Welfare and Warfare

Chapter 33

Roughly Sixteen Years Ago

Alfreda was making her way through the castle when she overheard her younger sister Cori speaking with a servant.

"Would Her Highness like her room to be tidied?" asked the servant, bowing.

"Yes," replied Cori. "I would want tidy room- my room to be tided," she tumbled over the words and glanced at the floor.

The servant winced a bit, then nodded. "As you say, Your Highness-"

Princess Cori stopped the servant from leaving and placed her gloved hands on either side of the servant's head, then a green light shone from her fingers; Alfreda recognised it as the same spell her father had tried to use on Osmond.

Cori was wiping the servant's mind just to clean away that small, embarrassing slip-up in a conversation.

Alfreda hid away, her breath catching in her throat. Cori was already capable of doing such a spell at the age of twelve, so what could she do by the time she was an adult?

And then there was the fear of what else Cori had erased. What other memories? Had she done it with Alfreda's memories?

Princess Alfreda calmed herself. No, of course, Little Cori wouldn't do that. She was so innocent and naïve, and yet Alfreda had witnessed herself what Cori would do even with such a minor part of her day.

Present Day

Day: 3302

Henry had been making great strides with learning sign language, more progress than the majority due to how hard he studied as well as the extra private lessons. Sumit and Henry would often go out for dinner together too after the private lesson, though Sumit was unsure if Henry insisted because he was paying him back for the private tutoring or because he actually thought of him as a friend; Sumit hoped for the latter, he was at a severe lack of friends at the moment.

They were in the middle of their private lesson when the door flung open and in bombarded three imps that immediately began to climb on the desks and spin around in Sumit's office chair.

Sumit let out a tired sigh and it was clear to Henry that this was a usual occurrence.

"Please stop messing around," Sumit said in an already defeated tone.

"Now, now, none of this belongs to you!" snapped a voice. "Be respectful."

Henry turned to see that at the doorway was Vice-Captain Alfreda, Lili's second in command of the guards; she was currently in her human form, wearing an elegant red gown and silver and gold jewellery in her curly hair, the imps matching with red garments and the same kind of jewellery hanging from their small pointy horns.

Sumit seemed to tense up as soon as he saw the woman, his eyes darting away as if he was not acknowledging her existence.

"I do apologise," said Alfreda, before she cleared her throat loudly and the imps came running back to her side, standing straight with immaculate posture. Henry would have thought them to be her actual children what with the resemblance of her fire demon form and the imps' design but of course, they were just masks.

"It's okay," said Henry, smiling, as it seemed that Sumit was not going to respond so he did it for him. "Are you here for a music lesson?"

"Lesson?" Alfreda scoffed. "I already know how to play the piano; I do not need to learn anymore. I am here simply to play."

At hearing this, the imps jumped up and down in excitement, clearly wanting to hear music as they pulled at Alfreda's dress for attention.

"How is your learning?" Alfreda asked, whilst signing.