24 Chapter 24 A new mission

Two days later on the 26th of May, back in Paris, in an office on the second floor of the Notre Dame, an office that was not too big nor too small, it had book shelf's on one side of the wall, and on the other side it had paintings and photos, it also had a small black wooden desk with a few papers on it and a small telephone, there was a black chair behind said desk and in the middle of this office were two sofas facing each other with a table in the middle of it, this office was Helena Delacroix's.

And right now, in this said office, Helena was wearing her usual black long-sleeved dress with a cross stamped in the front, sitting in one of the sofas holding a small teacup with her right hand, we could see that the tea was recently made, as smoke came out of the cup, Helena gently blew the smoke away and took a small sip as she closed her eyes, after that, Helena looked forward and in the sofa across from the one she was sitting, was Marie wearing a light blue dress, and like Helena, she was given a cup of hot tea but she left it on top of the table that separated them and looked away from Helena.

Every time Helena moved, be it to place the teacup on top of the saucer to pour some more tea, or something simple, as closing her eyes, made Marie jolt, and who could blame her, she went against a direct order and acted on her own accord, it was obvious that Helena was angry, no, perhaps furious as they had been alone in the office for almost an hour without exchanging a word, it was then that Marie broke the silence.

"A-Auntie Helena...are you angry?" Marie asked with a shy tone, as she looked at Helena.

"Me? Angry? Marie dear, no, I'm not angry...I'm extremely angry!" Helena said as she placed her cup of tea on the table, in a gentle yet aggressive way, that made Marie jolt once more, as it was rare for her to see Helena like this.

"But honestly I can't be angry at you for too long, and I understand your side, I would have done the same, to be honest..." Helena said as she sighed and looked at Marie.

"But even so, you scared me a lot by doing that! If it wasn't for Michelle, I would have taken the plane to Takamagahara to stop you!" Helena said with a bit of a comedic tone that made Marie laugh a bit.

"Really? You were going to do that auntie Helena?" Marie said as she laughed.

"But of course! For me, you are the most important person in the whole world!" Helena said in a serious tone that made Marie blush.

"I see...I'm really sorry for my behavior and for what I have done..." Marie said as she lowered her head, a bit sad, Helena noticed that.

"Well, it's all in the past now, and what matters is that you're safe!" Helena said as she picked up her teacup and took another sip.

"Now, how about you give me the report, of the mission I gave you?" Helena asked with curiosity, this caught Marie a bit off guard.

"W-Well, I did what you told me more or less..." Marie said a bit nervous.

"More or less?" Helena asked even more curious.

"I-I mean, I observed Tatsurou, and after analyzing his attitudes and actions, I have concluded that he is not a dangerous person and not an enemy to the Supreme Cross!" Marie started a bit nervous, but she turned quite confident, as she reported this to Helena.

"I see, and what basis do you have for that?" Helena asked as she crossed her legs and awaited Marie's response.

"Well, the reason as to why I believe we should not see Tatsurou as an enemy, is because he refuses to fight even when provoked or if his life is in danger, he helps people without being asked or wanting anything in return, he is ready to risk his life to protect someone, even they treated him badly...he is someone with a good heart, and that is why I believe that he isn't our enemy!" Marie answered almost immediately to Helena, sure of what she said, Helena just looked at her with surprise written all over her face.

"From the way you talk about him, looks like he is quite a good person, and also calling him by his first name, it's quite unexpected!" Helena said as she gave Marie a mischievous smile that made her blush.

"W-W-Well, I mean, that is what I observed and I'm just reporting like you asked, Auntie Helena, and as for the name, we became friends that's why it's ok to call him by his first name..." Marie said as she kept blushing and began looking away from Helena, upon seeing this Helena got up from her sofa and took a seat next to Marie.

"Say my little Marie, do you like this Kurokami Tatsurou?" Helena asked with a curious tone, this made Marie jolt a bit, and she became silent for a bit.

"N-No..." Marie answered Helena as she kept looking away from her, upon seeing this, Helena smiled once again and asked the same question but a bit differently.

"Then...do you love him?" Helena asked with a mischievous smile on her face as she got closer, this made Marie's face completely blush in embarrassment, Helena didn't even need an answer in all honesty.

"I see, I kind of figured it out, to be fair..." Helena said as she sighed.

"Y-You did?!" Marie asked a bit confused.

"Marie, you don't just look like your mother, you even act the same way as her..." Helena said as she sighed once more, towards the still confused Marie.

"Since you arrived here you have been acting for a lack of better words, a bit weird and listless, just like when your mother met your father, on the day she met him when she came back to the dorm in Saint Lourdes, she was so out of it, that she almost burned the kitchen in the dorm while cooking..." Helena said as she smiled, remembering her time with Alia at Saint Lourdes school, upon hearing this Marie became surprised, but she also laughed a bit

"So, you saw right through me..." Marie said after a while, as she lowered her head a bit embarrassed, but we couldn't blame her she fell in love with her supposed "target" something she thought was embarrassing.

"You found your knight, just like you're mother, huh?" Helena said as she looked at Marie, that just nodded.

"But it doesn't matter right now, I finished my mission, and now I have no reason to go back to Takamagahara, and I will never see him again..." Marie said a bit depressed as she lowered her head, as Helena saw this she sighed but then she put on a determined face.

"Marie, it's true you did your mission, but now I have a new mission for you!" Helena said this as she got up, and Marie looked at her with curiosity.

"Like I said, your report would be important, and now that I heard that Kurokami Tatsurou isn't our enemy, it means he can become our ally, so your new mission is to go back to Takamagahara, keep an eye on him and make him our ally, by any means necessary!" Helena said as she smiled and winked at Marie, that got a surprised look on her face upon hearing this.

"Keep an eye on him? Make him our ally? By all means necessary?" Marie asked all this a bit curious, but she blushed when she got to the "by all means necessary" part.

"But, wait a second, auntie Helena, I don't think, I should go, after all, I went against orders and I'm... " As Marie was going on and on about, how she wasn't a good choice, she got interrupted.

"I said it didn't I? I trust you Marie, and you're the only person I can entrust with this so don't try to come up with excuses! It's either you or no one else for me!" Helena said as she placed her hands on her hips and looked at Marie with a smile on her face, and after a while of pondering Marie got up too.

"Ok, then auntie Helena! I accept this new mission you have for me!" Marie said with a determined expression towards Helena, something that made her smile.

"That's my girl, now go rest a bit and I will take care of everything so that you can go to Takamagahara!" Helena said as she patted Marie's head, after she stooped, Marie got out of the office with a smile on her face as she blushed, and a few moments later, Helena was finally left alone in her office.

"Alia...she is growing up so fast..." Helena said to herself after she sighed, as she remembered Marie's mother, but her remembering of simpler times was cut short.

"Helena, are you sure about this?" Michelle, that wearing her usual priest clothes with a white collar and a blazer over it, asked with a curious tone as she traversed one of the walls of the office.

"In all honesty Michelle, I would be happier if she stayed here, close to me, but I can't bring myself to make her stay when I know that she's going to be sad, and to be fair, all this mission of making Kurokami Tatsurou our ally, is just an excuse..." Helena said as she took a seat on the sofa again and picked up her teacup, Michelle upon hearing this got a confused expression written all over her face

"If I told Marie to just go, she would probably refuse, as she believes she owns me something for having taken care of her after her mother passed away and going even if I told her it was ok, she would think she was being selfish and "betraying" me after everything I have done for her, that is why I told her that this was a mission, like that she would go without a second thought, thinking she is doing something for me, when she is actually working towards her own happiness, honestly, Alia must be so angry at me right now, for tricking Marie, like that..." Helena said with a tone that had a hint of sadness, as she took a sip of her tea, Michelle just looked at her still confused

"I see, but still, it would be good, if that Kurokami Tatsurou, actually became our ally, right?" Michelle asked Helena, but the answer she got was a bit unexpected

"To be fair and honest, I don't care if he becomes our ally..." Helena said with the most serious tone she had to Michelle, this caught her off guard.

"If he becomes our ally, good, if he doesn't, it's not a problem and after all, it's not like we need more allies, all I want is that Marie finds her happiness, whatever comes from it after, will make me happy..." As Helena said this, Michelle couldn't find the words to say anything, as this was something quite unusual for Helena, to do something like this, but to be frank, the day the Supreme Cross needed new allies, it would either be the day Helena retired or died.

"Oh, and by the way, Michelle?" As Helena said this to Michelle, she looked at her with a curious expression as she was waiting for what Helena was about to say.

"For the LOVE OF GOD, come through the door next time! Do you know how much of a scare you gave me? I thought my heart was about to jump out of my chest!" Helena said in an angry tone, as she turned to Michelle that was caught off guard by this reaction.

"I'm really sorry Helena, it wasn't my intention to scare you..." Michelle said in an apologetic tone to Helena, as she lowered her head.

"You don't need to apologize like that, I'm not angry about you showing up out of nowhere by traversing walls, but I am angry with the fact that you were eavesdropping!" Helena said this as she glared at Michelle, this made her look away from Helena while she tried to whistle.

"If you keep doing things like this, you will never get married..." Helena said with a mischievous tone and expression, as she glanced at Michelle that was now blushing.

"W-What do you mean with that? I already told you that I don't seek any romantic relationships! I'm completely devoted to you! So romance is out of my life, and out of question!" Michelle said with a flustered tone as she blushed.

"Please Michelle, refrain from saying things like "I'm completely devoted to you" it makes me feel weird, especially coming from you..." Helena said with a serious yet a bit stoic tone, as she looked at Michelle as she blushed once more upon realizing what she said.

"But it does make me happy, to have such a good friend like you, that I can count on!" Helena said as she smiled upon seeing how embarrassed Michelle got from her remark, she too smiled as she remembered, why Helena, was someone worth being devoted to, but this moment was cut short as the door of Helena's office was swung open with such strength that it wouldn't be weird to assume it broke upon impact.

"Delacroix!!!" An angry voice of a woman said as she entered Helena's office...