Alysa pov:
"Are you sure you're alright coming with me?" Arran asked me for the hundredth time since we had left Amzell. "You hate crowds and there's going to be a very huge crowd during the festival."
"I'll be fine. I have to get over this feeling some time, Arran. Besides, I do want to see the festival - I'm sure it's going to be quite amazing," I said. "And you've booked an inn on the main street, right? If I find it too hard to be in the crowd, I'll just watch the festival from the window."
"I'm still worried," he mumbled, his eyes reflecting it as he gazed at me.
Having made sudden plans to attend the festival in Veritas together with Kian, Arran and Lyle, I had pushed quickly and boarded the carriage that served as a public transport bus of sorts in this world with the two of them. The four of us were the only ones going to Veritas - I was somehow glad for that - so the people on the carriage were unfamiliar. They were all friendly though, asking about us a little and speaking of themselves a little in return. Of course, most were scornful of Kian, Lyla and the other Zeros sitting on the floor of the carriage, and there were some who seemed only disinterested in the matter.
The journey, though a slightly bumpy ride, was pleasant. It took us a little more than half a day to reach Veritas, a town that was easily five times the size of Amzell. The town was already in a festive mood with decorations hanging everywhere and people bustling about cheerily. The sight of that and the people who were entering the town like us to attend the festival had me knowing that the crowd was sure to be immense. I was already feeling that I would not be able to step out of the inn.
The inn Arran took us to belonged to an acquaintance - this wasn't rhe first time Arran had come to Veritas and staying in this inn. The man he spoke to was kind but loud and cheery as he spoke to us. He was similar to us in the matter of treating Zeros well. While he greeted Lyle enthusiastically for seeing him again and flustered Kian in the slightest with his cheerful introduction, I saw him speak with the Zeros in the inn as if they were his friends. The Zeros looked well, and seemed more than content in serving Mr. Philip.
On Mr. Philip's suggestion, we rented the suite room that was more like a one bedroom house. Arran insisted me to use the room for myself while the three men shared the space of the living room. It was kind of them to be so courteous and I couldn't help but agree for obvious reasons.
After freshening up a little, the four of us took a tour around the festive streets that already had more people than what I could handle. Kian helped me feel less uncomfortable though, by guiding me a good few feet away from any large crowd. In fact, we walked through the streets that did not have many people in general. Obvious to say, the streets did not have as many stalls or the stalls were still being set up.
Post a good sightseeing tour with a variety of street food tasted and filling our stomachs, we returned to the inn to turn in for the night.
As I had expected, the crowd that was bustling about the next morning was massive, and one that I wanted to avoid. Just seeing it from the window was overwhelming enough, so stepping out of the inn was out of question. Though Arran, Lyle and Kian had worried for me and fussed over me, I had reassured them that I would be fine by myself and wished for them to go enjoy the festival. Of course, Lyle and Kian would have to stick by Arran's side as his Zeros in order to be spared from any sort of abuse from other people.
Reluctantly, they left after showering and breakfast while I relaxed in the room. I was bored quickly though, for there was nothing to do. Thankful that I had brought along my paints and some paper, I headed down to the main part of the inn so I could get myself something to drink while I spent some time painting. The inn was empty, save for two men who sat at a table having coffee, thanks to the attendance in the main festival. I took a seat at the far end of the inn, away from the main door from where I could hear the chatter of the crowd outside.
Comfortably seated, I opened a fresh sheet of paper and my paints, palette, and brushes. Mr. Philip approached the table at which I sat and looked down at me with a hearty smile. He said, "Would you like anything to eat or drink, Ms. Alysa?"
"I'd like a cup of milk tea and lemon cake, please," I answered.
"Ah, a fine combination!" he said. "I'll have your order out in just a few minutes. That aside, I see you're rather good at painting."
"Thank you, Mr. Philip."
"Do you paint often?" he asked casually.
"When I can," I said with a nod. "It's a passion, actually."
"That's great. But you don't seem to have very good paints," he pointed, eyeing the cakes of paint I had in my possession.
"This is the only thing that's available in Amzell, and perhaps the only kind I can afford," I said.
He hummed, seeming momentarily lost in thought. He also glanced at the few finished painting I had kept aside. Then, slowly nodding, he said, "You know what, I really want to encourage your talent. You're very good at your art, so I'll recommend someone you can buy better paints from. He's a good friend of mine and has good quality paints that even commoners can afford. If you go through me, you can even get a discount!"
"Really! That would be great! Thank you, Mr. Philip," I said, a bright smile coming onto my lips.
"I'll give you a letter to give to him to get the discount. That aside, how come you're here by yourself instead of attending the festival?" There was only innocent curiosity in his question. Well, it was obvious that anyone would want to attend a festival so grand.
"Oh, I'm not very good with crowds. I thought I'd be alright but I couldn't bring myself to walk into such a big crowd. I feel a little claustrophobic," I answered.
"That's too bad, but don't force yourself to do anything you're not comfortable with. Anyway, I'll get your order now, and the letter, so you can go on the last day of the festival to see Harold. The afternoon on that day usually has the least crowd," Mr. Philip said before walking away.
Excitement had risen in me at the thought of buying good quality paints, or at least ones that were better than the rough cakes I had been painting with until now. The possibility of buying new paints had been on my mind when I decided to come here along with Arran, so I had kept a little extra money from the amount Alden had left with me.
The next two days of the festival went on uneventfully for me. I remained in the inn while Arran, Lyle and Kian went out to see the festival celebration. While I did some painting every now and then, I also helped Mr. Philip in the kitchen despite him saying that he didn't want a guest working for him. I had far too much time on my hands to stay idle, so I had insisted thst I didn't mind it. In fact, we found something in common when he found out that I, too, ran an inn of sorts. Well, despite my volunteering, Mr. Philip paid me three gold coins for my help.
Just as he had said, he had written a letter to his friend Mr. Harold, and given me directions to his shop. It was a little off the main streets and Mr. Philip had given me directions through the safer alleyways so I wouldn't have to deal with the lingering crowd. Thanking him, Kian and I set off in the afternoon after our lunch to the paint shop.
We found it easily, and Mr. Harold was welcoming when he saw me. He was even kinder when he saw the letter from Mr. Philip. As the latter had said, Mr. Harold had a wide variety of paints and painting tools, most of which I was familiar with and wished to hold in my hand sometime in the future, when I had earned and saved up more money. I did not let my knowledge in the arts show, for Mr. Harold was more than enthusiastic to show me the tools and tell me how they had to be used.
Thanks to the discount, I was able to buy decent paints, ones that came as pastes in tubes rather than as cakes. They were much brighter too, and had a consistency that would give a good depth to whatever I painted.
Before I left the shop, Mr. Harold gave me a piece of paper in which he had written down the address of his shop. He had told me that I could send him a letter anytime I wanted paints and he would send them to me through the post. Thanking him for his kindness, Kian and I left.
"Those paints are very different from the ones you usually use," Kian said, glancing at the parcel in my hands.
"Yes, they're of much better quality and much brighter. I can't wait to start painting with them," I answered, unable to diminish the wide smile upon my lips. However, I stalled a moment and looked around. "Kian, this isn't the way we came, is it? I don't think I saw this alley on our way to Mr. Harold's shop."
"You're right. I think we took a wrong turn at the last intersection," he replied, glancing around as well. "We should head back the way we came and-"
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice interrupted Kian. We were quick to swivel to see five men, thugs rather, looking our way with sick grins on their faces.
"Aren't you a pretty one?" spoke another. "You have the looks of a noble but aren't dressed like one."
"And she has a filthy Zero with her."
"You look lost. Why don't we help you? You can spend some time with us in return for helping you," said the first man.
I had tensed, and I took a step back while Kian stepped up to stand between me and the men while glaring at them. Being challenged by a Zero did not sit well with them, and their expressions were quick to change to disgust.
"Out of the way, you filthy slave," spat the man all the way in front.
"Lady Alysa, I'll take care of these men, so run," Kian said, tensing his body to ready himself to attack.
"We should escape together, Kian. You can't possibly deal with five people on your own!" I said in worry.
"I told you before that Rayner has released my seal enough to be able to protect you. Don't worry about me and hurry," he replied. Just as he said that, a white aura enveloped his body and his presence was suddenly so strong. My eyes went wide but I was quick to quell my distraction and turn to run away.
"You're not escaping!" hollered one of the men.
While Kian blocked three of them with his power, two of them slipped past and began to chase me as I ran through the alleys. A shriek escaped me when one of them grabbed my hair at the ends, having reached close enough. I was caught and slammed against the wall with tight grips on my wrists. The bag I had in my hands had fallen to the ground and I struggled in vain to break free of the man pinning me.
"No! Let me go!" I screamed, struggling.
"Aren't you a doll?" the man cooed instead. "You're so small and pretty, and I'm afraid you'll break if I handle you too roughly. So, be a good girl and let me be gentle with you, hmm?"
Despite what he said, he ripped my left sleeve and tried to tear my dress at the waist. He was successful only a little before I kicked him in the shin and slipped sideways when he reacted to the pain. I barely managed to get past the other man who tried to shove me against the wall too, and ended with me scraping my arm against the rough wall.
Tears falling from my eyes in fright of being caught again and immensely shaken from nearly being violated, I ran as fast as my legs could take me. My lungs burned from the lack of air and so did the muscles of my calves. The men were getting closer by the minute, their footsteps loud in my ears, even over the fast pounding of my heart. Just when I was certain that I would be caught, I turned a corner and bumped into someone. Yelping in both surprise and fright, I fell onto my bottom and looked up with wide eyes.
My heart nearly stopped at the sight in front of me, of the hooded man covered in blood and looking down at me with a sort of sinister glow in his red eyes. His presence was overbearing but I calmed when it felt very familiar to me. The footsteps that reached my ears brought me back to my senses and had me scrambling up to hide behind Rayner whilst gripping his cape tightly in my fists.
"You wench, how dare you-what the? Who are you-kkuuugh!" I was certain that from the movement I felt in Rayner, he had done away with the men who had come after me. It had me tensing even more, feeling suffocated and choked for it had me recalling the Plaza Strike and all the screaming and blood and death. My eyes were so wide that they hurt around the edges, and I knew that I would not be able to stay calm if I saw the men who had been chasing me dead.
"Let go of the commander, you filthy human! How dare you have the guts to-"
"Louis," Rayner spoke commandingly, "show some respect. This is the Alpha."
"The Alpha?" repeated the man, Louis, surprise apparent in his voice.
"Lady Alysa, are you alright?" Rayner asked without making me let him go. It was odd that he didn't try to pry me off of himself when he surely hated that I was touching him.
It took a moment for me to gather myself and let go of him, mumbling an apology for clinging to him. I kept my gaze well away from the men who had been chasing me and were surely in pools of blood now. Still, I couldn't calm from the mere thought of it, and it had me feeling breathless.
Nonetheless, I said, "I-I'm alright. Thank you for helping me."
"Why are you here?" His question had me finally looking up at him to meet his icy red eyes. It was odd that his eyes were red when they should have been golden.
"O-oh, I came here with Kian to buy paints and-oh my gosh! Kian! Rayner, you have to help him!" I hollered, the worry about Kian having brought me back to my senses better. "He was dealing with three other men while he had me escape! What if he gets hurt? You have to find him and help-"
"Lady Alysa!" Kian's voice came just as he turned the corner to appear in front of us. He was breathing heavily and sweating, his clothes a bit dusty, but he was unharmed. Unexpectedly, he had the bag I had dropped in his hands.
"Kian, are you alright?" I asked, hurrying to his side to look over him. He had a busted lip and a cut on his forearm, and I was quick to heal them.
"I'm fine, Lady Alysa, thank you for healing me," he replied, then glanced at Rayner. "Rayner."
"Kian, it is good to see that you are well. It seems it was right in thinking that you would be well while with Lady Alysa," Rayner spoke.
"Yes, I am well, as are the other Zeros of Amzell," answered Kian.
"Why are the two of you here though? These alleys are unsafe for commoners," Rayner said.
"We had come to the Paint Parlor to buy paints. We had come through the safer roads using directions from a friend but we took a wrong turn and ended up running into those men," I answered in a small voice.
"Are you here to attend the festival?" he asked next. The suspicion in his voice was hard to not notice, and I had to suppress cringing under his scrutinizing stare.
"Sort of. We came with Arran and Lyle, but I remained in the inn most of the time because the crowd was too much for me to handle."
Rayner hummed in response, seeming lost in deep thought while staring at me. We were enveloped by awkward silence, all the more because the three people with Rayner, all wearing hooded cloaks, were watching me with narrow eyes.
"But, Rayner, why are you here, and looking like this?" I asked, breaking the silence.
His appearance was unsettling – not only could I sense his mana pulsing powerfully, but he there were multiple blood stains on his clothes and cloak. He was in similar attire to what I had seen him in when he had visited Amzell last time, however, it had me realizing that he was not wearing a uniform but merely attire fit for a fighter. He carried a sword which was also covered in blood and had me feeling sick to the stomach. I also felt embarrassed, for I finally noticed how much skin my torn clothes were revealing. I did what I could to hold the torn parts together, especially at my waist, while averting my eyes from Rayner.
"Nemel, give me your cloak," Rayner said. I thanked Rayner when he put his comrade's cloak over my shoulders and tugged it over myself to cover myself fully. Then, he said, "We are here on duty. Some things had to be taken care of – we were just about done when you ran into us."
"I see," I mumbled. Something about this situation was unsettling, rousing a sense of apprehension in me. Rayner seemed dangerous and scary right now as he looked down at me. Even the kindness out of courtesy that he often showed me was missing now. Hesitantly, I added, "Um, are any of you injured?"
"Louis is, and I would be grateful if you healed him," came the flat answer.
"O-of course." I stepped to Louis who seemed to only scowl at me in immense distaste. It had me averting my eyes from him and only holding my hand over the bleeding cut on his arm to heal it in seconds.
He and the two others were surprised by my healing mana, but did not let the expression linger for more than a moment. When I stepped away, the atmosphere was again awkward.
"Thank you, Lady Alysa," said Louis, though his gratitude seemed forced.
"You're welcome."
"Nemel, escort Lady Alysa and Kian to where they're staying and meet us at the camp after that," Rayner instructed.
"As you say, Commander," answered Nemel, giving a chaste bow of his head before he stepped closer to me. "Let's go, Lady Alysa."
"Alright. We'll return now, Rayner. Take care," I said to him.
"Of course, Lady Alysa, I will see you again soon."
With a nod and a hesitant glance at Louis and the other man who were still watching me sharply, Kian and I left with Nemel to the inn where we were staying. We thanked Nemel for escorting us before he left and Kian and I were alone in our suite. I changed out of my torn clothes and into a fresh one piece dress and joined Kian in the living room.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. My mind was reeling from everything that had happened – right from barely escaping being violated to seeing Rayner covered in blood. My breathing quickened and I covered my mouth while shutting my eyes as I began to panic.
"Lady Alysa, are you alright? Lady Alysa!" Kian hollered, placing a hand on my shoulder when I began to breathe in gasps. "Please calm down, Lady Alysa!"
Just before I could begin hyperventilating, as a result of a panic attack hitting me – it had been very common during the recovery time after the Plaza Strike but this was the first time here – I heard a voice calling my name. Moments later, I was in a warm embrace that had me returning to the present and calming slowly. When I had calmed enough, I opened my eyes to meet Arran's worried gaze, as well as that of Lyle's.
"Lisa, are you alright? What happened? Why are you like this?" Arran asked anxiously.
Kian answered his question instead of me, briefly speaking of us being attacked by some thugs before being saved by Rayner. As I had expected, it resulted in a scolding session from Arran.
"How could you have gone to such a place by yourself? All four of us should have gone together! At least you wouldn't have gone the wrong way! How could you have been so reckless?"
"Mr. Philip had given me directions through the safe streets. It's my fault for missing a turn in my excitement of buying new paints. It's a good thing we ran into Rayner though," I said.
"Yes, that was lucky. But what was Rayner doing here? Isn't the Halvest Duchy quite far from Veritas?"
That question had come to my mind too. It was all the more reason for me to have felt uneasy seeing him here in a blood stained state. He had said that there was a matter that had to be taken care of and I doubted it being related to the duchy. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if he was part if a duchy at all, if he was serving humans at all.
There were a few other things that had me thinking this way - the fact that he had been able to partially release the seal on Kian and the sight of his red eyes and no pain, the latter that seemed to indicate that he was not under the effect of a seal at all.
"He said he was here on work," I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the floor. "I guess it was something official, like the duke traveling here for the festival too."
"That's possible, I guess," Arran agreed. "Being the commander, it's given that he would have to accompany the duke he serves."
We wrapped up the topic there and headed downstairs for dinner. My appetite was lacking, so I ate only little and returned to the suite. Kian joined me soon, while Arran and Lyle remained downstairs to chat with Mr. Philip a while. We were leaving the next morning, so it was Arran's wish to spend some time with his friend before hitting the pillow.
While Kian was spreading out the mattresses for him and Lyle next to the couch that Arran had been sleeping on the past three nights, I stepped to him in hopes of talking about Rayner.
"Um, Kian, would it be alright to talk to you for a minute?" I asked.
Looking up from the mattress to meet my gaze, he said, "Of course, Lady Alysa. What is it you want to talk about?"
"Do you know the actual reason why Rayner was here in Veritas? It didn't look too me like he was here as someone from the Duchy," I said.
Kian clenching his jaw was enough for me to figure out that there was, in fact, a different reason for Rayner's appearance here. And Kian knee something about it.
"I'm afraid I'm not at the liberty to give you details, Lady Alysa. However, it is true that Rayner was here on personal business and not from the Duchy," answered Kian. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," I said, a small, halfhearted smile coming to my lips. "Everyone has something that they wish to keep secret, and I will respect that. But I have to admit that Rayner seemed like a different person today, like someone I don't know. He was a bit frightening, and not just because of his appearance."
"He won't hurt you," Kian said immediately. Oddly enough, the way he spoke sounded as if I was the only exception in humans that he would not hurt. That wasn't in the least reassuring.
Merely humming with a nod, I looked away while chewing on my bottom lip. Since there was nothing else to talk about, I excused myself to sit in the lower level inn to paint for a while. There were no customers, since it was past closing time, but Mr. Philip did not mind me sitting at one of the tables for a while. Arran and Lyle, upon fussing Ober me to make sure that I was alright after the ordeal I had been through earlier this afternoon, also retired to the room to sleep.
Painting helped my mood lighten a little but it did not let my mind rest from the many thoughts that had risen since my meeting with Rayner. Not only was the situation unsettling, but I was oddly reminded of my encounter either Mr. Charles that resulted in me coming to this world and becoming Alysa Winfred. I did not want to be in that position again, whatever the reason. On that note, I was really regretting the recklessness that I had on the day I had saced Rayner. At the same time, I couldn't bring myself to have made a different decision even if that day had repeated. I would not have left a person to die when I had to power to prevent it.
Sighing deeply, I looked over what I had painted - daffodils that represented the uncertainty besides chivalry, respect and unrequited love. I couldn't tell why I felt uncertain at the moment. I wanted to trust in Rayner, believe that he was the kind Zero I had come to see as a good friend in the time he had been with me in Amzell, yet what I had seen of him today had me feeling anxious.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking," I mumbled to myself. "I should go to sleep instead."
Wrapping my late night painting session, I headed to the upper floor to our suite. The three men were asleep, so I tread as quietly as I could to the room to turn in for the night as well. However, Arran was not asleep yet and hurried to me before I shut the door.
"Lisa, are you feeling alright?" he asked in a whisper.
"I'm alright. I'm sorry I woke you," I replied.
Shaking his head, he said, "I wasn't asleep yet. I was waiting for you to make sure you were alright before I slept."
"Thank you for always worrying about me, Arran," I said with a small smile, truly grateful to him for always looking out for me one way or another.
"What are best friends for?" came his response along with a cheery smile. "Get some sleep now. We'll be leaving by around ten in the morning tomorrow."
"You get some sleep too," I told him.
Wishing each other a pleasant night, I closed the door of the room and stepped to the bed. I fell face first, sighing with my eyes closed with my face in the pillow. Mentally exhausted from the days events, I was quick to fall asleep without even covering myself with the blanket.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hello all you lovelies!
It's been a while since I updated this book. I was a bit short on motivation because this book has very few reads despite being a genre that's quite trending right now. While it is true that one has to write for their personal joy, a little of appreciation and encouragement is necessary to keep up the work.
I'm not saying that my readers don't appreciate me, because it's solely because of all of you that I've been this successful at writing. If it's not too much to ask, I would love to see more comments on the chapters to know your thoughts on them as I write them :)
Alysa seems to have noticed something off with Rayner when she ran into him and is now concerned about the near future because if her connection with the said Zero. I wonder what's in store for our young lady...
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
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