The Collector's Item

Fourth

Maxine wanted to ask more questions about her big brother’s love life, when he told her a frightening event would take place.

“What’s with the full moon, Big Brother?”

“Have you forgotten?”

She looked up at the pristine blue sky as if the answer was there. When her head ached from the activity, she also looked at the green grass.

Enumerating the books she read helped her recall what’s forgotten.

“Ah! I knew it! Was it the Bloody Full Moon?”

He gave her a thumbs up.

Bloody Full Moon. Ever since the former Empress stole the Solar’s Daffodil, devastating effects haunted the empire.

When it was a full moon, this celestial object became red, the empire’s barriers vulnerable against the monster’s attack.

People survived the night by staying inside the building that was blessed by the priests. This was the reason for every house built, priests must inspect and place the protective barrier for all the rooms, even the space surrounding outside of a building.

“What’s that?” Mason asked when their carriage halted.

Maxine peeked from the window to check if everything’s alright.

She closed her eyes and folded her hands when she saw eight men surrounding their carriage. They wore a black hooded cape. The masks covered half of their faces.

In the middle of her prayer, the clashing of the swords resonated in the air.

“Max, stop praying and listen to me!”

The trembling of her body stopped when her brother shook her.

“Flee and run as fast as you can. You must protect yourself and remember to find a safe building before the sunset.”

She gave him a soft yes as she received the dagger he handed. His brother opened the door of the carriage. He held her right hand while making small and quiet steps like a sneaking mouse. They were about to escape this dangerous situation when one of the hooded men blocked their way. This became the sign that she also had to remove her white heeled shoe.

“Max, run!”

It formed the trail of her teardrops when she sprinted away from the forest. She didn’t dare to look back; wasting their knights and her brother’s efforts to save her was a no-no for her.

At school, she learned we did not feel Earth rotating on its axis because it moved at a constant rate in orbit around the sun. She shook her head. She noticed the Earth’s rotation on its axis! From trees to birds, everything was spinning.

Soon her sight became hazy. Her body fell on a slope which caused her body to roll downwards over the green pastures until it stopped rolling when her lips touched someone’s lips.

“What the heck! Women have become daring these days!”

Based on the quality of the voice, she identified it as a man.

“Please, help me.”

Those were her last ones before everything turned black.

When she woke up, she found herself on a cottony soft mattress. Whose room is this?

She flopped on the bed once more and pretended to be asleep as the doorknob produced a clicking sound.

“Oh, poor lady, what happened to her?”

This time it was the voice of a woman.

“Mother, she’s awake now.”

The familiar voice at the pastures was present in this room.

“If you don't wake up, I will dissect you like a frog.”

She instantly sat on the bed and knelt on the guy.

“I’m sorry. If it was about the incident earlier, I did not intend to offend you, Sir. It was just...”

Her facial muscles froze. When the guy knelt and assisted her in standing up, his face was identical to her Science Week’s partner, Kent Bertrand!

“Mister, may I know who you are?”

“I love your audacity, My Lady.”

His smirk sent chills down her spine. She gave a curtsy. On the man’s robe, an embroidered distinguished symbol spoke of his identity.

Red griffin with yellow beak and claws. This was the symbol of Revailon Duchy.

Revailon Duchy was the oldest Dukedom in Yellubia Empire, The first Duke of Rochester saved the Emperor’s life, making him the second most influential family in Yellubia.

“So, you kissed a man you didn’t know?”

The silly man leaned closer to her.

“My son, stop!”

The middle-aged woman twisted his ears.

“I’m Countess Emilia. Look at how beautiful you’ve grown.”

The Countess explained she was her parent’s childhood friend.

“Let’s have a proper introduction, shall we?”

The man who had red ears snatched her left hand and kissed it. He was the Duke of the Revailon Duchy.

Maxine shrieked. This scene was a deja vu!

However, when she remembered her brother and her parents, she requested a scroll, quill, and a bottle of ink.

“Oh Honey, don’t worry. I’ll explain to them once we’ve visited your manor tomorrow.”

During the dinnertime, the mother and son duo asked questions about her bleeding feet and scratches they found. Her body quivered again when she narrated the events that led her to this duchy.

“What incredible endurance you have for a woman who’s like a stick figure.”

Well, the Duke was right. She ran a total distance of 50 kilometers. The urge of saving her life fueled her limbs.

She thanked the hostess for a wonderful meal and went to her room.

Counting 100 sheep was an ineffective sleep-inducing hack. Plus, the screeching sound of sharp nails or claws in the bricks was enough to walk out from there.

She shrieked when the Duke scraped a knife on the wall right next to the room’s door.

“You heard the same sound, right? They sensed you.”

“Who were they?”

“The bitches from the depths of hell trying to break the barrier, hoping to feast a scrumptious little soul like you.”

Her blood came to a boil. Inside her head, she stabbed him with the sword she stole from one of the wall displays in the hallway. The scene of her head at the guillotine prevented her from doing so.

“For sure, this house has a stronger barrier than any houses in this Empire. Not even the Emperor’s castle could meet this Duchy’s barrier standard.”

She won’t quiver in front of this silly Duke again. Thanks to the books she read out of boredom and curiosity. Revailon Duchy’s first Duchess was a demigod who casted a robust protection spell, so even if most monsters gather here, people could sleep soundly even on the night of Bloody full moon.

The Duke clapped his hands.

“If you did your research, then why did you go outside the room?”

“The sound made me crazy!”

He chortled.

“Fine, if you can’t sleep, then maybe you could help me with my work.”

She put her hands on her waist.

“Did you hear what you’ve said, Your Grace?”

“Yes or yes?”

She slapped her face twice.

“Yes... I’ll help you avoid procrastination.”

She didn’t regret her decision when she saw the tall pile of documents on the table.

“Hey, How was the transcription?”

He asked the man on the sofa. His eyes were droopy and the dark circles made him look like a panda.

“You are cruel, Your Grace. The sentences in the book were gibberish to me.”

When the guy saw her, he held her hand and said, “My Lady, listen to me. You can back out now.”

“Hi. I’m Maximillienne. You can call me Maxine. What do you mean I could still back out?”

Before the poor man murmured words, a chilly aura behind him appeared, so his last resort was to hide behind Maxine.

“I know you could not hurt a lady!”

“Tsk. Poor Zed. Fine, rest in peace!”

“R-Rest in peace?”

This chaos irked Maxine. She would prefer to hear the screeching sound than to be a referee between a Duke and his secretary.

“Mister, calm down. I will do your workload tonight. I think what Your Grace meant was have a good night.”

“No, My Lady. He meant it. Anyway, thank you. I will repay your kindness in the future.”

The man lumbered like a zombie out of the Duke’s office.

“If someone could only read this document to me.”

When she turned around, he already sat on his chair while staring at the brown piece of parchment.

She sat on the wing chair facing the Duke’s glimmering visuals. If he was this serious or silent, she would have fallen in love with her already.

“Your Grace, may I try to read it?”

The Duke handed her the parchment.

“This document talks about a prophecy.”

The Duke straightened his body and crossed his legs.

He leaned his face closer to her and once more; her beating heart was in disarray.

“I will try to read what was in the document.”

She read the block of texts like a five-year-old. Though she studied this world’s obsolete language, it was still a struggle to read and comprehend foreign languages at the same time.

“Duke, were you sleeping? Please don’t. You haven’t finished your work.”

He bobbed his head on the table.

“Your slow pace made me sleepy.”

“Then I will summarize.”

Four hours had passed. The Duke’s two-week workload disappeared in their sight, which was history in his career.

Maxine didn’t notice herself succumbing to sleepiness. Kent carried her to his bed when...