Homecoming (4)

Poof!

A puff of smoke emerged from where Lucien and Yllana were standing.

They both disappeared.

"Where did they go?! Where is that red-eyed girl?!" the boy yelled around the courtyard.

Out of a dark corner, a man in a huge built covered in black clothing whispered to the little boy, "Your Highness, witnesses said that that woman helped the First Young Miss of the Saber Estate to get out of the estate."

"Mm, is that so? Then how can I convince Yrah to marry me if she escaped? She was supposed to beg me due to her current dilemma! Who is that daring girl who meddled with this prince's affairs?!" The young man stomped his feet on the ground and grew furious.

"Since the girl has red hair and eyes, this slave believes that she could be a blood relative of the First Young Miss but not the younger sister who went to war. You don't need to trouble yourself with this matter, Your Highness. We will kill that girl and bring First Young Miss back here." He cupped his hands in front of the young man before disappearing in an instant.

"Hehe, it seems younger brother is in a hurry to capture the Eldest Saber sister," a pair of red lips smiled a wicked smile inside a tea house near the Saber Estate while looking at the gates of the Saber Estate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ooof!"

Yllana dropped on the floor with her butt first. "That hurts." She softly soothed her aching behind and glared at Lucien by her side.

He just shrugged his shoulders and walked to a chair then sat down. They were back in the inn.

"Where were you Yllana? I've been worried! Don't tell me you've gone to the castle?!"

"I got our things back from the estate, " Yllana handed a space ring to Yrah.

Yeah smiled bitterly, "Thank you so much sister, but I don't think it would be of use to me since I can't see."

Yllana clenched her hands and hid the bitterness that was about to well up from her heart, "These space rings and all the other treasures belong to us both. No matter what happens, we have the right to make use of these, sister. Especially that these space rings that can store different things due to their large spaces inside are mother and father's precious treasures. Please remember that sister. Even if you cannot see for now." 'For now' are the words Yllana said because she still believes that somehow her sister might still have a chance to redeem her eyesight. She was hopeful.

"Just because you lost your eyes doesn't mean that you lost your sight." Midel looked straight at Yrah's face.

Shiiba was tagging alongside Midel when they both appeared inside the room. "Midel, the demon is back." Her eyes were looking sharply at Lucien who didn't even spare them a glance. "Hey, can't you just at least greet us? Somehow, we are acquaintances you know. Tsk, Yllana, teach your dog more words, won't you."

"Look who's barking," Lucien muttered while placing holding his chin on his palm, looking lazy and tired.

"What did you just say?" Shiiba's eyes turned into slits. "You can joke about my age, my height, even my intellect…but never, never, ever joke about me being a dog!" She jumped onto Lucien's arm and bit hard.

Luckily, Lucien was wearing armbands so her small little teeth did not hurt him the slightest. He stood up and lifted his hand with Shiiba still biting on it. "Midel," Then he pointed to the teary-eyed Shiiba.

Midel sighed as a helpless smile hovered on his lips then patted Shiiba's head. "You said you weren't a dog, but now you're biting him. Aren't you swallowing your own words?"

Shiiba jumped to Midel's side and tugged his robe, her puffy cheeks were too irresistible to not pinch. "He was asking for it!"

"It seems you have quite a good company, little sister." Yrah was listening to the ramblings of the three people who just came in and felt her heart getting warm.

"Yes, sister. They are my good friends I met along the way. Lucien a mage, Midel is a seer-oracle, and Shiiba is Midel's contracted spiritual soul…" Yllana smiled and held Yrah's hand. "Your friends might also be on their way here now since news spread about what happened to our home."

"Facing them now would be hard." She bit her lip and heaved a sigh.

Sensing that Yrah's spirits were low, Midel took out lots of food that they bought. "I heard that a newly opened restaurant had some good dishes so Shiiba and I went around and bought some,"

"Thank you, Midel." Yllana helped Yrah to get to the table.

Nighttime

"Your Highness, there was no trace of the blood drop stone inside the estate," A girl in a red seductive robe was smiling in front of a screen door in one of the luxurious rooms inside the palace.

"Oh, really now?" the sweet and soft voice sounded across the screen door. There was a hint of admiration from the woman's voice.

"Yes, Your Highness. Even the Empress's spies failed to find any traces. But I was sure that I planted it inside one of the sibling's rooms." The girl in a red robe walked leisurely around the room with her hips swaying from side to side.

"Well then, it seems that it has chosen its master. This is quite interesting. Who was the last person who went inside the estate before it disappeared?"

"It was a girl with red eyes and red hair."

"So, it wasn't the youngest sister? How disappointing, and I thought we were gonna have a good show in the palace. Tsk, anyway, go, guard, that girl. She might not be as talented as the youngest sister was, but since she was chosen by the blood drop stone, then she is something unordinary." The woman ordered the red-robed servant away. There was no sound, no hair, not even the air was disturbed when that red-robed girl went inside out that luxurious room.

"What brought you here?" Yllana was staring outside the window when she felt Lucien's familiar presence inside the room. The others have already turned in for the night.

"Rumors. How are you holding up?" Lucien's gaze never left Yllana when he came in even as he was walking up to her side.

"I don't know. I just want to retrieve my parents from the imperial palace. I want my sister to gain back her sight even though the doctor said it was impossible." Her eyes gleamed in the dark of the night.

"Midel might know a way to retrieve Yrah's sight."

"Knowing that this is no simple feat, I am guessing that the consequences are great. I have to get my parents first." She turned her back to him and stopped in front of a bedroom door. "Goodnight, Lucien."

Creak.

A window opened slowly in the middle of the night and a shadow went inside to stand beside the bed. On the bed, a woman with red hair was tossing and turning. Her eyelids were scrunched up as if she was having a bad dream.

"You say goodnight, but you haven't had a good night's sleep for days," he observed the dark circles under her eyes before covering the woman's eyes with his hand. A few seconds passed and the woman stopped tossing and turning. Her breathes became steady and her eyelids relaxed.