Chapter 94 – Awkward

Zinnia and Aster looked at each other in silence while placing dishes on the table, then moved their gazes toward the three women that were sitting behind the table waiting for the breakfast to be served. There was clearly an awkward atmosphere over them, that maids could not figure out. Ever since the family returned from Noah's mind realm they had this strange air around them, while keeping total silence.

Both Tessa and Priscilla still seethed with anger toward each other, however there was some kind of other tension there as well.

Maids saw them sometimes meet with their eyes but instead of usual challenging looks from Priscilla and Tessa's scowl, they would instead quickly move their eyes away from each other with a frown.

Brianna tended to avoid everyone's gaze, mostly looking at her lap as if afraid to lift her gaze and sitting in her thoughts for the most time. However sometimes she would lift her eyes slightly to look at her mother or sister before quickly turning her gaze down again.

Maids have not heard either of the three women utter a single word for more than a day.

Dahlia saw her sisters lingering around longer than needed and quickly ushered them away.

"What do you think is going on with them?" Asked Zinnia when they returned to the kitchen.

"I don't know, but you better not poke your nose into it too much. This is not our concern." Said Dahlia.

"But we are concerned." Said Aster. "We like the girls. Bri is fun and Cil is very smart so I like to talk to her."

"Umm" Said Zinnia. "I worry about Bri as well."

"I know what you mean. I am concerned about the madam as well, but it is not our place to do something about it. If they want to talk they'll talk. Otherwise don't over step the boundaries. We have to be professionals despite our personal feelings." Said Dahlia.

"I wonder, what master Noah is busy with?" Said Zinnia.

"He has not come out of his meditation room for a few days straight now." Said Aster.

Dahlia did not comment on it, keeping silence, but there was a worry on her face as well.

"I just hope we can stay here longer." Muttered Zinnia. Both of her sisters looked at her.

"What? I love our forest but, all the matters of Labyrinth that we have to tend to all day long without rest started to be…irksome." Said Zinnia while Aster and Dahlia silently nodded with heavy sighs.

"To be truthful, mother also tends to be stifling with all that royal atmosphere. I am kind of happy we got to be away from her." Said Aster.

"Well, it is so, but…if we have to leave our next place of living may not be as fun as it is with madam and girls here." Said Dahlia.

Zinnia and Aster nodded as well and all three of them sat in silence with sad looks.

"Someone came." Said Dahlia suddenly.

Zinnia immediately closed her eyes.

"Duchess Vespertine crossed the barrier." Said Zinnia after closing her eyes for a few seconds. "But…there is another presence with her."

"Go tell the madam. We will go meet them." Said Dahlia and sank into the floor together with Aster, while Zinnia quickly moved to the dining room.

******

When Cassandra crossed the border she was greatly surprised. The dark place covered by eternal fog, now looked a lot brighter and warmer. Gone was the vicious looking twine that surrounded the whole area. The ground has mended all the cracks and green grass started to break through earth in patches.

Instead of a forest full of dry husks of trees she now saw huge gaps where dead trees were gone with young saplings taking root with green leaves on their weak branches.

Also huge monster-like tree giants stood among the dry forest as if guardians. They seemed to be asleep, but she had no doubt they would awaken as soon as she closed in on them.

"Welcome, Your Ladyship." Said Dahlia coming out of the tree followed by Aster. "We have informed the madam of your arrival."

Cassandra nodded at them silently.

"May I inquire who your companion is?" Said Dahlia surprising Cassandra.

"My what…" Said Cassandra looking around and seeing a big orange furred cat with black and white spots sitting on the ground some distance away from her.

When maids saw Cassandra's surprise their demeanor became colder. Whatever that thing was, it was an unexpected guest.

"Wait." Said Cassandra sensing menace coming off from the maids. "This is the kingdom's observer. Do not touch it. It has the right to come and go to monster families territory for inspections. If it is attacked Theresa will have problems." Explained Cassandra, warily watching the cat that listened to her words and as if waiting for her to explain, stood up after her speech. Then it briskly moved away running into the dry tree forest.

Dahlia and Aster looked at it with hesitation but then Dahlia whispered something to her sister and Aster sank back into the tree disappearing from sight.

"We understand. Thank you for your explanation, You Ladyship. Please allow me to be your guide." Said Dahlia, turning to Cassandra.

******

The cat leisurely walked through the forest as if it owned the place for some time but then quickly turned to look back, noticing some movement among the trees for just a split moment, making it squint its eyes looking around with a wary look for a long moment before continuing to walk again.

Aster moved from tree to tree carefully observing the cat while keeping her distance from it, hiding whenever it turned around to check surroundings. The cat was very strange. This area still had an evil energy lingering over the ground, but this fella did not seem to be bothered by it, when any normal non monster beast would flee from this area as if seeing a forest fire.

It also walked through the area as if it knew the place well. It would come to some area then turn back and walk to some other area sniffing around and climbing trees. After some time it would jump back down on the ground and walk with a haughty gait as if it owned the place, making Aster look at it with irritation in her eyes.

The cat did not walk straight in the mansion's direction but closed toward it gradually non the less. Walking around the area in a large spiral, it checked around the whole area, almost coming back to the place where Cassandra crossed the barrier, before going deeper into the territory and closer to the mansion that stood at its very center.

It walked around without a bother until it reached the inner garden, however it then froze in place. Carefully looking around the place it sniffed the area for a long time unsure if it should proceed further. Then it quickly ran toward the bushes and hid within.

A moment later the puppet walked out from around the mansion moving toward a shed to take something, however it froze in place the same way as the cat before, then started to look around making gestures of sniffing the air around it. Next moment it threw away everything it had in its hands and dropped on the ground on all four, starting to move around the area in circles with a beast-like walk while sniffing at the ground.

A moment later the cat flashed out of the bushes and whirled back into the forest where it came from.

Puppet stood looking at it surprised for a moment before dashing after it, while barking.

Aster watched it from behind the tree with a stupefied look before facepalming.

"Well this is awkward. We did not attack it, but would we be blamed if it is attacked by a dog?" She said.

Then she sank back into the tree and disappeared following the cat and dog in the human form puppet's body.

*****

Cassandra was led into the dining room where she was almost dropped to the ground by Brianna jumping at her.

"Aunt Cass!" Exclaimed Brianna hugging her tightly.

"Hey, sweety." Said Cassandra with a smile before lifting her eyes to look around the room but froze in place staring at Priscilla with an intense gaze. A moment later as if realization dawned on her she quickly looked at Tessa sitting at the table with an annoyance on her face. None of the two women looked back at Cassandra, as if avoiding her gaze.

"Cil. Come over here. Let me look at you." Said Cassandra while patting Brianna and still gazing at Tessa.

Priscilla stood up from her seat and walked up to her with a shy demeanor while staring down into the floor.

Cassandra looked her over in silence then lifted her chin and gaze into her eyes.

"Look at you, dear, what a beautiful young lady you have become." She said and kissed her in the forehead. "I am so glad you finally crossed the stage my dear."

Priscilla moved forward embracing her just as tightly as Brianna did.

Cassandra hugged them both for a long moment before letting them go and wiping a wet spot at the corner of Priscillas' eye.

"Girls let me and your mother have a bit of a chat alone please, before I come talk with you two sweeties." Said Cassandra. Brianna and Priscilla nodded briskly and walked out of the room closing the door after them.

"Where is he?" Asked Cassandra with her voice going cold to almost water freezing degrees.

"He is away for a few days." Said Tessa with annoyance deepening on her face. "Don't start me on moral lessons. I asked him…begged him to do it, myself." Said Tessa.

Cassandra's eyebrows climbed up with surprise.

"I know full well the consequences of my actions. If I had any other choice I would never do something like that. But I had no other choice. You know that well." Said Tessa knowing full well what her friend was thinking off as if it was written on her face.

"The last batch…" Started to say Cassandra.

"Was useless, just as all previous ones. What were you expecting me to do?" Said Tessa with anger.

"To wait some more!" Rumbled Cassandra with a menacing voice seething from anger.

"Do I look like an idiot to you? I had no more time to wait…She lost it, Cass. She had no more time to wait." Said Tessa as if deflated.

Cassandra watched her friend in silence calming down her anger.

"What are you going to do now? She challenged you, right?" Asked Cassandra when she calmed down enough for her voice to sound at least emotionless instead of seething with anger.

"I will take care of this." Said Tessa quietly.

"Just like you took care of the previous problem?"

Tessa turned to look at her friend with a cold gaze.

"Yes, I took care of it. Do you have any other way to offer?" Asked Tessa in a cold voice.

Cassandra gazed back at her meeting her stare head on for a few moments before turning away and walking to the table sitting down on one of the chairs.

"As I thought, then spare me this bullshit. I have my hands full with them both as is, without your lecturing."

"This is not right, Tessa. It will ruin this family. I understand that Priscilla is probably at her mating period as she keeps herself in hands, but Brianna must be worried shitless from seeing what is going on between you and Cil."

"Worried enough to run away from home." Said Tessa.

"What?" Exclaimed Cassandra. "Damn it. That just shows how serious things are between you two and you are telling me you will take care of it?

"Run away with Noah." Said Tessa looking at Cassandra pointedly.

"Wait what?" Said Cassandra surprised.

"She is a smart girl, Cass. She decided to take the same path that Priscilla took. Wanted to leave while we were still on good terms."

"Wait. Hold on. Why would she want to…with him?"

"Her time has come as well, Cass. And we failed her before it even began. We checked every nook and corner to help Cil and found nothing. Such strong monsters don't appear out of nowhere. She realized there will be none by the time she is at the end of her sanity as well. So she made her own choice."

"Fuck." Said Cassandra, voicing her frustration without having any other way to express her feelings. "What now? What will happen?" She said after a long moment.

"You can't stay all together." Said Cassandra with a sad voice.

Tessa sat quietly just staring into nothingness. Silence spread in the room for a few minutes.

"I want to make a ball for them." Said Cassandra making Tessa look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"They deserve a coming of age ball, just like all normal girls. I want to pamper them a final time. If they go away they will probably leave the country altogether to make sure not to cross paths with you ever again, so I might never see them ever again as well. I want to have a happy last moment with them." Said Cassandra. "It will take a few days to prepare. Will Cil be able to hold?"

"Probably." Said Tessa.

"Make them the best dresses." Said Cassandra standing up and walking out of the room toward the main hall where the girls sat in the armchairs waiting for her.

Tessa sat in the dining room with a strange look on her face. She knew her friend was worried as hell, but did not dare even mention the other way out that was offered to them. Even for an ancient being like her, that saw this world quite a lot, this was a very awkward thing to say. What would her friend think of them if they decide to take on the offer made by Noah's system?

"Damn that going to be awkward." She muttered while sighing heavily.