Chapter 13: CHAPTER 13: THE VESSEL’S CONNECTION

"You have to strike me harder if you want to win!"

"Easy for you to say when you are just running around."

I try to land another blow on Edward, yet he keeps dodging. He really isn't making it easy for me.

"Why are you so slow for someone so young?" taunts Edward laughing.

"Why are you so fast for someone so old?" I finally get close enough to jab Edward in the chest, but he grabs my arm and throws me across the room. Out of breath, I lay defeated on the floor.

"Tired already? It hasn't even been thirty minutes," Edward teases as he holds out a hand to help me up.

I latch onto his arm. However, instead of pulling myself up, I drag Edward down. I twist his arm and turn him onto his stomach. "I was just catching my breath for a moment," I triumphantly respond while sitting on his back clutching his wrists together.

Without another moment, Edward swings his legs for momentum and throws me off his back. He takes hold of my ankle before I fly too far and knocks me onto the floor. "You shouldn't celebrate a victory too early, Lady Viola."

Tapping out, Edward releases me, and I sit back up. That last attack hurt my chin since he threw me down face first. Delic notices that my chin has a small cut, so he runs over to me to give me a tissue to hold on my chin.

"I know that you are trying to get stronger, but don't you think you are rushing into it?" Delic asks worriedly while he douses another tissue with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and alcohol.

"I have to get stronger faster; otherwise, I won't be able to protect my family when there is a crisis. I don't want to be protected like I was last time."

Edward walks back over to me from the benches and hands me a towel. "The Lady has gotten significantly stronger and smarter in her moves in the short month and a half that we have been training. However, I also think that you may be rushing yourself," Edward inputs as he sits down next to me. "Nonetheless, that determination of yours is just like your father's. He wanted to do everything he could to protect his family. I know that he is smiling down on you for your comparable relentlessness."

My father was always a great fighter. He would practice ways to incorporate snow and ice into his martial arts. He never really depended much on his ability, though. Just enough to make sure it was under control. I wonder if he fought in the mafia war using his ability. He couldn't possibly have lost if he did... right?

"Oh my!~ What's this? The little princess got hurt during training?" Xander mocks as he walks through the doors.

"Good morning, my Lady! We are back from cleaning up after breakfast," states Alex, happily skipping behind Xander. I notice that he holds himself with more confidence compared to yesterday. Is it because of what happened this morning?

Irritated, Delic bunks his head right against Xander's. "I would appreciate it if you didn't speak to the Lady like that. Only I can tease her."

"And why is that, huh?" Xander questions with a mischievous grin, staring right back at Delic.

"Because I am the Lady's guardian which means that I have a closer bond with her than you do."

I burst out in laughter at the sight before me which causes Delic and Xander to stop glaring at each other to find out why I was laughing. "I see that you two are getting along nicely," I say while wiping the tear from my eyes.

"No we don't!" replies the pair simultaneously. This angers them more which makes me laugh even harder.

Alex kneels down next to me with concern in his eyes and lightly touches my chin. "Does it hurt?" he quietly asks as he gently wipes the remaining dried blood.

"I'm fine," I respond with a warm smile. "It's just a little scratch. It will go away in a week or so."

"That's a relief," Alex whispers. He rises from where he was kneeling to throw away the used tissue.

"It looks like you two are getting along," Delic teases, nudging me on my shoulder.

I push Delic's obnoxious face away from mine. "He is just taking his role as my aide seriously. That's all."

A huge smile rips across Delic's face. "Oh dear! Will I be stopped from becoming your personal cry pillow? Will I be replaced by a younger man in your chambers at night?"

Throwing myself on top of Delic, I punch his chest a couple times. "You might be if you keep acting like this," I threaten with a manipulative smile on my face.

"My, my! Master has gone wild! She is on top of me! Am I just a toy to play with when you're bored?" Delic tries to hide his laughter as he tosses his arms over his face.

This man here.... Can I please just kill him?? Just one time?

I get up from Delic's body and walk towards Alex and Xander who happen to be standing next to each other. I squeeze my way between them and intertwine my arms with theirs. "It seems like my old toy doesn't like to be played with anymore. I will just have these two new toys to accompany me at night."

The twins quickly glance at each other shocked at the sudden predicament they are put in. Delic emits a devastatingly cold aura when he sees me smiling at the two boys next to me.

"You think it's that easy to get rid of me?" Delic turns into his wolf spirit form and darts to where I'm at. The twins get scared and free themselves from my grasp running towards Edward who is just standing at the back watching this whole thing unfold. Catches the collar of my shirt with his teeth, Delic flings me onto his back. "Nobody sleeps with Viola at night except me."

I whack Delic behind the head which seems to make him calm down. "You started this first, Delic. Did you think I was just going to let you tease me and not do anything about it?" Embarrassed, Delic sets me down and flattens his ears. "You know what you did wrong. Correct?" Delic whines and nods his head. "What did you do wrong?"

"I hoarded you all to myself."

"And?"

"And I almost hurt Xander and Alex."

"So what does that mean you should do?"

"Apologize..."

"To whom?"

"To Xander and Alex."

"Since you understand, go over to them and apologize."

Delic turns back into his human form and makes his way to Xander and Alex who are still taking refuge behind Edward. Dragging his feet behind him, Delic pouts and peeks over at me with his best puppy dog eyes. I glare at him and point to the two boys who stand beside Edward.

"I'm sorry," Delic mutters under his breath.

"Louder Delic! And with meaning!" I command from the middle of the room.

Delic grits his teeth before taking a deep breath and face Xander and Alex. "I'm sorry for suddenly charging at you. My protective side came over me when I saw that my master could be easily stolen from me."

"Was that really your protective side? Or was that jealousy?" Xander questions sneering at Delic.

Delic looks away in frustration. I wander over to where the trio stand and insert myself in the middle.

"Did you apologize sincerely, Delic?" I ask as I gaze into Delic's face. He lowers his head and nods. "Do you two forgive him for what he did?" The twins look at each other and slowly nod. I turn back to Delic and reach my hand over his head to pet him. "I know you were upset from what I said. I will be more careful on how I tease you, but that would have never happened if you didn't start it first. Now that you finished apologizing, there is no more anger. Correct?"

Raising his gaze to meet mine, Delic responds, "Yes, my Lady."

"Good!" I praise while petting his head.

'He's just a puppy,' Alex thinks to himself.

'Definitely a puppy,' Xander concludes.

Turning to face the boys, an interesting idea comes to mind. "Edward," I call glancing over at the man sipping water from his glass.

"Yes, my Lady," he replies, setting his glass down to meet me.

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"Xander and Alex will join me in my morning practice sessions," I announce.

Surprised, Alex interrupts, "Wait! You want us to join you?"

"Of course! If you want to rescue your village, you need to be able to fight. Your magic abilities are strong, but the group of mages is probably stronger. You need an upper hand. Training your body will give you more power to gain that upper hand."

"So you want us to fight magic with muscle?" Xander asks, crossing his arms.

"To be more precise, you're going to be using your trained body to handle more magic. If I were to judge you from your outer appearance with your clothes on, you look well built," I mention as I take hold of Xander's and Alex's biceps. "However, the body mass you have is not used in your magic. We all know that magic can only be used if your body can handle it, so if we strengthen your body, you will be able to handle more magic power since you won't be tired too quickly. You have to remember that the four of us are the only ability users. Going up against a whole group of magic users won't be such an easy task."

"That makes a lot of sense," responds Xander. "Black magic takes a large amount of energy for me to use. Just battling you the other night was extremely tiring since I exhausted a lot of energy in such a short amount of time."

"My point exactly. We don't know how many mages we will be up against. It is better to be safe than sorry and have you two train with me to build up strength and endurance to at least last long enough to reach your village."

Delic sets a hand on my shoulder. "Now that you understand, Master has to change and check on the gardeners."

"But practice isn't over yet," I recall looking up at Delic.

"Yes, but I think Sir Edward has had enough excitement for today. I'm sure news of what happened here will spread among the workers like wildfire, so I would rather not have more shame brought on me."

"You take me for a gossiper, Sir Delic?" Edward jokes as he tosses me a water bottle.

"I would rather not think you are," Delic replies when he notices Edward chuckling. "However, I'm pretty sure that the designated uncle will love to boast about how his niece was being fought over by two men."

Edward lets out a hearty laugh and leaves the room. "I will see you this evening, Lady Viola," he mentions before turning the corner to disappear into the hallway.

"Xander, please take Master to the showers so that she may wash up. You do not need to wait inside the showers with her if it makes you uncomfortable," Delic relays to Xander who is slowly turning red.

"I'll be fine!" Xander suddenly shouts. "I can handle this just fine."

"But you weren't the one who washed her body this morning," Alex taunts from behind me. "Will you be okay if she asks you to come into the showers to wash her back?"

Xander's face looks like it can explode at any moment from embarrassment. "Like I said, I will be just fine. I am serving my Lady not gawking at a random woman."

Trying to hold back my laughter, I slip my hand into Xander's increasingly sweaty palms. "We should hurry; otherwise, Delic will get jealous," I pester while sticking a tongue out at Delic.

"I'm not jealous! Okay?!" Delic declares with a reddening face.

I tug Xander to walk with me and wave Delic off. "Not jealous. Gotcha."

Thirty minutes later, I find myself eyeballing all of the little sprouts that have begun to emerge from underground.

"How much longer until the flowering begins?" I ask the head gardener who is accompanying me.

"Another month or so and the flowers should be in full bloom before the actual vegetables grow," he replies.

I stand from where I was squatting and make my way over to the shed where Delic, Xander, and Alex are organizing the bags of fertilizer and dirt.

"What would your advice be on the remaining dirt that hasn't been used yet?" I question scanning the shed for a rough bag count.

"I think we should keep the remaining dirt for backup in case something happens such as when there is heavy rain and the dirt washes away," the head gardener suggests.

"That seems logical. I will go with that suggestion. Inform me if there is ever a depletion of gardening supplies before you head out to purchase more."

"Understood, my Lady."

I dismiss the head gardener and take another leisurely stroll through the garden area while waiting for the trio to finish up their task.

'Hey there, snowflake!' shouts a voice. 'I see that you have taken up my position.'

I look around to find where the voice is coming from, but I can't seem to pinpoint exactly where.

'Who would have known that my little snowflake was actually a Winter Vessel?'

This voice... it really sounds like father... that's impossible. He died. It can't possibly be his voice I'm hearing.

'You're doing a great job, snowflake. I know you are going to finally set out what I failed to do.'

"What do you mean?" I ask into the void hoping my voice will reach the one that sounds like comfort to me. "What could my father possibly have failed to do?"

'Follow the snow. You can find it, but only if you're looking for it. There you will know.'

The voice fades into the nothingness that it appeared from.

"Father... don't leave me again...." I drop to the ground. Tears start to fall from my eyes as the moment sinks in. The loneliness I endured six months ago creeps back into my heart.

A sudden warmth envelops me. I look up to see Delic wrapping me with the shawl he carries with him. He's covered in sweat with the most frightened expression. The twins behind him finally catch up from the shed. "Delic," I whisper between my whimpers.

"It's fine. I'm here," Delic gently responds as he nestles me deeper into his arms and strokes my head. "I felt the pain. Your heart was crushing itself like it was when I first met you. What happened?"

I stay completely silent as the whimpers ever so slowly settle themselves.

The twins crouch down appalled by the different side of me that I have been trying to hide. They glimpse over at Delic who is equally showing a different side to him and is dumbfounded on what they should do.

I wipe my tears and do my best to recollect myself. Standing back up with the help of Delic, I dust myself off and straighten out my clothes.

"I'm sorry about that. Something unexplainable happened, and I became overwhelmed. I have a fear that you might see me in that state more than I would like, so I hope that when you see me like this again, please do your best to calm me down." I give a weak smile that still wants to cry, but I manage to hold myself together. The two boys nod, and I tighten the shawl to warm me up some more.

"What time do we have to be at the Mayor's office for the public announcement?" I ask Delic as I walk to the direction of the main house.

"You will have to be there by 1pm, so we should leave the estate by 12pm to take into consideration the traffic downtown," Delic responds, grasping his chest. It seems like the crushing pain in my heart was a bit too much for him to handle. "Since it is 10am now, I will suggest that you get ready now. By 11am, you should be eating an early lunch so that we can wrap up and leave by 12pm.

"Since we are in a bit of a time crunch, Alex will follow you to your room and get you ready. Xander will come with me so that he can help me make lunch." Delic turns his head to catch Alex's attention. "Alex, this is an important meeting. Make sure that Lady Viola is wearing the official Winter Family attire. You cannot miss it since it will be carefully draped on a wooden mannequin in the Lady's wardrobe. Prepare only light makeup and fix the Lady's hair appropriately. Master will give you further instructions when the time arises."

"Understood," Alex replies, taking my hand in his.

"I'll be in your care, Alex," I say as I clasp onto his large hand. Alex's smile washes the remaining coldness in my body that I needed to fully calm myself down.

We didn't waste another second. The main house grows bigger with every inching step we take. For better or worse, it's time to make myself known.

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