Chapter 38: Mindless Headaches

~Arika's POV~

The hallway was still unsettling for Arika to walk through. Having to walk through a dimly lit hallway with the gothic design and heavy rain pounding on the walls. It felt like she was through a manor belonging to a vampire lord, which she only knew from reading cheesy books.

Though she lacked a brain, she felt a headache coming on while she rubbed her temple with a quiet groan.

"Lady… Arika? You mentioned something about there being tea and food in your legs, correct? I was curious to know if that's true?" Ivy asked in a hushed tone.

Since they were alone for the time being, making Ivy more aware of their differences wouldn't hurt. There was no longer a point in even trying to hide it.

"Yep! It's hard to explain since I can't show you, but there's nothing inside me besides my soul and strings that help me move. There are ball joints in my hips and shoulders, but they aren't entirely sealed, so I can tell there's tea sloshing in my foot! Gross, I know. But at least I know it was just to expose my secrets. Lucky me~" Arika smiled brightly as she spoke in a sarcastic tone. "But seriously, that queen of yours is quite bold. If I was alive, I likely wouldn't be after eating that food."

The shorter maid lowered her head slightly with a sigh. "The queen went on a trip prior to your arrival. I believe she stopped by the Angel Trumpet Kingdom on the way, but I had no idea she was planning such a thing." Her eyes widened. "Ah! Do you think she was aware of your secret already?" she questioned.

If that were true, then Arika wanted to ask more questions about how an outsider of the family would know such a secret. She even knew a sacred question Arika couldn't deny.

"Maybe. Or, it was simply a win-win for her. Either I died by her hands, or she gets to expose me. Regardless, I wouldn't gain anything from it… only a mess to clean up." She gestured to her foot. "It'll take forever if I have to dismantle it…" she muttered. Already dreading the process.

Ivy followed her gaze and stared. Though her dress reached her ankles, it was uncomfortable having someone stare. Maybe she was being judged or admired by the maid. She still couldn't tell what relationship she had with Ivy.

"As a servant, I am to serve even our guests with hospitality. If you require assistance, I will be more than glad to help," Ivy offered in a monotone voice. It sounded like an automatic response of disinterest.

"Nah! You're just being nosey and wanna see it for yourself, huh?" Arika spoke. Watching Ivy's eyes wide in surprise made her laugh. "But since you offered, I'll gladly take you up on it!"

She looked ahead to see the main room coming into view. Sin-Vira was sitting on a red wine couch with his arm propped on the armrest and silently reading a book. When his eyes flicked up to look at Arika, his mouth hung open as he stared.

The encounter she had with the queen only made Arika uncomfortable having him gawk at her. He soon cleared his throat as he half-heartedly waved at her.

"Your hair looks a lot than before," he started.

"Sin-Vira! That's not how you're supposed to give compliments!" Ivy scolded him.

The prince groaned as he shut his book and placed his arm. His semi-translucent burgundy sleeve covered the cover. "I'm not even wrong!"

"At least say something nicer than that! Your mannerism never seems to stick no matter what I teach you!" Ivy looked over to Arika. "He means well, he's just difficult."

"Ah… yeah, I know. It's alright…" The constant shouting only made Arika feel worse as she did her best to stand upright. Along with the anxious sense, she had swelled up inside, she wanted the day to end already so she could rest. "What book were you reading?" Arika asked as she walked towards him.

"Nothing special. Just some old book I found while waiting." He narrowed his eyes slightly as Arika swayed a bit. "How did the meeting go?"

Arika collapsed beside Sin-Vira and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It could've gone a lot better…" she started with a sigh. "But she at least approves of us being together. Which brings us a step closer to getting your kingdom back…" she closed her eyes and rest against him.

"I'm glad things worked out. But I'm not a pillow," Sin-Vira spoke plainly. Though he made no effort to push her aside.

Arika looked up at him to see him smiling slightly before closing her eyes again. "Yeah yeah, whatever~" she giggled. " At least for a bit… I feel so exhausted to the point I could puke…"

"She really knows how to get under your skin. It's almost like second nature for her to tear you up inside with just words," Sin-Vira chuckled. "Sometimes even I find myself shaking just with her gaze!"

"She sure does…"Arika nuzzled her head against him. Though he was pretty solid, it was comforting to have someone to rest against.

Sin-Vira shifted slightly. "You're pretty quiet, Sibylla. Do you want to be escorted home?" he asked quietly. it was subtle, but Arika could hear the disappointment in his tone.

She raised her head up and looked at him. His jade eyes made answering honestly impossible. "I just got here. Why would I wanna go back home?" she giggled.

Sin-Vira smiled a bit more. "The weather's only getting nastier so it wouldn't be safe. Bad weather here is never good."

"If there's lightning, then it'll be quite dangerous," Ivy added as she sat across from them.

If she was strike by lightning, Arika wondered if that'd be enough to destroy her soul. If not, at most it would damage her vessel severely. Her body had never experienced heavy damage done to it. Being forcibly dismantled wasn't pleasant, but that was the worst she could think of.

Sin-Vira scoffed with disgust. "I wish the workers would be allowed to leave for safety precautions. To be valued so little, how can he sleep at night?" he looked over to Arika.

Arika rolled her eyes. "He sleeps with pillows filled with gold and diamonds. There are only two things he cares about, and it doesn't include our well-being."

"Do you think you'd have any influence over them? While we can't get rid of them, maybe you can convince them to let the workers return home for the day?" Ivy suggested. She seemed bothered by the worsening weather.

Arika looked up at Sin-Vira. "What do you think, Vira? I don't mind giving it a try if you approve."

Sin-Vira looked away from her and became silent. "I… rather not waste your time on something futile. But I'm becoming more anxious about this situation. So if you really don-t mind, could you–?"

The room filled with a bright white light as an ear-piercing crack ripped through the air.