"Before your arrival here in Narte Fantasia, Blaze already had a hunch that there's a mole within the Royalties and he was right. The moment you came, the suspected mole acted more suspicious." Cool stabilized my position on his lap and he rounded his arms around the small of my back to my waist before he continued.
"Remember Duchness Ardor?" He asked and looked at me questioningly.
I tried to recall who he was referring to but nothing came into mind, so I just shook my head to tell him that I don't.
"Remember the lady who suggested to send me back to the glaciers? You burned her clothes." He said and it was with his last sentence that I remember the middle-aged lady who screamed like a banshee after having her dress set on fire.
"Oh, yeah. I remember. Wait. Don't tell me she was the mole?" I inquired in which he responded with a nod.
"Yeah. She is."
"Wow! The darkess did a great job sending an idiot as a mole." I said both a little disappointed and amused.
"After being taken by the Guardias that night, Blaze took me out of prison and ask me for help."
"Is the queen aware of this?" I asked my forehead furrowing from the information.
"No, she wasn't," he answered after shaking his head.
"Blaze's been trying to keep it under warps. So, don't be too harsh on him. A'right? He's a guardian of yours, he won't bring you any harm." He said and with a gentle smile as he caresses the top of my head.
I purred and squeezed myself more into his body.
"You coming back now?" I ask with my face buried on his shoulder.
" I told you I never left." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You know what I mean," I said after distancing my head from his shoulders to glare at him.
"Soon." I pouted after hearing his reply and just went back to my place.
"Now, tell me that you two ain't an item." Sassy hissed as soon as we were left alone with Ignis.
The boys went inside the conference room to talk about Blaze's plan.
"We're not," I answered and popped some of the grilled nuts that Hailec had prepared earlier.
Sassy, unsatisfied with my answer turned to the silent Ignis and asked her about me and Cool. I rolled my eyes because of that.
"Sassy, stop it. We're not a thing. Really." I tried to convince her but she didn't heed my words and just gave Ignis a hopeful look.
Ignis glanced at me helplessly before she concentrated into talking with Sassy.
Wait-what? Is she really talking?
"Yah, Ignis—"
"Shut up!" Sassy's rude remark cut off what I was about to say.
I was left with no choice but to let them talk about my supposed to be 'love life'.
Sassy's been shrieking once in a while listening to Ignis' stories.
'What's wrong?' I almost jumped on my seat when I suddenly heard Cool's voice inside my head.
I saw Sassy and Ignis' weirded looks directed at me. I would have the same reaction if I see them suddenly jolting of their seats all of the sudden. I just gave them an awkward smile, they stared at me for a while before they continued with their animated conversation.
'Nothing. Why?'
'We could hear Sassy's shrieks.' I immediately asked the two ladies to tone down their voices.
'It's nothing. We're just talking. How about you there? What does Hailec think about the count's plans?'
It took a little longer before I received a response from him. I just busied myself watching over the two ladies in front of me, talking about me as if I wasn't here.
'He said he'll help.'
"Sass..." I called out my friend's attention, butting in with their conversation. I gave Ignis an apologetic smile and she just nodded at me.
"We need you to start training," I informed her. If we wanted to win against the darkess I'll need the help of my guardians.
I knew I wouldn't have any problems with the guys, but Sassy is a different case. She can't even kill a cockroach, afraid that it would hurt the 'poor' creature.
"I already did." I was startled with her answer.
"You did?" I asked back, asking for confirmation if I heard her right. I almost gasped when I saw her nod.
I licked the bottom of my lip and curiously stood up from the couch where I was seated to join them on the floor.
"Hailec trains you?" I asked trying to suppress the teasing tone on my voice.
"Yeah." She answered and keeps on looking around to avoid my eyes.
I smiled at her reaction. This silly girl.
"Do I need to know something?" I probed and keeps on trying to catch up with her eyes.
I saw Ignis smiling at the side.
"Sassy addressed the punong baylan with his first name. It was somehow an intimate gesture." Ignis added which made me chuckle because Sassy glared at her.
"I thought were allies?!" she whined which earned a chuckle from Ignis.
"She's right. Since when did the perverted creep started to become Kimean?" I teased.
"What are you doing?" I heard Hailec asked as soon as I felt his presence in the room.
I turned around to look at him with a smirk, satisfied with being able to turn the tables around with my friend.
"Nothing. You done?" I said and stood up to talk to them properly.
It's quite tiring looking up to them while talking. Why do they have to be so tall?
"Hmmm." Cool answered and motioned me to come over.
I walked towards him and gave him a questioning look.
"Let's go outside. The baylan finally found a way to cover up Sassy's scent." Cool said and gave the others a quick smile.
I saw Sassy's eyes widened in excitement as she turned around to face Hailec.
"Really? I can go out now?" she asks with eyes sparkling with delight. She let out a happy shriek when Hailec nodded.
"Ignis, can you help them up? We're going to the Kabisera. Please make them look more uhmm --- normal?" Ignis chuckled with Cool's choice of word to describe us before she nodded and ask me and Sassy to follow her.
"What do they even mean with normal? Don't we look normal?" Sassy asked Ignis while scowling.
"Yes, you look normal if you go to the palace," Ignis answered and silently look at me and Sassy up and down.
"But if we're going to the Kabisera? Wearing a dress worth nine hundred gold bars? You'll probably stand out." She continued as we enter the room Hailec had prepared for her.
"Nine hundred gold bars? Heck! Fhyra! You're wearing a goddamn gold!" Sassy exclaimed as she stared at my dress.
"I wasn't talking about her Sassy. It's given that the Princess wears satin dresses. But you, fantasians would wonder who you are to be able to wear such a luxurious dress." Both my and Sassy's eyes widened when we heard Ignis' comments.
"What do you mean? Kimean told me these were cheap dresses!" Sassy defended and stared at the maroon satin dress she was wearing. The look on her face says that she wanted to take off the dress right now.
"Well, that's cheap for the punong baylan," Ignis said as she was rummaging with her things.
"Nine hundred gold bars?! Wow! Sassy you seriously got a thick thigh!" I teased and saw her face turned red as she glared at me.
"Stop it! That's not true, Ignis! You're just ganging up with this Princess---"
"Punong baylan is the richest fantasian, Sassy. Richer than the Glaciers and Flamis combined." Ignis said nonchalantly which caused the two of us to gaped at her.
"Wow!" I heard Sassy gasped as soon as we step foot on the opening of the Kabisera."Don't go too far away from us." Hailec reminded her."Yes, sir," Sassy answered together with a playful salute."Ignis, are you okay? Are you comfortable?" I asked her when I realized how quiet she is."Yeah. Don't worry. I just missed walking around here." She answered with a smile."Why? You haven't been here for a while?" I asked, my forehead creasing from curiosity."As soon as I entered the palace, it was too hard to go outside. It was a rule made by the queen since she found out that an insider helped Princess Blare escaped before." I wanted to feel pity for her, being unable to go to places she used to go to, but I knew that's the last thing she wanted right now."That's fine with me though. Don't worry." She said with a smile."I'll just look around for a while," she said and started to blend in with the crowd."Sassy!" we heard Hailec called out and immediately followed my friend who looks lik
I can still hear the screams and shrieks of the fantasians behind the wall where we are currently hiding.'Would the others be alright?' I worriedly asked him with my mind.He tilted his head to face me.'Don't worry. They'll be fine.' He said and gave me an assuring smile before peeking once again on whatever was happening behind the wall.I was pinned against the wall, Cool's body against mine, I can feel his hands on my waist.I didn't know how long it takes before the disturbing screams of terror started to die down until there was nothing left but silence.A dreading and eerie silence.'Stay here.' He ordered as he tried to check the area before he came back to get me.I felt my stomach turned upside-down, I instantly felt the urge to vomit.The lively and crowded Kabisera was now filled with dead fantasians on the ground. The disgusting scent of blood lingers on the air.I immediately thought of my friends and hurriedly scanned the place for any sign of life.My eyes glowed when
The very next day, Queen Feu immediately sent Blaze and a few guardias to come and fetch Ignis and me at Hailec's house."The Queen is worried about Princess Fhyra's safety, since your home is quite near in the Kabisera. I hope the punong baylan won't take it negatively if we ask the Princess and her muranda to come back to the palace?" Blaze respectfully told Hailec who was seated on the couch on the receiving area of his house.It's a good thing that his house was huge. We were quite startled to see Blaze and the guardias early this morning.Seeing Cool here would be a little understandable but seeing a mundane like Sassy here?So we needed to mask her presence in case the others would notice and Hailec hid her somewhere inside the house.Ignis, on the other hand finally gained consciousness this morning as well and Hailec assured me that she was fine.So here we are, facing Blaze and the five guardias sent by Queen Feu."It's not that I held it against the Queen, since I do understa
"No! I'll be draining you if I do. No, I wouldn't do it." I said in a firm and determined voice."No, you won't. You won't let yourself drain me. You can do it." Cool said encouraging me.I tried to focus once again but every time I started to feel his energy creeping into my body, I immediately
I don't know if a one week stay at the punong baylan's house was too long, but stepping inside the Flamis Palace once again feels foreign now."Good morning, Princess Fhyra!" The murandas that lined up by the gate of the palace greeted in unison.I throw a glance at Ignis who was standing behind me and gave her a meaningful look. She suddenly nodded, curtly bowed, and left the place in a hurry to do what I ask her to do before we left Hailec's home.I faced the people confidently and made my way towards the Queen's quarters to give my greetings and let her know about my return.Although we're not in good terms she's still the queen and my grandmother, just like what Cool said.'Cool?' I called out in mind.It took him a few more minutes to respond.'I'm here.' I almost sigh in relief when I heard him talkback on my mind.'Just go to my room. He'll be there soon.' I told him pertaining to Blaze.Before we left Hailec's house, I asked Ignis to immediately find the count and told him to g
"Cool!" I called out in irritation. He just couldn't take that smirk off on his face."Stop it!" I hissed and the lava flowing inside the fountain suddenly overflowed."Shit! Okay! Okay! I'll stop!" He said when he saw what happened.I willed myself to relax, a few moments later the lava stopped boiling and Cool's anxious face faded.I heard him gave out a sigh of relief before I felt the other side of my bed move a little."You know, we should do something about that temper of yours." He said as he lies beside me.I snorted and scolded him for teasing me about the count."Maybe he genuinely likes you?" I creased my head with his words."I don't think so. Maybe he just likes the idea of having a princess as his future wife.""But what if he really likes you?" I rolled my eyes with his persistence."That would be impossible. We barely knew each other, I've been nothing but rude to him so, no. Impossible."I thought he will have another set of his witty comebacks but I receive silence in
"We need to divert the attention of the whole kingdom." Cool answered with a very serious expression on his face."And how are we supposed to do that?" I asked eagerly."Kidnap the princess." He said nonchalantly.I was rendered speechless, I had to blink a lot of times to check if I heard him right.I was still in dazed when my eyes landed on Ignis' stunned expression.She cleared her throat for a while before she faced Cool with a serious face as well."You can't do that. The whole palace would be in chaos." She said."And that's the result we're actually aiming for. If the princess is missing all the trials at court would be halted. This would give the punong baylan enough time to look for more evidence." Cool explained.Ignis still looked hesitant about the plan. But I trust Cool, I know he wouldn't have this risky plan unless there is no other choice.I grasped Ignis' hands to assure her."I would be alright. If this would be the only way to save Sassy. We must do it." I said dete
"That's it. You're doing great!" Cool cheered while I was undergoing my training.Hailec lends us this device that releases energy, he said I should take this time and use this device to learn how to control this ability.So I'm here inside the training room of his invisible house.Cool was with me and he was cheering every time the scale of the device portrays a lower amount of energy released. It would mean that I was consuming less and less of energy from it.Both of our eyes widened when the scale showed zero.I looked up at him and jumped on him because of joy."I did it! I did it!" I cheered as we both fell on the ground.We were both giggling but was stopped when we realized how close our faces were.We were both panting from laughing as we silently stared at each other's eyes.I didn't realize how pretty his eyes were until now. It was cold. His eyes were cold but it somehow gives me warmth the longer I stared at it.I felt his fingers brushed off the strands of my hair that ha