南瓜影院

She smiled to herself with a wistful expression because the screens confirmed the guess she had already had that it was all related to what Henry had done to keep her alive. And then she was reminded of the sight of him burning and she winced. She sat up on the bed and looked around the room like she was hoping to see him sitting or lying close by.

She didn\'t.

What she did see was how unfamiliar the room she was in, was. Lavish and gaudy designs that put to shame every bit of affluence the Hadron Mansion used to have when it stood in its prime.

"Where am I?" She wondered. She raised her hand and clenched and unclenched her fist as she marveled at the strength she seemed to possess.

She moved her arm in a back-and-forth swishing motion and the lightness and swiftness of it had her cracking a smile as her eyes went back to the screens to look at her physical stats;

[Strength: 35]

[Agility: 50]

[Stamina: 25]

She had no idea what the numbers used to be but seeing as she had never felt as strong as she did right now or as swift, Yelena believed the increments she had received from the Title \'Gunslinger\'s Partner\' were truly in effect.

Reading through the Title\'s description again, Yelena\'s heart ached. Something tugged at her. A connection that she nursed with her hand over her chest.

And then Marla the Servant Girl walked in, saw she was awake, and delivered the news to the Lord of the Manor before fetching her some food.

"I\'m not hun—" Yelena started to say but stopped and blushed when a rumbling sounded in her stomach.

At first, she was embarrassed and then her eyes brightened up. For the first time in her life, she was hungry. For the first time in her life, there was no tether attaching her to a building.

When the food came, she ate ravenously. It tasted incredible like it had been made by the finest chef but to be honest, Yelena would likely not have been able to tell the difference anyway. Her last memory of eating food was Three hundred and sixty-seven years ago during one of the dinners her parents always made her have with the family.

At the time she could hardly be bothered. After all, she was depressed from being stuck in the Mansion and food had no meaning to her.

But now it did.

The girl, Marla, watched Yelena eat with her eyes slightly wide in surprise. You see, to her, Yelena looked noble. The aura she let off was almost exactly the kind the Manor\'s Lord let out but the absolute lack of etiquette in her mannerisms seemed to humanize her.

The girl smiled and let a chuckle slip out.

Yelena looked up and realized she might have gotten a bit carried away,

"Sorry," she said.

"No, no," Marla said with wide eyes, "Don\'t apologize to me, My Lady."

A moment of silence passed as Yelena took a few more mouthfuls before she glanced down at her dress. Realizing it wasn\'t what she had been wearing at the Hadron Mansion.

"Did you dress me?" She asked.

"Yes, My Lady," Marla said with a nod, "I can trim your hair too if you\'d like."

"My hair?" Yelena asked and only now realized there were tangled gray-white locks fanned out around her on the bed and they all came from her head.

Putting aside the tray of mostly emptied plates, Yelena stood to her feet and her eyes went wide when her hair reached to her ankles.

"My Lady?" Marla, the Servant girl called out gently.

"Cut it," Yelena said in a low voice as her fingers filtered through the tangled locks.

"As you wish."

During the cutting that reduced the hair length to the middle of her back and was followed by styling that had her looking like the Noble Marla felt she was, Yelena asked about where she was.

She learned she was in the Black Manor and was a \'guest\' of its Lord but even as she received all that information, Yelena found herself bored down by a feeling of lethargy.

She realized quickly —due to the Guards at her door and the feeling that she was under watch—, that she might have simply traded one imprisonment (The Hadron Mansion) for another (The Black Manor), but she found herself simply lacking the enthusiasm to do anything about it.

In the days since then, Yelena remained in that room. Food was delivered in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings always with the exceptional quality of the first. She also received invitations from the Manor\'s Lord.

Why he didn\'t just storm her room and demand she speak to him, Yelena had no idea but was glad saying \'no\' was all that was required for her to have peace and wallow in her lethargy.

And then, today, something changed.

At the other end of the inexplicable connection she had with Henry, she felt something stir. It pulled her out of her lethargy— pulled her out of the monotonous funk she had found herself, and for the first time since she had been in the Black Manor, she accepted its Lord\'s invitation.

With every step she took on her way to this Hall, Yelena had cast her eyes around picking out spots she could escape through. The damages to the Manor\'s walls created an opening of sorts but were well guarded.

\'Arcane Tendrils,\' Yelena thought, \'A few blasts of it should get them away from me.\'

Yelena wasn\'t foolish. She knew she no longer had Infinite Mana but hoped what she did have would be enough. Just enough to knock the enemy away, find her way to the Stables, and grab a horse to ride away on.

Escape was all she had in mind.

"Hey!"

The voice seemed to come from so far away…

"Hey, are you with me?" Maude Aleric said and he jolted Yelena out of her thoughts of escape.

"Mmm? Yes, yes, I suppose I am," Yelena said with a nod or two.

"Good," Maude said, "Come with me."

Yelena raised a brow,

"Where are we going?" She asked.

Maude chuckled but said nothing and led the way out of the hall.

They walked to the very back of the massive Manor until they were at a metal door with two Uniformed guards stationed on each side.

After a respectful bow, the guards pulled the door open to reveal a spiral staircase that led deep underground.

Maude held out a hand and spoke a quiet spell that caused a ball of light to appear above his palm as he led the way down the stairs. He turned off the ball of light when they arrived at the bottom of the stairs that were lit up with torches.

They were now in a long hallway segmented into Metal cells all barred. Yelena looked around with cautious eyes, wondering what Maude was planning. She brought her knowledge of the Arcane Tendrils to mind, ready to defend herself.

"A few days ago," Maude said, "Some fools stormed my Manor in an attempt to steal my Gold. Among other things I\'m sure.

To my great regret, some of them got away. But two did not."

They were in front of a cell now and Yelena\'s eyes went wide when she saw two redheads seated within the cell with their heads bowed.

The two didn\'t react to Maude\'s voice but they did raise their heads when they realized the Manor\'s Lord hadn\'t come alone today.

"Y-Yelena?" Stefan said with his eyes wide in shock.

Triss said nothing and simply pursed her lips as she clenched her fists.

Maude chuckled,

"I expected the recognition but the hurt in your voice surprises me."

"Why are you keeping them here?" Yelena asked as an intense pity gripped her chest.

Maude raised a brow,

"You pity them? After what they did to you?"

"They didn\'t do anything to me," Yelena said shaking her head.

"They didn\'t?" Maude asked and then smiled as he shook his head,

"I find that hard to believe."

"Please let them go," Yelena said with her eyes on Triss\' angry but tired face.

"I can\'t do that," Maude said.

"What will you do with them?" Yelena asked in a gasping voice,

"Kill them?"

Maude chuckled,

"I won\'t kill them.

No, no, they will serve me well. Eventually.

Now come. As my Protégée, we have much to discuss. Away from here."

"Protégée?" Yelena asked, confused as Maude led her away.

"Well, yes," Maude said,

"Only one with your Magical talent is truly worthy of inheriting my vast Magical knowledge."

Yelena heard the words but they failed to register. All she could think about was the faces of two redheaded siblings, and how, if ever, she could save them from what could be a horrible fate.