Pride x Familiar (30 page)

Severin cleared his throat subtly and carried
on.

“The actions of the Student Council did not go
unnoticed, which is entirely understandable. In addition, the
events at the amusement park on Saturday highlighted a degree of
miscommunication and lack of co-operation between various parties
that resulted in a very public demonstration of what Familiars are
capable of.”

He gave Constance and I meaningful looks.

“In response, the Primatriarchs of the involved
Prides convened and delegated responsibility for our actions to the
Special Interventions Division. In effect, we are under their
control. Either we accept this turn of events or the Student
Council will be temporarily suspended and lose its authority here
at Galatea.”

Maya sounded shocked. “You’re not serious?”

“I am completely serious. At the very least, the
Student Council would be forbidden from any involvement in the
protection of the academy from Crimson Crescent. If we want a part
to play, we do as the Powers-that-be decree, or we leave the matter
to them entirely.”

Maya’s nod was barely noticeable. “Maybe it’s
better that way. Maybe we shouldn’t get involved.”

Severin blinked and fixed a narrow look upon
her. “Explain what you mean.”

Maya snorted softly. “Do I have to? Look at us.
We’ve never worked together. We’re not trained to fight the
Familiars of Crimson Crescent—and don’t you dare tell me that
Crescent doesn’t have experienced Familiars in its ranks. In short,
we’d make piss poor opponents to them. More than likely we’d all be
killed.”

I noticed the dark frown on Constance’s face,
but surprisingly she held tongue and remained silent.

Was she thinking of how easily Caelum had
dispatched her on Saturday?

If Crescent’s Familiars were able to use their
Fragments as well if not better than Caelum, then what chance would
any of us have?

I realized that I was thinking of Caelum as
being on a level above mine.

For the most part that was wrong.

Caelum’s fighting prowess was weak compared to
mine, and the use of his Fragment was always unbalanced because he
could only summon one of the two shield-blades. But on the occasion
he summoned both of them, he was clearly a threat despite having
weak combat skills. Saturday might have been the first time I’d
witnessed both shield-blades manifesting, but I had no doubt it
would grow progressively easier for him to summon them.

It would take time, and a great deal of effort,
but there was no doubt in my heart that Caelum was a far stronger
Familiar than I was.

After all, after a year of using my mother’s
Fragment, the Valkyrie Armor, I was unable to fully manifest it. At
best, I could only call upon the leg armament and the bladed
gauntlets. Arisa had told me the Valkyrie Armor was an Artifact,
not a Fragment that had been in my bloodline for generations,
always handed down from mother to daughter.

However, I was yet to call upon its true
power.

That both frustrated and shamed me.

I looked at Severin. “I agree with Maya.
Regardless of how we see ourselves, none of us are able to face
Crimson Crescent. We’ve never worked together, and more to the
point, we don’t trust each other.” I held back from looking across
at Constance. “It’s impossible for us to work effectively.” I
paused before adding, “And we’ve lost Caelum. Even if he lacks
training, you’re all aware of how strong his Gauntlet is.”

Prissila Ventiss smiled broadly. “Well said,
Lanfear.”

I asked her, “Why are you here?”

“You mentioned trust. Well, the Ventiss Family
doesn’t trust the Alucard Family. To that end, we have now become
involved in order to gauge for ourselves how trustworthy and
dependable you all are. What better way than to become part of the
operation
.”

Severin folded his hands behind his back. “It’s
as she says. An agreement was reached between the Ventiss and
Alucard factions within the Raynar Pride. Part of that agreement
was that Familiars affiliated with both families would work
together to protect the academy from Crimson Crescent.”

I glanced at Simone, then focused on Severin.
“The Alucard Family has a Familiar chained to them?”

Prissila raised an eyebrow at me. “Chained? What
an interesting point of view.”

I ignored her and kept my attention on Severin.
“Are they a member of the student body here at Galatea?”

“No, they’re not. They’re transferring in from a
sister academy. The problem is that some transfers take longer than
others. They won’t be here until early next week.”

Prissila’s lips drew back into a pained smile.
“To think the Alucards had bonded such a strong Familiar. I’m
jealous.”

Simone sniped, “Don’t you mean envious?”

The girls glared at each other, completely
disregarding the company they were in. Prissila didn’t notice
Constance clenching her jaw, but I did.

Maya sighed and shook her head. “I never thought
this would happen….”

“What does that mean?” Prissila asked
haughtily.

“All three of us together again…in the same
room.”

It was impossible to miss the reaction on
Prissila and Simone’s faces. A feeling of deep regret marred their
features. A few moments went by and Prissila bit her lower lip
while Simone turned away with a look of veiled anguish.

Maya sighed again, and planted both hands on her
hips. “Well, let’s leave that aside for now.” She addressed
Severin. “As I said, we’re not ready to face Crescent. So what do
we do about it?”

Severin replied, “An arrangement has been made
to alleviate that problem.”

Maya’s face gave him a half smile. “Oh? What
kind of arrangement?”

“Every day after class and on weekends, you will
be transported to a training facility. It’s used by the Artemis,
and will provide the perfect environment to improve your
skills.”

Maya couldn’t help but be impressed. “An Artemis
training center? Wow, that’s pulling some strings.” She frowned a
heartbeat later. “I should point out this is going to affect our
school studies.”

“I know. To that end, special dispensation will
be granted to all of you, including extra course credits. But
you’ll still need to study for mid-terms and finals.”

Maya laughed and brushed a hand through her dark
hair. “Ha ha, well that will keep mother on my back. I hope she
appreciates what we’re doing for the sake of her Pride.”

I interrupted by asking, “When do we start?”

“Today. You’re expected to train for at least
three months, regardless of whether Crescent make their move or
not.”

Maya frowned. “We’re being trained to work as a
unit? Wouldn’t that put us in competition with the Artemis
squads?”

“That’s not a concern,” Severin calmly
stated.

Maya was deathly still for many heartbeats. Then
she shrugged and folded her arms under her modest breasts. “If you
say so….”

I asked, “What about Caelum Desanto? When will
his Fragment be returned to him?”

Severin shook his head. “I don’t know. For now,
he’s no longer involved with this operation.”

I stared at him flatly. “Very well. Then
consider me no longer involved either.”

I turned and started walking toward the
door.

Simone’s voice chased me. “Caprice—what do you
mean?”

I paused and half turned. “I agreed to be a part
of this because Caelum agreed to help. If he’s no longer a part of
this operation, then neither am I.” I chose to turn and bowed to
her politely. “Thank you, and goodbye.”

I opened the door and walked out.

“Caprice—wait.” Simone chased me into the wide
corridor outside. “Caprice, we need you. We need your talent and
your skill. We need your strength.”

I continued walking. “Then hurry up and get
Caelum’s Fragment re-instated to him.”

“I can’t do that. You have to believe me that
I’ve tried. I thought my mother would agree with me, but instead
she’s refused to help me. I don’t have anything to bargain with. I
have no leverage over her.”

I stopped and half turned my body in order to
look at her. “What do you mean?”

The Countess looked despairingly at me. “I don’t
have any means to convince my mother to help. In fact, I learnt
that Caelum is being considered a liability. The Powers-that-be are
glad he isn’t involved with the intervention.”

I held back a frown, even though it would have
been faint. “Why is that? Shouldn’t they welcome all the help they
can get?”

“That’s true…but Caelum’s situation is somewhat
complicated.” She looked really troubled, and I couldn’t help
showing her a little of my confusion.

“Please explain.”

Simone sighed. “I can’t. In fact, I may have
said too much. But please, do me this one favor. Please, talk it
over with Caelum. If he agrees you should help, then won’t you come
back to us?”

I thought her proposal over. “I will speak to
Caelum. I won’t promise you anything else.”

Simone gave me a relieved smile, even though I
hadn’t committed to helping the Student Council.

Did she have that much faith Caelum would
convince me to continue helping Simone and Severin?

I turned away, and continued walking away.

Her voice chased me. “Caprice, I’ll send you the
details of where to meet after classes end.”

I didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, I bit the
inside of my mouth and tried to ignore the unease bubbling in my
chest.

I walked a little faster back to the cafeteria,
hoping to join up with Caelum and talk the matter over with
him.

(Caelum)

I watched the girls from Track-and-Field run
around the sports field.

However, I was remembering that time with Simone
in the storeroom. Her scent and warmth came to mind.

I couldn’t believe she was acting out a scene
from a book she’d read.

And it was an erotic book to boot.

Sighing inwardly in dismay, I regarded the girls
running around the track.

Such trim and taut bodies.

Maybe I should try my hand at erotic
fiction.

Perhaps a story involving the girls of the
Track-and-Field club.

Ah what the Hell am I thinking?

My eyes caught sight of Haruka arguing with her
friends, or deep in an
animated
discussion. Though far away,
I could see it was Siobhan, Alistair and Haruka on the grassy knoll
overlooking the running track.

Since parting ways after lunch time yesterday,
she and I hadn’t spoken a word to each other. We had a messaged
each other a few times, but today those had come to an end.

I understood she had issues she needed to
resolve on her end, such as that senior who was interested in her,
Duncan Armand Avenir. He was the biggest problem she had to deal
with.

If she needed my support I was going to be there
for her. The problem was I had no idea how to help her. I had no
idea if she’d spoken to Duncan, or was planning to, or how she was
thinking of breaking the news to him.

I was also worried that she might be having
second thoughts about
us
. After all, both of us were caught
up in the moment and we said some pretty heartfelt words. But now
that both our heads and hearts were clearer, was she having
doubts?

Was I having doubts?

No, I was certain of how I felt toward her. I
really did love her.

And yet…why was I feeling guilty?

I looked at the empty seat across from me.

When I thought I would lose Caprice, my heart
felt as though it was being crushed by an industrial press. I
hadn’t realized until that moment how much Caprice meant to me.

So the question I’d been asking myself was…did I
love Caprice?

Seeing her back in class, I wanted to walk up to
her, pick her up and hug her tightly.

And those were my honest feelings.

I loved Haruka, but did I also love Caprice?

I looked out the window at the scene of Haruka
and her friends packing up and leaving the grassy knoll.

My feelings aside, I knew how Haruka felt about
me. But I had no idea how Caprice felt. There were times I thought
she barely tolerated me. And then there were times she would smile
faintly at me, and my chest would ache while my heartbeat grew
fast.

I looked down at my empty plate, a part of me
glad my appetite had returned.

I looked down and wondered how I would resolve
my problems of the heart.

I shook my head inwardly.

I was too young to be having these issues. And
there were more important problems to deal with, such as getting my
Fragment back and dealing with Crimson Crescent.

I looked up and saw an unexpected sight. Duncan
Armand Avenir was walking toward me. He stopped at the table.

“Caelum Desanto, might we talk?”

I took a long, quiet breath as I regarded him
silently for a long moment. “Talk about what?”

“About a mutual interest?”

I laughed under my breath. “Don’t mince words
with me. I don’t have the time nor the patience for it.”

“I won’t take long,” he said.

It didn’t look like he was going to take no for
an answer.

I kept him waiting for another long moment, my
gaze firmly locked on his face.

Then I shrugged half-heartedly and waved at the
chair Caprice had vacated some ten minutes ago.

“Thank you,” Duncan said as he pulled the chair
back and then sat down opposite me.

Since he was tall and damn well good looking, it
was no wonder he attracted the attention of the female student
body. I was getting pissed off just staring at him.

His confident yet earnest expression was making
my blood boil.

If he turns out to be a nice guy, I’ll kill
him.

“I’ll be honest,” Duncan said. “I like Haruka
Amiella. I like her a lot, probably more than any girl I’ve ever
come across.”