°•Crypt of The Eternal•°

~Chapter Nine: Outbreak~

After a while of speaking to Sin, and Sin going on about his dead rat being his proudest moment in his life, I went to bed, hoping to calm down and think of some way to get out of the situation I was in. By morning, my head had cooled off, and I was ready to come out of my room. I got changed and headed out of my room. Stella met me in the hall, with fresh sheets and blankets in hand. She was a year younger than I was, and she was very wise for her age. I was somewhat envious of her. She didn’t have to run an entire palace one day, and she didn’t have a family to have chaos swallow her life. She was truly free, and she could do whatever she pleased. Even though she’s young, she is extremely intelligent and lady-like. 

She stood there in her white and black silky dress, ready for me to leave my quarters and get some breakfast. “Good morning, your highness.” She said, with a cute smile. 

“Good morning, Stella.” I say, as I smile, and pass her in the hallway. I then make my way to the dining room. I slide down the long stairway’s handrail, speeding up as I go. I gain even more speed towards the end, and I scream as I fall down, hitting my head on the hardwood floor. I groan in pain, and sit with my hands holding my head. “Well good morning to you too, Monika.” Charles said, looking down at me. I spin around, still holding my head, and our eyes meet. “OH. Hello there Charles… You uh- you didn’t see that, did you?” I asked, my face slowly turning red. 

He rolled his eyes and outreached his hand. “Mhm, sure I didn’t.” I grab his hand and he hoists me up quickly. I followed him into the dining room, where Stella and a few other maids brought us food. A maid coughs, and I watch her saliva fly into my bowl, as well as a thick, sticky string of snot. I sit in silence, trying desperately not to gag as I watch the snot bubble and jiggle. “I am so sorry, your majesty! Please forgive me!” 

I take a deep breath, and prepare to answer as calmly as possible. “It’s alright… Are you okay? Are you sick?” 

“Yes madam. I just have a slight cold. I’ll be fine though.”

“No, go home. Get rest. Please don’t return until you’ve fully recovered.”

“U-understood miss. Thank you…” She said, as she curtsied and excused herself. I view the other maids as well, and ask, “Is anyone else sick?” The maids vigorously shake their heads. Stella looked a bit pale, but I made an exception because she wasn’t showing any signs of illness so far other than that.

Charles sets his hand softly on my shoulder, and our eyes meet. “It’s ok, you’re ok.” He cooed. My face is heated once more, and I take another deep breath. I smile, calmer than before. I am no longer stressed, and I feel better. 

“Can we go for a walk?” I asked, wanting fresh air to stimulate me.

“Sure.” He said, his face turning pink as he smiled awkwardly. 

I grabbed a piece of toast with jam and warm butter on it and headed outside with Charles. He was hesitant, possibly thinking about if I would pull away or something, but he took my hand and held it. My nerves were making my hands sweat, and I didn’t know what to do about it other than try to calm myself down again. “Something feels kind of weird…” He said, looking down at my hand. Great, he’s going to not want to hold hands with me. 

He lets go of my hand for a second, then interlocks our fingers. “Much better, don’t you think?” He said sweetly. My heart began to race, and my face was no doubt as red as a tomato. I finished eating the toast, and I nodded  my head. The fresh air was very soothing, and we headed towards the gazebo’s sitting place to take a break from walking. When we sat down, the petals of the blossoms were drifting into the water around us. 

“This kind of ivy only blooms for a few days before taking a year to grow back buds. Isn’t that fascinating?” I said, watching the bright pink petals make small ripples in the pond. Charles says nothing at first, so I turn my gaze towards him. He had a tired look in his eyes, and he let go of my hand. I was confused, but I thought that maybe he was just tired and didn’t want to, which was fine. His arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer, making my head go against his shoulder. He closed his eyes slowly, as if he was finally at peace with the world. “Yes, that is quite interesting. We should watch as their final moments pass.” He cooed softly. Where did this kind of behavior come from?! Is it because he isn’t really awake? Or maybe it’s because he feels more comfortable now? Either way, it’s surprising coming from him. When I got used to the position, I too became tired, and eventually fell asleep.