37 Was he insane for having fun?

"This place…isn't safe. They already know that I've escaped." Anderina's voice was hushed as they trekked across the street to a nice, little resident in the city. It was Anderina's private house, where she resided at times for either business or convenience. Something told Julian that her relationship with the Viscount wasn't the best if she was living in this little hovel of a place instead of the main mansion.

Well, it did make things a lot simpler.

They rounded to the back of the house. There were guards about the streets, and it was only thanks to a miracle that they were not yet caught.

Hounds were barking now and Julian grit his teeth as he conjured a spell to derail their scent trail. His circuits were past their limits now and he was out of breath. "You go in then. I will just be pretty outside and keep watch, alright? I'm not sure if I've the energy to climb up and downstairs."

Anderina kept her expression still with quiet judgement about her eye. She sighed a bit back protests. "Alright then," she said and went on by herself. After plucking a set of keys hidden under a nearby flowerbed, she ended through the side door of the house. It creaked as she closed it, but Julian stopped her from shutting it all the way.

The house was dark inside, but even without any lighting, Anderina was familiar with her home's layout. The point was to not waste too much time.

Outside, Julian stood watch, or more accurately, leaned heavily against the wall. Chills wrecked his veins even though it wasn't that cold anymore with summer just around the corner. Goosebumps spread through his skin and Julian felt dizzy. His throat burned with the taste of iron.

"Ahaha…"

And yet it was laughter that left his lips as his chest heaved for breath.

"Ahaahahaha…!"

Was he insane for having fun?

Julian was having so much fun! Ah, it was true, he was a man completely unhinged. That was one thing he was going to give his critics and enemies! That was at least one thing they were right about!

A few coughs let his lips, hands folding over to muffle the noise.

He was full of shaking now.

Julian fumbled through the pouch at his hips, fingers trembling as they rummaged through the contents.

There inside, he found a pill, blue and glowing.

This was going to be a bad idea. He lightly chided himself but when did Julian ever claim that his plans were safe and sound? With a smirk, he popped the pill past his lips and forced it down his throat. Without water, it scraped his delicate esophagus, but Julian always had quite a high pain tolerance. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and waited for the pill to take effect.

The pulse through his veins deepened, thundering in his head.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Time passed in a dazed blur and Julian cursed at himself, hoping that he hadn't messed up the dosage when he made the pill. Unfortunately, it was still in an experimental stage, and he hadn't perfected the ideal recipe as of yet.

The door swung open, but Julian's attention was only summoned when Anderina's face tilted into his line of vision. Her brows were furrowed with the barest hint of concern. "I'm back. Are you..alright? Nothing happened while I was gone, did it?"

Julian clenched his teeth and forced his lips into a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. So, did you get my handsome Inquisitor's prize?"

Anderina raised a brow at the words but decided not to comment on them as she handed the journal over.

That's right.

Apparently, Leonel was after a journal written by the Viscount's late wife. Julian didn't have the time to look through it now so he pocked it instead. He waved at her follow along and asked her casually, "How did you get your hands on this thing?"

"When Mishana died, it was the last thing she held onto… I guess it fell into my hands because I was the one taking care of her."

Julian raised a brow at the words but decided it was best to save the questioning for later. Mishana had been a nutcase even from her youth. "That sounds most peculiar. I insist that you tell me more after we're out in the clear."

"Yes…that's ideal."

They scurried across the dark streets. Anderina's breath was short but she made little complaint. An alley welcomed them readily, but it wasn't safe even off the main roads.

Julian held out his hand to stop Anderina in her tracks. He'd slowed in front of the bend, body pressed against the cold stone wall. In the alleyways, a rancid scent swelled in the air, rising the moisture and wind.

They stilled their breathing, muffling all sounds. Julian keep his eyes peeled as a warm light approached. Footsteps came with deep voices. "Are you sure you saw something? You sure it's not just your imagination?"

"Oh, shush. Isn't Lady Anderina's private house in this direction? Hey if you think about it, isn't it strange that she has her own private house when she's married to the Viscount? If my wife did that, I swear…"

The two guards passed by slowly and the two fugitives were as still as stone.

Julian counted the breaths it took for their footsteps to fade out into the background. But he didn't want to waste too much time waiting either. Those two weren't the only guards patrolling the area and if they stayed in place too long…well they weren't going to make any progress at that point.

"Let's hurry," the Doctor's voice was hushed as he stepped out into the streets and led Anderina across the main road toward more alleys on the other side.

Anderina sucked in a breath and held back the pain exhaustion to follow. Her entire body was aching with pain, and her lungs strained terribly for air. It wasn't as if she was out of shape…rather, she hadn't had proper sleep or sustenance for days now. Her body had been beaten from torture, and it was already a miracle that she was able to keep up till now.

Worse, she couldn't help but feel that the strange man was moving even faster now. Even if he walked with a limb, he was nimble, precise without a single wasted movement. Her vision was blurring before her eyes but she said nothing and clenched her jaw shut to follow.

It was a mistake.

Because she rushed after him with a bit too much enthusiasm, with the strength that she didn't possess.

Anderina tripped over a crack in the road. Or perhaps it'd been her own two feet. She wasn't sure because the world swayed and tilted and before she knew it, she was on the ground with white dotting her vision.

Julian flinched and snapped back with alarm. He sighed at himself, knowing that something like this was bound to happen.

(Alas, if he hadn't made her return to her dwelling for that journal then perhaps they would have made it to the outskirts of the town already. But Julian made the conscious decision to ignore this fact.)

He rushed toward the fallen woman, awkwardly dropping down with his lame leg in the way of his movements. "Can you get up?" The Doctor's voice was both gentle and urgent.

But Anderina was taking a long moment to recover from her daze. Her complexion wasn't good, pale in a way that looked gray.

Julian's smile strained as he lugged her arm over his shoulders, trying to stand up with her dead weight leaning on him. They were still exposed in the middle of the street.

Alas, he wasn't Leonel and didn't have the strength. He efforts were futile and he dropped back down on the ground with a heavy huff.

The thudding noise caught the attention of nearby patrols.

"Did you hear that?"

"Don't tell me it's your imagination again!"

"Let's just go check it out. It's not like we have anything better to do!"

Julian cursed under his breath, left with only two choices now. He either had to go the woman and make an escape on his own or stand his ground, with little chance of survival.