The old clock in the room ticked as the string swung. Aylin and I sat by the bedside of Rei. After the match ended, Aylin had rushed down from the benches and we carried her back to Aylin's room.
"Vivshi, what happened down there?"
I paused to think about what I had just experienced. It was definitely Lilith's loxes that came out of my body that immobilized Rei. But had it not been for Lilith, I would have been a goner. Even though she didn't like me, she could at least try not to kill me in a duel.
"I don't know, something just came out of my body."
Aylin took Rei's hands and gently stroked her hands, covered in calluses.
"Rei is a kind girl, I don't understand why she dislikes you so much. She talks to me like any other girl who wants to gossip and makes sure I'm safe and comfortable."
My skeptical gaze turned towards Rei, who was unconscious.
"She did tell me once that she had a bad encounter with a male guest. Though she never mentioned it again. Maybe that's why?"
"But just because I'm a male guest doesn't give her the right to treat me like that."
Aylin looked down at Rei with saddened eyes.
The unconscious knight opened her eyes and looked around the room, seeing me and Aylin watching over her. But she didn't say a single word. That hateful personality of hers wasn't apparent anymore. She just climbed out of bed and left the room without saying anything to either of us.
From that day onwards she never talked to me anymore, and she had even quit being Aylin's guide.
Lilith smiled at me satisfactorily and asked me how I felt beating a knight of Fivindus. I felt like it wasn't earned and that I might have been too harsh with the punishment.
"I don't feel like it was earned. I won using your loxes."
"But it was you that utilized them to defeat her. Wasn't it unfair enough for her to have her signature weapon while you got a normal dagger? Fu fu."
When the moment came that it was only Aylin and me alone, Aylin sincerely asked me to speak with Rei because all her attempts to talk with her had proved fruitless.
"What makes you think she will talk to me if she didn't talk to you? Wasn't she more open to you?"
"I know, but something inside tells me that she will tell you about something she can't tell me. So would you please? I know she has been tough on you and you might not like her, but I'm worried."
I knocked on Rei's door, repeating inside my head that this was for Aylin's sake. That I wasn't doing this out of my own goodwill to help her, I just wanted Aylin to be reassured that this crazy woman is okay.
There was no answer, and then, as a few maids walked by, they told me that Rei had gone down to the practice room. I went back to where we had fought, and as usual the room was fully occupied by people who wanted to train.
I saw Lukas sparring with Rayel, and by the side I saw Rei standing there with her arms crossed and her body leaning against the wall. She wasn't wearing her usual armor and sword, just casual clothes. She stood there silently watching them spar, and when Lukas finally got knocked down, Rayel asked her if she wanted to have a go as well.
She responded that she wasn't in the mood to fight. Rayel looked up worriedly and walked over toward her.
"What's wrong now, Rei? Did something happen?" he asked with a concerned look.
Rei turned her head away and told him that she was just not feeling well.
"How about your brother then?" he asked, trying to get her to participate.
Rei looked over at her brother, who was lying flat on the ground with both of his arms spread out.
"I think I will pass."
Lukas immediately sat up, hearing that Rei wasn't going to fight him.
"You chickening out now, Sis?" he asked to incite a reaction out of her.
She turned her back on her brother and only said, "too weak."
Her brother got up onto his feet and grabbed his sister by her shoulders and turned her around to face him.
But when he saw that stiff, bitter expression on his sister's face, he released his grip and pulled away.
"Maybe another day, sorry Lukas and Master."
Her eyes widened as she saw me standing by the entrance looking at her. But then her face returned to the stoic, cold expression she always wears.
I followed her, and she told me if I wanted to belittle her then I should just do it. I told her that I wasn't there to insult her or put her down even further.
"Then? Why have you come to talk to me?"
"Aylin is worried."
She didn't respond and just continued walking. I continued walking a few steps behind her.
"She wanted to make sure you were going to come back as her guide."
"I resigned from my position, I'm no longer a high-ranking knight anymore. I cannot be her guide anymore."
She heard my steps stop and turned around to face me.
"Why would you just throw away your position like that?"
"A man like you wouldn't understand."
She turned and walked away, this time not stopping.
"I promised you that I wouldn't interfere with your lives anymore," she said in a cold tone.
From the end of the corridor I could hear a powerful shout. It was Aylin, who was running down the hallway and she was calling out Rei's name. Rei finally came to a halt once she heard that familiar voice.
"Rei, what do you think you are doing?!"
"I'm not qualified to be your guide, nor am I competent enough to bear the title of knight of Fivindus."
"It's okay to lose! That's how you get stronger and adapt to harder situations!" Aylin said, waving her hands, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
"I lost to a criminal, to someone who has no status, to someone who doesn't even come from a noble lineage, to someone who hasn't even held a sword a day in their lives. This is no longer my place."
"As I said, Rei! Vivshi isn't a criminal! He was trying to defend someone who was being threatened by the Prince!"
I couldn't hold in my words anymore and blurted everything out.
"How long are you gonna be their lapdogs? How much longer are you gonna wag your tails and bark for the royal family full of scum? Those people take from the people and give nothing in return."
Aylin looked at me with a face full of grudge and was about to say something but realized Rei had already walked away.