Chapter 9

I heard a knock on my door.

I disregarded it at first because I'm too tired to just even open my eyes. I have to put a pillow on my ears to block the sound. I don't want to be disturbed right now. Please let me have some rest.

I was relieved when the knockings got weaker and maybe a minute passed by, then the knockings disappeared. Maybe that person already left.

I relaxed a bit and was about to get ready to sleep again when there's another set of knocks on my door.

'Oh good Lord...'

I waited for a bit and expected the person who is knocking to be more impatient then leave me, but that didn't happened at all, instead, the knockings got more and more violent and loud.

What in the goddamn hell?

I slowly opened my eyes and frowned.

Now, who ever the fuck you are, be prepared to be yelled at. You manners -lacking -child -of -a -minty bitch.

I can't even express how much irritated I am right now.

I wore my slippers and walked my strides towards the goddamn door.

The person behind my door is still continuing his fun on knocking on my door.

I can feel my eye lids twitching in rage.

I. Just. Want. To. Rest.

Why can't I have it?!

I violently grasp the doorknob and opened the door. Only to see some fucking mad man with his hands hanging on the air and was really ready to knock another set of knocks on my door.

"Earl..." I mumbled. My eyes are twitching.

"Yo!" He greeted me with a smile. His hand that was on the air a while ago, he raised it to give me a high five. He was smiling like a mad man, expecting me to give him a high five.

I lowered my gaze at him. My head is like spinning from irritation.

"You..." I whispered.

"Huh?" He said.

"What are..." I paused to breathe.

"What?" He lowered his hands down since he may have realized that I wont be giving him any high fives.

My head stayed low.

"Hey? What's wrong?" He leaned his face near my face.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled while still lowering my gaze.

He distanced himself. "Oh, that?" I saw him scratched the back of his head.

He awkwardly laughed. "I have something to show you, hehe." He immediately searched for that thing inside his small bag that wasn't with a while ago.

I waited for him to find that thing. I swear to the gods and goddesses, that thing better be worth a while. Or else...

I don't even want to think of the worst case scenarios as much as possible.

"Here it is. Look at this, Tabiona." He showed me both of his hands that forms a big whole fist because it was intertwined together.

"Where?" I asked patiently. "And it's Tatiana, not Tabiona."

"Whatever." He said.

He smiled and he slowly opened his balled fist.

"Here it is."

I almost screamed my soul out in surprise when a black thing almost hit my face after it flew near me.

He immediately pulled a string that seems to be attached to that black thing.

"What the fuck was that?!" I took a few steps back to distance my self from him.

He bursted from laughing while holding the black thing with his hands. That thing was connected with a thread so he can manipulate where it was going.

"A beetle. I saw it outside the palace." He sneered at me.

Asshole!

"May the fuck be with you, you mother fucking ass hole!" I raised my middle finger at him.

He laughed again as if I was some sort of a jester.

"I promise..." he paused to breathe for a second between his laughs so that he could talk. "Your reactions are really a top tier entertainment for me." He roared another set of laughs.

I turned my fists in to balls. I need to calm down...

I need to calm down...

I... I need to calm down...

"HAHAHAHA! If only you could see how ugly you are when surprised. Even when I first scared you at the cruis—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he was already directly flying down from the second floor to the first.

My eyes are completely blank as I stared at him flying from my kick.

"You dare to mock me?" I could feel the rage that I have stocked for a while now and it is already in the edge of exploding.

I heard a loud thud coming from the ground floor.

This hallway in the second floor sure is wide enough to be walked by three people in total width, but it is not that wide for a single person to push another person out of this floor. So basically, I could literally make another person fall if I want to here.

I walked towards the handrail. I kept my head high while I stared at him on the ground floor, quenching in pain.

"Who gave you the permission to make fool out of me?" I know I already have this deadpan look on me again.

I could hear his muffled voice on the ground. It's as if he was thrown in a really bad position.

And that's not even a thing for me to be guilty about. If he's that mighty like what Sebastian has said, then he could've had avoided my kick and he also could've had prevented himself from landing a bad land. He could have had even made himself stand and land a very safe landing. But I guess Sebastian is bluffing about them, his men, being a skilled enough.

I heard footsteps coming from below.

Seconds later, I saw Nerry, Meeka and Xy going to Earls position. They checked him. They seems to be having a panic on what happened.

Behind them is Eldora. She was quite shocked after seeing what happened to Earl.

It seems that Eldora and the three maid heightened their guards like there was an enemy that has invaded their fortress.

Earl was still in the middle of suppressing his urge to scream in pain. Now he was clutching his hips and knee. The three maid guarded him from three sides.

It really do seems like they assumed there is an enemy that has invaded the palace.

I focused my sight to Earl again who is still in pain.

I don't feel any guilt nor pity for him at all.

All I could feel is a rage for not having enough sleep and being called ugly just right after I woke up.

"You really have a bad vocabulary huh, Earl." The four girls looked at my way. They seemed surprised seeing me there. "Next time, please do take note not to disturb a sleeping person just for a goddamn petty pranks. And also, don't just go calling people ugly. Especially not right after they woke up."

I paused.

"I thought I have lectured you already about being rude. I told you to lessen that hobby of blabbering things without prior thinking about it." I remained expressionless.

I took some steps back. I put my hands on my pockets. "Oh, and don't you worry. That trivial injury from falling won't kill you. Don't panic too much, okay?"

"I'm going to sleep once again. Don't disturb be, a'right?" I said, I am directing it for Earl.

I looked at Eldora. "Eldora, please do consider waking me up before dinner if it's not a bother to you. I won't be having a lunch." I smiled.

She nodded her head and slightly bowed her head at me. "Rest assured."

I nodded as a thanks.

Before I turned my back to them and return to my room, I think I saw Earl subtly smirking.

I just disregarded it, thinking it was just another fuckery that my mind was playing to toy with me.

I went inside my room just before I saw  Sebastian's room opened. I also saw his shocked face right after he saw a glimpse on what was the commotion on the first floor about.

Right before I could even slam my door close, I was shocked to see that his prior shocked expression turns into a subtle smile.

What... what the?

What was that all about. Is Earl smirking not just an hallucination also?

I went to sleep that time being so confused on what was their reactions all about.

________

Earl's POV

I was still in the middle of thinking about what happened earlier when I heard some foot steps.

"Earl..." I heard the room's door creaked open.

I saw Sebastian walking inside the room.

"Sup dude?" I greeted him with a high five which he gladly returned.

"So..." he paused. "Did you confirmed it?" He took a seat besides my bed.

I smirked. "Confirmed. Evidences," I looked into my body. "...clear as a glass." My smirk turns into a chuckle.

"Dude, we might have found a diamond in a rough." I smacked him with a punch at his arm.

The thing I was so curious about while we were in the ship is about Tatiana's strength.

Both me and Sebastian was quite intrigued on how did Tatiana was able to withstood the sleeping gas that we threw on their ship.

Only the Pangea's are supposed to block the effects of that sleeping gas... The Pangea's are the only one who should be able to withstood its effects... But how did she managed to intake the gas without taking it's aftermath?

Then she was being held captive by us. I was shocked to see how calm and unbothered she is. The only thing that spook her that much is my petty prank to her. The only thing that scared her so far is the thought of having a ghost hop in front of her.

I thought that, that is all there is to it. However, when she asked Sebastian to fight her, what shocked the both of me and Sebastian is her fighting style...

There was an old story from our pirates ancestors about the Divine Villainess of Pangea.

They say, that woman came out of nowhere and always engages in any fight, she could also withstand any adversity in front of her. She was the worst enemy, yet the best ally.

I saw him smile. "I'm glad we found her."

I smiled also. "Yeah..."

"We might have a greater chance now that she's here, right?"

"Yeah..."

I patted his shoulders. "We've got this. Trust old Pop's words..."

He smiled. "That we would find our heroine in the right time at the right place." We both said in synch.

That's right...

We might have found her already...

Our heroine.