After the second day of introductions, it was finally time for working. But though due to my guide being completely absent Etros planned on making an exception and let me go with Rei and Aylin. But before he could make that decision a familiar face interrupted him and took on the responsibility of taking care of me. Though Etros was a bit hesitant to letting her be a guide he eventually gave in after a little of back and forth.
So here I was walking side by side with my guide. The girl in the gothic lolita dress with cross eyes smiled before opening the door to her room.
"Are we working from inside here?"
"You could say so. Fu Fu."
She stood in front of me and asked if I wasn't gonna introduce myself.
"Oh my, how rude of me for not introducing myself first."
Her name was Lilith Yunastra and titleholder of girl of Nihility.
"Girl of Nihility? Are you an Aeon?"
"Cute question but not quite, I simply bear the strongest connection with the Aeon of Nihility."
"Strongest connection? What does that imply?"
She smiled and laughed softly at my curiousity for her existence.
"Perhaps if you peer into my eyes you will find out."
She opened her light blue eyes wide open and tilted her head showing her cross pupils. Suddenly the cross started to glowing as bright light like stars filled her irises.
She then pulled herself back and with a smug expression asked me what I thought about the nightsky she had just shown me.
"It was exactly like a nightsky."
"Enough of this, it is time for you to introduce yourself."
"Vicent Vigran."
Lilith immediately burst out laughing stumbling a few steps.
"The nightsky has already heard you say your name before. Please, this time your real name."
The nightsky has heard me say my name before? Does she mean the stars that Aylin and I had observed at night? Were her eyes the nightsky this entire time?
She sighed melodramatically telling me to cease overthinking and that she will just call me Vicent.
"Are you apart of the Fivindus family?" I asked Because she didn't have Fivindus in her last name.
"Perhaps if you look back a few generations then maybe some arranged marriage happened between the Yunastra and Fivindus family happened but I do not consider myself a Fivindus. As I have said before I'm simply a runaway girl."
"Then why is Etros letting you live here if you aren't apart of the Fivindus family, don't they value secrecy?"
"To put it simply, both clans want to have the upper hand on each other right?" She said pointing her finger up.
"Instead of imprisoning me which could lead to conflicts with the Yunestra family they are letting me stay in exchange for information about the Yunestra clan."
"So you are selling out the Yunestra clan?"
"No, not at all. What I give them are pretty much useless information that sound good enough for them to let me stay."
She then suddenly clapped her hands,
"Alright, enough with the questions, we will need to get to work."
I was still curious on why Etros allowed her to become my guide and why she even left her own home to be in enemy territory. Was it maybe because she is the strongest person affiliated with Nihility that they wanna keep her around? As a bargaining chip if the Yunastra family tried to go against them? It sounded plausible.
But as for my first assignment ever since coming to the Fivindus estate it was to sort the wine cellar. Definitely something Lilith decided for herself and not the clan management department. As I was putting newly arrived alcohol into their correct aging ages I saw Lilith practically drooling in the century wine section.
And I will just pretend that I didn't just see her stash a bottle for herself. The second assignment was tending for the pond outside. The only thing I had to do was feed the fishes which wasn't hard at all. Lilith smiled as she held the small pellets in her hand and threw them all into the pond at the same time. She opened her mouth in surprise as the fish went crazy and splashed the water all over the place getting both of us wet.
Lilith held up her drenched black dress by the tip of the skirt and complained about being wet.
"Weren't you the one who did that to yourself."
"~Nopee, must have been the universe punishing me."
We got cleaned up and she told me that I could go on ahead to the restaurant and get myself dinner. She excused herself and left me all alone. When I arrived to the restaurant I saw Aylin and Rei eating together. Aylin asked how I was doing and Rei asked me where my guide was.
"I got accompanied by another person," I said.
Rei seemed a bit surprised that Lukas had been taken off guide duty but brushed it off and asked me who my newly assigned guide was.
When I uttered the name Lilith, Rei went silent. The sound of her silver utensils falling onto the place echoed across the restaurant.
She slammed her fists onto the table and stormed off with an expression full of anger.
"What's wrong with her?" I asked Aylin who was just as confused as me.
"I don't know."
Rei slammed her father's desk.
"Father I simply cannot accept this! To have that foreigner accompany a guest!"
Etros pulled open his desk drawer and pulled out a cigar and put it into his mouth. He ignited it and took a deep breath.
"You wouldn't understand," he replied nonchalantly puffing out smoke.
"That woman is a dangerous criminal!"
"She is apart of the Fivindus family, just like you and me."
"I refuse to believe it! She holds the name of Yunestra!"
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, my decision shall stand."
Rei lowered her gaze and arms and her anger vanished from her face.
"This isn't something you would understand," Etros said before dismissing her.
"I understand father."
Her fingers were digging into her palm in frustration as anger filled her body. She was already agitated from her dad letting Lilith stay but to add insult to injury she was made to be a guide. It was supposed to be her brother, Lukas, not a Yunestra.
She would handle this herself and force Lilith to resign being a guide. Rei looked at her callus filled hands and touched her hardened skin. All the years of intense training, all the work to be become a high ranking member of the Fivindus family. Even earning the spot as a guide after years of hard work. And her father had the audacity to give a stranger this title after some convincing. Her dad had grown way too lax.
She opened Lilith's room but no one was inside. There were only one other spot she could be. Rei rushed down towards the cellar and found Lilith sitting there swinging her legs with a wine bottle in her hand.
"My, good afternoon lady Rei," Lilith said noticing her presence.
"I want you to resign as a guide, you don't deserve to be one, you don't even deserve to be a Fivindus."
Lilith put down her century old wine and put her hands onto her lap.
"I don't care if your grandfather had a relationship to a Fivindus and had you. You are unworthy of that title."
"Fu Fu…. I didn't want the title of Fivindus anyways."
"You… wretched…"
Rei put her hand onto her sword.
"You are gonna slay me now?"
"But the answer to your demands will be… nope~"
Rei unsheathed her sword and imbued it with loxes. It started to grow crimson red as the power of the Aeon of Ember filled it.
"This will be my final earnest request. Revoke your title of guide and leave this household."
Lilith stood up and turned toward Rei finally facing her.
"Had you asked me a day ago to leave this household I would have gladly obliged but I have seen something worth staying for."
"Too bad then," Rei said getting into an offensive position.
Rei rushed towards Lilith and slashed at her.
"Kyaaa~ I'm being attacked."
Lilith disappeared and reappeared behind Rei.
She continued trying to hit Lilith to no avail.
"You leave me no choice if you keep resisting."
The temperature down in the cellar started to rise as steam from Rei's body rose upwards. Flames then burst around her in a circle enveloping the whole area in fire.
"NOOO, NOT THE WINE!!!"
Lilith tried to grab the finest wine to save them from boiling but that's when Rei caught her and pinned her down onto the ground. The wine bottles rattled as they rolled across the floor spilling pink booze all over.
"I'm being merciful and allowing you one last opportunity to leave this estate," Rei said holding the edge against Lilith's throat.
"My… my helusian wine…"
Rei suddenly felt a little woosy. She realized that her flames were evaporating the alcohol and making it into vapor that entered her body making her drunk.
"It's not that hard to follow orders like the good little pup you are."
Lilith stood behind her now and Rei didn't even realize that the girl she was pinning down was already gone.
"Listen to Etros next time, and wag your tail like you are supposed to," Lilith said before flicking the back of her head.
Rei fell face down into a pool of booze. Her mind completely dizzy from the alcohol inside of her system. She was never a heavy drinker and even the slightest amount of alcohol could knock her out.
Lilith's footsteps grew further and further until it couldn't be heard anymore.