章 35: A Little Probing
My merry circle of friends (yes, which included Peter) and I were gathered in our usual hangout. I told them my sleepwalking problem and where I ended up every time I woke up from it. Kai and I even took turns on what transpired the previous night.
“That means you’re both connected to that place, somehow?” Thomas asked after we told them.
“We’re not sure but there’s a big possibility.” I answered. “Andrea, Charles, that place used to belong to the Alchemy Department, do guys you have any idea or have you heard any stories about that place?”
“That’s the thing. The seniors from our department treat that topic as taboo. Nobody ever mentions it.” Andrea replied with a pout on her face.
“Charles?” I called. All heads turned to the headmaster’s grandson who looked green, like he was about to vomit from all the stares and pressure we were giving.
“I- I- I have no idea either okay? I was so young when they closed up the building and the surrounding forest. All information about that place had been sealed up for a long time!” Charles explained but he looked panicky.
“Do you think the teachers will tell us anything?” Kai asked.
All of a sudden, Vyfal started hissing at Peter, again.
<”Stop leaking your emotions! Can’t you control it?”> she growled.
Kai made eye contact with me and we both turned to Peter who was biting his fingernails. There was one thing I noticed from Peter ever since he started hanging out with us. Whenever he was nervous, he would start biting his fingernails. I pointed it out to him once and he had been on guard against me since then.
“Peter, do you know something?” Kai asked and inched closer to his cousin who was blinking twice the speed than normal.
“What? Of course not! I’m just not feeling well.”
Another thing I noticed was that, whenever he was lying he would start tapping his fingers on any surface he could find, and he was doing exactly that on the table.
I started caressing Vufal’s soft fur to calm her down and stop hissing at the prince who was about to have a nervous breakdown.
“Peter!” I exclaimed which made him jump up and yelp. “Do you know something about the old school building?”
“I- I-“
“You know, Senior Leo warned me about investigating the place. It seems like the imperial family does know something about the old school building.”
“Peter?” Kai called affectionately and held his cousin’s shoulder to stop him from shaking.
I got really worried and suspicious at Peter. It was my first time seeing him that away.
-There goes his image of being full of confidence and angst. It’s now totally shattered in my mind.
“Calm down Peter.” I said which caught his attention. “Deep breaths, take your time. Inhale. Exhale.”
I repeated those two words which he thankfully followed and he slowly calm down.
“Tell us what you know.”
“Fine. But this is a secret not released to the public. Not even everyone in the palace and members of the imperial family knows about it. I only know about it because my mother blabbed about it snad-“
“Peter, you’re blabbing yourself.” Kai inserted which interrupted him.
“Oh. Sorry. Uhm… I’m not clear with the full contents but a long-term experiment was being conducted under the old alchemy building. Ten years ago, something went wrong so the funds were pulled out and it got shut down.”
“What’s it got to do with me?” Kai asked.
“And me?” I asked as well.
“I don’t know about you Luna since you’re one big mystery itself and you technically came out of nowhere, but Kai, it has everything to do with you. Ten years ago, your mother, Grand Princess Anastasia, brought you to that place since she used to be the head of that experiment before she was sent to Syna Kingdom to marry your father.” Peter took in a deep breath. “There was a little mishap, you Kai was involved with that mishap which almost killed you.”
“But… ten years ago… My Fox’s Curse was activated ten years ago!”
“Yes. Whatever was inside that place activated the Fox’s Curse that run through your blood. It left you in a two-month coma. Ever since then, father shut off the experiment, fired everyone involved with it, and the place was closed off.”
“So… I do have a connection to that place.” I heard Kai mutter.
-But what about me? Why did I feel my fox core in that place?
My mind started brainstorming and I put the dots together, but I needed confirmation.
“Peter.” I called. “Were they experimenting on some sort of powerful and mysterious energy under the old alchemy building?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
I froze and my jaw hardened in disbelief.
-I am sure I felt my fox core inside, no, under the building. Were they experimenting on my fox core? If that’s what really happened then that means…
My eyes landed on Kai who stared blankly at nothing, his hands petting Vyfal who seemed to have made her way to him when she sensed his distress.
-That means... he somehow got close, or maybe even touched my fox core, and awakened the Fox’s Curse in him. Is that why he can hear Vyfal’s words? Because we were already connected in some ways?
A lot more questions ran in my mind, but there was one question that stood above all of them.
-How did my fox core get here?
“Luna?”
“I need to get inside the building and find out why ‘I’ am attracted to that place.” I said, steeling myself. I prepared myself for any opposition, but surprisingly, I was met with silence. “Guys?”
“We’re with you.” Bernard said and flashed a smile. “Everyone’s always curious at something that’s forbidden.”
“I agree with Bernard.” Charles seconded which made us stare at him with surprise. “Besides it’s the old alchemy building, I have to have a chance to investigate the place.”
“I need to find out what activated the curse in me too.” Kai said as well. “And find out if there’s a way to get rid of it.”
Everyone started voicing out their agreements, even Peter who seemed hesitant at first. I smiled at everyone. I was really glad they were my friends.
From that day on, I promised myself that I would forever treasure the friendship we had.
I had friends in Celestine Territory, but other than Thomas, I couldn’t call them friends ‘friends’. We were more like acquaintances or comrades in hunting. I knew they didn’t see me as a friend either. They only saw me as the fourth miss of the Celestine Household; Luna Hysi von Celestine. What they had for me was only fear and awe that came with my skills and the family I belonged to.
It was the same as when I was still a fox deity. Different immortals, spirits and celestials only tried to befriend me for three reasons; one I was a princess of the Fox Clan that ruled the fourth level of the Celestial Realm, two they were interested of my abilities and but kept their distance and limits in fear because of that as well, and lastly, they only wanted my hand in marriage because of my reputation.
It was the reason I became so apprehensive at people back then. Not to mention rude. I only trusted my sister, my family and my best friend.
As for Eliza and the rest of my adoptive siblings, I didn’t consider them as friends since we technically belong to one family. They were family, not friends, so they were different.
“So, when do we investigate?” Andrea piped up, pulling me out of my thoughts.
All heads turned to me. “We go tonight. This week is the last week before winter break, not to mention tomorrow is the last day, and we won’t have a chance. Considering we snuck in to the place the other night, whoever was there, they’re definitely on high alert. We can’t let them move out or put up more defenses.”
Everybody voiced out their agreements once again and started making a plan. I couldn’t help but smile.
-Maybe this borrowed life from Luna is not bad after all.
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