Chapter 15

 

 

 

Chapter 15

 

THE first symptoms of the Ten Day Fever appeared after a two to three day incubation period. It starts with a high fever lasting several days until hives erupt in a gruesome rash across the infected body. The only documented cases of patients recovering from the Ten Day Fever were people whose fever broke before reaching the rash stage. Very few patients ever recovered after developing the rash.

Vigo instilled that knowledge in Yuki, making sure she understood the fatality, but she refused to give up hope.

***

THREE days passed since Chiruka’s skin erupted with the red, oozing rash—confirmation she had contracted the Ten Day Fever and not just a common cold. Now, the children weren’t even allowed within five feet of the room she lay in. At the loss of the oldest child and the one who took leadership of the younger kids, everyone became anxious and restless.

No matter how much Yuki and Selena played with them, the smiles they freely shared on the first day all but vanished. Vigo stayed at Chiruka’s bedside and didn’t come out to interact with the other children out of fear the contagion might spread from him. Selena, being immune, brought him and Chiruka food, and took on other miscellaneous chores so they wouldn’t need to leave the room.

“I feel really bad about all this. We originally planned to leave much sooner,” Selena apologized as she folded the laundry. The children were fast asleep after a fun afternoon of games.

Yuki shook her head. “Don’t fret on my behalf. I want to get to Adolunde as soon as possible, but…I don’t think I can do anything for them even if I go.”

I can’t even do anything for the people suffering in front of me.

“Besides, seeing how people live normally is a good learning experience as well!”

Aridol’s history, common knowledge, and social etiquette were all foreign to Yuki. Each aspect of this world was new to her, disillusioning her about her ignorance.

But ignorance isn’t an excuse. That’s why I have to strive to learn more.

Selena stared at Yuki, surprise flashing in her amber eyes. “You make it sound like you’ve never lived a normal life.”

“Did I? Ah, um…I’ve been overseas all this time!”

“What?! You came from the other side of the sea?!” she marveled. Yuki gave a firm nod. Selena whistled. “I’ve heard of people occasionally being washed ashore from beyond the wicked seas, but to think you were one of them.”

“I am. The person who took care of me after I washed ashore is currently in Adolunde.”

I’m not lying.

“Aww, shucks. I was completely under the impression you were risking the dangers to reunite with a long-lost love!” Selena pursed her lips in a sad pout.

Yuki giggled as she grabbed the next piece of laundry from the basket to fold. “A long-lost love, huh? I don’t even know what he thinks of me.”

A spark twinkled in Selena’s eyes like a shark sensing a drop of blood. “Oh, what’s this? What’s this? Was I right? You’re going to reunite with a man? Is he your unrequited love?”

Selena scooted closer to Yuki on the lounge chair. She shot out her hand to stop the laundry folded on the chair next to her from tumbling over.

“What were you expecting? …Well, he is a guy, but my feelings—”

“AW! Okay, what kind of man is he?”

“Wh-What kind? …Never mind me. What about you, Selena?”

“I don’t matter in this conversation.”

“That’s not fair!”

“You caught me,” Selena teased, sticking out her tongue. “I’ll talk about my situation if you tell me about yours.”

Selena went about methodically folding the laundry. The way she refused to pressure Yuki into talking about something she might not want to discuss brought a smile to her face.

What an adult. Selena could prattle on like a schoolgirl, but she never tried to pry too deep into anything Yuki wanted to keep to herself. That consideration tickled. What is there for me to talk about?

“There’s not much for me to talk about.” Selena’s gaze drifted to Yuki’s face and locked on her eyes. Yuki smiled when she noticed. “He just happened to be in the right place at the right time to find me, and he took me under his care on a whim.”

And then he contracted with me on a whim.

Yuki stroked her right middle finger. “He had to go somewhere, so he took me with him. Then I ended up following him somewhere I shouldn’t have and caused all sorts of trouble with my selfishness. We got into a fight, so I ran away in a rage. We’ve been separated ever since…that’s all there is to it.”

Putting it into words really highlights how shallow our relationship is.

“I was nothing but trouble. Someone came to find me, but we still ended up being separated. I honestly knew nothing about anything. I just accepted what others provided me with, without giving back. I depended on them and only ever thought of myself.”

What should I do if he annuls the contract the next time we meet? A self-mocking smile unknowingly crept onto her face. She squeezed her right hand until it turned white.

“So, you’re going to apologize to him?”

“…Yeah.”

“I see. Then all is well that ends well! Apologizing requires a lot of courage too. Just thinking they might not forgive you or will say horrible things, scares a lot of people out of taking action.” Selena feigned a shudder. A small laugh escaped Yuki. “You’re a good girl, Yuki.”

“Am I?”

I just told her about how spoiled and selfish I am though.

Yuki stared at Selena, trying to see past her unreadable mask. “I’m as stubborn as you can be. I’m terrible at apologizing. Not once have I apologized to Vigo.”

“Now that you mention it, what is your relationship with Vigo?”

Yuki worried she might be disturbing their time together if they were traveling as a couple, but not once had they shown anything remotely romantic toward one another. She hoped they weren’t holding back for her sake.

“Me and Vigo? Good question. If I had to label us, I’d say we are something like siblings,” she said indifferently.

“Siblings?!” Yuki examined Selena. Light purple hair grew past her shoulders, accentuating the orange hue of her almond eyes. The ephemeral, clean-cut Selena and the gruff, unshaven Vigo—were siblings?

“U-Uhh, who is older?”

Catching on to Yuki’s thought process, Selena blanched. “Stop right there. I don’t like where this is going. What were you imagining? We’re not actually blood related. We’re in-laws! Vigo is my husband’s little brother.”

“Pardon?”

Husband—Yuki’s mind got stuck on that one word.

“You’re married, Selena?!” Yuki slapped her hands over her mouth when her question came out much louder than she intended. She surveyed the room, where the children rolled over in their sleep, but otherwise showed no sign of waking. Relieved, she dropped her hands.

Selena grinned. “You can say that. I used to be my husband’s Knight. We were a famous couple in our hometown. We reversed the stereotypical gender role for a bonded Knight,” she added with a laugh. Yuki laughed with her.

“Neat. I wish I could have seen that. Why did you bond with Vigo then?”

What course of events led to her bonding with her husband’s older brother instead? Yuki cocked her head as she tried to puzzle her way to the answer, getting a confused look out of Selena.

They gave each other questioning looks until Selena suddenly snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s right. You came from overseas. I guess it’s only natural for you not to know.”

“Know what?”

“My husband died. His last request was to look after his older brother, so here I am protecting that hell-raiser.”

He died… Yuki’s expression dropped, horrified she stepped on yet another landmine. Selena quickly reassured her it was no big deal.

“Well, we’ve always been on good terms. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad to be with him for the rest of my life.”

…The rest of her life? Spend the rest of her life with Vigo?

“Why would you be together for life?”

“Oh? Because once a Knight enters into a bonding contract, they can’t be free of it until their Master dies.”

We can’t annul the contract until I die?

“You might not know this, Yuki, but a contract between a man and woman is typically considered similar to a marriage proposal. Aah, except for the rare cases where siblings form a contract.”

“A marriage…proposal?”

“That’s right. When a male Knight makes a lady his Master, it’s usually a form of marriage. Every girl admires having it happen to her someday! Her Knight will kneel before her and pledge to protect her for life.”

Yuki’s hand froze midstroke of the ring-less space on her middle finger.

“…It’s all because of such a common understanding that Vigo and I often get confused as a married couple. And now I can’t freely seek out another relationship. I seriously despise the spiteful bearded man!”

What every girl admires?

In that hopelessly spacious place, Luca knelt in front of her for his armies and Orga to bear witness. Ain’s fury over their contract. Nasette and Tita’s sheer shock. Orga’s inquiry over whether they understood what their actions meant. All along, Yuki had believed their shock had been over the fact her contract had been with a prince. And the fact she was a stranger plucked from nowhere. She had been convinced they could cancel their contract should either of them feel inconvenienced by it. And yet—

“…A spur-of-the-moment impulse.”

The frighteningly beautiful man she had contracted with had unmistakenly said those words to her under the gorgeous night sky, streaked by falling stars.

A contract for life was done on a spur-of-the-moment impulse?

Marriage proposal. Every girl’s fantasy. A contract that won’t end without one of them dying. Those words danced around her head, tormenting her. Only now did she understand the meaning behind Vivi’s smirk.

“…Yuki? What’s wrong?”

She knew the heat had risen to her cheeks, dyeing them a deep crimson. “What? What does it all mean? What did he mean, ‘Contracting with you may have been a spur-of-the-moment impulse on my half, but I don’t regret it’? Uh? Um? Is that what it means?” Yuki sputtered incoherently. Her racing heart didn’t know how to slow down as it pumped all the blood to her face.

“Yuki, are you possibly contracted with a Knight?”

Contract equals marriage proposal. Those words took control of Yuki’s every thought.

“Gaaaaah!” Embarrassed, she buried her face in the mountain of newly folded laundry.

A marriage proposal may only come once in a lifetime if not at all. Someday she would grow up, have a crush, fall in love, and then be proposed to as her heart pounded in her chest. Yet, without her knowing it, she was proposed to. To make it worse, everyone around knew about it—only Yuki didn’t know the deep meaning of what transpired, of what it all meant.

Why didn’t anyone tell me?!

“Stupid Luca! Stupid Luca! Luca you stupid jerk! You should explain critical things to meeeeee!”

No matter how much she cursed him, her calm wouldn’t restore itself. She shouted a line of curses that woke up the children. With groggy eyes their mouths fell open as they witnessed Selena giddily shout, “You’re too cute!” and squeeze the bright-red Yuki.