“It’s been a year since you’ve come as a guest,” Rosetta announced in the middle of dinner. My hands stopped midway in cutting the ribeye steak.
“A year?” An offsetting feeling spread through my chest. I had lost track of the days I’ve spent in the Garden, mainly due to the timeless atmosphere that surrounded the whole nation.
“Today is exactly fourteen months since you’ve arrived,” Rosetta elaborated with her usual charming smile laminated on her face. “To celebrate that, you’ll be going overseas for a small trip with the others who are seated at the table.”
Everyone halted their movements. Though nobody’s expression changed, the simultaneous pause was enough to show that they were stunned.
Claude was the first to rebuke, “I do not think this mission would be best suited for a trip for Miss Alphaeus, Rosetta.”
“I’ll have to agree with Claude,” Beatrice also expressed her disapproval. “Not only is the country not suited for sightseeing, our mission isn’t meant for someone who is considered a civilian.”
“It’s not like everyone is going to be involved in the dangerous part of the mission,” A woman named Adelheid purred. “Wouldn’t it be fine to bring her with us?” This person reminded me of Rosetta— with her lax personality and her smile that was borderline sadistic. She had long, dirty blonde hair that was in a neat bun and ocean blue eyes— something completely different from her appearance a few days back. If it weren’t for her consistent smile, I would never be able to recognize her. Changing her appearance seemed to be a hobby of hers.
“You will be taking Krylo with you— and that is final,” Rosetta declared as she laced her fingers together. “You are all capable of guarding one person, I’m sure. Well, if you truly need some assistance, you’re free to call for me.” She didn’t provide us with any space to make a rebuttal.
I became a little worried, but also a bit excited. My first time outside of the Garden… this was a chance to explore.
A country infested with hyperinflation, was a country full of misery and desperation. The group that I was thrown into consisted of Adelheid, Claude, Beatrice, Esme, and Remus. Despite being a little hesitant in telling me what was going on, Beatrice eventually explained the situation.
“The mission Rosetta provided us was the elimination of the corrupted government officials and to provide some relief to the citizens of this country,” Beatrice revealed. “Adelheid and Claude will be taking care of the...disposal aspect of the mission while the rest of us will be working with the citizens.”
The nation’s economic situation was so terrible that most of the citizens couldn’t get basic necessities— the currency was completely worthless. My stomach churned when it dawned on me that Rosetta had commanded them to assassinate people— even if they were “corrupted.”
“Wh, why would she ask you to do that?” I gulped, looking away from everyone in the room. “I don’t take her for someone who cares about another nation’s situation..”
Adelheid giggled, “Don't think too hard about it! Just think of it as Rosetta having fun!” Her hair was now black and loosely braided while her eyes took on an interesting grey-orange hue. She was wearing a black, Edwardian skirt and a simple white blouse with some ruffles— something I would deem unfitting for her job— but it wasn’t something I could bring up.
“Having fun…,” I repeated.
“There’s probably another reason for this, but regardless, Rosetta enjoys treating everything like a game or a story. You don’t need to understand her, just keep that in mind.”
Claude and Adelheid departed soon after they made some last minute preparations. We had been teleported into a rather humble looking home by Rosetta’s butterflies. It only appeared humble— the dozens of hidden contraptions and rooms made it obvious that it wasn’t a simple house. One of the hidden rooms was a lab, one that was specifically made for Beatrice and Esme. Beatrice was a doctor who had worked for the military, both as a medic and a robotics engineer. Specifically, she specialized in making animal robots that could double as weapons.
“Natalie,” Beatrice summoned her sparrow companion. The bird complied, landing on Beatrice’s hand while chirping happily. “Go into sleep mode, I want to check your system.” Natalie closed her eyes.
“A robot..?” I gawked.
“All of the animals that I have by my side are robotic recreations,” Beatrice set Natalie down onto the table to begin her work. I could hardly believe it— the bird looked and acted rather realistically. Even as I watched her, I was still in disbelief.
Esme, the other user of the lab, was a pharmacologist. She had a similar appearance to Beatrice, though her hair was an inch or so shorter and used a silver barrette to pin her bangs back. Her eyes were a hazel color with blue and grey flecks while her hair was the same color as coffee. Beatrice kept me away from Esme as the pharmacologist started on her experiments.
Beatrice warned, “Though she isn’t making any complicated drugs, it can be dangerous if she messes up, so don’t bother her.”
I obediently listened to Beatrice, keeping my attention on whatever Beatrice was doing. Though I wanted to explore the laboratory, it wasn’t a good idea to do it while there were people working.
Remus was in the middle of a phone call when I had stepped out of the hidden lab to get a bottle of water. Though the young man had a disinterested expression plastered onto his face, he seemed to be a rather serious worker, judging by his tone of voice. He was speaking a foreign language, so I wasn’t able to understand the conversation. I hustled to the kitchen after he glared at me when I was caught watching him.
“Ugh..!” I grunted in pain. I barely managed to set the water bottle down onto the counter as my shoulder blades started to throb.
“Take deep breaths,” Remus reminded me from beside me. I gasped and closed my eyes to concentrate on regaining my breath. The agony eventually faded, and I could finally look at the young man who helped me. He popped another piece of hard candy into his mouth before saying, “Ask for painkillers if it hurts too much.”
“O-okay, thank you,” I responded, a bit overwhelmed from what had just happened. Remus frowned and silently took me to sit down on the couch. The youngest Gardens then stepped out of the house without bothering to announce his departure.
Eventually, Beatrice came out of the laboratory to check up on me. When I explained what had happened, Beatrice decided to leave Natalie to watch over me, just in case I needed help and no one was within the vicinity. She cautioned, “It’ll be dangerous if you leave our side, so you must stay with one of us whenever we’re going out.”
I had promised her that I would do that, but who would’ve guessed that I would get separated from them on the first day of going out? I had been concentrating on the new sights that I forgot to keep up with the Gardens.
“:..What luck is this,” I exasperated as I looked around in hopes to find a familiar tuft of hair or outfit. Unfortunately, I was unable to find what I was searching for. “To get lost in a foreign country...this is terrible.”
I continued to scan the crowd as I walked down the street, remembering that we were supposed to head over to some hospital so Beatrice and Esme could provide their assistance to the medical staff. Anxiety fluttered in my chest, and the sensation of my clothing sticking against my skin constantly interfered with my concentration. In the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a woman carefully cradling a young boy in her arms. The woman— who I assumed to be the child’s mother— was constantly looking back at the boy’s face. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she kept placing her hand on the boy’s forehead. I bit my lip before deciding to walk over to her.
“D...do you need help?” I wasn’t sure if the woman would be able to understand me. From how she just continued to stare at me cautiously, she probably didn’t.
The boy in her arms let out a painful groan, and his complexion was ashen. The way his eyes were glazed over made my heart ache— he was in a lot of pain. I needed to help them. I pointed at the boy and asked, “Hospital?”
A familiar fluttering noise reached my ears. When I turned my head to my right, I saw a black butterfly and a familiar woman emerging out from the crowd. It was Esme. The pharmacologist advanced towards me, opening her mouth the moment she was within my hearing range, “Miss Alphaeus, I finally found you. I was worried since you went missing a while ago; are you alright?”
Her timing was miraculous.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get lost,” I apologized. “I was trying to make my way back to you guys when I saw this lady and child… The boy looked unwell, so I wanted to see if they needed help.”
Esme eyed the pair, and then foreign words spilled from her lips in a calm, courteous manner. The mother’s eyes brightened briefly before darkening. Her gaze fluttered down to the young boy. Esme remained silent for a second before speaking again.
“Let’s head over to the clinic then,” Esme turned her attention to me. “The child should get examined as soon as possible by Beatrice.”
I made sure to walk right beside Esme, and the black butterfly that came with her had taken a seat on my shoulder.
“She was worried about something...may I ask what it was?” I wanted to know the reasoning behind the woman’s darkening expression.
“It was probably about money. Since I offered to take her to a clinic, she thought that the cost of treatment would be high, since there’s a shortage of medical staff and equipment,” Esme elucidated. “I told her that I would provide her free treatment.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes; it’s what we were intending to do in the first place, at least for now. It’ll take a long time for the economy to stabilize itself, even if Rosetta decides to take control of it personally. So during that time, we have to support the citizens.”
“Take control of the country?”
“You can’t leave positions of authority empty for too long. If she does what she usually does, she’ll delegate someone from the Gardens Family to act as the nation’s leader. It’s usually one of the Bloodworth-Heisler, Hesse, or Moriarty siblings that she picks as the temporary leader. They’ll manage the country until there are trustworthy individuals who can manage the country together.”
“Is she allowed to do that..?”
“Rosetta doesn’t need permission to do anything— especially with a country that’s on the brink of ruin. There’s no reason to stop her if she’s fixing a dysfunctional society.”
We arrived at the clinic shortly after Esme finished talking. Beatrice was waiting for us inside the clinic, and immediately checked the boy’s condition. Luckily, it was just the common cold. Beatrice prescribed some medication for the boy, which Esme handed to the mother. The relief that washed over the woman was unmissable. She left after thanking us for helping her, all while holding her child securely in her arms. As for me, I was instructed to sit in the corner and to not leave without notifying anyone.
It was when we were leaving the clinic when it happened. I had bumped into a man wearing a mask by accident, and he grabbed onto my shoulder to prevent me from losing my footing.
“I’m sorry!” I immediately stepped away from him while keeping my head down.
“It’s okay; I’m glad you didn’t get injured,” His voice struck me with a sense of familiarity, and so I raised my head up. Within the moment I looked into his eyes which mimicked the northern lights, my mind went blank.
~~~~~
I was by a lake, which had a large island with a single willow tree. The lake itself was surrounded by a forest— it was a truly beautiful place. The sound of something rustling caught my attention. I turned around to see a taller woman with wisteria colored hair that had a silver sheen and eyes that resembled a summer sunset.
“Angel Ethelene, why are you here?” She questioned me with a glacial tone.
“I wanted to come here and relax! What are you doing here, Athalia?” I responded cheerfully.
“Training.”
“Training?! I’ve only seen you doing your job! Is that all you archangels do?”
“Completing the duties assigned to me is of utmost importance. It would be inconvenient for others if I do not do so.”
“Come on, Athalia! I doubt it would cause anyone trouble if you took a little break sometimes!”
~~~~~
“...Are you okay?” I felt someone calling out to me. It was the woman who was standing beside the man— though now she was standing in front of me. Her hand moved to touch my forehead, “It doesn’t look like you have a fever, that’s good.”
“Ah, yes, I’m fine. I just fell into a bit of a daze,” I replied sheepishly. When I took another glance at the man, I noticed that his eyes were now a dark umber color. Did I imagine those eyes from earlier? The woman stepped away from me, returning to the man’s side.
“Please get home safely then, sorry about that,” the woman apologized before she dragged her partner away.
“...Weird,” I couldn’t remember what had just happened.
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