♦Chapter 123: A Woman's Secret (2)♦
A cold breeze passed by our direction as we firmly stood in the middle of the garden beside the Crown Prince's Palace.
In a second after, a small, feather-like substance melted on the surface of Natasha's shoulder to allow us to finally recognize the cloudiness of the skies, which signified the beginning of an early winter at the end of autumn.
The blonde-haired woman lifted her chin to gaze upon the falling snow from above. And as she began to move her lips, mists were formed to follow the ejection of her breath.
"To be frank, I knew that Lady Melissa has been the biggest liar among the three of you."
"And if I were to continue to state the rest of the rankings in that subject, I guess, Noah would be at second place since Aiden lied less.", she eventually shifted her gaze back to my figure after she finished making her confirmations about the condition of our surroundings.
I took a deep breath so I could regain my solidity before I could respond to the tense conversation between us two.
"Do you detest me for that?", I chose to be direct with all honesty, being aware of the weight of the seriousness of our talk.
"No, I appreciated that sort of insincerity instead. It always made me feel assured that I wasn't the only one who was being a liar within our circle as it kept me in a position less convicted."
The female spoke as if she was guilty of a far greater sin which held a heavier burden than we could expect.
Even if I tried to pry into her business, I knew it too well through my instincts as another woman that she wouldn't spill anything to anyone. The transparent wall that separated herself from everyone else would only get thicker and nothing more.
Nevertheless, it wasn't like I didn't have a vague idea regarding the matter that she was encouraging herself to mention in front of my eyes.
The fact that she was giving me some hints about her troubles even just for a bit could only mean that she was willing to ask for someone's help when it came to her circumstances, to a certain point.
But even then, I supposed that she made a wrong decision at assuming that I would have the chance of offering her a helping hand.
After all, no matter how great and noble a person she ought me to be, in fact, I have grown into an individual which was no better than a despicable woman, living along the desire for a self-satisfaction.
No matter how one referred to how I described myself in a positive manner, it could never be enough to hide the tracks of my true nature of being as low as dirt.
"Wouldn't you say it's quite laughable? The gleeful friendship that we built up in the past five years turned out to something as treacherous as a double-edged sword."
"And now, the first petal of our flowery correlation has fell apart."
Silence enveloped the setting for a brief moment. It was as if she was hoping that I would give her a set of words of encouragement, like how a common heroine would do when her friends were bound by shackles of loneliness, in a book.
However, this world wasn't a piece of fiction inside a novel, but reality. On top of that, I already stopped getting swept away by my ideals of being a main character of my very own story, unlike the times when I was being naïve as I attempted to withstand those who opposed me in a way like my position was superior than theirs.
That's why, all I could do was to allow things to pass without my unnecessary interferences. And I was ascertained that I wouldn't be changing my mind even if another were to complain how irresponsible of a person I was to her, despite taking part of the development of our close relation till now.
"I suppose...... this year's winter will be much colder than the previous ones..."
The maiden then turned her back at the reflection of my profile on her eyes. Whether this was about my state of being fortunate or not, I happened to catch a glance of something very rare yet ironic.
Natasha stared at me as if she was in the verge of crying, as she turned away from my direction.
But before she could thoroughly leave me be, she paused to verbalize a slightly wavering kind of statement that urged to pretend that she was fine.
"The imperial physician said that it will still take a lot of time before Noah could prevail from the effectiveness dealt by the poisoned arrow.", she murmured and added later;
"...I sincerely hope you'd keep this segment of me as a secret between the two of us."
'Everything is beginning to crumble.'
Whilst I watched the maiden's despondent back, walking farther away from my bounds, only such a phrase could cross my mind.
It was then that I took the initiative to reevaluate the image of us four, flexing our acknowledgement to one another as friends as we teased and soothed each other with pure kindness.
Natasha might have thought of it to be rather laughable by the means of sarcasm, but I couldn't empathize with her emotions as much. I was well aware of the definitive reason why, specially after being told off by her in a very categorical manner.
That's right. All this time, I've been the biggest liar amongst our circle.
The goodwill to be found within my actions and the sugar-coated words that I spouted endlessly since the time that I was included in that group was but a different type of formality in all aspect.
Although I might've been truthful to our friendship at several times, it wasn't to the point that I have been as attached as Natasha that I could react to the issue that we discussed about, similarly to the feelings that lingered in her heart at the time. Still, that didn't mean that I was being completely indifferent to the matter just by the meaning of those terms.
Even if I've grown to be detached from associating with other people due to the pledges that I've committed to deal with my complex state of affairs, in the end, I was but another person given of humaneness just as how Natasha seals away her negativity from the eyes of the public with a taste of innocence.
The conscience left in my hands might only be measured slight, but that was enough for me to tell that I still had a caring heart despite the desperate urge of the erasure of my meaningless yearning of hope.
Perhaps, that is also why......
Thinking that, I passively gazed at Aiden at the finishing point of my monologue. Then with wavering eyes, I clenched my hands at the realization of an assumption, which could've been the closest to truth if it were to label the origin of my present courses of action.
Rather than defining myself to have gone matured, --
Am I not running away...?
[]Third Person's POV []
As the snow first fell down the skies along the visiting of the monarch by the Crown Prince's chambers, with the presence of the Head of the Knights of the Central Division granted in the same setting, they openly discussed their matters as they observed the sleeping image of the future sun of the Empire.
"So, his death wasn't exactly accidental.", Leonard spoke whilst he referred to the culprit who soon met his death after the successful, poisonous shot that reduced his only son's well-being to his current state.
Nodding to confirm his master's statement, Philip Hugh continued to retail the necessary details to be informed.
"We believe so. According to the inspection team, there were traces of the rope being tampered with so it would eventually split apart by the moment it carries a certain amount of force."
"It makes us think that he was either abandoned by his accomplices or he was just another guy who could be a member of a suicidal team of theirs."
"By the way they aimed for His Highness without any direct attempt to Your Majesty, might they be the rebels who aim for the succession of the young duke of Shevaria?"
"That may be a fact as things stand at the moment, but... We can't say that for sure, especially if ever the guy who died down the balcony wasn't the actual person who made the shot.", the ruler smirked at the thought of his clever ideas.
Leonard spoke with his usual nonchalant demeanor.
With the eyes of the imperial guards and the audience directed at the fleeing assassin and his crossbow alone, as there were delays when they ran after him while they witnessed his figure jump down from the side rails on the right as he grasped the rope attached there in advance, anyone could've misunderstood the situation when they found themselves discovering a dead body lying beside a crossbow by the spot.
And taking advantage of the diverted attention and the loud screams and uproar coming from the guests of the venue after camouflaging his infiltration through the balcony to the floor below the upper, side platform where he came from, he could've blended into the crowd with his common attire, fitted to the situation.
That concluded the monarch's supposition for that night's incident.
"I'm sorry, but wouldn't it have been difficult to execute the required procedures when anyone could've entered the balconies on the left side at any moment?"
"Their numbers can't be limited to mere five to ten people. It pretty much applies that they made use of the total of their units to occupy the holes of their plan."
"If that's true, it appears that we thoroughly set them free by foolishly opening the gates of the palace."
"I guess so.", the emperor softly chuckled at the disadvantageous closure that brought salt on his guard's expression.
Perceiving his reaction, Philip could only sigh while wondering how his master could laugh that way in spite of the foreboding feeling that his chest burdened from the conversation that they were having.
"Please don't be so carefree, Your Majesty. I worry since we haven't really figured out anything about their initial intention from their movements."
"Don't let it get you, Philip. It's not like I'll end up sticking with that creepy priest's premonition.", Leonard replied, smiling wryly.