Abnormal Minds
"None of those three families had a young daughter, Captain," Blaz finally continued with his report. "Besides, the kingdoms where they lived were quite far from ours." All the time, he kneeled with his gaze on the floor.
It's not that Elaine didn't realize his position. It's just that... he won't rise even when she told him to. A while ago, she already gave up in trying to make him rise.
She always knew that her cousin was a tough and strict superior, someone who was also coined as a perfectionist like her, no, much perfect than her, but... this was too much.
"I got it but dig deeper. We should not miss any single information."
The Captain finally got off her bed and dressed up herself in her black leather attire. Though it was still early and the sun was still far from rising, she didn't bother to sleep as she knew that it would be futile. After that same old nightmare, she won't be able to get even a single sleep no matter how much she tried.
While Elaine was fitting her boots to her feet, she suddenly paused. Then she slowly sat straight and turned around to look at the man who was still kneeling.
"What happened in the Princess's room... don't tell my cousin," she commanded. "Her Highness is not mentally stable."
She was sure that Blaz would witness everything as he always followed her around once it became dark.
"Don't worry, Captain. General never interrogates me about your life. He always prefers to hear those from you personally. My only job is to ensure your safety."
'Though you don't need any protection.' This sentence crossed the shadow guard's mind but he didn't dare to add. He was sure that Captain Elaine was even more skilled than he was and that she was capable of protecting herself. It's just that... his General refused to admit this. The perfect General always overthink whenever it came to his younger cousin.
"Fine then," Elaine Vernimiere remarked as she stood up. "I'm going out for a while. Don't follow me."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Hunting."
Hunting? At this time?
Blaz could feel his jaw drop to the floor! Captain Elaine and his General surely thought alike! Not to mention that they both had abnormal minds.
The shadow guard wondered if it ran in the blood but... he was reminded of the fact that the Captain was adopted. The two weren't biologically related.
While Blaz was thinking of these things, Elaine had already stormed out of her quarters with a bow and arrows.
Though the Captain told him not to follow her, Blaz did the opposite right away. After all, it was his duty to make sure that she was safe.
Letting her leave alone at this hour?
That won't please his General at all.
* * *
The sun was about to rise but King Arias Astaze was already up for a while. Right now, the King was busy seeing off the guests who came to celebrate the 500th-anniversary of the kingdom's foundation.
Elaine was supposed to accompany him but... she was nowhere to be seen. The royal guards said that their Captain wasn't in her quarters or the palace.
Though Arias knew that Elaine often left the palace when she struggled to sleep, she was always back on time for her duty. She was never late before. The young King was quite worried because of this and his mind even went as far as wondering if this was because of what happened last night. However, he brushed it off his mind.
Elaine wasn't that kind of person. She always put her responsibilities above anything else.
Once he see off all the guests, King Arias returned to his chamber and go through the scrolls that will be needed for the daily court meeting. Still, he found it hard to concentrate. It's almost time for breakfast but... no Elaine.
When Arias Astaze heard the sound of knocking on the door, he quickly responded but the Vice-Captain walked inside instead of the Captain and he was a bit disappointed. However, he didn't show anything.
"Your Majesty, do you have any orders for your today's schedule?" Vice-Captain Lucian asked the King as he stood before the desk with his gaze lowered.
"No," King Arias replied. "You know that we will be having a guest tomorrow. Just make sure to get prepared for that."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Vice-Captain responded. Just when he was about to turn around...
"Is Captain Elaine still not here?"
Lucian lowered his gaze once again. "Yes, Your Majesty." Briefly thinking of how his Captain never did this before, Lucian suggested, "Should I send the guards to look for her, Your Majesty? Maybe she enter the woods again."
Before King Arias could respond, there was another sound of knocking on the door and... Elaine Verniemiere walked inside.
Much to the surprise of the King and the Vice-Captain, Elaine's appearance was a mess. Dirt covered many parts of her clothes and for Arias Astaze, what he first noticed was how Elaine had several wounds on her body. Though most of the wounds didn't seem to be serious, they still bothered him.
"You are dismissed," the King promptly said to Vice-Captain Lucian; his voice remained calm as ever.
Understanding the situation, Lucian bowed and hurriedly left the room.
Now, Arias Astaze rose from his seat and walked closer to his childhood friend. "What happened?" he asked. As he observed her from head to toe, his hazel eyes hinted at concern.
Why did she always get herself injured?
"I fell from my horse while I was out for hunting and... I rolled down the slope," Elaine responded with a bit of hesitation. "I'm fine, Your Majesty. It's just a few small wounds."
She was a skilled horse rider yet she fell from her horse?
Arias Astaze instantly knew that there was more to it. However, her disheveled appearance and wounds bothered him so much that he didn't think further about how she actually fell. Meanwhile, Elaine Vernimiere recalled what she encountered in the forest and she was still displeased about it.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I -"
"It's not your fault," King Arias promptly said in his usual low voice. Now, it's funny to even think that just a year ago, he was always so loud and that he rarely kept his mouth shut.
Elaine briefly glanced up at her childhood friend who said, "Let me take a look at your wounds."