Chapter Thirty-Eight: Crisis

Ava was completely unaware that her heart was being captured by someone. She enjoyed being with Hugh, letting her moods shift because of him. He was the first boy she genuinely cared about—she worried about his thoughts, his feelings, laughed for his sake, and even shed tears for him.

Her emotions rose and fell with him, entirely at the mercy of this golden-haired boy. She believed it was simply friendship, because he was her only friend.

But Hugh knew that Ava’s feelings for him had long since surpassed the boundaries of friendship.

Despite her lofty status as a princess, the girl’s heart was lonely. She had never had anyone she could truly depend on—a person she could trust, confide in, and be enchanted by.

In Ava’s heart, Hugh was the perfect blend of father, brother, and lover. Despite his humble status, he was someone she could lean on. She could pour out her inner thoughts to him, and he would quietly listen.

Sometimes, Hugh would tell her stories.

Ava would marvel, “My god, how does he have so many stories in his head? And each one is so captivating.”

He was like a wandering bard, carrying countless tales, always full of wisdom.

“…And so the king said to the envoy, ‘This war has drained my country’s strength. You must pay reparations.’ The arrogant envoy replied, ‘Yes, Your Majesty, we will compensate you with land.’ Then the envoy took out a piece of animal hide and said, ‘We will give you as much land as this hide covers.’ This was a great insult to the king. But at that moment, the king’s beautiful and wise queen smiled and said, ‘Oh, is that so? Then I must thank your country for its generosity. Now, can you guess what she did next?’”

“What did she do?” Ava asked eagerly.

“She picked up the hide, cut it into thin, long strips with scissors, tied them together, and then used the string to encircle a large area of the envoy’s country.”

“Oh, she’s so clever!”

“All right, story time is over, my little princess. You should sleep now.”

“But I want to hear another one,” Ava pleaded, her wide eyes sparkling.

Hugh scratched his head in mild frustration. “Hmm… What do you want to hear?”

“How many do you have? I want to hear them all.”

“Wow, that’s a lot. I have a thousand and one stories in my left hand and even more in my right. How about I tell you the story of Aladdin’s magic lamp?”

“I’ve heard that one already.” Ava lay on her lavish ivory bed, leaning against a soft round pillow, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. On the brocade stool beside her were two bowls of sweets brought by the servants—one for herself, one for Hugh.

Night had long fallen, but the room was still aglow with light. The little princess was so entranced by the stories that she refused to let Hugh leave.

“So, what kind of story do you want to hear?” he asked.

“I want a story about a prince and a princess—a very romantic one.”

“All right, how about Cinderella?”

“Okay!”

After the tale of Cinderella, Hugh told her the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Heaven knows the little princess had never heard so many delightful and touching stories. The more she listened, the more excited she became, unwilling to sleep.

“I want to hear one more,” was the phrase she repeated most that evening.

“This is the last one. Afterward, you must sleep,” was Hugh’s oft-repeated response.

“All right, all right, just one more. This will be the last,” Ava said, nestling into the bed. It was clear she would never finish hearing all the stories tonight.

Did he truly have thousands of stories? Ava couldn’t help but wonder.

After the story of Sleeping Beauty, Ava blinked and asked, “Why is it that every princess who falls asleep needs a prince’s kiss to wake her?”

“Oh, well…” Hugh thought for a moment. It was a complicated question. “Sometimes a kiss has a kind of magic. It can accomplish the most unbelievable things.”

“As magical as sorcery?”

“Oh, even more so. The most wondrous thing in this world is always human emotion—unfathomable, inexplicable. You’ll never truly understand your own feelings, nor can you control them. You can only follow where they lead. Magic can at least be learned and mastered, but feelings… you can never truly master them.”

Is it like when she drove Hugh away but couldn’t help calling him back? Ava began to understand.

She tilted her head in thought. “Hugh, have you ever been kissed?”

Hugh shook his head. “No, never. It’s a sacred thing.”

“I haven’t either,” Ava said, not without regret.

Suddenly, she realized she envied Snow White and Sleeping Beauty—for they received a kiss that would make them happy for life.

She longed for one herself.

She made up her mind quickly.

Lowering her head, clutching the quilt tightly with her small hands, she whispered, “Hugh, kiss me.”

The words struck Hugh like a bolt of lightning, nearly making him jump up in shock.

Ava was displeased. “You don’t have to act so frightened.”

Hugh glanced around, relieved that only he and the princess were in the room.

“Hurry up, just kiss me,” Ava urged.

Hugh asked softly, “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Ava glared at him, clearly determined not to let him go without that kiss.

With no choice, Hugh leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to Ava’s cheek.

It was a light touch, as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water, yet it left a deep mark in Ava’s heart.

Her face burned as if on fire. My god, what was this feeling? Am I ill? Why is my heart pounding so wildly?

Her cheeks flushed scarlet.

“Hugh… you know you can’t tell anyone about this, right?” Hugh said uneasily. Damn, he had just kissed a princess. Her cheek was so warm—and the feeling was unexpectedly nice.

“Yes, I know. It’s our secret,” Ava replied, blushing fiercely.

“Now, be a good Sleeping Beauty. See you tomorrow.”

“Mm, see you tomorrow.”

Hugh rose to leave.

As he opened the door, Ava curled up under the covers and whispered, “Hugh, if one day I too were to fall into an endless sleep, would you come to save me like the prince, and wake me with your kiss?”

“…Yes, I would,” Hugh confirmed after a moment’s hesitation.

“You won’t abandon me? Not for any reason?”

“I swear I won’t—never again.”

“That’s good…” Ava closed her eyes in contentment.

Hugh sighed softly and opened the door.

————————————————————

Night was deep and silent.

Hugh stood alone in the center of the castle.

He felt a little lost.

Some things were simply beyond control; some feelings eluded reason. Ava’s warmth, innocence, and reliance on him were intensifying rapidly. At this rate, unforeseen changes were bound to happen soon.

This wasn’t what he wanted.

There was a natural chasm between him and Ava—not just the vast difference in status, but more importantly, his deep-seated hatred for the Lansi Empire.

He could not forget the fallen: Zack, Caesar, Bill, and Fink.

He could not forget each of the dead boys.

He could not forget that, even after struggling to survive this far, he was still not free from the threat of death.

But what could he do?

Perhaps it was time to prepare for the next plan.

——————————————————

Ava’s stay this time was longer, ostensibly because Hugh had yet to find her a suitable magical beast as a mount.

Everyone could see, however, that the only mount Ava truly needed was the golden-haired boy himself, not some magical beast that was never even part of the plan.

Perhaps, Ava wished she would never find her mount, so she could keep the golden-haired boy by her side forever.

Unfortunately, she had no say in the matter. Heinz flatly refused her request to take Hugh with her, nearly making her burst into tears on the spot.

The old man didn’t even bother to comfort the princess, merely saying, “There are many things on Purgatory Island you don’t understand. Ask your father about it. If he agrees, I don’t mind letting you have Grell.”

Of course, the emperor would never agree. He knew that those who bore the soul seed could never be safely removed. Even setting aside questions of bloodline, he could never allow his daughter to become a widow.

Two days later, the Liberty arrived.

It was the first time two ships had docked at Purgatory Island simultaneously.

Hugh decided to find Bailey. He asked Ava for leave, spoke a whole basketful of kind words, and promised to tell her at least ten wonderful stories later that day before she finally let him go.

“Hey, Hugh Grell, my good friend, I’m so glad to see you again!” Bailey called out loudly.

He greeted Hugh with a warm embrace and, as usual, invited him to the cabin for a drink.

On the way in, Bailey said, “I saw the royal ship. Looks like our lovely little princess is back on Purgatory Island looking for her mount. Tell me, has she found it yet?”

“No, not yet,” Hugh replied.

“I think she already has,” Bailey said with a knowing look. “I heard from the guards that the little princess is quite taken with you. She spends nearly every day with you, even insists you stay with her at bedtime so she can fall asleep. My god, you’re putting her maids out of work. And you’ve made her angry and even made her cry over you, haven’t you? What’s surprising is that you haven’t been punished at all.”

“Rumors do travel fast,” Hugh answered quietly.

“Relax, it only circulates among our group. Isn’t it boring being stationed here? Those guys don’t have the leaves you provide—they’d be smoked to death by now. I bet they’re hoping you’ll offend the princess soon so she’ll leave the island in a huff.”

“No, I gave them leaves. You know, being close to the princess isn’t necessarily a good thing—it can bring a lot of trouble, like jealousy, which is the worst kind. So I helped them out. There’s no need to make enemies unnecessarily, right?”

“That’s what I admire about you, Hugh. You’re always calm, rational, diplomatic—never offending anyone lightly. I’ve always wondered, with your intelligence, how could you not have noticed some of the island’s little secrets?” Bailey chuckled.

Hugh’s heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Bailey. “What are you getting at, Bailey?”

Bailey bared his teeth in a grin. “Come on, Hugh, don’t play dumb with me. There are plenty of secret dealings between us. I’d never sell you out. You just want to survive, right? You’ve been here nearly two years—the only one to break the rules and stay, and you became an apprentice. I can’t believe that, with your effort and brilliance, you haven’t noticed anything strange.”

Hugh paused. “Just because I’m exceptional, I’m supposed to notice something?”

“At the very least, be suspicious. But you’ve never asked about these things, so I figure maybe you already know the answers. That’s why you act the way you do…” Bailey winked at him. “You haven’t done anything wrong. Even if you admitted it, you don’t have to fear I’d expose you.”

Hugh glanced around cautiously. “How much do you know?”

Bailey smiled smugly. “Just as I thought. Don’t worry, I don’t need to know more. Look, you help us out, and we help you in return. As long as you don’t make a mess, we won’t care what you’re up to.”

“All right, I’ll give you more good stuff next month, but you and your friends had better keep your mouths shut. And thanks for the warning—I think I’ve realized something important.”

Yes, Hugh finally understood why Pierre had always been cold and distant toward him. Why had he never trusted Hugh? Damn, he should have realized it earlier.

Neil had said that as the boys worked here longer, as they grew older and their minds matured, some smart ones would inevitably notice something amiss.

Hugh’s performance on Purgatory Island was too outstanding—so good that everyone believed he was a genius.

It made no sense for a genius like that not to notice the obvious, never expressing any doubts. Even among the servants, there was secret speculation about the fate of those taken away, but Hugh never took part in such discussions.

But, as it turned out, avoiding suspicion this way was not the best approach.

That was exactly why Pierre didn’t trust him.

The only reason they still allowed him to stay, perhaps, was that they needed his skills, and they were confident they could keep him under control.

Clearly, Hugh would need to be even more careful in the future. Should he subtly show some doubts about things now and then? Would that be too obvious? Would it harden their suspicion if he made things plain?

No, it was better to keep things tacit—some things are best left unspoken.

But what should he do? Perhaps first, he needed to find out exactly how many people suspected him—besides Pierre, were there others? Once he knew, he could decide what to do.

Hugh fell into deep thought.

Bailey clapped him on the shoulder. “All right, enough of that. Let’s finish our business. Here’s the information you wanted on Heinz and Pierre. As for Lancelot—strange, that one’s a real mystery. We can’t find anything about him. But don’t worry—we’ll keep looking. I have a friend in the Bureau of Law. Their noses are always sharp; nothing escapes them.”

“How good are they?”

“Even the most ordinary hound can sniff out anything based on a few clues. And some highly skilled mages can reconstruct everything an object experienced within a certain time by using it as a medium. They call it Time Reversal. It’s terrifying—if you fall into their hands, you’ll have no secrets left.”

Hugh’s heart skipped. “There aren’t many like that, right?”

“Of course not. And using Time Reversal costs a lot and has many limitations. They can only go back a day, it takes at least three black-robed mages exhausting all their power at once, and it requires some rare media. Unless it’s a major case, they rarely use it. But as for Lancelot, as long as my friend helps, there’ll be no problem.”

Hugh reached for the documents, but Bailey grabbed his hand and reminded him seriously, “I hope you understand, whether it’s information already found or still being sought, it all costs a lot of money.”

“You’ll be rewarded—far more than your investment,” Hugh replied calmly.

He took out a box filled with profitable goods that Bailey and his people needed.

Then he drew out a list. “Strictly speaking, I should give you special treatment, but I’m sorry—I still need you to find these goods and information for me. They’re important. Without them, I can’t make greater contributions or win the master’s trust. Since you know now, you should understand—everything I do is just to survive. I can’t possibly fight the entire empire, can I?”

“Of course not. I’ll get you what you need. I’ll treat your needs as production costs for materials, not labor, all right?” Bailey smiled.

He glanced at the list and frowned. “A magic book? You want a grimoire on soul magic? What do you need that for? That’s forbidden, you know.”

“Not for alchemists. Master Heinz has been researching the making of flesh golems, and I’m helping. I think solving the problem will require soul magic, so I need your help. If I can assist Master Heinz, I might get access to the highest level of alchemical study. You know what that means, right?”

“More money!” Bailey’s eyes gleamed.

“Exactly.”

“All right, I’ll get you a copy, though it won’t be easy.”

“See you next month, then.”

“Not staying for a drink?”

“No, Bailey. You’ve given me a lot to think about today. I need to get back and prepare.”

“In any case, Hugh, you’re a genius. My friends and I all admire you. We hope you keep surviving—and thrive.”

“I hope so,” Hugh replied with a smile.