Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 194: Arc 4, Act I, - 39: Traitor!
The tarps above the sand were taken off and a few rounds between the Thundering Blade and Ashen Whisper had already been completed, barely breaking a sweat in the cold air of the subsided rain in the early evening.
The hustle and bustle of the palace were busy being informed of what was to occur in the following days. Arabella puffed out a breath and put her hand up, sheathing her sabre.
"Done already? That was barely warmup," Jotou smirked and sheathed the armite sword.
Arabella rolled her eyes and beckoned her hand for Jotou to follow her somewhere...
"What is it?" Jotou knitted her brows before taking steps forward. Through some equipment and crates she was led behind, mostly out of sight of any possible onlookers.
The shadows covered this portion as Jotou kept her guard up—eyeing her surroundings, the roof overhead, the boxes of equipment and other supplies.
Her hair did not frizzle with sparks, but her eyes did widen as she saw ash arcing towards her. "Spark!" Jotou held her arm up and deflected it with a hand, "The hell are you doing!?"
Arabella turned, one side of her eye missing her smoky makeup before the other eye lost it as well. Two ashen swipes slashed for the blonde; Jotou bent her knees and stepped back to draw her sword.
"If you wanted to fight more, we could’ve just kept going!" something felt off for that obviously... ’Is she fighting me seriously right now? Why!?’
She uttered not even a sign as she unsheathed her sabre and slashed forward. "TING!" ’Wait, don’t tell me... she’s secretly an enemy too...’ The blonde’s eyes glared, akin to arcs of electricity.
"SLASH! TANG! CLING! CLANG! SWING!" Against three crescent-shaped blades she held her own, deflecting each blow as sparks began rising up her blade.
Her steps were numbered in such a cluttered space, the mild darkness not helping either. An ash swipe came from under her, going for her ankles.
She hit it by thrusting her sword down, but the ash made its mark, leaving a slash across the front of her enchanted boots like they were butter.
Jotou glared up, barely able to make out the movements of her surprise opponent. A cluttered space, but her feet could spin—a darkened view, but her blade glowed for her sight; after all, her eyes were used to gazing into the night.
"Fine," Jotou grunted, raising her sword. The slashes of ash swiped at her as she drove her sword down and split the ash into two, only for it to reform to Arabella’s command above.
’Found a window.’ "Clang!" Jotou deflected the sabre, before eyeing her surroundings for just a second. ’Boxes, sawdust, random clutter, oils and polishes for equipment. Just things in the way.’
Jotou peered to Arabella’s feet before having to quickly defend herself from the incoming slashes, each one striking with an increased force.
She could not read the Ashen Whisper’s face, nor her intentions, but a plan formed in Jotou’s mind every step she took and once she found an opening...
’She can’t be a traitor... She can’t! Then she needs to explain...’ She took enough steps back to find a pattern, Arabella would swipe with ash if the blonde was out of reach.
She drove her sword down, disrupting the ash with a "Zap!" causing more light to flash and the ash to recuperate perhaps a second slower.
In the window of time in which Arabella stepped forward, Jotou kept her sword hilt close to her hip and spun, gathering momentum on the blade whilst her knees bent down.
Arabella swiped her sabre upwards, nearly catching the blonde by her bangs. However, from the slight crouch, Jotou spun the blade and—"Ting!"—barely missed the crates around her.
The sparking blade met the twinkling silver sabre going upwards—the momentum greater that Arabella’s initial swing; enough so Jotou could stand up and drive her sword further to push Arabella’s away.
"Zap!" as she casted, Jotou lunged her left foot forward.
"Khh!" Arabella felt the electricity go down her arm; she was unable to let go of the blade, her fingers stunned in place. In her somewhat numbness, she had enough time to register the foot coming for her, but not enough to react.
A gasp escaped Arabella’s lips as she winced her eyes and was kicked in the knees backwards. She caught her arms onto a crate and steadied herself back up within a second.
"I don’t want to fight you! Stop this!" Jotou sneered.
Arabella took a glance to her right hand, as marks of lightning scars began to form faintly around her wrist. Nothing that would not disappear within a couple of days.
She flicked her wrist to limber her fingers up before glaring to Jotou. Her ash had fallen onto the ground and with an open hand she rose it back up and toppled the open lid of a crate over the blonde.
"Slash!" Jotou broke through it and—"TING!"—blocked the incoming sabre. The two came to a standstill, having a staring contest. It seemed at least, that neither were trying to truly harm the other...
"Thalk..." Arabella whispered as loud as she could, wincing her eyes to speak, but enough to voice past the fizzling of the blade.
"Huh?" Jotou squinted and lost her hold for a second before Arabella took advantage and pinned Jotou’s back to one of the crates. She kept the sabre against the blonde’s throat and stepped onto Jotou’s boots to keep her in place.
A sabre to her neck and an arm pressed into her torso tightly, she glared, both their breaths panting. "Kountess, speek, seecret," although she winced, she pushed through it.
"The countess? You want to know what happened that day when I spoke to her?" Jotou still glared, the blade that hummed with electricity gripped tight.
Arabella did not blink, "Meething thootay, you mentionet kountess, why? I playeth along, putt this means something, what tit you thiscuss? Thell me!"
She breathed even heavier, pushing Jotou’s torso with more force to endure the accumulating pain.
’She thinks, I’m the traitor...?’ "Fine... but I’m still holding you to your word you won’t tell anyone of this..." Jotou’s scowl did not fade, but over the course of few minutes, with a blade right to her throat, she explained their conversation...
The grip she held on her sabre and the arm against Jotou loosened, her eyes slanting down for but a second before she hid away a sudden saddened look.
"I would only hurt Daiyu to mess with her, but not with something like this; I’d sooner end myself than ever stab her in the back.
If you thought, there was even a sand grain of a chance I’m not doing this for her good, then you are the worst at reading people; probably why the countess had to find your corrupt guards instead of you," spite oozed in her words, sparks flying in her eyes.
Arabella grabbed Jotou by the collar and stepped back. "CLATTER-Clash!" She slammed the blonde into the crates behind before puffing out a breath. Arabella peered away, holding a hand to her throat and sighing.
Jotou stood up, stumbling only a step before sheathing her golden sword, "Could’ve just asked instead of attacking."
Arabella side-eyed, picking up the ash and reapplying them on her eyes. She pointed to Jotou in a frown and signed a few things.
"In case I was committing treason? The one who was going to be poisoned and took down a dozen or so of your treasonous Royal Guard? Real smart there admiral," Jotou finally relaxed her brows.
Arabella glared away, sheathing her sabre and holding the bridge of her nose. ’I guess... she’s on edge too after that incident... Her reasoning isn’t that unreasonable...
What I said happened before I talked to the countess too, my point is invalid... Still, doesn’t mean I can’t get mad here. But maybe I can be more understanding...’
Jotou took a few breaths in and out, "I’m sorry for what I said, I, you," she shook her head, "weren’t wrong to do what you did, maybe I should’ve told you what happened and honestly, what’s done is done.
I don’t regret not telling you, but you better not tell Daiyu any of this," Jotou leaned to meet her gaze.
Arabella took a breath and faced Jotou, shifting her hands to communicate.
"You don’t regret what you did either; well, I don’t expect you to."
She signed once more.
"You were content with keeping it a secret till I brought it up again? Sure, but you could’ve asked before you attacked."
Arabella bowed her head lightly in apology before turning and walking away.
"Hey, what’s got you in a mood? I saw you get sad just as I finished explaining, not a moment after."
Arabella kept walking, waving her hand to brush it aside.
"Don’t walk away after you threatened my life!" Jotou stomped forward, "What’s going on? Tell me."
Arabella huffed back around, swinging her hands to shoo Jotou away.
"Arabella, please..." Jotou’s eyes softened, "Don’t walk away without explaining yourself right now. You’re clearly hurting, I can tell that much; and I don’t just mean your throat.
Please, I want to spar with you again tomorrow, and the day after and the day after that. I like training with you and I don’t want whatever this is to linger.
So talk to me and at least give me a chance to understand, or walk away and I guess you didn’t like training with me; because I don’t intend to continue if you do."
Arabella glared and stared... her guard going away with every breath between them. Her eyes unstiffened and she pursed her lips. She pointed to herself, then made a cross with her fingers.
"You made a mistake."
She nodded and signed her usual sign language.
’I think that means.’ "You’re sorry." ’I didn’t get the last part.’
Arabella then signalled how she usual did with Jotou and Daiyu.
"You’re the admiral of the Royal Guard and someone else had to take the blame and seek out the traitors in your ranks, which should’ve been your responsibility.
The Royal Guard around the palace are supposed to be the best of the best. Their shortcomings are on your name. To have someone—in essence—innocent, to be imprisoned for your failure as an admiral, is shameful.
The guard to protect royalty and the council... became the ones that harmed it. You’re only glad that news of this won’t spread far, but somehow that makes you feel even worse; like it doesn’t wash away the mark of shame."
Arabella pointed to her wrist, the marks of lightning, "Yet another mark of shame for my incompetence- Okay, enough of this, you couldn’t’ve seen this all coming, you’re one person." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Arabella looked to Jotou signalling something else.
"No, you may be the admiral, but you’re not the saviour of Cravolta, everyone makes mistakes. Think about it, what have you actually done wrong?
You took a blade against me without a second thought because I might’ve been a traitor. Seems to me like you learned from that mistake.
Take all the time you need to brood about this, but when that’s over, I hope you know you did what you believed was right. And I hope you realize, no matter what position you hold, you’re one person.
And if people ever blame you for the traitors in the Royal Guard, I’ll stand by your side because I know you’re not just an appearance for the public."
Arabella stared, her mouth lightly agape... Jotou was about to say something else, but Arabella put a finger up and shook her head. She solemnly turned and walked away...
’I guess she needs time for herself... Well... I have seamstresses to go see...’
