Nefarious

C175 - Expedited election

Alex and I clumsily ran through the dark room, trying our best not to fall on our faces. I held his hand as I needed his strength for whenever I tripped, which I did quite a lot. "How long ago since Xylan saw Xavier here?" he asked stressfully. "Some minutes before you started chasing me," I answered briefly. I couldn't tell whether Alex nodded or not, but knowing him, he probably did that despite me not seeing him. Without questioning anything, we continued down some narrow aisles of bookshelves and eventually reached the main entrance. Alex unlocked the door and opened it with such strength that I feared the door-handle would fall off. "When we find the bastard, promise me you won't talk unless necessary. Xylan doesn't know that you were there because if he did, you would've been with Xavier right now, trust me. I'll do the talking."

The perfumed hallway smelled of a pleasant, rosy scent. Initially, I began pondering whether the Caizars had an obsession with flowers in general. However, I recognized the perfume and made logic of the scent swiftly. "Oh, Alexander, you're late!" Alex's mother exclaimed. "No one notified me of any more meetings today? I don't-" Alex began. "Your judgement is required. Xylan's waiting for you in there," she said vaguely, directing Alex to a room closeby. I hesitatingly followed him, nervously waiting for someone to grab me or yell at me. To my surprise, no one did that this time.

With easy steps, Alex and I entered the room, seeing Xylan and Xavier as the only two people present. "Mind explaining yourself, Alexander? Your trusted friend here was caught committing a crime as severe as trespassing. Xavier invaded the entire castle's privacy without showing any signs of regret. I don't see that as very trustworthy. Now, how come you defend this person all the time despite him being awfully unstable?" Xylan asked. "You're mistaken. Xavier didn't trespass. I allow him to collect some of my belongings in there from time to time," Alex answered. "That might be, but a trusted, anonymous informer clarified Xavier's plans to me directly. Xavier went in there specifically looking for evidence to plot against me. Did you command him to do so?" Xylan asked, his voice dropping to a low, affected snarl. Alex's gaze landed upon Xavier in an instant as a hint of disappointment showed on his face. "Not bettering the situation for yourself, you decided not to show up immediately, and this makes me believe you don't care enough to handle situations when needed. You're apathetic, slow and self-centred, Alexander. Your opinion on this matter is irrelevant due to your reluctance to show up in time. Xavier's vote remains invalid, and his access to people will be restricted from now on. We're done here."

Xylan was about to leave the room just when Xavier whispered to himself: "Oh you pitiful sucker." With that, Xylan looked back at Xavier, and it was clear to say that he almost lost control of his anger. "The election will be held tomorrow. Mother can't take this anymore, so she moved it. You should spend your time preparing," Xylan said. "Tomorrow?" Alex stuttered. "Yes, tomorrow," Xylan repeated before leaving in the blink of an eye. Xavier adjusted his sweater before locking eyes with me briefly. "Xavier," Alex sighed. "Let's just not do this, okay?" Xavier said vaguely before leaving us as well.