NOVPUBWhen the morning came, Rasmus was already sitting on the edge of his bed before the sun had risen. He could barely sleep, not because of Anastasha, but because his body was a bit feverish and felt like it was boiling from within. The worst part was that he didn't sweat at all, which made his body achy and heavy.
"How uncomfortable... to be like this indefinitely..." Rasmus muttered as he got up and walked to the mirror.
Rasmus looked at his tired and pale skin in the mirror. The blood vessels in his eyes became redder and visible to the naked eye. He then looked at his right hand, clenching it, and felt numb.
"The numbness has worsened too..." Rasmus muttered and tried to stretch his hands. "Stage two is undergoing..." he said under his breath.
During Rasmus's journey to headquarters, Aris mentioned the symptoms during his awakening. The first stage was losing control of the body, and the second stage was losing senses. Based on Aris's explanation, he was similar to being reborn, losing his senses and control over his body until his body grew accustomed and overcame the condition.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door without saying a word. Rasmus opened the door, and it was the man whom Aris encountered when they were about to infiltrate the Royal Palace back in the Bastios Kingdom, the man who wielded a quarterstaff. He was Anastasha's personal guard and the leader of the guards.
"Good morning, Count Blackheart. I apologize if I'm bothering your resting time, however, my Master wishes to have breakfast with you in her chamber," the man said, realizing how exhausted and unwell Rasmus's condition was.
"Alright, bring me to her," Rasmus nodded.
The man guided Rasmus to the other side of the building, where there were barely any maids and servants. The left wing of the building had been completely occupied by Anastasha, turning it into her private quarters.
Rasmus entered Anastasha's chamber, and she was already sitting at the table with her personal maids. She tilted her head when she saw Rasmus's condition and his current state. She slowly got up from her chair and pointed her hand at the chair across from her.
As Rasmus walked to the table, all the maids left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Anastasha stayed standing until Rasmus took a seat and made himself comfortable in the chair.
"You shouldn't have come if you're not feeling well, Count," Anastasha said as she poured tea into her cup.
"I was thinking the same thing, but here I am," Rasmus answered as he looked at the food at the table. "I didn't expect you to stay here, Princess," he looked at Anastasha with a stoic expression.
"Why not? Wasn't it your plan to bring me here in the first place? You told Archduke Thalior about my location even though I was doing fine back there," Anastasha responded and took a sip of her tea as she stared into Rasmus's eyes. "I don't mind being here, and the fact that he didn't reveal my whereabouts to anyone else, that's better," she continued and put down her teacup.
Rasmus looked at the teapot and noticed there were two holes in the handle. He glanced at Anastasha and back at the teapot, noticing that she did cover the top hole with her thumb.
"Please, Count, help yourself," Anastasha smiled as she pointed her left hand at the teapot.
Rasmus grabbed the teapot and covered the top hole with his thumb as he poured the tea into his cup. Anastasha saw him do the exact same thing as her, and how he was aware of every movement she made, it made her smile even wider. She expected him to be sharp, and it made her excited when he met her expectation.
"So, Count..." Anastasha said after Rasmus took a sip of the tea. "What made you do that? To tell my location to Archduke Thalior?" She asked with her eyes narrowed.
"Last time we met, you made me guess of your intention of staying in South Neva. It would be fair if you made a guess of my intention, Princess," Rasmus answered as he leaned back and stared back at Anastasha.
"Fair enough..." Anastasha chuckled as she leaned back, mirroring Rasmus.
Anastasha rested her right elbow as she rubbed her right thumb against her index finger. She was deep in thought as she stared blankly at nothing until she suddenly stopped rubbing her thumb and stared at Rasmus. Rasmus could see the way she posed and her thinking behavior was that of someone with an extreme intellect.
"Are you worried that the demons would take me and turned me into their pawns, Count?" Anastasha asked with her head tilted. "You're thinking it would be great if I didn't fall to your enemy's hand, right?" She added.
Rasmus nodded, knowing that she already knew the answer before she even boarded the ship. She already knew what he was thinking, and yet she was being polite enough to give it another thought in front of him.
"Yes, you're correct, Princess. It would be bad if the demons took you in because I knew you wouldn't be able to do much if you got caught by them," Rasmus answered.
"But why, Count? Weren't you playing with the demons before? With Kiel, to be exact," Anastasha smirked as she stared at Rasmus. "You schemed to bring war against humanity with Kiel's help, and then you stabbed him in the back. What makes you think that I couldn't do something similar?" she added as her smirk grew wider.
Rasmus didn't expect Anastasha to know about his deal with Kiel because not even Thalior or anyone else knew about it. However, Anastasha, the one who held no power in South Neva to had information and connections to dig up that kind of information. However, the way she used her words, it was the classic way to make someone feel guilty.
"Princess, you're the one who decided to board the ship and came here to enjoy your time. If you have decided to play with the demons or the emissaries, you would have already done it," Rasmus said calmly as he stared Anastasha in the eye. "But I'm more curious how you know that, Princess. The only ones who knew that were Aris and a few of my men, and Kiel himself. My people didn't know you or have met you, that means you have met Kiel in person as well," he continued and calmly took a sip of his tea.
Anastasha smiled as she placed her index finger on her lips. That gesture alone was enough to answer Rasmus's question, however, the fact that she didn't deny it was made it even intriguing for him. They both didn't try to deny the accusations, and that put them on the same level again. The only issue was why she didn't deny it when she could easily do that and put herself on higher ground than him.
"Let's just say we both have something from him," Anastasha answered as she took a sip of her tea. "You want to use him and make him fall, while I want something else..."
Rasmus was convinced that Anastasha was bold and fearless, which meant she had something that Kiel and the demons wanted. He wondered if it was her influence and power on East Neva that might have helped the emissaries conquer East Neva. However, he didn't want to believe if she had a shallow goal like that because she wasn't in the line to become the next head of the Asghar family. The emissaries would have used her older siblings for that, and not her.
"(Unless her goal wasn't to conquer East Neva but to get rid of her siblings with the help of the emissaries...)" Rasmus thought as he took a sip of his tea. "(However, I got rid of Kiel and Yaza from South Neva, meaning she wasted her time here, and couldn't get what she wanted. That shouldn't be the case because she's still here...)" he thought and put down the teacup.
"Out of curiosity. Was my action put you in a bad spot, Princess?" Rasmus asked.
"Getting rid of Kiel? Yes, it did. It was a mistake to come here out of all continents because you were going to get rid of the demons," Anastasha smiled coldly at Rasmus. "But, thanks to that, I found out that you were more capable than Kiel," she continued.
"Is that so? So now I'm next in line?" Rasmus asked as he rested his arms on the armrests.
"Oh, don't put it that way, Count. I'm not going to use you for nothing," Anastasha chuckled as she rested her chin on her fist. "Whatever you want, I can give it to you. I'm willing to be used by you as long as it's worth the price," she offered.
Rasmus thought about it for a moment about whether he should consider her offer or not. Suddenly, Anastasha clapped her hands, snapping him back to reality and making him look at her.
"Count, we are here to have breakfast together. Why don't we eat first and talk later? I'm quite famish," Anastasha smiled at Rasmus.
"Of course, Princess," Rasmus nodded as he straightened his back and watched Anastasha grab the food from her plate.
