Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

CHAPTER 43

"Wait. Before that, where's mom and dad?" Angelica stopped  Clive before he could answer her.

"I didn't find them. And why are you in Dad's office? Did the transitioning begin?" She started firing questions at a flustered Clive at a rapid pace.

Clive had his back turned to her and started talking. He knew she would be coming home today but had not expected her to come out of the window.

"Mother and Father are visiting Uncle Howard" 

He gathered the documents on the table and put them in the drawer as gently as possible.

"They will be staying there for five days" 

Clive put a hand on his chest and heaved a sigh. 

There were things mentioned in the documents that he did not want Angelica to find out. Especially not now.

"If they are visiting Uncle and Aunt, then why is the Howard carriage outside?" Angelica stared at him with her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"You saw that, huh" Clive muttered under his breath and disappeared into his own world.

"....ive..."

The preparations were almost done. He could not afford to be caught now.

"...live"

He closed his eyes and tapped his forehead as he leaned on the desk.

'Don't do this' pleaded Clive's rationality, floating in an Angel's costume.

'She will kill you if she finds out' said his practical self dressed in a demon outfit.

'Maybe she will understand if you explain it to her' The little angel tried persuading him to change his mind.

'She's not the type to listen. You gotta take action. Time is of the essence' The little demon caught the angel in a necklock. 

The angel tried to break free from the demon's hold but instead ended up fainting overwhelmed by his strength.

'But there is no other choice' Clive said to himself, agreeing to the demon's words.

"HEY!"

Clive snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Angelica's voice.

"Are you even listening to me?"

In her hand was a book weight, she was about to throw at Clive.

"Are you daydreaming?"

"Wha.. No! Don't throw that" 

Clive covered his head with a nearby book. He peaked out to see if she had put down the thing in hand.

Angelica was looking at him with suspicion in her eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed leaving deep creases on her beautiful face.

Clive walked over to her side and sat on the opposite sofa. The slightest slip could cost his life.

"Why're all jumpy?" she asked Clive, putting down the book weight.

"Well you did surprise me from behind" He took a deep breath and started talking to her.

"How have you been?" Clive asked earnestly.

"..."

"You weren't here when I got back from the capital. Father told me where you were"

"..." 

Angelica looked away unable to see his face.

"They are worried about you An-An. We are worried about you. Mom and Dad are afraid of losing you too"

"You just keep drifting apart"

"..."

"Come home" He took her hand and tried reasoning with her.

"..."

"You're not going to answer huh?"

"So why is the Howard carriage here again?" Angelica changed the topic, awkwardly taking her hand back. Although she knew he was right but was unable to accept it.

Angelica did not want to talk about it for now. While she could understand that she was causing her parents more distress by her actions. Everyone has their own way of handling grief. And in her case, it took more time to accept the reality and move on.

"Don't change the topic An-An"

"Tsk" Angelica clicked her tongue.

"You didn't answer mine, so I'm not obligated to answer yours" She shrugged and crossed her legs.

There was a moment of silence as neither of them was ready to yield.

"Haah..." Angelica sighed, unable to bear it. She remembered how troublesome it would be if Clive became stubborn.

"I know. But I need time brother"

"Don't take too long" There was a small smile on Clive's face.

There was another long silence.

Clive tried to initiate small talk to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Your garden's a mess by the way. The carnivorous plants are all over the place. Even the gardener was terrified. We might need to hire specialists to carve them back to shape" Clive stood up from the sofa and walked over to his desk.

He pulled out a few papers and gave them to Angelica.

"I picked out a few specialists and drafted a contract. Look over the contents and sign it"

He continued, "If you are not satisfied with the people I have chosen. We could always find someone else to care of your garden"

Angelica looked at the document and then at her brother's face. She did not have the patience to read through the long contract. Even more, if it held technical jargons that put stress on her brain.

"Don't bother" Angelica waved her hand.

Clive would have done a better job at this compared to her anyway. Besides, she did not particularly care. She took the pen Clive handed her and signed the document. 

"Here"

Angelica handed the signed document to Clive.

"Haah..." Clive let out a relieved sigh.

"Huh?" Angelica narrowed her eyes at Clive. 

"Is something the matter AN-An?" Clive smiled calmly as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

'Did he just sigh? Or am I mistaken? She was confused but did not think much about it.

Had Angelica looked up when she was signing through the papers, she could have seen the utter terror on her brother's face.

Satisfied, Clive returned the documents to his desk's drawer. He took a seat opposite his sister before offering,

"Would you like some tea?"