Chapter 23

"Before your arrival here in Narte Fantasia, Blaze already had a hunch that there's a mole within the Royalties and he was right. The moment you came, the suspected mole acted more suspicious." Cool stabilized my position on his lap and he rounded his arms around the small of my back to my waist before he continued.

"Remember Duchness Ardor?" He asked and looked at me questioningly.

I tried to recall who he was referring to but nothing came into mind, so I just shook my head to tell him that I don't.

"Remember the lady who suggested to send me back to the glaciers? You burned her clothes." He said and it was with his last sentence that I remember the middle-aged lady who screamed like a banshee after having her dress set on fire.

"Oh, yeah. I remember. Wait. Don't tell me she was the mole?" I inquired in which he responded with a nod.

"Yeah. She is."

"Wow! The darkess did a great job sending an idiot as a mole." I said both a little disappointed and amused.

"After being taken by the Guardias that night, Blaze took me out of prison and ask me for help."

"Is the queen aware of this?" I asked my forehead furrowing from the information.

"No, she wasn't," he answered after shaking his head.

"Blaze's been trying to keep it under warps. So, don't be too harsh on him. A'right? He's a guardian of yours, he won't bring you any harm." He said and with a gentle smile as he caresses the top of my head.

I purred and squeezed myself more into his body.

"You coming back now?" I ask with my face buried on his shoulder.

" I told you I never left." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You know what I mean," I said after distancing my head from his shoulders to glare at him.

"Soon." I pouted after hearing his reply and just went back to my place.

"Now, tell me that you two ain't an item." Sassy hissed as soon as we were left alone with Ignis.

The boys went inside the conference room to talk about Blaze's plan.

"We're not," I answered and popped some of the grilled nuts that Hailec had prepared earlier.

Sassy, unsatisfied with my answer turned to the silent Ignis and asked her about me and Cool. I rolled my eyes because of that.

"Sassy, stop it. We're not a thing. Really." I tried to convince her but she didn't heed my words and just gave Ignis a hopeful look.

Ignis glanced at me helplessly before she concentrated into talking with Sassy.

Wait-what? Is she really talking?

"Yah, Ignis—"

"Shut up!" Sassy's rude remark cut off what I was about to say.

I was left with no choice but to let them talk about my supposed to be 'love life'.

Sassy's been shrieking once in a while listening to Ignis' stories.

'What's wrong?' I almost jumped on my seat when I suddenly heard Cool's voice inside my head.

I saw Sassy and Ignis' weirded looks directed at me. I would have the same reaction if I see them suddenly jolting of their seats all of the sudden. I just gave them an awkward smile, they stared at me for a while before they continued with their animated conversation.

'Nothing. Why?'

'We could hear Sassy's shrieks.' I immediately asked the two ladies to tone down their voices.

'It's nothing. We're just talking. How about you there? What does Hailec think about the count's plans?'

It took a little longer before I received a response from him. I just busied myself watching over the two ladies in front of me, talking about me as if I wasn't here.

'He said he'll help.'

"Sass..." I called out my friend's attention, butting in with their conversation. I gave Ignis an apologetic smile and she just nodded at me.

"We need you to start training," I informed her. If we wanted to win against the darkess I'll need the help of my guardians.

I knew I wouldn't have any problems with the guys, but Sassy is a different case. She can't even kill a cockroach, afraid that it would hurt the 'poor' creature.

"I already did." I was startled with her answer.

"You did?" I asked back, asking for confirmation if I heard her right. I almost gasped when I saw her nod.

I licked the bottom of my lip and curiously stood up from the couch where I was seated to join them on the floor.

"Hailec trains you?" I asked trying to suppress the teasing tone on my voice.

"Yeah." She answered and keeps on looking around to avoid my eyes.

I smiled at her reaction. This silly girl.

"Do I need to know something?" I probed and keeps on trying to catch up with her eyes.

I saw Ignis smiling at the side.

"Sassy addressed the punong baylan with his first name. It was somehow an intimate gesture." Ignis added which made me chuckle because Sassy glared at her.

"I thought were allies?!" she whined which earned a chuckle from Ignis.

"She's right. Since when did the perverted creep started to become Kimean?" I teased.

"What are you doing?" I heard Hailec asked as soon as I felt his presence in the room.

I turned around to look at him with a smirk, satisfied with being able to turn the tables around with my friend.

"Nothing. You done?" I said and stood up to talk to them properly.

It's quite tiring looking up to them while talking. Why do they have to be so tall?

"Hmmm." Cool answered and motioned me to come over.

I walked towards him and gave him a questioning look.

"Let's go outside. The baylan finally found a way to cover up Sassy's scent." Cool said and gave the others a quick smile.

I saw Sassy's eyes widened in excitement as she turned around to face Hailec.

"Really? I can go out now?" she asks with eyes sparkling with delight. She let out a happy shriek when Hailec nodded.

"Ignis, can you help them up? We're going to the Kabisera. Please make them look more uhmm --- normal?" Ignis chuckled with Cool's choice of word to describe us before she nodded and ask me and Sassy to follow her.

"What do they even mean with normal? Don't we look normal?" Sassy asked Ignis while scowling.

"Yes, you look normal if you go to the palace," Ignis answered and silently look at me and Sassy up and down.

"But if we're going to the Kabisera? Wearing a dress worth nine hundred gold bars? You'll probably stand out." She continued as we enter the room Hailec had prepared for her.

"Nine hundred gold bars? Heck! Fhyra! You're wearing a goddamn gold!" Sassy exclaimed as she stared at my dress.

"I wasn't talking about her Sassy. It's given that the Princess wears satin dresses. But you, fantasians would wonder who you are to be able to wear such a luxurious dress." Both my and Sassy's eyes widened when we heard Ignis' comments.

"What do you mean? Kimean told me these were cheap dresses!" Sassy defended and stared at the maroon satin dress she was wearing. The look on her face says that she wanted to take off the dress right now.

"Well, that's cheap for the punong baylan," Ignis said as she was rummaging with her things.

"Nine hundred gold bars?! Wow! Sassy you seriously got a thick thigh!" I teased and saw her face turned red as she glared at me.

"Stop it! That's not true, Ignis! You're just ganging up with this Princess---"

"Punong baylan is the richest fantasian, Sassy. Richer than the Glaciers and Flamis combined." Ignis said nonchalantly which caused the two of us to gaped at her.