The Amorous Mate

Chapter 21: Moon Flower

“Jullian! Oh grace of the goddess, please save my husband,” Beatrix pleaded in the middle of her sobs.

Chelsea ran towards the scene when she saw how Beatrix was morbidly weeping.

Panting with her shortened breath, Chelsea neared and asked, “what happened here?”

Beatrix looked at her, but her sobs were consuming her so much to the point that she could not speak anymore.

Because of that, she turned her attention to Matthew who was too busy pumping the chest of the unconscious Jullian. He was both panicking and pale, but his frantic action of saving the man still continues.

“What happened here, Matthew? Why is there an unconscious man here?” Chelsea once again asked.

She know she does not have any right asking questions related to what was happening. It is because she was just a guest, and she knew that the conflict that is happening is solely only within the group of people living in the mansion. She was just an outsider, indeed, but her curiosity always lead her to the spot where she have to always ask—not just for clarity, but also because perhaps she could offer some options for help.

“He was attacked by some rogue pack of creatures,” said Lord Matthew in the middle of his attempt to save the man.

“C-Creatures? You mean, wolves or vampires?” Chelsea asked along with her paling face.

Lord Matthew did not answer, nor even nodded, but Chelsea knew that what she think what the rogue creatures are, is correct.

“Jullian, please,” Beatrix begged as she held the still unconscious Jullian’s hand.

When Chelsea’s stares landed at Beatrix’s legs, her eyes widened in both shock and fear.

“Beatrix, your leg! Gosh, wh-what happened to you?!”

She neared towards Beatrix to check even further what has happened to the woman’s right leg. She winced when she saw what kind of pain the woman is suffering. Her right leg was broken. Right in the middle of her pelvis and knee, the fracture has happened so gross that Beatrix looked like a plastic doll with a bent leg.

“There are too many of them. We were outnumbered,” Beatrix whispered in between her sobs. “There were just two of us, and there are around twenty of them,” she added as she stared blankly towards Jullian.

A chill ran down on Chelsea's spine when she heard Beatrix’s narration. She could not imagine what kind of savage rogues Beatrix and Jullian had encountered. She too could not imagine how frightening is the thought that there were only two of them while those rabid creatures preying are too many to handle.

Just by remembering how she had been ambushed by just the bandits last time, was even frightening for her—how much more of the situation that has happened to Beatrix and Jullian? Chelsea somehow felt pity for the woman, but she knew it was not in her personality to be looked as pitiful and weak. She wanted to hug her so that she could calm down, but her thoughts convinced her not to.

Now, Chelsea looked back at Lord Matthew. “Where is Gio?” she asked.

“He chased the rogues.”

“What?! You let him chase those creatures alone when you know two of the people from the mansion has already been attacked?! Matthew, what is that—”

“Never underestimate Gio,” Lord Matthew interfered along with his raging growl.

Chelsea was stunned when she saw the dark and red color that is dancing in the middle of the lord’s eyes. She felt utter fear that made her motion locked and restricted.

“I … I am sorry,” she replied in hope that Matthew would not look at her anymore with that kind of constricting stare.

After hearing her sorry, Lord Matthew’s attention went back to Jullian. Still, despite how much he tries to save the man, there were no signs of him coming back into consciousness.

“Goddess, we beg,” Lord Matthew whispered.

Chelsea bit her lower lip and stood. Because of the situation, she was also feeling the panic. She wanted to help at some point, but it seemed she is even causing more trouble.

In what way could she help, she has been asking herself. Worried, she let her mind think of possible solutions. Until, when her lips gaped opening in realization, she stared back at Lord Matthew.

“M-Matthew, let me ask, if it is okay.”

“Whatever is it, this time?” he is hotheaded at the moment from the frustration that was happening. “Damn it,” he whispered and cursed when there were still no signs of Jullian.

Chelsea tried hard not to mind the horrendous aura that is coming from Lord Matthew.

“W-Will the Moon Flower help?” she asked, hoping that the answer is yes.

“Indeed. Yet damn the odds! There were no even single Moon Flower we’ve been seeing since the last month!” Lord Matthew angrily exclaimed.

“Wait here, then,” Chelsea said.

She did not wait for the Lord’s answer, and she started running back to the Silver Feather Mansion.

“Chelsea, to wherever you are going?! Rogues might be there to attack you!”

She heard Lord Matthew from afar, shouting in panic. Yet, stubborn as she was, she did not listen to him.

She was aware that indeed, rogue creatures might still be around, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. Yet, because her willingness to help is more than the fear that is crawling on her chest, she has even fasten the pace of her running. She just hoped, and prayed, that there were no human-eating creatures that would appear in front of her path.

A minute after, she had reached the mansion. With haste, she asked the first person she saw.

“Do you know where is Gwynneth?” she asked.

“Gwyneth Langston, isn’t it?” the man she had asked clarified.

“Yes, yes! Do you know where she is?!”

“Whatever is your need?”

“Just f*****g tell me where Gwynneth is and all will be f*****g done!” irritated, Chelsea ragingly exclaimed.

Because of that, the man was shocked and surprised. “I-I have seen her at the kitchen,” he answered.

She did not bother giving a word of thanks to the man, because she knew that time is running. To help Jullian and Beatrix is what she is mostly prioritizing.

“Gwynneth!” she shouted even though she is not yet on the kitchen.

Hearing her name being called in haste, Gwynneth popped at Chelsea’s front.

“Your Highness! May I ask what is the cause of your haste?” Gwynneth curiously asked.

“I need your help. You still have your Moon Flower in you, right?”

“I … I do.” She quickly grabbed her cloth pouch and revealed the silver and white colored flower. “To what do you need this flower?”

“Jullian and Beatrix. They need that. They were attacked by rogue creatures,” Chelsea, panicking, explained.

“Where are they?” Chelsea was somehow, again, stunned when she heard Gwynneth’s unprecedented frightening growl, along with the question.

“A-At the woods. N-Near the falls.” Chelsea stammered.

She felt afraid because the glooming aura at the once sweet Gwynneth has now turned something more terrifying than Lord Matthew’s.

“Warriors!” Gwynneth growled. It was too loud that it could surely seep in through every tiny bit spaces of the mansion. “Let’s go, your Highness,” she then said, intended for Chelsea.

Shocked, Chelsea could not do anything but to nod and follow her command. She now looked like a high-ranked, esteemed warrior that is ready for a big war. Perhaps, her claim of killing numbers of wolves and vampires is true and not just fictionally made.

Along with Gwynneth, Chelsea and the group of men that has just appeared out from nowhere has started running on the woods. She finds so hard chasing after them, both because of exhaustion and that because they were just naturally trained to run that fast. Luckily, she has still managed to keep a fair distance from them even though she was being left behind.

Now, when they reached the place where Lord Matthew, Beatrix, and the still unconscious Jullian was, the group of men that joined them has quickly scattered and ran to the deeper part of the woods.

Gwynneth, however, tend towards Jullian. Quickly, she grabbed the Moon Flower from her pouch, and then plucked one of its silvery-white petals.

“Oh dear Goddess! Gwynneth, make your best to save Jullian!” Beatrix pleaded.

“I will.”

Now, Gwynneth scrunched the plucked Moon Flower’s petal, and then pinched it so hard until a drop of silver juice appeared from it. She carefully let the juice drop on Jullian’s mouth—careful and with utter composure.

Sooner, Jullian coughed and grasped a huge amount of air for his lungs. His eyes soon opened, and weakly scanned to everything.

The bulwark of sudden breathing made by Jullian has what made Beatrix exclaimed in joy, while Gwynneth and Lord Matthew sighing in relief.

At Chelsea’s point of view, she had not quickly followed that Jullian was already safe. Yet, when she noticed the relief coming from the faces of Gwynneth and Lord Matthew, she had managed a smile.

“I bet everything is now alright,” she whispered.

“Indeed, it was.”

Chelsea was surprised when in a quick sudden, Lord Matthew was already beside her. Earlier, the lord was near Jullian. Then now, after a blink of an eye, he is already on her side.

“What the hell, Matthew, you’re scaring me,” Chelsea complained.

Yet, her irritation instantly flushed away when she saw a genuine smile coming from the Lord Matthew’s lips. From his smile, it is making him more handsome and dashing. That smile too, is contaminating that she tried hard not to copy the bliss of his lips.

“Why are you smiling there like a moron, huh?” she asked, acting like a fool.

With a wider grin, the lord said, “Thank you, Chelsea, indeed. I owe you for helping Jullian.”

“Well, that’s nothing, Matthew. A help is a help—it does not need any return of favor.”

Chelsea bit her lip and quickly turned away from the lord. Yet, when her face was finally hidden, a giggling smile came out carving on her lips.