Chương 19: Chapter 18: Peace in the Gardens

They went past a pair of marble arches and emerged into the vast and bountiful courtyard. Large pine and cypress trees sprang from the earth, and fields of lilies and black dahlias stretched over grassy plains. The Cathedral walls surrounded the courtyard, and the clear blue skies shone down from above. Alice looked about, her eyes widening and her jaw slightly opening in sheer amazement. Evelyn grinned upon seeing Alice's amazed face.

"It's beautiful, right? I had the same reaction when I first came here."

"It's nice. It feels like we're not in Vakundir at all," Alice said.

"I'd say the park at White Tower is prettier," Marley said.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Noble." Evelyn clicked her tongue and sat down on a tiny stone curb encircling the garden path. Jack sat beside her, stretching out his legs until they were touching the other stone curb on the side. That looks dirty. I think I'll just stand. Marley crossed his arms and turned his head right to left, looking for a better place to sit. But there were none. It was either that or the ground.

"Hey, Marley. There's something bugging me. If you're a noble, then why are you here?" Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Marley raised his brows.

"I mean, the Church took us away 'cause they said it wasn't safe. Is it the same with you?" Marley bit his lower lip for a second.

"Not… really. My parents thought that my awakening was a good thing. Like, a blessing. They said sending me here was just the right choice."

"Man, nobles really do think differently," Jack said.

"Are you related to Duke Arlington?" Evelyn tilted her head and asked. A laugh burst out of Marley's throat.

"Of course not, idiot. My grandfather was a soldier. He served during the Great War. He held off a hundred of those Valencian bastards all by himself. He died, but his sacrifice saved countless others. It was so impressive that the Duke decided to make him a noble."

"But he was already dead by then, wasn't he? Why make him a noble then?" Jack said.

"When someone becomes a noble, so do their children, and their children's children. It wasn't just a title. Father inherited the name Austig, as well as a plot of land in the city. And being a noble comes with many lucrative opportunities." Marley looked at the sky.

"One day, I'm going to be a soldier too. Maybe I can die like that as well. Maybe even earn my family a higher title."

"What? That sounds stupid. You're already a noble. You should enjoy your life," Evelyn sneered.

"There's no greater joy than a glorious death." Marley shrugged. A noble… well, he certainly eats like a noble. I doubt any commoner could get that fat. But forget his face, and forget his body, and he seems like a decent enough person. At least he's not arrogant.

"What about you, Alice?" Evelyn said.

"What about me?" Alice said.

"Are you a noble too?" Evelyn said.

"Me? Of course not." Alice frowned in confusion.

"Well, you look like one. Haven't you seen those paintings of the royals in the halls?" Evelyn said.

"No, I haven't." Alice slowly shook her head. Marley looked Alice up and down with a curious look.

"For once I agree. Maybe not a royal, but you remind me of the noble girls from White Tower. The way you speak, the way you dress, even your manners. Unlike a certain buffoon here." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"I'm not a noble. My Father is a Rune Master," Alice said.

"A Rune Master? Well, you might as well be a noble," Marley said. Jack pulled back his legs as the gardener ghoul shambled down the garden path. It held its head low, its back was hunched, and it carried a large blade and an iron bucket in its hands. Though it looked every bit human, a dreadful emptiness lay within its eyes. They fell silent as the ghoul walked past, disappearing into the marble arches behind them. After a few seconds, Evelyn sprang to her feet and said, "Finally! It's gone. We can play."

"Oh Goddess," Marley said. Evelyn reached into the blades of grass and grabbed a long, flimsy wooden stick. Then she grabbed another and tossed it at Alice. Alice caught the stick with one hand and furrowed her brows in confusion.

"What… what is this?"

"Let's fight." Evelyn grinned.

"Excuse me?" Alice frowned.

"With the sticks. Play fight." Evelyn swung the stick in the air.

"Be careful, you might hurt her," Jack said.

"Oh, it'll be alright, right?" Evelyn said.

"The Barbarian has found its victim. At least it isn't me this time," Marley muttered. Alice raised the stick and gave it a light, curious swing. This is really light. You can't kill someone with this; it might even break first before harming anyone. I thought it'd be… tougher. Evelyn suddenly lunged, swinging down her stick. Alice's eyes widened as she stepped aside, dodging it by a hair.

"Hey!" Evelyn giggled.

"You took a stance!" She whirled the stick. Alice yelped as she dodged and weaved through the flurry of blows, dodging every single one.

"Do you even know what a stance is?!"

"Nah!" Evelyn rushed forward, plunging the stick like a spear. Alice hopped behind the stone curb, watching as Evelyn stumbled right past her. Wow, she's… she's really slow. Won't she trip if she goes so quickly?

"Get back here!" Evelyn said. Alice stepped back into the path, her hand instinctively resting on her back hip. She parried a strike, then ducked beneath a second one. Her eyes locked onto the movement of Evelyn's arm. Every time she struck, she pulled back her shoulder and swung as hard as she could.

"Why are you… so… darn good at this?!" Evelyn gritted her teeth and spun around, whirling her stick like a flail. Alice smashed her stick into the base of Evelyn's, snapping both twigs in one swing. Alice looked up as the broken twigs flew into the air, one landing to the side and the other flying over her and landing in a large bush. Alice turned around and looked at the twig. I didn't think it would have flown so far. Alice turned back around—"Got ya!"

Evelyn yelled and tackled Alice, taking her into the soft bushes. They both crashed into the grass and shrubs, with Evelyn lying directly on top of Alice.

"What are you…" Alice's eyes widened, and her face turned red as she felt the warmth of Evelyn's flesh on top of her.

"You shouldn't turn your back on the enemy, you know." Evelyn grinned and leaned forward, her face inches away from Alice's. Alice's breath hitched. Goddess… this girl is way too close.

"Hey! Get off her; that's not fair." Marley's voice echoed in her ears.

"I didn't say the game was over, but all right." Evelyn released Alice and stood up.

"Hey, are you alright down there?" Alice felt a pang of disappointment, but she dared not show it outright. Instead, she groaned and mumbled, "What… what do you think?" Evelyn leaned forward and extended her arm.

"It's not that bad. Come on, get up."

"You damn tomboy," Jack said. Alice grabbed onto the arm and pulled herself to her feet. She took a breath and looked down at her dirtied brown dress, checking if it was damaged. It didn't look torn. Thank the Goddess I wore something brown today.

"You're… you're good, right?" Evelyn rubbed the back of her head, letting out a half-nervous laugh. Despite it all, Alice couldn't feel any anger.

"I'm… I'm fine, I think." Alice averted her gaze. She's still pretty even when she's like this. How can I get angry at a face like that?

"See? She's fine." Evelyn shrugged. Jack went over to Alice, shaking his head and sighing.

"See why I call her a barbarian? She tried that on me the other day. Let's just say it didn't go so well." All the while, Marley stared at her from the curb with a light frown on his lips. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it probably wasn't anything pleasant. If only her personality matched her looks. Barbarian, that's about right. We have a pig, a corpse, and now we have a barbarian. Amazing.

"It wasn't that bad," Evelyn said. In the corner of her eye, Alice spotted the old gardener ghoul emerging from the marble arches.

"Oh shit. It's the ghoul. Act normal." Evelyn grabbed Alice's hand, pulling her back to the garden path. Alice gulped, quickly brushing away any hints of dirt and filth on her dress. Jack and Marley stood in front of the squished bush, with one so tall and the other so wide, they easily blocked it from view. Alice looked down at the ground as the ghoul walked closer and closer, until it was directly in front of them. Evelyn smiled at it, while the others simply gazed away.

For a second, the ghoul looked at them, its deathly eyes unreadable.

"Chi…children…" It groaned and walked right past them. Evelyn sighed in relief.

"That was close. We should probably get out of here."

"Aye, we should. Before you do anything else stupid," Marley said. And so, Alice followed the three out of the garden and back into the cathedral halls.