— Well, you know, people are different.
In this situation, I was doing the best I could. My date with the brownies was interrupted so suddenly… That's a real sha. Rachel wouldn't be petty enough to take everything away from , would she?
She stared at for a while-which was hard to detect emotion. Then she finally sighed and let go of my hand.
— You're not going to take that away from , are you? — I asked carefully.
Rachel gave a disgruntled look.
— As if I cared.
After saying that, she just turned and walked away. I looked at her with a brownie in my mouth. It was only then that I realized I'd missed such a good chance to talk in private. Eh… It was a habit I hadn't been able to eradicate, even over the years.
When my thoughts turned to food, I couldn't think about anything else. But for sure it wasn't the last opportunity, so I didn't worry about it for long.
My daily routine at the imperial palace was rather monotonous. One day after the incident, I finally decided to go out for so air.
I was running out of ink and paper. Even though I could have easily sent the servants to get it all, I didn't feel lazy and went myself. Otherwise I would really soon be covered with dust.
The weather was fine today. And the capital was lively.
I ca out of the stationery shop with two bags in my hands and was about to walk back to the palace. At that mont I was suddenly hailed from behind.
— BEAUTIFUL!
That voice… I recognized it instantly, and I turned around.
Maxie and Razor were walking toward -and I rubbed my eyes to make sure it was them. But it wasn't. I really wasn't wrong.
A girl with scarlet hair and an eye patch, and a dark-haired, short man walking beside her. Both of them were waving at , and I couldn't help but smile. I didn't expect to run into them by chance six months later.
— Guys!
I rushed over to them and we hugged each other tightly. Maxie even lifted up and spun in the air.
— I hope you haven't gone a day without thinking of ?
Otherwise I would have slamd my fist into her chest, but now I just laughed. It had been so long since we'd seen each other that I instantly forgave Maxie any of her phrases.
When the three of us finally let go of each other, I couldn't help but ask:
— What are you doing here?
They looked at each other.
— We were just on our way to see you,» Razor announced.
— Were we? — Razor,» I wondered. «So you've already found your brother, then?
He didn't answer my question, and lowered his gaze downcast. Instead Maxie tapped him on the shoulder.
— Uh… Can we talk sowhere else?
Following Maxi's advice we settled down at the nearest coffee house. We ordered drinks and started to talk about what had happened to us lately.
I wasn't at all surprised that Maxi had run away from ho. Whereas Razor's revelation made empathize involuntarily. I was well aware of how much the boy cherished his older brother-despite all the stupid things he'd done…
When Razor told that Philip had fallen off the cliff, his expression was sad. I put my arm around his shoulder in a reassuring hug.
Maxie coughed.
— You just don't know the whole truth. That psycho almost nailed our rabbit.
— «Psycho?» — I asked back in surprise.
Since the other prince was present next to us, the girl didn't say all the things she thought out loud — but instead she twiddled her finger aningfully at her temple. She added that he'd almost pushed Razor off the sa spot himself.
I sighed heavily.
Philip… In a way, I felt a little sorry for him. The crown prince's life had finally been turned upside down, and now he didn't know what to do next. Anyone in his position would have been desperate.
Though it was unlikely: but I tried to reassure Razor with the hope that Philip might still be alive. After my words, the boy cheered up a little.
Tired of watching us «snivel,» Maxie interrupted loudly:
— All right, us. How's it going with your «fiancée»? Or should I say ex…
I shrugged.
— Nothing new so far.
Six months ago, Maxie could hardly believe that Rachel was really over . She'd thought until recently that she was just pretending, and for so reason, she'd cut out of her life. It wasn't until I saw her in person that I was convinced.
That look-it was impossible to fake. Rachel looked at as if I were a stranger. And Maxie, who was very good at reading people's emotions, knew at once that this was no ga.
No one knew for what reason this had happened. We could only guess. And anwhile Maxi was sure that there was sothing going on here. And there was even a suspicion as to whom…
But now we had no proof anyway.
I drank a cold cocktail from the straw and sighed. Maxie looked at tensely.
— You know you don't have much ti left.
— Hmm?
— If this wedding happens… The whole empire will be under her thumb. Then it will be too late to do anything about it.
I knew. I knew exactly what she was talking about. If I want Rachel back, this is my last chance. After all, when Camilla becos queen, it will all be over. Right now she was only holding back because of her crown princess status, but it wasn't for long.
Anyway, right now I was on the verge. Everything will be decided in the next couple of months.
— Do you have a plan? — The Marquis's daughter asked.
I wondered.
Not so long ago, I'd tried to get a lead on Rachel's sudden amnesia-by joining her inner circle. But the girl had refused to make her right-hand man, and all my efforts over the past few months had been fruitless. In the end it all proved futile.
Listening to my story, Maxie frowned.
— Sitting under her windows right now isn't going to get you anywhere. She obviously didn't just bump her head and forget you. There's sothing else involved…
— I know. But then what do I do?
— Hmm… Do you rember anything else strange?
— «Weird»? — I pondered briefly, «I think there is.
Maxie looked at expectantly.
I almost opened my mouth at that mont and told her about the curse of the Bloody Callia. Razor and I had agreed to keep the secret between the two of us for now. And besides, the girl didn't know: that the na of this curse was exactly the sa as the book in whose world we were.
Except for Razor-who, like , was born with a strange ability and knew much more about this world than the others-I decided that I would keep the secret of my origins forever. It was the best thing to do.
But the news still haunted . I felt compelled to find out what was going on.
For the first ti, I saw sothing similar to this curse in Elder Ileas's book. Even though I couldn't make out what it said, it felt strange when I saw the symbols.
And especially the last picture, with the bloody flower blooming in its chest, was permanently engraved in my mory. Maybe if I could decipher it, I would finally understand how the Cassius curse was connected to this novel… and, more importantly, how I could help Rachel recover her mory.
When I reminded Maxie for the first ti in a long ti about the healer who'd taken us in a couple of years ago, she hesitated.
— Do you really want to go there? — she wondered.
I nodded.
— It's just an old man. What could you find out from him? — She said skeptically.
— I don't know why, but I feel we're connected sohow…
— «Connected?» — Maxie grinned, «How is that possible? It's only been a couple of years since you first t, isn't it?
— It's strange,» I agreed, «But we still have nothing to lose, right? I want to visit him.
Maxie and Razor looked at each other uncertainly. Obviously, neither of them was willing to travel such a long distance just because of my montary speculation. And yet, since we had decided to be together until the end, we agreed.
Deep down, I didn't want to leave the palace for so long. And in the anti, there was no choice anyway. Since the original thods of reminding Rachel of myself hadn't worked-I couldn't continue to sit idly by.
I looked up at the tops of the palace towers from the coffee shop window and sighed.
No matter what happened, I was going to do my best. And no matter what happened.
I would be sure to solve the main mystery of this world.
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