Chapter 21: A Conversation Poem
Even with all the changes he made, Roland understood that they were not yet something important enough to affect the big picture. Some events, especially the major ones would, regardless of his minor tweaks most likely still going to happen. Needless to say, he already knew the identity of the mysterious intruder that also appeared in the other timeline he had read.
But he was still surprised. Although the sudden presence itself was not good for his faint heart, more than that was rather the timing that alerted him. For some reason, she came out earlier than he expected.
But it was easy to figure out why there would be a difference. In the first place, even from the day one he never managed to follow the scripts in his head properly. The fact she ended up coming at all was actually something of a relief.
"It was a splendid act, Your Highness." The intruder spoke, her voice was soft and sweet like honey. "Turning an enemy into an ally. Especially your last sentence, it gave a deep impression even to me, the spectator."
Roland was trying hard to control his surge of emotions, but what came out was simply his mouth opening and closing. Only after pinching his thigh he finally managed just barely to control himself.
The intruder chuckled. "Don't be frightened, I'm not going to eat you, Your Highness."
"It's actually your sudden appearance that surprised me," Roland spoke sincerely, he really felt that way.
The other person whose face still yet to be seen, showed a slight shock as her giggling halted suddenly. She wordlessly stared at Roland.
After a while, she broke the silence. "How curious. Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid, then what?" Roland always lived his new life in fear for the future. It had been a tiring short journey so far that he already grew somewhat numbed from the feeling. Without a mean to, he sighed with an indescribable emotion. "You can sneak in without other people noticing your presence, I don't need to say more about the possibility it brings. However, since you're the one with the initiative to talk then I rather put my mind to rest."
Roland then shook his head, and at ease walking around to start burning some candles. The mantle of darkness had slowly covered the place, but the swaying flames illuminated the room.
The intruder had her hood up, but it didn't stop the light from the candles making her face being seen. Though only some of her golden hair escaped the hood, her face alone was very attractive. Unlike Anna who had a youthful charm or Nana's innocent beauty, what she had was an air of maturity. Coupled with her both nice long nose and eyelash, she ranked high in the list of beauties he had seen.
"Do you want some tea?" Roland then offered as he set up a small, three-legged pot filled with water taken from below his table and placed it on top of a lit candle.
"Tea?" The intruder was tongue-tied, her voice sounded serious as she spoke. "Your Highness, I know I'm not one to speak... but don't you feel you're too careless?"
"Don't tell me you didn't already feel that way when I asked a spy to work for me?" Roland chuckled.
"... That's true." The intruder muttered in surprise.
The water in the pot was slowly turning to boil. Roland moved over the candle and waited for the bubbling to cease as he took out two silver cups. He warmed it up with a small scope of hot water before he poured it back.
As he filled it with some dried leaves of native flowers from a square container, he mumbled. "Do you think, she really going to follow with her promise?"
Although he was mumbling, due to their distance she could hear it properly. As for who he was talking about, she smiled knowingly. "I think your words reach her. Otherwise, would she really took out the poison?"
"That's true." Roland nodded as he gave her share of tea. "Don't worry, I don't mix in poison or anything."
She didn't say anything but she took the cup, on her face was still the same smile.
"Sit anywhere."
"Sure." But her choice was next to him, more specifically the table he was on. Since the table was relatively long, even with stacks of papers and pot, there was still plenty of space for her butt to land.
A faint fragrance different from the tea he brewed entered his nose. After appreciating it and the slender legs an inch away from him for a moment, he finally moved the topic.
"Who are you?" He had a profile of her, but it still needed to be confirmed. Not to mention, it was just right to continue from there.
"You can call me Nightingale, that's how my sisters call me." She put the cup after a sip and took a couple of steps away from him. Pulling her robe, she made a formal greeting. "First of all, I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Your Royal Highness Roland Wimbledon."
Roland recalled it was at this point the prince should be startled and figured out she was a witch. Remembering that made him looked at her robe that had a pattern of three parallel triangles with the shape of an eye, the emblem of the witches' cooperation. It was quite eye-catching, but more importantly, he couldn't figure out why she sewed that.
As for gratitude and what not, he didn't think too much about it and merely tapped the part of the table she just sat on. "No need for excessive courtesy when it's just the two of us here."
Nightingale merely chuckled and returned to the spot. She then threw a curious look at Roland.
"Helping Anna and Nana was not something praiseworthy," Roland said directly without pretence. "It only looked like so because of the church's bad influence."
While the witches who had supernatural powers were of course potentially dangerous, in his opinion it was probably not so different from a normal person with a knife. And there was those God's stone of retaliation which countered their powers, so even if they ran amock, it was not as if they could do as they wish forever.
"... Yet I never heard or seen that from anyone else." Nightingale had a melancholic expression for a moment, but she quickly covered it up and moved on. "Do you already know I'm a witch?"
"Please, can you make it anymore obvious with the pattern on your robe?" Roland involuntarily rolled his eyes.
"That's true." His expression made her feeling ticklish, she let out a laugh. "I truly underestimated you, Your Highness."
"Right?" Roland didn't know what she was talking about, but he felt she was making fun of him somehow and tried to divert the topic. He then remembered he was curious for why she appeared earlier than what he knew and asked her indirectly. "May I ask why you appear at this time?"
"You should already have a guess. I'm here after hearing the rumour of a witch appear here." Nightingale smiled, but her face gave off a strong presence. "Though a bit late, I'm free enough to see the people in charge."
She was really late, Roland thought.
"I came here some days ago, intending to watching you for a week." She continued, unaware of his dismissing comment. "I found out there is another witch, who has a loving family even after her being exposed, all thanks to you."
Nana was a witch who was still very young, and such witches often had an even more difficult time than others due to immaturity. But with her overprotective father and Roland, her smile never ceased and continued. That was what Nightingale saw.
"I don't understand why you don't fear or hate us like other people, but for that, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the Witches Cooperation Association." Her expression was sincere. "As for why I suddenly appear, Your Highness should know it is really because of your kind act to the maid impressed me."
"You may not afraid of a spy, but for you to not even afraid of me, a witch." Nightingale's eyes seemed to sparkle, she touched and stroke his cheek with her slender hand. "They hate us because of fear, but evidently, you're not."
Even though the flow of conversation was different, she was still feeling being touchy, Roland thought. Of course, he didn't hate that. Roland basically had confirmed all but one what he wanted to know, so he nodded while her hand still on his cheek. "And your purpose is?"
The woman took back her hand and looked at Roland's calm eyes. She found that she was being affected as she also calmly said her true goal. "I'd like to take Anna and Nana with me."
Knowing was different from hearing it first hand. Roland felt his heart skipped a bit. He finally realized, along with the cold sweats appearing on his back, that there would be a very, very important conversation with Nightingale that might not just affect his life, far from it, but also the witches behind her and the town he had.
"You already see they have a good life here." Roland initiated.
"They are well cared, yes, but it's nothing but like being birds in the cage." Her nickname showed a convincing strong refusal.
"The town people would accept them sooner or later." This was something he already promised to them, and to himself. "So long I don't drop down, I will surely make it happen."
"At the Witches Cooperation Association, there is no need for pretence or taking such risk." Nightingale silently shook her head. "The members there are their fellow companions, there are neither discrimination nor persecution."
"In exchange for living in the mountain?" Roland could only barely restrained himself to not shout. "You know the demonic beasts are just around the corner. If anything, it's you and your fellows that should come here for shelter."
"Stay here?" Nightingale calm broke, but like a ripple in a tranquil lake, she quickly recovered. "As you said, the town people still hostile against us. Not to mention, there is the Church too."
"It might take time, but with the accomplishment Anna already has and the important future role of Nana, I doubt it would take too long. As for the Church, I'm not afraid of them." Roland answered firmly.
"Then, what about the adulthood?" Nightingale threw her last card.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone