Bab 22: Chapter 22
Jasper had seen Elvira leaning against a wall in a room she didn't have permission to enter. It was clear as day what she was doing there!
"Umm, Jasper," Elvira moved back and hit something hard. In pain, she jumped around on one foot.
"Are you okay?" Jasper rushed to help her.
"Yes," said Elvira. The throbbing pain made it impossible to speak.
"What are you doing here? It looked like you were trying to eavesdrop," Jasper pointed out.
"Uh," Elvira struggled to find a believable excuse. "The other prince was not happy to see me. I fear they might kick me out of the castle. I am sorry, but I felt tempted to listen. Please, don't tell anyone about it, especially the princes."
Jasper looked skeptical and put his ear on the wall. "I didn't know the princes were in the next room. The walls are too thick. I can't hear a word they are saying. What were you hoping to listen to? Only some sort of magic can help you hear."
Elvira let out a sigh. At least Jasper had bought her lie and didn't sense her witchly magic in the air. "Please, promise me that you won't tell anyone."
"I promise," he said.
"Thank you," said Elvira. Her tensed body relaxed upon hearing that. "I know it is wrong of me to ask, but can you please use your magic to help me hear? I want to know what they are saying about me. I am scared about my future."
"My lady, I can't," said Jasper, taking a few steps back. "I am already in enough trouble. Who knows what they might do to me if they caught me as an accomplice in another crime? I might get banished from these lands or maybe even my homeland. I can't let that happen to myself."
"Fine. I don't want to get you in any trouble. It was wrong of me to assume we have each other's back after I pleaded your case to Prince Wivior."
Jasper touched his forehead. Elvira's clever words produced some guilt in him. "Now I would feel guilty for not helping you out! I suppose we can listen together, and if the prince comes, we could say that you were helping me clean this room."
"Yes, thank you, Jasper. I knew that you were my only true friend in this castle." Elvira smiled with joy and pulled him in for a hug.
"I am?" he asked while hugging her back. "Well, I am glad to find my first friend in this castle. Everyone else is too proud and seems to look down upon me."
"They don't realize your worth!" said Elvira, releasing herself from his suffocating grip. "Now, please quickly use magic so we can hear. I don't want to miss anything important."
"Okay, but please come closer because I don't want to make their voices too loud," said Jasper.
The two of them moved close to the wall. Jasper snapped his shaky fingers, and the thick stone wall became thin again.
They heard Cornelius' voice first. "You know it doesn't matter how much you like or want to protect her. She is not entirely safe in this castle."
"I know you're right, but she escaped death yesterday, Cornelius," began Wivior. "It wouldn't be fair to take her to such dangerous places." Elvira shared a look of worry with Jasper. Where were they planning on taking her?
"Your royal status is why Lawrence let finding a human in this castle slide. But how would the others react if they ever ran into her?" Cornelius raised an excellent yet scary point.
"There is an entire floor reserved only for my use. No one except Everard dares to step in here without my permission. Also, no one in our family has visited me for months except you. I could leave her here whenever I am away," replied Wivior.
"This can't go on for long," said Cornelius. He was there to win the argument. "This castle has secrets and powerful weapons, and don't forget about the dungeons. No one except wizardkind is allowed in this castle, let alone your floor. Lawrence doesn't know that she lives here permanently. He only thinks that she comes here now and then to fulfill your carnal desires. If...."
"I thought the main reason they banished me was so that I could think of someone other than myself," Wivior interjected him. "However, I understand what you're trying to say. We aren't allowed to have anyone here. It doesn't matter to the king or the others if it's only a human lord's lost daughter. So, I'll take her with me whenever I can, and other times, maybe Everard or you, if you're visiting, can watch her."
"It's only for a month," Wivior added.
"I am not here for a visit. My stay here is going to be long. You know that a war is coming. Our enemies are not happy with our intrusion on their most holy site," said Cornelius.
Someone finally mentioned the Altar of Itar. It was a deed of wizards and not some fellow warlock or witch. However, she couldn't care less what they would do to the altar because if Agror wished to kill her, she had to deal with that first.
"We should talk about it later. Come and join me for breakfast. I haven't seen you for so long," suggested Wivior.
After hearing that, Jasper and Elvira moved chaotically and nearly bumped into each other.
"What are you doing?" Elvira shook Jasper violently. "Quickly, do some magic to take us to the breakfast table before them."
"Okay!" Jasper closed his eyes. He used his magic, and they teleported to another part of the castle. Instead of the dining room, Elvira found herself inside a bed-chamber.
"Jasper, what is this?!" Elvira yelled at him while looking around. "You were supposed to take us to the dining room!"
"I am sorry. I mess up whenever I am nervous," Jasper answered as sweat dripped from his forehead. "Instead of imagining the prince's dining room, I imagined my safe place."
The walls of that room were baby, and a unicorn statue standing in the middle was the strangest thing. In terms of size, it was somewhere around a real horse.
"This is your safe place? It looks like a child's or woman's room."
"Hey!" Jasper cried. "Women and children don't own the color baby pink or unicorns!"
"This is your room?" Elvira couldn't hide her befuddlement.
"Men can like whatever they want, even as straight males! It was rude of you to look all judgmental," said Jasper.
"You can scold me later for assuming things. Now take us to the dining room immediately!"
He closed his eyes again, and they landed in the correct location.
"Where are you two coming from?" asked Wivior. They turned their heads and saw the brothers at a long and ornate dining table.
"Uh, I, we...," Jasper stuttered.
"I wanted to see Jasper's room. He has a fascinating unicorn and beautiful pink walls in his room," Elvira came to his aid.
Wivior was left speechless. Even Cornelius raised his eyes at them.
"Why did you have to say that?" whispered Jasper.
"I am sorry it came right out of my mouth," Elvira replied in a low voice. "Don't worry because you are entitled to like and have whatever you want in your room."
"I know!" he whispered again. "But you didn't have to announce that to princes. They already find me strange enough!"
Wivior noisily cleared his throat. "Interesting! Come and have breakfast with us, you two."
Elvira sat on an empty row opposite the two princes, and Jasper occupied the seat adjacent to her.
"Jasper, my friend. Don't take Elvira out again without my permission. She is not supposed to wander on any other floor," Wivior warned him in a friendly manner.
"My prince. I have been assigned a room on your floor," said Jasper.
"By whom?" Wivior dropped his knife.
"By the man who had brought me here. He said it would make sense to stay close to you since I am your attendant," Jasper answered promptly.
"What!" Wivior exclaimed, and Cornelius roared with laughter.
"I asked for someone experienced," said Wivior to his brother.
"This is the best you're going to get here, and besides, you are patient enough to teach this young boy a thing or two." Despite his efforts, Cornelius could not conceal his amusement.
"Yes, Your Magnificence." Jasper rose from his seat and bowed low. "It's an honor to serve you. I am a fast learner, so you needn't worry about anything."
Wivior coughed. "I am sure! Continue your breakfast, and don't bow because it's unnecessary."
"Whatever you say, your highness." Jasper sat on his bottom again. He appeared confident for someone who only messed up a day ago.
Prince Cornelius looked in Elvira's direction every once in a while. He had sounded somewhat dissatisfied with her stay in the castle by the way he had talked to his brother about her. It looked like he only wanted to help because he suspected that Wivior had taken a liking to her.
"So, Miss Elvira," Cornelius began. "What kingdom are you from?"
Elvira froze in place. "Quithen," she took the name of the first kingdom that came into her mind. And gladly, she had been there many times.
"Interesting. I have heard about it. It meets the coastline of the Sudmeris Sea, right?" said Wivior.
"Yes," answered Elvira, and began stuffing her mouth with food because she feared they might start asking deep questions about the city.
"Your fiancé is the king of what kingdom?" asked Cornelius.
Elvira almost choked on her food, and Jasper handed her a glass of water. She didn't want to name a king. Who knows what else the wizards might know that could trap her in the web of her lies?
"Be careful," said Wivior.
When Elvira finished coughing, she found all eyes on her. "Pardon me, but I don't want to defame him by taking his name. I can't tell you."
"He wants to kill you, and yet you want to save his honor?" Cornelius passed a lopsided grin.
"Cornelius means to say that we need to know who your fiancé is. Because he is paying warlocks to do his deeds, it's better to know what human monarch we shouldn't trust. Maybe he also might be doing some dirty work for witches," Wivior clarified.
"Eat your breakfast and rest for now. You must be stressed due to the recent events. We can discuss it after a couple of days," Wivior added.
"Of course. Wivior told me about the warlock attack on you on the way somewhere. That must have been traumatizing for you. It's brutal enough to wish to kill someone. I can't imagine what kind of person would pay bloodthirsty warlocks to do such a wicked deed," Cornelius commented.
Elvira was thankful for their sympathy. She could use it against them. Her actual situation was brutal, too, so there was no need to act troubled! "I'm trying my best to stay sane," she responded.
"Jasper. Take Elvira to her room and show her the dresses. After she picks one and puts it on, take her to the library. Perhaps books can distract her in this difficult time," Wivior commanded.
"This place has a library!" Elvira jumped with excitement.
"Yes, and it's well put together. Go ahead. I'll join you in a few moments," said Wivior.
Jasper took Elvira to the library after she put on a fresh dress. She chose a navy blue velvet dress from a collection of around a hundred dresses. The library was also on Wivior's floor. Having the opportunity to do some research pleased her. No matter what she did, she couldn't get the reptile man out of her mind.
Was he cursed or faking it? She had heard tales of witches cursing wizards. So, the wizards must know something about vicious curses and their cures. And perhaps a library was the perfect place to start searching for answers.
Upon entering the library, the sweet smell of old books pleased her senses. The space was expansive and contained towering bookshelves on both sides with narrow walkways. What she liked the most was how neat and well-arranged everything was.
"Go ahead, read whatever you want. And call me if you need assistance, my lady," said Jasper.
Elvira nodded and walked away. Where should she start? She walked and then stopped by a bookshelf labeled as a witch. She was eager to learn what the wizards wrote about her kind in their books. However, before she grabbed a book, she scanned her surroundings, but gladly, Jasper was nowhere to be seen.
With one thick black book, Elvira moved to the corner of another section. She flipped the cover and saw that it had no title. Instead, it only had a strange mark engraved on the cover page. Swiftly, she opened the book, but a sharp pain in her stomach prevented her from reading any of its contents. The book dropped from her hands, and the pain became so unbearable that she let out a scream.
"What happened?" she heard Jasper call from a distance.
She was about to ask for his help when her gaze fell upon the burn marks on her arms. Her curse was acting up. There was no way she could let Jasper see her like that!
Hadiah
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Power 
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