The Garden of Shadows
Strawberry Lady

I stared dreadfully at the dress spread out on top of my bed. It was delivered this morning in a package before I left for my apprenticeship, but I only got to unpack it when I returned to the hotel in the afternoon. To my horror, it was far from what I expected.

“It’s lovely,” Leslie commented. She seemed to really like the dress.

“It’s… pink,” I replied unhappily.

“Just try it on. It might look good on you.”

I hesitated before taking the light pastel pink dress and changing into it in the bathroom. Leslie did assure me that it looked great on me, but I had my doubts. I was certain that Emma would probably look better in it than me.

“Heading out?” Emma asked when she entered the room and saw me in the dress.

“Yeah. I was invited to this dinner party hosted by the museum.” I showed her the invitation card.

She viewed the card. “Wow. This sounds like an important event. How’d you end up getting invited?”

“Salamander’s sister sort of dragged me along.”

“You met his sister?” She was surprised.

“Coincidentally, yes.”

“So Aidan is also going?”

I nodded.

She tried to hide her disappointment, but it was still obvious. I began to regret telling her. “Oh. Well, I hope you two have fun then.” She returned the invitation to me.

“Thanks.” I stuffed the card into my bag, along with the usual necessities like a lockpick, a dagger, and the grenades Salamander requested.

“What’s with the weapons?” Leslie was a little worried.

“Don’t mind it. She always carries those,” Emma said calmly and sat on her bed to read a book.

There was a knock on the door. It was probably Salamander urging me to hurry up, so I went to answer it. It really was him, dressed in a luxurious black suit and his hair combed back neatly with pomade.

He laughed hysterically as soon as he saw me. “You’re actually wearing pink? I never thought I’d see the day.”

I frowned as I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. “I feel like a walking strawberry.”

He wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. “Oh, come on. It wouldn’t hurt to not dress like a blackberry for a day.”

“I dress in black because it’s easier to match things. Now I have no idea what’s supposed to go well with pink.”

“Luckily for you, pink does go well with black, but…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white ribbon. After moving behind me, he carefully tied my hair with it. “Maybe try something different for once?”

“Where’d you get that ribbon?” I found it unusual that he pulled one out of nowhere.

“My sister included it with my clothes. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a joke or an accessory meant for you. It does seem to match your dress.”

“So how do I look?” I was still feeling self-conscious, believing that I looked ridiculous in pink.

“Hmm. There are gargoyles much better looking than you.”

I folded my arms. “I need your honesty, Salamander.”

He examined me. “Fine. You look… ok. I suppose.”

I gave him a look, doubting his honesty.

“Alright, alright! You look beautiful. There. I said it. Are you happy?” A slight hint of red was visible on his cheeks. He sounded sincere enough.

I smiled. “Yes. I’m quite happy to see you disgusted with yourself for saying that.”

He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, please don’t call me Salamander while we’re at the party.”

“Then what am I supposed to call you?”

“My real name. Aidan. Now say it with me…”

“Aidan,” I repeated along with him.

“Good. Now remember to always use that.”

“Alright, Salamander.”

“For goodness’ sake, Remina!” he snapped.

Before Salamander went on a tirade against me, he stopped himself and turned his head towards Mr. Crowe’s youngest son who was standing nearby. The young Crowe dressed like he was attending the same party as we were.

“Will you be needing some transportation? Father and I will be attending the dinner party as well. The two of you could join us,” the hotel owner's son offered.

Salamander quickly declined, “Thank you for the offer, but there is no need. My sister already arranged it for us.”

“Very well then. I shall see you both later at the venue.” The boy excused himself and left.

“There’s something about him that gives me the creeps,” Salamander whispered to me. “He’s been popping up often near my room. I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence or he’s spying on Elliot for Mr. Crowe.”

“Another person we have to watch out for, I suppose,” I replied.

The ballroom was brightly lit by dazzling chandeliers and silver floating candles hovering over the guests of the Museum of Magical History. The site was an old manor owned by one of the city officials which they refurbished to make the place suitable for a lavish party. The glass-paned windows stretched all the way up to the ceiling, revealing the breathtaking view of the city. A small crowd had already gathered and begun their social activities, dancing to the lively waltz that filled the room and engaging in conversations.

“Aidan and Remina! I’m so glad you could come,” Cornelia welcomed us as soon as we stepped inside.

“Cornelia,” Salamander unhappily acknowledged his sister’s presence.

“Why are you giving me that look? Aren’t you happy to see your sister?”

“I would be if you’d honestly tell me why you invited us here in the first place,” he replied bluntly. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She smiled. “I’m your older sister. I’m just giving you an opportunity to mingle with important people in society.”

“I can see through your pretentiousness. You know that, right?”

“Just enjoy yourselves and have fun.” She pulled the both of us and then just left us in the middle of the crowd while she went off to exchange pleasantries with other guests.

Salamander sighed. “Don’t stray too far. I’m going to eavesdrop on my sister.”

After he walked away, I wasn’t sure what else to do at a party with strangers, so I went straight for the buffet. The selection for that night was very generous, with exotic dishes and a number of desserts added to the mix. Before I even got to touch the bite-sized sandwiches, I was already approached by Mr. Crowe’s youngest son who seemed eager for a conversation.

“I believe we haven’t been properly introduced yet,” said the young Crowe, who towered over me by a few centimetres. “I’m Finley Crowe.”

“Remina Ravenfire,” I replied.

“How are you liking Revival City so far?”

“I quite like it actually. There are plenty of shops and museums.”

He had a charming smile. “I take it that you’re an aesthete like me?”

“I’ve never really described myself as one, but perhaps I am.”

“We’ll get along just fine then.” He held out his hand politely. “May I have this dance?”

“She’s dancing with me.” Salamander suddenly showed up out of nowhere and pulled me away to the dance floor before I could even object.

“I thought you hated waltz,” I said softly as we joined the other dancers.

He whispered as we danced, “I am frankly worried that at any point in this party, you’ll either get yourself poisoned or kidnapped. You should stay away from that Crowe boy. He seems like bad news.”

“I can’t tell if you’re jealous or seriously worried about my well-being.”

“You’ll thank me later.”

I almost called him Salamander, but managed to stop myself in time. “Aidan, I have a confession to make.”

“And what might that be, Remina?”

“I am terrible at waltz and was planning to reject Finley Crowe’s offer anyway.”

He was calm about it. “You’ll be fine. Just follow my lead.”

Thankfully, I got through the dance without embarrassing myself. Immediately after the end of the piece, we stepped off the dance floor with a silent mutual agreement to never dance another waltz for that night. When nothing out of the ordinary happened for some time, we moved outside towards the terrace to take a break and enjoy the nighttime view of the city.

“So why’d you reject her?” I asked out of the blue as we both leaned on the balustrade.

“Reject who?” Salamander was confused.

“Emma.”

“I don’t deserve her.” He continued to stare at the scenery.

“If her fan club finds out you rejected her, they’ll have your head.”

He turned his head towards me. “Are you really going to set her fan club after me?”

“I might if you don’t tell me why you really rejected her.”

“It’s none of your business. Why do you even care anyway?”

“Curiosity?”

He paused for a while before answering, “It’s a simple reason really. I don’t love her.”

“Do you love anyone, Salamander?”

He frowned. “Do you seriously expect me to answer that?”

“No. I just wanted to see if you’d bother answering.”

He shrugged and answered it anyway, “I don’t know. But I’ll admit that I am a bit curious to know what it’s like.”

Suddenly, we both heard a gunshot that sent all the guests inside into a frenzy.

“We have to find Cornelia quickly,” Salamander said before rushing into the ballroom.

When we returned inside, it became obvious that the target of the attempted assassination was Cornelia Blackthorn who did everything she could to dodge and block the succeeding bullets with her ice magic. It was only when she blended into the crowd and hid under a table that the gunshots stopped. She probably managed to get outside of the gunman’s line of sight.

“What in the world did you get yourself into this time?” Salamander asked after we slid under the table where his sister was hiding.

“I promise I’ll explain it to you later, ok? Right now, we need to get out of here,” Cornelia replied impatiently as her eyes searched the room for any sign of the assassin.

“I swear, Cornelia, every time you come up with a brilliant idea to satisfy your obsession for power, you always end up messing with the wrong crowd and always end up in situations like this!”

“Ok, ok! I’ll admit that I messed up this time. I might have gotten in between two… otherworldly parties.”

I interjected, “I hate to interrupt your sibling bonding time, but if we don’t get moving, we’ll get locked in.” I pointed at the doors that were starting to close while guests fled through it.

“We need a distraction,” said Salamander. “The assassin is definitely somewhere outside, but it’s hard to see him in the dark.”

I turned to Cornelia. “I just want to clarify something. Should your dress sustain any damages during this whole ordeal, am I liable to pay you compensation?”

“Just keep the dress!” Cornelia whispered.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

I crawled towards a metal pitcher and a cloth napkin that was close to Cornelia’s hair colour. I combined the two using the white ribbon in my hair to make it look as close to her head as possible. Once it was ready, I grabbed a nearby cane to prop it up.

Clink!

“Ten o’clock from my position,” I informed Salamander after I checked the bullet hole on the pitcher.

He nodded and observed the windows until he noticed movement. “Remina, grenade.”

I gladly handed him my best one. Using his strongest ice spell, he flung the explosive at the window. It was a modest explosion, just enough to damage a small area, but it gave us the chance to escape through the terrace.

Our mistake that night was thinking that it was only one assassin. There was another positioned elsewhere who caught sight of us running. Salamander was the first to notice him pointing the gun towards his sister. In an act of desperation, he blocked the shots with his body and sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

“Aidan! No!” Cornelia screamed.

I quickly threw a smoke grenade to obscure the assassin’s view as I picked Salamander’s body up and moved him to a safer location hidden behind some garden shrubs.

“Cornelia, we have to go separately. They’re after you. Your brother is going to get killed in the crossfire if you stay near him,” I whispered to her. As much as I wanted to help keep her safe, I couldn’t just leave Salamander unattended when he needed healing badly.

She hesitated until she finally said, “Please take care of him!” She ran as fast as she could and disappeared from sight just before the smoke cleared.

I concentrated on using the healing spell I learned from class to close Salamander’s wounds.

“If I am to die here… I might as well say a few things…” His eyes were starting to droop.

I slapped his face a little to help him maintain consciousness. “Stop it. Don’t give yourself death flags.” At that moment, I really wished my healing skills were exceptional. As they were, they weren’t enough to stabilise his condition. “Stay with me, Aidan. Use your gift on me.” I held his hand.

He gave me one last annoying smile before finally closing his eyes and becoming unresponsive.

“Aidan!” I shouted out of panic.

“I’m afraid he’s far from saving.” I heard Mr. Crowe’s voice behind me.

I turned my head to look at him and Finley. Where did they come from?

“Normally, that is. There is a way to save him, but we don’t have much time so you must decide quickly.” He held out a vial containing red liquid. “This will help him live, but he won’t be the same. He will become like me.”

I examined his expression. “You’re still sane to me, so I think it’s an option I could consider. Do it.”

“Very well.” Mr. Crowe emptied the vial’s liquid into Salamander’s mouth. I watched as the unconscious boy suddenly stirred then appeared as if he was merely sleeping. “He is stable, for now.”

I drew a sigh of relief and squeezed Salamander’s hand. He was alive. That was all that mattered to me.

“Let’s return to the hotel. I’ll prepare a room for him so he can rest.”

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