Chapter 179: Bonded Again (Part-3)
“You’re concerned about my safety?” I spat, looking at her venomously. “As far as my experience goes, the other side seems much safer than you guys! Maybe I should just go over and show them my support openly!”
…
Marianne stares at me with her eyebrows raised.
“You mean that?” She asks me quietly.
I have a strong urge to yell ‘I DO’ in her face, but I stop myself.
No matter how angry I am at the hooded ones or the other leaders, it’s not just me who is at stake here. The welfare of my family and friends is linked directly to the decisions I make. And I care for them. While I said what I said just now in a fit of anger, it’s impossible for me to actually go through with it.
I know it deep down and Marianne seems to understand it, too, because she changes the topic without waiting for my answer.
“Let’s discuss some of the problems, alright?” She says, straightening up. “The first one is the obvious; your safety. Although plan B failed, the fact remains that we need a watchful eye around you at all times. It is the highest priority.”
“Our second problem stems from that failure. We have formed the Blood Bond, but our positions within it are opposite to what I intended. It won’t be able to serve its purpose anymore. In addition, we cannot let anybody find out about this fact. I don’t think I need to explain why.”
No, she doesn’t. If everyone finds out that the powerless little me has made Marianne her slave…? Just imagining the consequences makes me shudder.
“And the last and the most pressing problem we face,” her face turns solemn, “is how to convince Yrathea that you are fully under my control and observation.”
Huh?
“Okay, but why Yrathea specifically?” I ask, confused.
“Because she is going to test the effectiveness of the Blood Bond herself,” Marianne answers calmly. “She mentioned it right before we left the WST grounds. We were supposed to go to her right after forming the Bond.”
Fuck…
“Then what are we going to do now?” The panic creeps in.
“Well…” Marianne shifts forward. “I do have a simple solution that can practically solve all of our problems. But it is quite risky.”
“Tell me. I don’t think we are spoilt for choices here.” I say sternly.
“Alright then, listen. First, we need to pretend that nothing went wrong with the Blood Bond,” she tells me. “You will have to act as my slave in the presence of others— or, at the very least, in the presence of those who know we’ve formed the bond. And I will act as your master.”
…
This reminds me of when Zakira tried to gaslit me, but…
“Isn’t that a given? How am I supposed to do anything but act like that without revealing our secret?” I ask, rolling my eyes at her.
“Let me finish,” she says impatiently. “I know it is obvious but you need to understand. Acting as a slave isn’t as easy as you might think. While I will give you all the help possible, you will have to be convincing enough to fool some of the smartest people I know. Each and every single order given to you in their presence must be followed precisely and at once, to the best of your ability.
“This is why it is so risky. If you were enslaved under the Blood Bond, doing so would’ve come to you as second nature. But without it… you will have to show presence of mind like never before, and be really careful of everything you say or do.”
The seriousness of it dawns on me. She is correct. I have an idea of how a slave should act (thanks to the several ‘movies’ I have watched), but I don’t know if I will be able to follow through as necessary.
But… there is someone who can help me with that…
“As for the acting part, I think it would be best if I learn through a live, real example,” I tell her.
“What do you mean?” She asks apprehensively.
“Simple, I can just give you some orders and observe how you follow them. All I have to do then is to mirror that mannerism in front of Yrathea as closely as I can, and we are game!” I answer with a wide smile.
“Ah…”
Marianne’s face shows a subtle opposition to the idea. She even opens her mouth to say something but it seems she cannot find any reason to refute this idea.
“Alright, then.” She agrees begrudgingly.
“You don’t have to worry yet.” I snort at her reaction. “I am way too tired. If we go to Yeathea right now, there’s no way I would be able to keep up my act. Let’s postpone it to tomorrow.”
“That’s impossible.” She rejects my suggestion instantly. “We have a little more time, but not nearly enough for you to have any sort of rest. It’s either us going to Yrathea on time, or her coming to us. And we don’t want her to catch us unprepared.”
I frown at her.
“Let’s hear what you propose to do then.”
Marianne stares at me in disbelief.
“Humans and their lack of magical knowledge.” She sighs with mild exasperation. “I can simply put a couple of spells on you to make the sleep go away and have you energized.
“And while we are at it, you might as well open your mind to me. Once I have your explicit permission, I will be able to oversee your current location and surroundings at all times.”
…?
“Wait, you can do that? Without Blood Bond?” I ask incredulously.
“No, but I can do that through Blood Bond. The connection is already there. The only difference is that you can tap into it freely, while I will need permission,” she informs me.
“And don’t worry, you can stop my access to it anytime you want,” she adds, looking at my doubtful expression.
Hmm… well, I guess I can work with that. It will take care of my safety issue at the very least.
“Alright then, go on. You have my permission.”
I don’t know how to ‘open’ my mind, so I simply take a deep breath and try to meditate. Having my consent, Marianne moves next to me before grabbing my hands.
The very next second, I find my sleepiness fading away. It’s like my exhaustion is getting siphoned off, getting replaced by vigorous energy. All of a sudden, I feel like I can run a marathon!
My mind also clears up, and I instantly find something odd happening to my body. A strange link seems to be forming between Marianne and me, connecting our minds and bodies. Weirdly, it feels as if she is somehow inside me and I am inside her.
I also find it interesting that this link is indeed completely under my control. I can tell that it will be severed with just a mere thought of mine.
“I am done.” Marianne breaths out, dropping my hands. “Let’s go to Yrathea now and get this over with.”
She shows quite a bit of urgency all of a sudden. But I can immediately tell that she is just trying to escape. She is not fooling anyone.
“No need to hurry! You still have to teach me how a proper slave should act!” I remind her with a sly grin.