Chapter 72 - SEVENTY TWO: Little Doll

It had been in a tiny cell-like room full of dust and tears that Barclay admitted to following Kel into the forest.

They were alone at that time, and she'd never repeated it to another soul.

So how did Lila find out the words that had only hung in the air for a single moment as they passed from Barclay to Kel?

I must still be on edge, Kel thought to herself. It wasn't fair to suddenly suspect Lila based on that sentence alone. 

"How did you know the emperor was taking me there?" Kel asked, trying her best to sound casual. "And what made you think Barclay was following us?"

Lila chuckled. "I was the one who sent you off that day, right? You went to look for a secluded place, and our dear emperor just couldn't leave a damsel in distress like that."

"That's right.." Kel thought back to that day. Though Lila had encouraged her to worry about the things she could control and let go of the things she couldn't..

She'd never told the woman what those things were.

Unless she'd been spying on them or heard from someone who had been, there was no way-

"That clearing of his, though the notion that it belongs to such a man is utterly ridiculous, isn't as much of a secret as the emperor would like to believe," Lila went on, interrupting Kel's thoughts.

She brought her cup to her lips again, but this time paused before taking a sip.

"As for your comrade," she said, narrowing her eyes, "someone had to tell him how to sneak into that forest in the first place."

"Y-you told him?" Kel stuttered, her own teacup shaking in her hands. She slowly moved it back to it's intricate ceramic plate, spilling tiny drops of creamy bronze liquid on the table.

Calm down, she told herself, clasping her trembling fingers in her lap.

Lila had willingly answered her questions and was simply explaining how she knew. Besides that, nothing she said necessarily incriminated her in the first place, so why did Kel have such an ominous feeling?

"Though it is tragic," the woman's tone hardened and a smirk spread across her lips, "that he ended up on the path frequented by assassins."

Kel could feel the blood draining from her face. Perhaps the woman wasn't so guiltless after all. Was she implying that she had directed him to such a trail?

"Those guards were so used to routine assassin cleanings that they probably knifed him without a second thought," Lila continued, pressing her lips together. "And the worst part is that they couldn't even defend themselves in court without breaking the oath of secrecy they took before the emperor."

She sighed, setting her cup down and staring off as if caught in a daydream.

"I wonder what it was like to see those men cower before such a cruel master, knowing death awaited them whether they did or didn't speak," she mused. "Oh! I suppose only one of them made it that far."

Kel piped in timidly, her voice cracking as she spoke. "Are you saying that this was done purposefully?"

Lila turned to her, smiling in a way Kel had never seen before.

"Isn't it so much fun to back that man into a corner and watch him squirm?"

Kel's mouth dropped. Who was this woman? She certainly wasn't the overly sweet librarian, always giving out thoughtful advice and smiling warmly.

"Lila." The emperor's voice suddenly remarked from somewhere behind Kel.

"Speak of the devil," Lila muttered. Then standing up and bowing, she added, "Your Majesty."

Kel whipped her head around. The Dragon Emperor was leaning against a bookshelf, his hair messy and his shirt only halfway buttoned. It looked like he came here in a hurry.

"Care to repeat what you said just now?" The emperor spat, glaring at the woman.

"My, my. What a terrifying man you've grown into," Lila responded with a smile. "I wonder if Uncle dearest would be more pleased with that… or with this."

Kel flinched as the woman motioned toward her. What exactly was she hinting at?

"Enough nonsense." The emperor replied sternly. "If you don't wish to confess your sins here, you can do so in a less comfortable place."

He snapped his fingers, and several guards rushed into the cramped space.

Lila shrugged and gracefully complied as the men restrained her arms. 

"Congratulations, Calix," she murmured as they dragged her past the emperor. "You found Uncle's doll. But how long do you really think you can hold onto a toy that doesn't belong to you?"

A glint of fury passed through the emperor's otherwise expressionless eyes. He turned his head away quickly without giving the woman the satisfaction of hearing his response to her provocation.

Kel glanced back and forth between the two for a few moments, trying to process what was happening. Finally, she leapt to her feet and chased after the guards, catching up just as they were leaving the library.

"L-Lila," she whimpered, the woman's skirt flowing just out of her reach as she tried to grasp it.

"Don't worry, little doll," Lila smiled over her shoulder. "I'll see you again soon."

Then the door slammed shut, nearly smacking Kel's frozen figure in the nose.

Her thoughts were a mess.

Lila had said too many strange things. The emperor showed his face for the first time in over a week and immediately arrested Lila. And what was that about a doll?

With her bottom lip quivering, she reached for the door handle. She had to follow Lila. She had to follow her and ask her what she meant.

Before she could put enough strength in her hand to press down on the handle, a heavy weight slumped onto her back. Shortly afterward, an arm curled itself around her abdomen while another slithered along her arm, gripping her hand tightly.

"Will you leave me?" The emperor's voice brushed against her ear. "Just like she said?"

"What are you talking about?" Kel blurted. The string of events had been too confusing for her to keep up with, but the unexpected back hug sent her brain into overdrive.

"I'll make you happy," the emperor continued his nonsensical murmuring. "I'll be so good to you, so stay here with me."