The Atonement of a Writer

19. Unexpected Encounter

The man kneeled before him. He wondered just how desperate he was. Did he think he wouldn't let him do it? What power did he have to stop him, anyway?

Everything was gone. If this was the only way out, then he would take it. Only...was he ready for it?

"If you're sure that's what you want to do, I won't stop you."

He knew. The man before him was just as grief-stricken as he was. He admired him for thinking of such a way out of it, even though neither of them knew if it would work.

The man spoke, his head still bowed. "Thank you."

He gazed into the distance. "Thank yourself if...when you succeed."

~*~

It was late afternoon a whole week later that they finally reached a town in the south. It was from there they would take a boat to the island.

By then, Lili had more or less grown used to riding a horse. Each night, unbeknownst to everyone else, Killian would secretly heal her muscles, so it wasn't like she was suffering that much before getting used to it either.

The perks of going with royalty was that they didn't have to wander around trying to find a place to stay. It had all been prepared beforehand, and the place wasn't too shabby either. The only thing that put a damper on it was the fact that she might meet her potential death very, very soon.

After they put their things down at the inn, Clovis came knocking on her door. After seeing each other nonstop for a week, they got along well enough for her to expect it. "Care to go see the town with me?"

She frowned at him. "Your Highness, shouldn't we be getting ready to leave? How long are we staying here again?"

"We have two days before the boat leaves," he explained. "Don't you want to go explore the town?"

On one hand, she really did. On the other hand, the twenty-first century modern lazy girl in her was longing for the bed--the first real bed in a week. She wanted to crash into it and never wake up.

"How about tomorrow?" She offered. "I'm a bit too tired to go out right now. Maybe you can go explore the place first and take me to the places worth seeing tomorrow?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Oh, milady, you're not thinking of using the Crown Prince as a donkey, are you?"

She grinned back at him. "Only if Your Highness is offering."

"I suppose I have no choice then," he conceded. "See you later?"

"Of course." Even as the door closed, Lili smiled slightly to herself. Ever since that...enlightening conversation they had on the first day, Clovis had somehow grown easier to talk to. Maybe it was because she felt like she understood him more, or maybe it was just one of the perks of being the male protagonists? Either way, it had come to a point where she felt like she could call them friends. Of course, Lili had to somehow ruin that by getting him to suspect his sister, which would be no easy feat.

With a sigh, she plopped down on the bed. She still had nothing figured out. She had no idea how to even start pointing fingers in Colette's direction, and her knowledge was useless, since this world somehow skipped all those events. More importantly, she still had no idea how to deal with the Cherufe. It didn't help that every time she saw Clovis all she could think of was the fortune she could make by selling his face. She would bet said fortune that his face fit the golden ratio.

Lili stared blankly out the window. Wasn't that usually how people got their answers?

Suddenly, something moved in her vision. Frowning, she leaned over to take a closer look. After a few moments, it was there again--something was fluttering. In fact, that something was a very familiar brown cloak.