Twisted

Carlos was appalled. What he had heard was unbelievable. He expected his savior to at least express their anger towards his sudden protest, but what he saw and heard was the complete opposite. He finds it hard to accuse his eyes and ears of deceiving him. "Ami, I'm... I'm betraying you! I'm turning away from you!" he insisted.

Ami calmly responds. "I find it quite reasonable."

"No... you... Why are you not stopping me?" Carlos bathed in his own insanity. "Convince me that you are right! You are the Superior Leader, you lead the Cardinal Manors and bring justice to the kingdom! You're..."

Sensing his distress, Ami turned their head to face Carlos. "My prince, is it right for you to side with a murderous executioner?" Their words melted away Carlos' anxious face. He paused for a moment, his mind scurried to find the words to say. "...of... of course not." he eventually replied with what's left of his brain.

"Then your decision is clear. It is yours and I will not change it." Again, Ami turned away.

"But...!"

The rain started to pour down on the safehouse. Distant sounds of thunder haunted the clouds, and the cracking sounds of raindrops slowly became louder. Ami stood from their seat, about to enter the cold downpour. "No, please wait!" Carlos called out to them. Wasting no time, he rushes to the window and reaches outside to grab the leader's left hand, stopping them from their tracks. "Don't go yet. I have... so much to tell you. I still want to be with you. Don't just leave me like this." He begged.

Upon stopping, Ami spoke. "...my prince. Your hand." 

Carlos' palm was drenched. When he took his hand away to look at it, it was covered in blood. At first, he was about to feel mad. "...Whose blood is... wait." But then, when he held their hand again to check, he felt an opening on the leader's skin. "Your arm, it's bleeding!"

"Do not fret, it is but a scratch." Ami simply shrugged it off.

However, Carlos wasn't as calm as Ami. "No!" He scolded the leader, yet he still sounded caring. "You might pass out if you lose this much blood! Wait here, I'll look for bandages." He said as he turned around to glance at the cabinets. He went from one corner to another, rummaging through the drawers and storages. Eventually, on the cabinet beside his bed, he found spare cloths. Holding it in his hand, he hurried to bring it to the leader. "Come here, this will temporarily stop the bleeding." Unable to deny his command, the leader faces him, offering their wounded hand for him to hold. He lifts their sleeve and took a closer look. The moonlight was dim, yet he could tell that the wound was deep and probably was caused by a sharp object, a sword perhaps. He then gently wraps the cloth around it, making sure not to do it too hastily.

The sight of the prince bothering himself to help the leader made them laugh. "My prince. You must've forgotten what you just said earlier." Ami said.

Flustered at what they had just said, Carlos refused to look at them and focused on what he was doing. "Let's not... now's not the time for that!"

Ami giggled, joyful after seeing him embarrassed. "You amuse me, my prince."

"Oh, stop it, Ami. Don't mock me."

"Alright, I will not."

"There..." Carlos finishes wrapping the wound. "Where are you headed to next? Surely you won't look for another fight with that wound on your hand."

"I will return to the Superior Manor tonight." Ami replied while moving their wounded hand around, lifting it even to see the little bow Carlos made to secure the bandage. "Now that you've found a way to the Red Courtyard, I'll leave the investigation to you."

"Yes, I'll bring... Miss Dragonfly and... Miss Fauna." Carlos was still flustered.

"Are you turning away from them too?"

"No, they're not like you!" Carlos carelessly blurted out. "They're just... I mean... they're different from you... well... they... they have different intentions... unlike you... maybe? I don't know! It's only been a few days and I can no longer properly think and..."

Ami places their wounded hand on the prince's head, caressing it softly. "My prince. Focus. What is it that you truly want to achieve at the end of your journey?" They said with their serene voice.

"I want to stop the Red Courtyard from hurting more people in the Kingdom." Carlos looks at them with his crimson eyes shining under the moonlight. "I'll save everyone who deserves to be saved. I must halt all evil, even if it includes you." His eyes stared at the leader's, which hid under the metal mask that covers their mysterious countenance.

"Then do everything in your power to achieve it." Ami remarked.

"...what about you?"

The leader pulled their hand away. "I'll go on with my duties. And once I'm done, I'll meet you once again when you call me."

"By then..." Carlos' expression became blue, disheartened by his own choice, knowing he'll someday confront the leader.

Yet, Ami was not bothered by it at all. "I look forward to our battle." The leader bowed down before the prince.

Before they left, they offered their hand, patiently waiting for Carlos. Seeing this, he places his palm on theirs. "Haec domina victoriam tuam expectat." said the leader as she lifted her hand towards her mask. "Gloriam tuam mihi affer." Ami gently pressed her cold metal mask against the prince's warm skin, almost as if her lips were kissing it. Realizing that tomorrow, Ami will truly become his enemy, Carlos left his last words to her as the prince she saved. "Aut inveniam viam aut faciam. I thank you wholeheartedly for saving me, but I have a kingdom to save and devils to defeat." he said, marking the end of his gratitude and the start of his aim of defeating her. From the cracks of the leader's mask, he could see the smile on her face trying to escape.

The rain became heavier than ever. Once the leader finally finished relishing her moment with her prince, she distanced herself from him. Suddenly, thunder struck in front of the prince which captured the leader. The bright light almost blinded Carlos, and hen he opened his eyes, Ami was already gone. Along with her disappearance, the rain seemed to have also slowly drifted away.

Carlos finally found an ambition. When looked at his hand, his determination arose from his heart. "I know exactly what I'll do now."