Chapter 8: With It Done, the News Spread

The sound of blades cutting flesh echoed loudly in Luna's ear. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Blood dripped down from the corner of someone's mouth. Ras's horrified expression slowly changed into pleasure. His heart was gripped in fear at that moment, but what happened in that split second eased his heart. Luna fell back on her butt, frightened at what had happened. Gear's eyes were also widened in shock. He felt pain coursing through his stomach. He looked down and saw a blade right in his guts. Luna shook greatly, traumatized by what she had done. Her hand trembles from the blood stain.

"G-Gear... I... What have I done?" said Luna in a startle voice.

Ras kicks Gear off of him as soon as Gear takes out the blade from his stomach. Ras grabs the blood dripped blade and swings it towards Gear. Luna intercepts with a blade she grabbed from the ground. The blade that Ras dropped from earlier. Sweat began to pour from Luna's forehead. Her head hurts badly. For some reason, her body won't move the way she wants it to move. Every part of her body was screaming for her to stop. Ras's eyes flashes at the signs.

He smirks at her, "It's finally working!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What is?!"

Ras chuckles at her, "Death by Beauty."

Luna's eyes widened at his words. Earlier when they stuffed Princess Eloise through the floorboards, Luna caught a sniff of something sweet. She thought that maybe it was just the patisserie on the serving table.

Death By Beauty.

If anyone inhales the scent by the one wearing it, their body will no longer be theirs but the person wearing the scents. Luna grits down her teeth and glares at Ras, "Always with the underhand tricks!"

"Speak for yourself!" Ras yells back, "Kidnapping the princess! Tying her up! Even the attempt of killing her is all but capital crimes! Now pay for them!"

Anger filled Luna's eyes. She pulls her blade back and does a low spin kick in the matter of seconds. Catching Ras off guard, he couldn't react fast enough to her counter attack. Ras fell hard back on the ground, and Luna loomed above him. She pins down both of his arms with her knee while on top of him.

She raises up the blade with a deadly glare, "DIE!!!"

The moment she swung the blade down, Gear caught her wrist, stopping her midway.

She looks at him, "Don't stop me!"

Gear held his injuries as blood seeped out. Luna's eyes tremble from seeing his injury and looks away. She slowly puts the blade down. Gear looks at Ras, "Whether we pay for killing the princesses is not up to you to judge us."

Gear looks back at Luna, "We need him alive Luna."

Luna's hand was still shaking in anger. She shut her eyes tight with a nod. Luna knocks Ras out cold. After knocking him out, Gear turns to Princess Eloise, who was watching in silence the whole time. She was hoping for Ras to quickly kill them, but he had to go on talking and telling them about the potion she took. Then again, if she was in his shoes and got excited about having the upper hand, she might have done the same thing as well. Was it really time for her to die?

No, it can't be.

She hasn't even finished the mission that was given to her.

What's more, is the unexpected person before her.

He was supposed to have died back then.

It was confirmed.

So why, why was he standing before her. The more she thinks about it, the more she trembles in fear. Though she trembled at the sight of seeing him, his reaction was strange. When he saw her, he should have rushed over to kill her already. So why hasn't he done so?

Luna rips up her dress and tends to his wound. At the same time, she took in an antidote against the Death By Beauty potion. Good thing the blade missed the vital spot, if Luna had stabbed any closer, Gear would have been in deep trouble.

Gear knocks her head, "What kind of expression is that?"

Luna sniffled to herself, "I stabbed you..."

"Not on purpose though, right?"

She nods at him.

Gear smiles back, "Then it's all good. Besides, we need to hurry and wrap this up. The longer we stay here, the harder it will be for us to get out."

Luna nods again in silence. Gear sighs at her and looks at Princess Eloise. Though he lost his memories, he could feel intense anger towards this woman he has never met before. As soon as Luna finished treating him, Gear resumed back to what he was supposed to do. He raised the blade in his hand and swung down. The silent wind blows against the rustling night of the citizens of Jaham running around looking for their princess.

News was spread across the Jahma Kingdoms. The citizens who read the news were devastated. Their beloved princess, Princess Eloise was murdered in cold blood by her knight, Ras who conspired with Lord Baro. They attempted the kidnapping of Princess Eloise on the day of her birthday celebration and mutilated her body. It was a brutal scene. King Ferunda was horrified and angered by the news.

Not only were they unable to confirm if there really was someone out there murdering the princesses, he lost his daughter to a lecherous man, and a close aid of his. Ridden by anger and guilt, King Ferunda fell ill. When the news spread to the other kingdoms, they too were devastated. Queen Galatine opens her fan, covering half her face. Her expression is unreadable.

"What else?" she asked the messenger.

The messenger kept his head low as he answered her, "The princess's head was nowhere to be found."

A slight smile appears on her lips, although hidden behind the fan. The messenger took his leaves soon after. Queen Galatine's close aid was called into the throne room.

The aid bows before her, "Long live Queen Galatine."

"Valor," said Queen Galatine as she snapped her fan close, "What do you think of the situation?"

"Pardon?"

She smiles at him, "Princess Eloise's knight suddenly betrayed her and conspired with Lord Baro to kidnap and kill her. There was even traces of rape as well... And yet, after her body was mutilated, the head was nowhere to be found... What do you think this means?"

Valor bows to her, "Allow me to speak my mind, Queen Gelatine."

"Allowed."

Valor looks at her straight in the eyes, "By no means was this an accident."

"Oh...?"

"Knight Ras has always been loyal to Princess Eloise, and has never betrayed her. Even when his own mother was threatened, he didn't give Princess Eloise up. For this to suddenly happen can only mean that someone set him up."

Queen Galatine's eyes shimmered at his words, "Oh? Go on."

He bows to her as he went on, "Moreover, Lord Baro may be a lecherous old man, he has never touched or gone after anyone who was of higher status than him. He was afraid of the backlash it would have on his business."

"Then your conclusion is?" questioned Queen Galatine.

Valor looks up at her, "There seems to be indeed someone killing the princesses."

Queen Galatine's smile widened at his words. She stands up from her throne and marches over to him. She grabs him by the chin and kisses him deeply. As she pulled back, her smile was that of ecstasy, "Good boy. I knew you would understand it like I did."

She kisses him again. Valor embrace her back. As though trapped by her beauty, Valor could only stand there as she devoured him.

Gear swings a wooden blade in his hand. It's been a week since they beheaded Princess Eloise and left the blame to the knight, Ras and the pervert that hit on Luna, Lord Baro. Gear wipes off the sweat from his forehead.

Just like Luna mentioned earlier, his memories were starting to return. That was the good news. The bad news was Luna. She was sitting in the corner of the wooden hut they found in the mountain a few days ago. Ever since Luna fell under the Death By Beauty influences for a split second, she stabbed Gear.

The guilt of stabbing him and self hate of not having a strong enough will was tearing her apart. Gear told her many times that he was fine and it wasn't her fault but she wouldn't take his word by heart. Instead, it made her feel worse. He sighs out at her mood and throws a wooden blade at her.

Luna catches it with a gloomy face, "...I don't feel like practicing sword fighting...."

"Well," said Gear, "I need the exercise."

She looks up at him. He was smiling at her as though the event of her stabbing him never happened. Luna turns her eyes away, "Maybe next time..."

Gear taps the wood blade against her, "No. If you keep putting this off, your body will start to become rusty and you will fall more under the influence of other spells or potions. Do you want that to happen again?"

Luna's eyes flare out at him, "I do not!"

He smirks at her, "Then, come at me."

Luna raises up her wooden blade and charges at Gear.