CHAPTER 135: MORE BLACK THAN MOORE

Steel screamed against steel, a blur of motion too fast to follow. Vivian’s hand darted for the pistol, but Edith’s body weight slammed into her. They crashed onto the bed, the springs groaning in protest, as they bounced the girls back into vigorous action.

While the two were equally fast, Vivian couldn’t move properly since her footing was awkward, and she was in great pain from the curse.

Edith sat on top of Vivian, holding her sword hand away with her left and pinning her with a knife to her throat with her right. Vivian’s left was trapped under Edith’s right thigh, and no matter how she struggled, Vivian was completely under Edith’s mercy.

The two looked at each other, their eyes met, and what they had in common was utter shock and disbelief. Edith’s heart was racing as her thoughts accelerated to think of all possible outcomes, while Vivian was tired of so many things, but seeing Edith just as frustrated as she is, she knew she could handle this situation with enough smoothness.

"You!" Edith panted and looked at Vivian, "You are the Swan... the killer!"

Vivian also panted and didn’t say anything before gulping on her saliva and smiling:

"I can be much worse than that, dear. The Swan, though, what a perfect name!"

"Shut it!" Edith pressed on Vivian’s neck, "You... You’re under arrest by the Black Inquisitorial Force."

"Hehehehe!"

Vivian sneered and couldn’t help but laugh, even closing her eyes, and acting all relaxed and chill.

"What?" Edith was instantly bothered by that attitude as sweat started to form all over her body. "Why are you laughing?"

"Aside from how cute you are and how intimate it is to have you on top, the fact that you thought you could arrest me and walk out of here."

"I can handle it!"

"Sure you can, dear. Just flash the badge of the Black Hand, and everyone will take a step back." Vivian said and threw a quick glance behind Vivian, "Not my Devil Man, though."

Edith’s alertness hit its peak as she alternated between her left hand and left foot while attempting to slash at whoever was behind her, but the moment she saw that there was no one there, she was completely covered with Vivian’s blanket and had to struggle her way out while holding onto Vivian’s waist.

The two girls swiftly met each other, a blade at Vivian’s neck and a pistol at Edith’s head.

A stalemate in which none of the two parties were interested in moving but as soon as the door’s knob twisted, another maneuver shifted the dynamics of their intimacy, and they were together on bed, Vivian lying and covered by her blanket with Edith’s left seemingly holding her back while Vivian’s right was also behind Edith’s back. Each of them had a weapon held to the other.

"My ladies."

"Oh, Esmeralda, welcome. Finally, some tea."

Edith walked in, driving a serving cart with delicate tea cups and a plate of biscuits.

"It’s for Lady Edith, my lady." Esmeralda replied sharply, "The other is a medicinal brew for you."

"Do tell me you at least managed to sneak a bit of tea leaves into that dreadful brew."

"Negative, my Lady. You are supposed to drink it the way God intended..." Esmeralda replied with one of Vivian’s lines.

"Without sugar?"

"Without tea."

"Thank you, Esmeralda. That would be all."

Esmeralda bowed to Vivian and looked at Edith with a smile, finally pleased that her lady was close with a new friend closer to her in age.

Yet just as she walked out, Edith tried to catch Vivian once again, but Vivian kicked her off the bed and rolled to the other side. As the two stood up in the same second, Edith was raising her sword, but Vivian was aiming her gun.

Knowing each other, Vivian’s speed is now greater than Edith’s, and it is a nightmare to be on the receiving end of her gun.

"How did you find out?" Vivian asked.

"I am the one asking questions." Edith replied sharply but didn’t raise her voice.

"I am the one holding a gun." Vivian said.

"You can’t shoot me. As great as House Moore can be, you can’t overwhelm House Black. Killing me is a direct act of war." Edith said.

Vivian smiled with her white teeth visible.

"You have a good head, Edith. But I can just kill you and your knights waiting by the carriages, disguise a few men and a main your clothes, send you off the mansion to a road, fabricate and attack, and leave your corpses there." Vivian effortlessly laid down a plan.

"Someone told you you’re more Black than Moore?" Edith retorted with a twitch of nervousness.

"Fine. Let’s speak terms."

Vivian agreed as she found herself in a deadlock with Edith. Even her plan that she came up with on the fly, was something too fantastical.

"We lower arms, we speak," Edith said her terms.

"What is said in this room will be forgotten outside," Vivian added her own.

"I can’t promise that," Edith replied.

"I quite like you, Edith. I know you value honor as much as I do. So, if you want to use what I say against me, you have to back it up with something. So..."

"You value honor?"

"I do. But do you know who doesn’t?"

Vivian’s question unsettled Edith greatly. She was here for a reason. Hell! She is friends with Vivian for that very reason.

Everyone she believed in was now letting her down. The Royals, the Nobles, her revolting brother, her pragmatic father. Everyone was simply two-faced and unjust, nothing to do with nobility or honor.

Vivian is... Vivian was supposed to be the opposite of that.

With a synced motion, the two finally averted their weapons from each other’s faces. Edith was sourly dejected and lost for words, while Vivian was really scared and thinking of how to deal with this whole thing.

Edith looked at Vivian with both dejection and disappointment; her eyes were asking, "Why?" very clearly. To that, Vivian closed her eyes, sighed, and shook her head, implying that it is too complicated.

If Vivian is out there killing people in a hood, fighting the Royal Guards, and almost killing four noble heirs, it must be a damn good complicated reason.