CHAPTER 25

<p>"Eli! Finally you're back!", but Anette smile fades when she saw her friend's face. "What's the matter?", she asked, worried. Eli looked at her teary eyed, that made her more worried. "Ren, Daniel", she called out to the 2 gentleman walking towards them. <br/><br/>"Hey, there's a stain in your dre….what happen?!", Daniel cupped the young lady's face seeing her getting teary eyed. "It's gone", she said in a small voice, it's obvious that she's trying to stop herself from crying. Inside, Ammiel is calm though she's still worried about the hair clip, but on the outside, Eli's body, who's the real owner of that hair pin, was about to cry. <br/><br/>"What's gone?", Ren asked as well. "M-my clip…my hair clip is gone", she said in a meek voice. Daniel looked everywhere. "Where did you lose it?", he asked. "I don't know, when I tried to remove the stain I saw that it's gone, so I don't know", she immediately said. <br/><br/>"Okay, how about this. Since you're like this, how about you search in the hallways, we'll search here in the ball room. Anette can go with you", Eli nodded like an obedient kid. Ren took out a handkerchief and carefully dabbed it in her teary eyes behind her mask. <br/><br/>"We'll go search now, don't cry Eli, we'll be able to find it. It's from your parents right? So I know how important it is, so we'll find it. Promise. So stop crying okay?", Eli nodded. Anette led her out of the room while the 2 boys split up to try to find it in the ball room. <br/><br/>"Wait Ane, the ball room is too big for them to find it. Besides, you suddenly missing from the party are not really good since a lot of people are expecting you to be one of the people going to be rewarded later. I'll try to find it in the hallway; you go help the 2 of them. Please"<br/><br/>Anette nodded seeing how desperate Eli looks. "Be careful and stay calm okay? We'll find it", Eli nodded and Anette entered the ball room again. <br/><br/>Eli proceeded to search the hallways running around and sometimes trying to ask the servants passing by. Only her footsteps were heard on the hallway and when her feet started hurting since she's been running in a high heel shoes, she took it off and carried it while running. <br/><br/>She even went to her room to find it in her luggage but it was not there. And so she got back into searching back in the hallways she passed by. "Where is it?"<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Lucius continued to run and pant while chasing the flying smoke. He was running through the empty hallways when he saw something shiny not that far in front of him. He was just about to pass by it but then stopped when he saw what it is properly. <br/><br/>His mind blanked out and he forgot that he's chasing the smoke from the potion. He just stood there and slowly leaned down and picked it up. His heart thumped and he just stared at it. He then heard someone's footsteps. <br/><br/>He looked up and saw a girl in a mask running; it's the familiar girl he saved from the water monster during the raid. She was heavily panting but then stopped when she saw him….no, she stopped when she saw what's in his hand. <br/><br/>"Oh thank goddess! I thought I lost it!", she said, relief can be heard in her voice. He looked at the hair pin and back at the girl. "Is this yours?", he asked. The girl nodded at him, "Yes sir that's indeed mine, thank you for picking it up, I thought I lost it", she then held out her hand. <br/><br/>The young duke gave it to her without realizing. The girl wore the clip on her head and smiled, she then bowed again. "Thank you again", then looked at him face to face. That's when he remembered, he never really noticed it since they're busy subduing the water monster but she is indeed wearing that before. <br/><br/>"You…who are you?", he asked in a serious voice. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't say who I am, but I am the 'privileged person' priest Anette examined before"<br/><br/>'So that's the mask for', he was about to say something when he was stopped by a familiar smoke. It was coming from behind the girl and is directly going towards them. And his eyes widen when he saw the smoke encircle the girl. That made his suspicions confirmed. <br/><br/>His body moved on its own and he engulfed the girl into a big, warm hug. "I finally found you. It's you. It's you", he said while tightening the hug when he noticed something. He saw her hands holding high heels, so that mean she's walking on her bare feet. <br/><br/>He let go of her, who was still stunned, and bended down. He looked up at her and asked, "May I see your feet?", still wondering what is going on, the girl nodded her head like a lost kid. <br/><br/>He pulled the hem of her dress up a bit and took her feet. "Wait! They're dirty!", she tried to protest but Lucius didn't mind her at all and checked on her bare feet. They're now dirty and red. He looked up at her and he noticed that she just winced when he touched her feet. <br/><br/>He then look at her and showed his back, gesturing for her to climb on his back. "Come on, I'll bring you to a resting room", he said. He noticed that she was still hesitating so instead of waiting for her, he moved on his own to carry her on his back. <br/><br/>Her hands automatically held on him when he adjusted her after standing up. "This….why is the young master Lucius doing these things?", she asked making him halt. He was about to answer her when they heard someone speak behind them. <br/><br/>"Wait! Who are you?! Where are you bringing Eli?!", they looked back and saw Anette looking at the both of them. In panic, the girl he's holding squirmed to get off of him. <br/><br/>After that, she immediately came close to the priest and covered her hands on her mouth, shaking her head in panic, and looks like the priest just realized that she just mentioned the name of the person wearing the mask. <br/><br/>"L-let's go to the ball room, I finally found my hair clip", and with that, the two ran away from him and turned from a corner. He tried running after them but was stopped when he heard a voice coming far behind him, calling his name.<br/><br/>He looked at that person and his eyes met his father's electric blue ones. "What are you still doing here? Didn't I say not to do anything for now?", the duke of Donati, Lucian, told him in a very serious voice. <br/><br/>But the young duke just looked at his father again, his eyes getting teary eyed this time, in which the older man immediately noticed. He came close to him and was about to ask him what's wrong but Lucius beat him to it and said, "Father, I finally found them…her, I found my sibling….my younger sibling….my younger sister"<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>"Okay, first of all…. OH MY GODDESS! I'M SO SORRY! IT JUST SLIPPED FROM MY MOUTH!", Anette immediately exclaimed while starting to cling to Eli the moment they're sure Lucius is no longer following them. <br/><br/><br/>"Well, what's done is done. So now we should just focus on what would happen next", Eleanor reassured her, patting her back gently. "Well, where did you find your hair clip anyways? And why are you with him?", Eleanor told Anette about everything that happened. She listened till the end of her story, trying to figure out why the young duke of Donati acted that way. <br/><br/>"There you guys are!", they looked back and saw Daniel and Ren, both of them are running towards them. <br/><br/>They noticed that the hair clip is already back on Eli's hair, making them sigh in relief. But when they saw Anette's serious face, they know something happened. <br/><br/>But before they can even ask them what it is, they remembered the reason why they came to find them. "The ceremony and awarding will be held any minute now, we should go back to the ball room", Ren said. "We'll talk about everything once this is all over", Daniel added. <br/><br/>The 2 girls nodded their heads, they walked back towards the door of the ball room but then stopped when they saw Eli stopped for a moment, she put down her shoes and was about to put it on herself when the 3 stopped her after noticing the condition of her feet. <br/><br/>Daniel held one of her feet and slowly healed the bruise caused by her running to places, after healing one foot; he proceeded to heal the next one while Ren on the other hand carried on putting her shoes to the foot that was healed. <br/><br/>When the 2 of them were finally done, Anette held her hand and guided her as they re-entered the room where they're supposed to receive their rewards. <br/><br/>The awarding ceremony started and throughout the whole ceremony, Anette did her best to keep Eli away from Lucius, in which the young duke noticed. It was not only the young duke who noticed something but the older duke also noticed something. <br/><br/>What caught his attention was the hair pin Eleanor, who's still wearing her mask together with Ren, is wearing. His eyes widen and he tried to compose himself, but still on the inside, his heart keeps on pounding and his mind started to have billions of thoughts throughout the ceremony. <br/><br/>After the ceremony and the ball was over, Historia and Eli were both escorted by Raul and Ren back to their rooms since Anette was escorted by Daniel who's going on the same direction due to some agenda he has to attend to. <br/><br/>After bidding farewell towards the 2 boys who proceeded to go back to their room they both share as well, the 2 girls changed their clothes and immediately lie down on their own beds in their sleepwear. <br/><br/>Eli stared at the ceiling feeling very tired. She danced with the male lead, which is different from what is in the original novel, she ran around the place in desperation to look for her lost hair pin, and encountered Lucius who acted so weird to her. Even the simple winter ball exhausted her despite her only eating foods and receiving awards from the king. <br/><br/>She turned towards Historia's direction to ask her about something but then she saw that the guild leader was already having a deep slumber just in a short period of time. She sighed and stood up, closing the lamp on Historia's side and covering her with the blanket before closing the one on hers and lying back down. She covered herself in the warm blanket and closed her eyes as she let herself finally rest. <br/><br/>She woke up early in the morning after Historia woke her up. Today is the day they'll be going back to their own places. She, together with Historia, Raul, Ren, and the guild members will all go back to their guild since the raid/ mission is already over. <br/><br/>She asked Historia about what would happen to the villagers they rescued, the guild leader assured her that they all settled down in the north and are going to live there peacefully, starting anew. That brought her relief. They were soon picked up by Raul before they all go straight towards the back gate where their carriages and wagons are waiting for them. "Achoo!"<br/><br/>She shivered when they all came out of the palace, it's snowing. "Put your cloak properly or you'll catch a cold"<br/><br/>She felt someone's hand fix her cloak. Putting the hood on her head before patting her head like she's a dog. She pouted as she looked at the culprit. Ren laughed at her pouting face before extending his hands to her. <br/><br/>Eleanor accepted it as he helped her get down a flight of stairs and helping her get on the carriage they're going to ride. He then boarded the carriage as they waited for Historia and Raul to board their own carriage. Their journey back to the guild started after that. <br/><br/>Eli looked back at the castle with her determined eyes, hoping she won't find herself going back here again as much as possible. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Lucius opened his eyes when the bright light hit his face. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the brightness of the whole place. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before sitting up and getting out of bed to prepare for the day. He knows that today is the day the people who joined the raid will all come back to their own places, and so he made a note to himself yesterday that he will do something regarding the incident that happened last night about his sibling…no his sister. <br/><br/>He heard the priest called his sister 'Eli' last night, that's his clue now. His sister is someone named Eli, a 'privileged person' who was examined by priest Anette, has black hair, which is something she inherited from their father, and also has purple/ lilac eyes that she inherited from their mother. She grew up to be a beautiful and strong lady.<br/><br/>He shook his head and with a determined face, he called for the servants to help him prepare himself. He needs to look neat when he talks with her later. He know that the girl might've been startled because what he did yesterday, he noticed that she was avoiding him while they were all receiving awards from the king and the rest of the night, and thus he decided to let her have her space and talk to her the next morning. <br/><br/>He also told his father that he found her yesterday night, and base on how his father's gaze stayed on the girl with the fox-like mask for the rest of the night, he must've already knew that it was her since the familiar pin is on her hair. <br/><br/>His father also agreed to give her some space and let her rest first before talking to her first thing in the morning. And now, it's time to finally see his sister again. <br/><br/>He walked out of his room and into the hallways, some of Donati's knights following him behind. He strode the hallways with servants greeting him as he passes by. <br/><br/>He then asked one of them, "Do you perhaps know where the room of the 'privileged person' who joined the raid in the north is?", the maid nodded her head. <br/><br/>"Then, can you lead me there?", he said enthusiastically. But the maid's face changed. "But they're no longer in there", she added. Lucius' smiled faded after that and he immediately asked her questions again while holding her shoulders tightly.<br/><br/>"Why?"<br/><br/>"Well sir, their mercenary guild (the cover for Historia's guild, they're actually an information guild and secretly an assassins' guild) left early this morning"<br/><br/>Lucius let go of the maid who excused herself in a hurry due to how scary his face had become. 'It's too late…I should've talked to her yesterday night!', the young master felt very frustrated after that. He then came straight to where his father's room is, he knocked and right after hearing him say, "Come in", and he immediately opened the door. "She already left", is what he immediately said to him, making him stop from sipping on his coffee. <br/><br/>"She left this morning. We miscalculated, we were too lax! We thought they'll still be here for a bit more but they left early in the morning. It'll be hard to find her now since it's a taboo for anyone to give information regarding a privileged person. We'll have to find her through a potion again but the problem is, we ran out of potion", he said all of it once and looked at his father.<br/><br/>He can see his free hand clenched into a fist. Lucian then looked at his son and told him, "Contact Meridia Oscas and tell her to create more potions, we'll buy some more from them. And that I'll be getting it from her myself"<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>"Eleanor. I'm coming in"<br/><br/>The door of the girl's room opened and Ren came inside holding a tray full of foods and drinks. Hours earlier, they arrived back at the guild. They all took a rest, per Historia's orders as well, Eli was in the middle of using her free time to note down hypothesis that can help her in finding the INTRUDER and possibly also the leader of the ERA organization when Ren visited her in her room. <br/><br/>"We didn't eat anything before leaving the palace earlier and Historia said you might be starving so I brought you some food that we both can eat since I myself am starving as well", he said after closing the door through his leg and putting the tray on top of the table in the middle of her room. <br/><br/>Eleanor smiled and gestured him to sit across her so they can both eat. We can just say that they had a wonderful time eating and chatting peacefully. <br/><br/>The next day, Eli woke up after hearing a knock not from the door but from her window. She opened her eyes that started adjusting from the brightness and let a carrier pigeon enter her room with a note for her. She opened the letter and took out a cookie from her drawer giving some to the bird while she reads the note sent to her. <br/><br/>It was from Meridia; she's just asking her how she and Ren are and telling them that she missed her assistants. Eli smiled at the mini letter/ note that was sent to her and was about to prepare a pen and a paper to write down a reply when she heard another knock, this time it's from her door. <br/><br/>The door opened a bit and Ren poked his head inside the room. "You awake?", he asked as he looked at the bed where Eli is supposed to be in. "I am, why don't you come in?", she answered causing Ren to be startled for a bit before entering the room. He closed the door and saw the note. <br/><br/>"It's from master"<br/>"May I?"<br/><br/>Eli nodded and Ren took the note, reading it with a smile on his face. "Are you going to send her a reply?", he asked. Eleanor nodded and took out a peach- colored paper and her pen out. <br/><br/>Ren watched her write letter and send it to Meridia through the same carrier pigeon that she sent. After that was taken care of, Eli faced Ren. "So, what's the reason you're visiting me this early in the morning?", she asked as she noticed how Ren acted excited like a kid, making her snicker a bit. <br/><br/>"So well, Historia gave me a bag of money and told me to take you shopping in the market since she knows how stressed out you've been. She told me to drag you there if you refuse and to tell you that you don't need to pay her back for the money or else", he said, remembering everything the guild leader told him when she called him to her office early in the morning. <br/><br/>Eli sighed and looked at the bag Ren took out. "She also said that you promised me that you'll tour me first before going back to master in the east, so yeah, you need to keep that promise", and with that, she was defeated. She held up her hand and looked at the VERY excited boy who almost squealed when she nodded her hand to him. <br/><br/>She laughed at him and jokingly said, "Don't squeal like a pig. Go prepare first", making the boy pout but then he obliged and got out of the room, but not before saying "I'll wait for you at the toy shop!", with sparkling and excited eyes. </p>