Chapter 71: Shattered Glass
Yue quickly stood up and tried to look for a handkerchief for Viktor’s nose. He was awkward and his hands were shaky as he looked for it but he eventually found it and passed it to Viktor. He thought Viktor seemed to be acting Normal again but he didn’t speak regardless.
“Yue...Are you okay?” Viktor asked, reaching out to touch Yue’s hand.
“Y-You’re the one whose nose is bleeding! A-And you were acting different too…” Yue murmured, he tried his best not to react too much to Viktor’s touch but he definitely flinched. He clumsily bumped into the bedside table as he quickly moved away from Viktor’s touch. He quickly turned to watch the lamp fall onto the ground and shatter, he could’ve stopped it if he had been in his right mind but he really wasn’t. Viktor would’ve stopped it too but Yue moving away from him was shocking enough to make him freeze.
Yue panicked a little as he watched the lamp break into pieces and he immediately got down to try and pick it up, ignoring all of the other ways he could have cleaned it up. Viktor noticed this and went over to him, he wanted to move Yue’s hands away from the glass but after Yue flinched he suddenly felt unsure of himself so he decided to just pick up the glass himself. He also felt faint and dizzy so he paused for a second as he stood and somehow it only got worse when he squatted down to pick up the glass.
The door swung open not even a second later and revealed Anya who had a sword in hand. It was so early in the morning and she hadn’t heard anything from the room until recently so she assumed it was someone breaking into the room.
“Oh… My apologi— Young master!? Miss Yue?!” Anya exclaimed as she noticed that Viktor’s nose was bleeding as he and Yue tried to clean up the broken lamp.
“P-Please don’t touch that!” Anya said and quickly used magic to clean up the glass. She looked over Yue’s hands quickly to check if they had cuts on them but after confirming that he was fine she quickly turned to Viktor.
She helped Viktor back up and onto the bed and quickly used magic to communicate with the other servant telepathically.
“I don’t need a doctor, I'm fine.” Viktor said before Anya even got the chance to tell him that she was having someone call the doctor. His head was starting to hurt but it wasn’t as bad as it could be since the lamp that had been directly beside him was now shattered.
Yue stood on the side, unsure of what to do or think. Anya seemed surprised but it didn’t seem like this was the first time this had happened.
“I’m sorry, Young master. This is impudent of me to say but I don’t believe you.” Anya said with a stern look.
Viktor wanted to groan, If it had been anyone else to say that he would’ve beheaded them himself. He couldn’t do that to Anya though, not only was she one of the people closest to his mother but she had also been his caretaker since he was born. She was practically a second mother to him.
“Miss Yue, Did the Young Master’s eyes change? And did he seem spaced out or different suddenly?” Anya asked, turning around to face Yue.
Yue nodded slowly.
“He acted differently?” Anya asked, wondering if Yue was nodding about that.
“Yes...He talked to me but he didn’t talk like his usual self…. He was like a different person.” Yue murmured. Viktor was shocked as he heard this.
‘Acting differently? What kind of curse is this?’ He thought to himself, watching Yue’s expression. Now he felt nervous, what did he say to Yue while he wasn’t himself? What could he have said or done that made Yue so horrified and hurt.
“Oh...my…I need to write a letter to His majesty…Please stay here and make sure the Young Master doesn’t try and get up or something.” Anya said and rushed to the door with a panicked expression. She turned around when she reached the door, looking as if she had almost overlooked something.
“A-And please know that whatever the young master said before his nose started bleeding wasn’t his honest thoughts!” She said before leaving.
Yue gulped a little, he felt better after hearing that but he was still confused though. And he was upset that he didn’t know what was going on.
“...What did I say to you..?” Viktor asked after they stood in silence for a while.
Yue stayed silent for a while before walking up closer to the bed. He didn’t sit down right next to Viktor but instead sat at the foot of the bed on the side he had been sleeping on.
“You told me...to see into the future for you and tell you what I saw. I actually did have a prophecy and you were urging me to tell you what I saw when your nose started bleeding.” Yue explained, quietly looking down at his hands.
Viktor cursed himself silently. At first he was confused about why that made Yue so hurt and horrified but he thought about it for a second. He realized that he had tried to use Yue for his ability and that was what hurt him.
“I’m sorry. I seriously don’t remember doing that...And I wouldn’t do that…” Viktor murmured, kneading his forehead and thinking about what in the world the curse was doing to him.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Yue asked, looking Viktor in the eye.
Viktor hesitated and Yue’s gaze fell, a little disappointed.
“I don’t know.” Viktor sighed after a while.
Yue glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
“I’m sick or cursed or something and my Father and my Grandfather are hiding the truth from me...My mother probably knows as well…I’m probably the only one in the dark here.” Viktor murmured covering his eyes with his free hand.
Yue looked down at his hands, they were shaking a little.
“A-Are you g-going to di—!” Yue stuttered, it hurt to even say the words.
“No!” Viktor exclaimed, he quickly regretted it because of the pain he felt in his head because of it but he echoed his words once more.
“No...I’m not going to die… Even if they’re going to hide things from me they’re not going to just let me die.” Viktor murmured, even his father wasn’t bad enough to let him die. Especially from something like an illness or curse.
“My unique mana constitution needs to be passed on so whether my old man likes it or not he can’t conspire to kill me. Also my mother would kill him but that’s a different story.” Viktor chuckled. It hurt to laugh like this about but he continued on regardless.
He didn’t want Yue to pity him or feel worried about his condition. He was terrified of Yue crying over him.
Some maids and a doctor soon arrived and got Viktor ready to get his blood drawn.
“Um...When it’s time to go to the meeting this afternoon can you arrange for someone to drop me off at the dorm instead of the main academy building? I have to get something.” Yue asked a maid.
The maid nodded and went off to arrange that. The conversation reminded Yue that the meeting was in fact today. He turned back to Viktor who was looking at all the blood that was being drawn with an unhappy expression.
“The meeting today…” Yue murmured.
“I’m still going to go.” Viktor said and took a painkiller that a maid gave him.
Yue looked at him with an upset expression but Viktor didn’t falter.
“I won’t be fighting today or tomorrow regardless of what happens in the meeting. It’ll be fine, I’ve had my blood drawn countless times and done more strenuous things and i've been fine.” Viktor said and grabbed Yue’s hand, almost breathing out a breath of relief when Yue didn’t flinch or move his hand away.
“But still…” Yue murmured.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” Viktor said and brought Yue’s hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of his hand.
Yue was still really worried but he sighed and nodded.
—
“Why did he have to get his blood drawn if he had a nosebleed? That’s nonsensical don’t you think?” Mai murmured as she and Yue walked down the halls of the dorm.
“I don’t know...It’s a curse so I can only imagine there more to it than just a normal nosebleed.” Yue murmured. He was wearing a hanfu that he had recognized as the hanfu he wore in a prophecy he had recently. The prophecy was of him and Viktor having a meeting with the mage association. The prophecy made sense now that they were having a meeting. He was confused about why Mai wasn’t in the prophecy though.
“What is in the box by the way?” Mai asked. Yue had gone to his room when he arrived at the dorm and took a box from the room and put it in his storage gem.
“Medicinal pills that I refined. They were intended for my body but they should work for Viktor as well.” Yue murmured.
“...What can’t you do?” Mai said, laughing a little.
“Wouldn’t those have been useful while you were sick?” Mai asked after thinking for a second.
“No, they're meant for replenishing blood and Qi after injuries and things like that.” Yue explained, “They would’ve made things worse”
They made it to the place where the meeting was supposed to be held and Yue then found out why Mai wasn’t in his prophecy.
“Miss Nguyen. Can we talk to you for a second?” Mr. Anderson said as he stood next to Mr. Wagner beside the door to the meeting room.
“You can go right inside Miss Xia.” He added as Yue seemed confused on whether it was okay for him to go inside.
Inside the room the serious atmosphere of his prophecy had already unfolded. Viktor and other mages sat around the table in silence. They all looked over at Yue as he walked in. Some raised an eyebrow, wondering if Yue had walked into the wrong room, others immediately recognized Yue from the rumors.
He was one of the captains of the most successful class in the school’s history so rumors had spread but not many people knew about his appearance.
“My lady.” Viktor said with a smile, greeting Yue publicly and inviting him to sit beside him as if they haven’t done more than that.
Viktor looked pale and that really worried Yue but he didn’t mention it and just stared down at the table for a while, wondering what Mai could be talking to Mr.Anderson and Mr. Wagner about. It took some time but Mr. Wagner and Mr. Anderson entered the room with Mai following behind them. Mai’s expression seemed normal as she sat down so Yue figured it wasn’t bad news or anything.
“Well, let’s get this meeting started.” Mr.Anderson said and stood at the front of the room.