Mystic - EN version

Chapter 11 : Scarlet

The first thing Clave saw when she woke up was her blue pendant on the bedside table beside her. And the first thing she thought was that it had been taken from her when she couldn't do it herself. Did this mean that she was no longer Duke Arthur's servant?

First, she tried to reach for her pendant, but her arm was weak and aching.

– Are you awake? suddenly asked a voice.

Clave gasped. It was Duke Arthur's voice! No, on reflection, Duke Arthur didn't speak so softly to her and his voice was slightly deeper. Well, as far as the young girl could remember...

But then, who was this person? She turned towards the direction the voice was coming from. It belonged to a woman with long, silver hair tied back in a ponytail.

"She must be related to Duke Arthur..." thought Clave.

– Is everything all right? the woman asked, leaning towards the young girl.

And it was then that Clave noticed something startling: the young woman sitting next to her had red eyes! She'd never seen that before.

– Who are you? asked Clave, her voice quavering.

– My name is Griselda, said the young woman, and I'm Duke Arthur's sister.

"So she is indeed of the Duke's family!"the young servant said to herself.

Although Griselda's eyes were blood-red, they were not as terrifying as Duke Arthur's black and empty ones. They were rather gentle, in fact.

– You've got amnesia, don't you? murmured Griselda.

– How do you know that? replied Clave aggressively, on the alert.

– My brother told me. But it's easy to guess...

Clave didn't know what to make of this mysterious woman. She was reluctant to trust her, if she was related to the Duke. Even so, she had one or two questions to ask her.

– I'd like to know something..., she began.

– I'm all ears.

– Why does the Duke think I'm so important? At least, from what I've seen...

– That's a good question, and I have to say I don't know any more about it than you do! Do you have another question?

Clave blinked, surprised that Griselda hadn't even looked for an answer. She had brushed the question aside like a fly, even though Clave would sincerely have liked to know more. Yet she had answered so quickly that Clave wondered if she had been lying.

– Er, yes... What happened with that golden tornado? Did I start it? finally asked the young girl in a very small voice.

But Griselda didn't hear her, or at least she was pretending not to. She got up and as she was about to leave the room, she turned and said:

- Oh, and by the way, I almost forgot, you're no longer my brother's servant, which means you're free! Or almost...

- Almost? repeated Clave, confused. What do you mean, almost?

Griselda, once again, didn't answer.

– Wait! shouted Clave, rising to her feet without paying any attention to her protesting, aching back. I've got more questions!

– I know you do, but I've got to go, we'll see about that when you're able to get out of bed, won't we? Meet me... on the roof, let's say.

– The roof? But how do you expect me to climb onto the roof?

Griselda gently pushed her into bed, then placed a small piece of paper on her bedside table.

– It's all right, just rest for now. I'll explain everything later.

– Will you?

– Yes! Go on, get some rest!

Clave rested her head on the pillow as the young woman left the room for good. However, the young girl had a feeling she wouldn't be able to get any sleep, she had too many questions on her mind.

Who were Duke Arthur and his sister? Did she have a special gift for creating this golden tornado? And where was she? She didn't recognise this room, even though she knew all the rooms in her ex-master's mansion by heart...

And then, of course, there was one question that dominated all the others, a question that still had no concrete answer and which scared the young girl.

What was going to happen to her next?