he opened his silver pocket watch with his free hand to check the time.
It was 4 AM.
Blaming his lack of sleep on the lingering adrenaline, he snapped shut the watch face and pocketed it. Then he reached for the glass of whiskey on the table by his side and took a sip.
He leaned back and exhaled, opening the lid and snapping it shut once more.