Calm and Calamity

Chapter 62

Day: 667

Days Left: 4813

Lives Saved: 3

The aftermath was quiet and solemn. If anyone could bring themselves to speak, it was barely an audible whisper as they all asked what they should do next.

Though the golden knight had been defeated, they all feared that she would return. And so, they restrained the golden knight and locked her up in one of the deep containment pits used during blood moons, all hoping that Corinna would soon regain control of her body.

Rin's body that had turned into paper had all been scattered across the wasteland, and the imps picked up as many as they could, chasing after them as a gust of wind blew them further away. But even when the imps brought the pieces of paper together, Rin did not transform back, for not all of the pieces were there; numerous others were now strewn about the Eternal Abyss. As Salim could not change back into a human yet, he took upon the task to find the other missing pieces as the noxious purple gas his body produced was not safe around the other prisoners.

Harmony focused on treating the wounded with the chimaera's magical healing 'ointment', but her mind's attention was on something else- on Corinna and if she'll ever come back. What Harmony had read in Salim's book and however much Harmony wanted to solve that mystery, she knew that the wellbeing of everyone else was more important and pushed that particular thought back.

*

Once everything had settled, as much as everything could do regarding the situation, Princess Alfreda summoned her royal bodyguard Lili to her quarters.

Lili hesitated at first but sucked in a quick breath, her shoulders back, and put on her usual stoic and disciplined face. She entered the princess' private quarters when instructed and closed the door behind her.

The princess was still in her fire demon form, but her veil covered her face, and her wound had mostly healed. She faced away from Lili, her paper fan in hand, but she did not waft it and instead covered her mouth with it open. "Where were you?" the princess asked in an almost inaudible whisper.

Lili swallowed and put her shoulders back even further. She knew that Princess Alfreda had already worked it out, and so Lili had prepared the speech in her mind but it all suddenly went blank as soon as she tried to explain. "I was at the residence of Ms Riley, Mr Jackson, and Mr Clarence... specifically with Ms Riley."

"And how, pray tell, did that come about?" The princess did not raise her voice; instead, it sounded calm yet sombre.

"I prompted it, Your Highness," Lili admitted. "I saw the opportunity as I was on break from my duties."

"And it distracted you to the extent that you could not hear any of the fight? Of anyone crying in pain or for help?"

Lili bowed her head and answered solemnly, "no I did not hear anything, Your Highness, I am deeply ashamed and sorry for my negligence."

There was a long moment of silence.

"I will..." Lili bit down on her lip, hesitating as her throat went dry. "I will not continue. It is a distraction from my duties and if it had not... I will not be distracted again."

"This 'dalliance' of yours, how long as it been going on for? Or was it a one-time 'dalliance'?"

"It was..." Lili bowed her head low. "It started over half a year ago."

The princess almost turned around after hearing this, but contained her surprise and remained detached.

"After Bryce and his group obtained all of the packets from the food drop-off," Lili continued. "I knew I had to get food for us, for you, Your Highness. But trading with Ms Ivette would not be enough. So, I... made an exchange with Ms Riley... for food."