(Author: the last chapter was twice as long as normal, this was half as normal. This was actually where i intended for the last to leave off at but had two good t.i.tles i wanted to use and felt splitting them was a good compromise. Since its so short this wil be a part instead of a full chapter since as i said i like leaving off chapters where i feel they leave the most impact. So super short chap. Next one coming shortly. Maybe half a day, we"ll see)*********
So we dropped Lucy over at the Palace before going to pick up our carriage. The Prince had put up a struggle so he had to be "persuaded" to behave while we saw off his father. By which I mean I knocked him out and carried him over my shoulder while Lucius walked back into the maze from the other day, staggering all the while.
I was half afriad they"d mistake him for a drunk, which he was at the moment, instead of their King. But then again blonde hair like his and Dolly"s, that pure golden shade, were rare. And they should recognize him at a glance anyway or they"d be pretty incompetent guards.
We were well on our way back home when the Alex woke up. And he was quite uncomfortable being sandwiched between Dolly and Evie. So much so that he kept quiet all throughout the journey.
Dolly being pa.s.sed out and leaning her head on his shoulder may also have had something to do with it. The kid couldn"t get a good night"s sleep so she was still tired.
Evie was silent too, but I really hoped she wouldn"t be. Why? Because she was staring at me the whole time!
And it didn"t begin here either. I noticed it a while back.
Even while we were just walking to the carriage I would see her glancing at me and then turn her head as soon as I looked over.
That was bad enough. But now with Minerva dozing off, Dolly already asleep, and the Prince stiff as a board she apparently felt enabled to look as much and as openly as she pleased.
Those huge, red eyes....
Maybe SHE should be the one wearing a bunny outfit. Those eyes and that stare with that onesie would be just perfect.
Other than her weird, nearly unblinking gaze though everything else about the journey back was rather uneventful.
A few bandits did come and tried acting big but I chucked some stones at their heads and they fled.
Oh and a pack of wolves did get a little rough, which scared our driver, but I just beat them up a little like I did with Patches then fed them and now they"re following us like good boys.
Minerva, who had taken most of the seat after I got up and dealt with those matters, stirred a bit after the wolves showed up.
You could see her face scrunch up every now and again as if aware they were close behind.
Beastkin, did they normally have such keen senses? I mean I"d heard they were a lot better than average humans but not to a very unbelievable degree. Minerva here seemed to have a nose much more acute than even that though.
I wondered if that"s because of her G.o.ds-given bodily enhancements.
Anyway she was curled up on the plush seat cushions and I couldn"t bear to bother her so I squeezed myself against the side and let her use my lap as a pillow.
The result?
PURE. f.u.c.kING. BLISS.
She couldn"t stop me from fingering those ears now, can she? And so I sat there, her head on my lap, her gentle breaths a soothing lullaby, in a state of serene euphoria.
....What? This was the moment I was born for, you hear me?! Let me enjoy myself!
I didn"t at all care about Evie"s unrelenting gaze anymore. Or Alex"s curled lips when he saw Minnie"s ears, either.
Which nearly earned him a position on the purge list. But for Dolly"s sake, and knowing he"d merely been misguided by this world"s filthy prejudices, I simply put him on the list for my Enlightenment program.
I did, after all, need to build up my forces for the coming battles. And while most would not be capable of becoming Apostles I still had use for common foot soldiers. What better way to acquire them other than to show these poor, contaminated souls the proper path towards the divine?
People like the Prince who had not truly commited sin can yet be saved. But those stubborn fools who dared to harm the Holy Beings?
Hehe...
off with their heads!
While I was daydreaming about the glorious restructuring of the world and the paradise it would someday become I belatedly realized we"d already arrived back at the Claybrook Manor.
The Eden calling to me in the distance suddenly vanished, replaced by the large, imposing mansion from my childhood. I wanted to burn it down for the interruption, just a little.
As we pulled up to the house I saw Mother standing in front of the door. She had her arms folded and her foot was tapping testily on the floor. Almost as if she knew we were coming.
As soon as I got out I was a.s.saulted with her voice booming in my ears.
"I let you leave for a single day and you come back with kidnapped Royalty?!" Oh s.h.i.t. I thought I could feel the ground quake for a moment there.
Time for the golden tongue to make it"s appearance.
"I know how it looks, Mother, but listen--"
The golden tongue was cut off before it had a chance to work it"s magic.
"Oh don"t you be using that trick on me! d.a.m.n kid, you really don"t have any shame at all!" Her fingers clutched at my cheeks, which I generously allowed.
"Alright, alright, I"ll admit. It doesn"t look good. But calm down, okay? Look, the King was fine with it. We just went out for a wee little drink." I gestured. " The whole curtain thing was just a bit of rough housing, too, see." I explained. "And Alex BEGGED to come, honest he did. He really wanted to get to know his extended family. I couldn"t just turn him down, now could I?"
The words flowed like warm honey.
And had no effect at all.
Her expression was unwavering. "What nonsense are you talking about?" She pinched harder. "I don"t care about what trouble you and Lucy, that weird fop, were up to. Just tell me what possessed you to bring these Asmodian and Fenrir Clan Princesses back into my territory! Are you TRYING to start a war, huh, you brat?!"
...
...
...Um.
Nani the f.u.c.k?