Frantic Feast Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

"Is it fun peeking at people’s rooms? Mr.Marcus...No, maybe I should call you Mr.Zidane?"

Yuju Kushuhal revealed the same smile that Zidane had seen when he first met him, kind and friendly.
"Yuju...."
Instead of astonishing by that fact that Yuju appeared and busted his identity, Zidane was more stunned by the scenario he just saw.
"......What is this....?"
He asked in daze.
"You saw it, didn't you?"
Yuju inquired back without changing his expression or being surprised.
While still in daze, Zidane nodded. He did not know what was happening.
"Why....."
Separating his back from the tree trunk, he jumped off. Although the height was equivalent to the height on the third floor, Zidane landed without a problem. But this was not important.
"What the hell is this!"
Zidane went towards Yuju, grasping his clothes on his chest, lifting him up and shouted.
"Why is it a puppet?!"
It was a puppet. Not a living woman, but a lifeless, motionless puppet.
The one that Kushuhal was holding lovingly with his arms in the dark, was a puppet that was made in human size. Even Zidane could tell through the faint light far away.
For the first time, Yuju's face changed, eyes dropped, smile gone, and eyebrows furrowed.
"Mother, Diana Kushuhal, died last year. ---After the invasion from Alexandria."
Zidane widened his eyes.
It's that time!
"She came to pick up my Father-----My Father did not know that my Mother had come, and they missed each other. It was when she was returning to Treno..."
Kushuhal, who had just lost his dearly beloved wife, roared in despair.
Why did she come!
Why didn't I wait for her!
Why couldn't I protect her!
Why-----!
"He did not sleep or eat for three days, kept screaming and crying. The doctors were forced to use medicine to make him fall asleep. Then the next day, when he woke up.."
[Yuju, is Diana still sleeping?]
Everybody who were there were surprised. They thought that he was sleeping too much.
"However, they were wrong. From that day, to my Father, Mother was only sleeping due to her disease."
The servants suffered and dropped tears to see their master's memory was twisted, made a lifelike puppet and led it lie there in order to make believe.
"From my Father's view now, that puppet is "Diana"."
"What....is...that..!"
It was extraordinary, insane. How could he, in exchange of his wife's death, replace her as a puppet !
"Why didn't you tell him the truth! That's just sick, isn't it?! Because she’s----dead!"
"......"
Yuju did not say anything. Silently, he closed his eyelids.
"That sick guy is seriously targeting on Alexandria....? Are you saying that HE is targeting on Garnet?!"

"-----...I got an order, from my Father."

"What?"
Zidane flinched instinctly. Due to Yuju's abrupt change in attitude.
His aura turned from friendly, to dreadful killing.
"!"
Yuju made his move first.

Clang!

The fierce sound echoed in the garden.
"Ngh.”
Defending himself by daggers from the sword that Yuju pulled out under his clothes, Zidane thought.
How powerful..!
It was almost as heavy as Beatrix or Steiner's sword.
No doubt, he's not a summoner!
Summoners and mages were from the same area. Mages could not possibly be this good at using weaponry.
Yuju was this powerful at using swords. Zidane knew perfectly well that he was not the childhood friend of Garnet----Summoners.
Zidane and Yuju were now glowering at each other face to face. Towards Zidane, who had to concentrate all his strength on defending himself, Yuju grinned victoriously.
"There are 2 orders. One, make Queen Garnet marry me."
"Wha....!"
Clang!
Zidane swung his daggers towards the sword, released himself, and attacked.
Nonetheless, Yuju blocked the dagger that he threw that him.
Again, they returned to the glowering situation.
"The other order was that--If the engagement was rejected, assassinate the Queen without anybody knowing."
"What?!"
"And, the Queen refused the offer today. That means, I have to eliminate the Queen."
"I won't let you!"
It was right when Zidane was truly provoked and tried to make an attempt to stab him.

----They heard a small screech of a female.

"!"
Zidane reacted immediately.
He could not had mistaken. That voice was...!
"Garnet!"
"!?"
Pushing the sword away without thinking, Zidane stormed out.
* * *
"Ugh…"
Beatrix fought desperately when the enemies revealed their sharp weapons and leaped on her.
She underestimated them too much..!
Garnet and Beatrix attended the gathering during the noon.
Although they entered the lobby, Kushuhal did not come out and welcome them as usual. As the nobles were starting to get confused, a bunch of men who looked no more than regular people dashed in. Not minding that all the nobles were witnesses, they attacked the Queen with threatening expressions, therefore making Beatrix shocked by their actions.
Though she was by Garnet's side as a guard, weapons were prohibited during the party, so she did not equip Save The Queen.
Neither Beatrix nor Garnet expected that they would be under attack with all these people.
While protecting Garnet with her back towards her, Beatrix clenched her teeth, sweat dripping down from her forehead.
Eight opponents. Even the greatest warrior of Alexandria was not certain whether or not she could defeat these weapon-equipped men with merely martial arts.
She kicked the stomach of one of the men who was going to slice her. She did not hold back her strength. Both Garnet and she would be in serious danger if she did.
Receiving kicks over and over again, the men went unconscious one by one. Nevertheless, when there were four opponents left, the situation went into another track.
Three of them ran towards her together, Beatrix dodged their attack one after another. Meanwhile, a small screech came behind her back.
"!Your Majesty!"
Instinctly she looked back. The man left was aiming at Garnet.
I have to save her! Just as she was whirling her body, she heard a sound of a sword going into the flesh. The sharp pain from her shoulder had an impact on the nervous system.
"Grrr."
Regained her balance once more, Beatrix grabbed the sword of the unconscious man on the ground, and spinned all of the three men's weapons away.
"Your Majesty!!"
Too late!

Garnet shut her eyes. Foreseeing the up-coming agony, she naturally wrapped her arms around her head. Unaware of her own voice, and yelled his name.

Zidane, who heard the screech, saw the picture of a man pushing his sword downwards towards the black haired maiden in his retina.
"Garnet!!"
------No!
From where Zidane was standing, they were far apart. From this distance, even if he threw his dagger it would be too late. The sharp object would already be in her body, creating a large amount of disgusting red on her snow white skin.
Even so, he accelerated without hesitation.
The scream of his name had reached him.
The sword flew down. Zidane bellowed.
"---Garnet!!!"

"Reply me, Ramuh!!"

The voice echoed at exactly the same time when their sight suddenly turned white. From the middle of the glow a god-like elder appeared. The elder lowered his staff to the man who held his sword against the girl.
That instant, the man screamed painfully.
A severe bolt of lightning directly hit his head. His body twitched awkwardly and he lost his consciousness.
The glow drew back. Along with it, the figure of the elder became dim.
"Garnet!"
Watching the dumbfounded sitting maiden beside the half dead man, Zidane ran to her.
"Zidane..."
"Garnet, are you okay?! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
Reassuring that her body was not injured, Zidane was relieved from head to toe. Hugging the dazing girl into his arm, he whispered "That was close.." from the bottom of his heart.
This was what was happening when the voice of a third person interjected.
"Sarah, let me see your right hand."
Kneeling down beside them,Yuju took Garnet's right hand.
Although Zidane did get pissed off and glared at him, he stopped himself from saying something and listened to Yuju's spell on healing the wound on Garnet's fingernail.
Yuju healed her wound with Cure.
"Any other wounds?"
In reaction of his inquiry with a smile, Garnet swallowed and nodded.
"But, despite me Beatrix is..."
I am well, answered Beatrix. She seemed that she used magic to cure herself, currently through the broken clothes the wound was merely bleeding a smidge, the previous big wound had vanished.
However, Zidane was preoccupied by something else and did not have the attention to notice it.
His eyes were focused on one point. The young man's hand that was STILL holding on to Garnet's hand.
Having the urge to push Yuju-who was holding Garnet's hand even though her wound was healed-away, Zidane obeyed his urge this time.
Whoosh.
"Whoa!"
Grabbing her hand from Yuju, and locked her inside his arms as if claiming that she was his.
"Zidane!"
Garnet retorted with a scarlet face. In her perspective, in front of all these people-in front of ALL the nobles in the gathering, Yuju and Beatrix-if anyone (especially Zidane) did this it would be more than reasonable to complain.
Nonetheless, like the other nobles did not even existed, Zidane pierced straight through Yuju's eyes, threatening.
Yuju chuckled.
"Hey, I'll just say it loud and clear now!"
Zidane took a big gulp of air in his lung. Then, using the volume enough to quake the entire lobby, he announced:

"I DON'T CARE IF GARNET IS YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIEND OR ANYTHING! I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH HER EVEN A HAIR!"

.......The lobby went deadly silent after this.
"......."
Yuju did not say anything. Correction, COULDN'T say anything.
"Wha....Zidane!"
Garnet whined, her face like a tomato. But her face was against his chest, plus the whine was not loud enough to be heard.
Zidane stared at Yuju.
The word he spoke previously was not a threat or a joke. It was his heart. That was seriously what Zidane's heart was saying. That he would not give him even a hair.
Perhaps people would say that he had a small heart, but it could not be helped. Because it was his heart.
According to how he used Cure, called Garnet Sarah, and called on Ramuh, it was sure that he was her childhood friend. (It was still a mystery why could he use sword and be that good, well let's just leave this behind for now.)
He, although got an order to kill Garnet, saved her.
If he did not call on Ramuh, Garnet would practically be dead. But he saved her.
The reason was simple. Zidane knew. He did not want to kill her.
Zidane knew the moment he saw them together last night.
Yuju had the same feelings that Zidane had for Garnet.
Because of that, he was extra jealous.
Even though the opponent was her childhood friend, his heart was set.
He would not give her to anybody-anybody that loved her, or anybody who was trying to kill her. He would not allow them to even touch her hair, not saying her blemish-less skin.
The lobby was silent still.
It was Yuju's laughter that penetrated the silence.
"Ahahahahahaaha!"
He laughed too hard that his body curled, arms around his stomach folded it into two.
The laughter was so cheerful and amused that the nobles were beginning to panic.
Nevertheless, the one who was being laughed at did not think it was funny.
After Yuju had laughed his guts, arranging his breath,
"You are unexpectedly straightforward."
"And I'm serious."
"Ah, sorry, I laughed too hard. But I touch her just now."
"That was...! I'll pretend I didn't see that, but I won't forgive you next time."
Yuju chortled with amusement by Zidane's awkward expression.
"What are you going to do? Not forgive me."
"Do you want to do it now?"
"No, I’ll pass. My hand is still numb from what happened just now."
Really? Zidane examined his hand, it did not seem like so.
But with Yuju raising up his right hand to help him see better, it did had a bruise and a cut.
"Above all that....Your Majesty, I am truly sorry for what had happened. Please forgive us for our lack of security."
Kneeling down like an officer in front of Garnet, Yuju said. Garnet got free from Zidane's arms, and replied.
"I am not harmed. But please be more careful for the next few days. There will be punishment if this happens again."
"....Thank you."
To the merciful words, Yuju descended his head sincerely---.