Chương 54: Confessions

Evelyne read over the same passage in the papers before her for the fifth time in a row. She let out a low groan as she grabbed the sides of her head, leaning over her desk. She was barely getting any work at all done today. All her thoughts kept coming back to the same issue. Yesterday had been a catastrophe. After Scarlett's insane showing, in front of almost every single noble in the empire, Evelyne didn't know what to do.

Watching her sister do something so presumptuous in front of the emperor had made Evelyne think she was going to faint. Standing there in the Chamber of Elysia for hours, knowing that dozens of people around her knew who she was and were giving her looks, had been one of the most stressful experiences in her life. When the Elysian Ball had started, she had at least hoped she could salvage some of the situation.

She had gone around and tried to talk with as many people as possible, trying to gloss over Scarlett's words and forge some connections, but so many just came up with cheap excuses to avoid speaking with her after she introduced herself. Even a couple of her old business partners had ignored her. One of the few who had seemed to have any interest at all in talking to her had been a baron who had been the dean of a mage tower. Introduced by Scarlett, of all people.

Because of course her sister didn't know that they had already made agreements with other towers about the materials found in the Zuverian ruins. If it wouldn't have been so stupid in a situation like this, Evelyne would have thought Scarlett was intentionally trying to make everything as difficult as possible for her. Scarlett's actions had caused the majority of noble society to freeze out their family in less than a day.

Nobody wanted to be affiliated with a house that publicly offended all the duchies, and showcased such blatant arrogance. Evelyne closed her eyes and put her head down on the desk. She was so tired. Yesterday had sucked all energy from her. She hadn't even had the spirit to question Scarlett about anything on the way back from the palace. The night before she had wanted to do nothing less than just go to sleep and hope it was all a bad dream.

But then she had barely gotten any sleep at all because she couldn't stop thinking about things. For a while, she had thought Scarlett was improving. She'd hoped it was true, even despite how much they had argued recently. But no. Whatever business it was that her sister had gotten herself involved in now had clearly gone to her head. Now she seemed to think she could do absolutely what she wanted, consequences be damned. Did Scarlett even realize that she had stabbed both of them in the foot with this?

Or did she seriously think this was going to bring her higher up the social ladder? It was almost funny the lengths her sister was going to, to bring their house to ruin. They were already in a terrible situation financially, and now they were going to be crippled socially among the nobility as well. Evelyne lay there with her head on the desk for a while, trying to calm down as she got her thoughts in order. Then she forced herself to return to the documents she had been going through, with only marginal success.

Eventually, a knock sounded out from the door.

"What is it?" she asked with a drained voice. There was a pause on the other side of the door, before a voice came through.

"I believe we should speak." Evelyne's eyes widened. It was Scarlett.

"... I'm busy." She did not want to have whatever conversation this was right now.

"That may be so, but we still need to speak," Scarlett's voice rang out.

"I do not believe I can postpone this any further." The door opened and Scarlett walked inside, looking as fit and elegant as ever in the tight dark dress she wore. She certainly didn't seem to have problems sleeping.

"What don't you understand about busy?" Evelyne muttered. Scarlett looked down at the documents on Evelyne's desk.

"... I apologize. However, this is important." She walked over and sat down in the armchair situated between the two bookcases in the room, placing both hands on her legs as her head was turned down. Evelyne watched with confusion. This didn't feel like her sister at all. She would have expected her to be even worse than usual, after the previous day.

"I..." Scarlett began, looking up at her.

"I realize that what I did yesterday was damaging to us." Evelyne blinked, staring at her sister.

"And I will admit that I..." Scarlett paused again.

"... That I did not entirely recognize the ramifications this might have on our house."

"You're... apologizing?" Evelyne asked. She saw how Scarlett's knuckles turned white as she clenched them, folding them over each other. Her sister met her eyes and gave a slow nod.

"I am." Evelyne was quiet for a while.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"Because I consider it to only be right for me to admit to my wrongs before we begin this conversation." Evelyne shook her head.

"No. I mean why did you do it?" She stared at Scarlett.

"Why did you do something as stupid as to try and put yourself on the same level as a duke in front of the whole empire!" Scarlett looked back at her. Evelyne saw the intensity in her eyes. The same stare her sister always had when she got angry at her. But instead of lashing back, Scarlett closed her eyes for a second and turned away towards the window.

"I believe this is a good transition to the main topic I came here to speak about. The truth behind some of the recent events. Although it will be somewhat difficult to properly explain."

"... What?"

"I imagine you have had many thoughts and questions regarding my actions this last month." Scarlett raised one hand and snapped her fingers. A ball of fire appeared in the middle of the room, hovering a meter above the floor.

"I believe you have also been curious about my current magical capabilities, as well as the related artifacts." Suddenly a ball of swirling water appeared beside it, and the two spheres started circling each other.

"Although I did hint to it previously, the truth behind this is that there are no artifacts responsible for my magic." Scarlett pushed her red hair to the side and pointed to the amber earring she had on her right ear.

"This has a function entirely extraneous to both pyromancy and hydromancy. As do the rest of the artifacts I have acquired. The pyrokinesis and hydrokinesis you see me displaying are solely my own power." Evelyne stared at the two spinning elemental spheres, then turned to Scarlett.

"That's impossible." Neither her own pyrokinesis nor her terrakinesis was even close to reaching the levels she had seen Scarlett showcase if that were true. What she was seeing here, and had seen a few days earlier in the garden, had to be caused by artifacts or enchanted items of some kind. There was no way Scarlett could do that. Evelyne knew better than anyone that Scarlett had always been terrible at magic.

"I will not fault you for your distrust, but it is the truth nonetheless," Scarlett said. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"How would that be possible?" Evelyne asked.

"You're trying to tell me that you've been hiding this all along?" Scarlett snapped her fingers and the fire and water disappeared.

"The answer to that ties into the reason I acted as I did at the Proclamation, so I suppose I will begin there." Her sister took a deep breath, then continued speaking.

"The simple truth is that I had..." Evelyne saw her sister's jaw tighten.

"... Forgotten the appropriate greeting. As such, I instead mimicked the actions of Duke Tyndall." Evelyne's eyes widened as she stared at her sister.

"You forgot?!" Scarlett nodded.

"And that is not the only thing I have forgotten."

"What do you mean?" Scarlett stayed quiet for a few seconds.

"Do you recall your visit to the mansion at the beginning of last month?" she suddenly changed the subject. Evelyne knitted her brows. That was when she joined Kinsley when he delivered the domain ledgers. She'd wanted to confront Scarlett about her repealing the stipend for the Brook Tower.

"That is when it began," Scarlett continued.

"When what began?"

"It is... complex in ways I cannot fully describe." Scarlett looked as if she was considering what to say.

"I presume you are aware of who the Augur is?"

"Of course I am. But what do the Followers have to do with this?"

"Nothing. However, that is not what I am implying." Scarlett shook her head.

"The Augur is bestowed guidance and visions of the future from divinity. From Ittar himself. Yet the current Augur does not often show herself. Do you know why that is?"

"Because the work of an Augur is taxing on the mind. They have to spend a lot of time interpreting Ittar's wishes." Evelyne frowned, although she wanted to sigh. Why was Scarlett going around in circles like this?

"That is true, in part." Scarlett nodded.

"However, it significantly diminishes the severity of the seat, and the consequences of it. The full truth is that the Augur herself is not in a lucid enough state to be presentable the vast majority of the time." Evelyne gave Scarlett an incredulous look.

"How could you possibly know that?" Scarlett gave an almost bitter smile.

"Because I am in a not too dissimilar position." Silence filled the room. The two of them stared at each other. Evelyne was starting to seriously question her sister's sanity.

"I did not expect for you to take me at my word," Scarlett said.

"Although I do hope you will hear me out."

"Hear you out about what? You're saying Ittar is speaking to you?" Scarlett gave her a long look.

"Not quite, no."

"Then what?" Evelyne asked.

"While I cannot speak for the origin of the phenomenon, it is true that I have received a... revelation, of sorts. From some power that is far above myself." Scarlett held up her hand, showing the two rings that were on it, and pointing to her earring.

"Knowledge of a future that has yet to come to pass. Information on important artifacts, events, and people, that one would not be able to gather by typical means. Experience with magic that I instinctually understand." Scarlett looked her in the eyes.

"You wondered where I learned of the Zuverian ruins, and the other artifacts I have acquired? How I could perform magic such as what I displayed earlier without the aid of items?" She nodded at her.

"There is your answer." Both of them went quiet again.

"Let's say I believe you," Evelyne finally said with a tired voice. She didn't know why Scarlett was trying to come up with all of these outlandish excuses, but clearly her sister had put some thought into it.

"You're saying you've forgotten things because some god put visions in your head?"

"I did not say it was a god," Scarlett cut in with a frown.

"Merely a power that is beyond me. Nor did I claim to have received visions." Her sister's mouth tightened.

"... Perhaps it would be best to describe them as memories. Separate from what was there before, and frighteningly real in their predictions, yet not always reliable in their accuracy. And, unfortunately, they have made differentiating some information from other difficult inside my mind. Impossible even, at times." Evelyne stared at her.

"You're serious?" Scarlett gave her a heavy look.

"Deadly so."

"... And it began one month ago?"

"Yes."

"... And you just thought it was a good idea to stay quiet about it? To attend the blasted Elysian Proclamation without knowing what to do?!" Evelyne bent forward and palmed her temples, shaking her head at what she was hearing. It sounded like just some lie Scarlett was spouting, but it didn't make sense for her to lie about forgetting things if it wasn't true. Was that part actually true, and Scarlett was trying to cover things up by adding on the rest of this nonsense?

"That..." She heard Scarlett hesitate.

"It is close to the truth." Evelyne glanced up at her.

"You understand none of this makes any sense, don't you? Why couldn't you just have paused to think for a moment, maybe considered telling me about it? Before you went ahead and offended half of the people in the empire!" Scarlett raised an eyebrow at her.

"That is what I am doing now. However, I did not, and still do not, think it would have been a wise decision on my part to do so earlier."

"Why not?!" Her sister's gaze on her turned even colder than usual.

"I am aware you have been collecting evidence in order to depose me." Evelyne stilled.

"Can you say, while staying entirely forthright, that you would have simply lent me your aid had I approached you one month ago with this information? Had I..." Scarlett scowled." Admitted... that I am not fully of sound mind, incapable of fulfilling all my duties as baroness?"

"I-I..." Evelyne was unsure what to say.

"I do not believe you would. So I judged it best to stay quiet. Though I admit it was arrogant of me, I believed I would be able to make do on my own." A dozen thoughts passed through Evelyne's brain, and she didn't know what to focus on. But one thing caught her mind.

"So you knew?" she asked her sister.

"That's why you suddenly decided to 'help' Count Knottley in dealing with those criminals. You did just want to hide any traces of your involvement with them, because you were afraid I would find something to implicate you with." Scarlett's scowl deepened.

"No, that was not the sole reason I did that."

"What, you're going to tell me you actually did it for those kids?" Evelyne let out a derisive laugh.

"We both know you don't care a single thing about what happens to them. You setting up an orphanage is a joke in more ways than one and everyone who really knows you will see through it clear as day."

"That is not at all what I—""And now whatever you've gotten yourself involved in this time isn't only threatening your life, but the survival of our whole house!"" Evelyne," Scarlett snapped.

"Let me speak." Evelyne felt a cold chill run down her spine as the words halted in her throat, but she shook her head.

"No, I won't let you speak. Do you know how hard it's been. How after father died I've had to watch you bring the barony closer and closer to ruin every year because of your indifference to anything that doesn't interest you or increase your standing? To watch you ruin people's, children's, lives, just to satisfy your own greed. To spend every single day trying to clean up after your mess?" She saw Scarlett's expression worsening by the second, but she didn't care." Evel—""What?

You think things are going to get better just because you threw away some of the skeletons in your closet? Pretend like you're helping people, and managing to find some artifacts? The truth is you threw away even all that yesterday, and I can't even say I would ha—""Would you shut up for just a second!" Scarlett yelled. Evelyne froze, her eyes unblinking as she stared at Scarlett. Her sister looked even more surprised, almost all the anger that was in her expression having disappeared.

Scarlett looked at her for a moment, then turned away with a frown. She clicked her tongue as she put her hand to her temple.

"I have nothing to say of the hardships you have gone through," she said with a calmer voice.

"Truly, it is a regretful matter, but it is not something the current me can apologize for. Simply know that I, as I am now, have no desire of putting undue burdens on your shoulders." She stayed silent for a few seconds more, then turned back to Evelyne.

"My involvement with the Grey Dog Gang was a mistake that the old me performed out of pettiness and improvidence. I decided to deal with them because I witnessed what future that path would have led me down, and it was not a destiny I wished for." Her sister had a resolved look now.

"Although I regret them, I will not ask for absolution for all of the actions of that nature that I have taken. I will rectify the wrongs that I can, but know this: I will not allow the past to hinder my future." Evelyne absorbed her sister's words in a daze. Only now did it sink in what she herself had said, and she couldn't quite understand what her sister was trying to say.

It was pretentious, vain, and straight-out offensive in their dereliction of culpability, but she also felt there was a promise in those words. Of betterment. Of course, knowing Scarlett it was bound to be just another ploy to confuse her. In so many ways her sister's words were like the Scarlett that she knew, yet so different. And for Scarlett to snap like that... Evelyne couldn't recall a single time that she had been alive when that had happened. Was there truth behind the story Scarlett had told of visions...

memories... or whatever? Evelyne looked at her sister. Was there a difference between the old Scarlett and the Scarlett in front of her? It had become more and more clear to her that the woman before her wasn't the same as before. The problem was that she didn't know what kind of Scarlett this was. When had she ever thought that her sister would come out and, genuinely, ask for her help? Scarlett let out a sigh from her armchair, pulling Evelyne out from her thoughts.

"This did not quite go as planned. I believe we both might have been too affected by our emotions. I have said most of what I came here to say, although I also wished to get your confirmation that you would aid me. But I believe it best if we postpone such discussions until you have had more time to consider what I have said." She rose from her chair, giving Evelyne one last, long look. Then she walked out of the office without another word.

Evelyne just watched her leave, not bothering to come up with any goodbyes. For some time she just sat there in front of her desk, going through the conversation in her head. Eventually, she just let out a tired laugh and closed her eyes as she put her head down on the desk again. She really needed to sleep.