The Mysterious Persona

Natasha was speechless as she stared at her cousin. Of course, she was more than aware that the hairpin went missing after that fateful event, but she wasn't expecting that Diego would be the one to return it-it had completely surpassed her imagination. "Why don't you come in first? You seem exhausted." She stressed, after a brief glimpse at her cousin's tired eyes. "You better have a good enough explanation for this." Diego told her strictly, before stepping into the room. Natasha poked her head out for a bit, in order to ensure that no one was loitering about the corridors, before she closed the door softly. She turned around, only to see Diego comfortably seated, gazing at her as though she has committed an exceedingly grievous offense. 'He sure has a way of making the environment tense.' Natasha thought, as she rubbed her neck. "First of all, could you kindly return that to me?" Natasha inquired as she sat atop her bed, which was directly opposite to where he was seated. Diego rapped his fingers against the arm of the chair In which he was seated. "Not until you start speaking." Natasha sighed. "Alright then. I was indeed with the crown prince. Isn't that exactly what you expected to hear?" She asked, as she crossed her arms across her chest. "This does not regard what I intend to hear, but rather of what pertains to the truth." Diego stated, as he fiddled with the hairpin In his hand. "Is that all you have to make mention of? I doubt highly if all he did was to present this little gift to you." "Why are my affairs so great of a concern to you?" Natasha felt the urge to inquire. "I have a right to move about as I deem fit, do I not?" "I did not say that you didn't." Diego told her, as he gazed at her intently. "Of course, I do not have a say over whoever it is that you associate with." Diego stated, a slight frown forming on his face. "I am only strictly warning you to be careful. I really can not quite comprehend how the crown prince always secures a chance to sneak off with you, but there is a limit to which I can tolerate this attitude." Diego mentioned with a firm tone. Natasha's heart gave a particular jolt; she already understood the underlying signification of that sentence. "But you made a vow that you wouldn't divulge this affair to anyone." Natasha whispered, her head laid low. "And you also vowed to me to never meet up with him again." Diego told her frankly. "I comprehend that it is rather too late to enquire; but I can not avoid myself from asking why." Natasha began. "You do not even have a cause to be dismayed over the rumors that will only spark traces of uncertainty." Natasha said, as she stode over to her dressing mirror. She opened up the drawer ignoring the other items which laid dominantly- rather she focused her attention on a perculiar ring, of which the gem attached to it seemingly sparked with a mysterious glinter. She placed the ring on her palm, knowing fully well that Diego was critically scrutinizing her every movement. Since he had his mind so fixated on the ideology which he had formed. 'Quite a petty ideology' Natasha thought. Then she would have to convince him, in a most dignified manner, that she was beyond capable, to handle the outcome of her circumstances related to her life, and that too without repercussions. "Look here." Natasha called out, after pondering long and hard about the situation she was in. It would be In her best Interests if she somewhat manipulated the tides to be in her favor. Diego stared at the ring, which she had brought into his line of sight. "I believe that this requires no introductions." She stated, in an almost arrogant manner. Of course, Diego recognized that artifact. A Magic Stone, capable of altering the physical characteristics of those who were privileged to afford it, and it was worth a huge sum. Even all the the valuable assets in the Raymond Estate could not measure up to that petite, yet sophisticated item. "Who could possibly recognize us If we made an appearance as a random stranger?" She inquired. Diego squinted his eyes-this woman had played her card wisely, and it was a wild one. But as behooveful as it may sound, it came along with its own quirks. For instance, although it could alter one physique in Accordance to how the individual wishes himself to be seen: even of it has to be of the opposite gender, it unfortunately did not possess the magical power to withhold such a transformation, irregardless of the magical fortitude of the bearer, or the user's adeptness. And additionally there was another- the eye color of the bearer could not be changed. This was exceedingly problematic, as the disguise would immediately fall apart, especially for those whose eye color tended to captivate. Even the overwhelming capital which would be spent, was also a disaster In itself. Rather than going bankrupt, was it not a much wiser decision to Leave it be?

 "Section three clause twenty one." Diego suddenly said, a statement which puzzled Natasha. Were they diving into legal terms now? "Magic is an element considered a resource In itself, and should not be violated; any aberration towards the utilization of Magic will attract, physical sanctioning." Diego concluded, as he reclined further into the chair he was sitting. Natasha's eyebrow twitched- it seemed like the man called upon her with the hidden agenda of making her sleep out the night. Deciphering the clause he made mention of earlier on, in layman's terms, was going to be something akin of, saying that she misused Magic. She sighed as she went back to seat on her bed- she was being quite foolish if she had the belief that Diego was going to let her off so easily. "Is it within your intentions to punish me?" Natasha whispered. "I beg your pardon?" Diego inquired, as he raised a brow. "You are an integral member of the council, you have all the rights to penalize me." Natasha told him. At this point, Diego smiled. "If I harbored such thoughts, I would have surely informed your parents of this affair long ago, rather than playing the role of accomplice." He admitted. "And will they not inquire, why the valuable that was entrusted to me so dearly was in your possession? Not to make mention of the fact that you duplicated it, and presented the other half to the crown prince." Diego commented, while he cracked his fingers. "What vocation does the crown prince occupy you with, by the way? Do tell; I am lightly intrigued by it." Diego enquired. "Nothing much that would be to your fascination, I believe." Natasha said, as she seemingly gazed into the distance. "We just stumble around town, listening to the opinions of the civilians mostly of their grievances, though. He had formulated this ideology that in order for him to be more of an effective ruler, he has to possess an in depth comprehension of the people he would govern in the future." Natasha elaborated exhaustively. One of the reasons why she had agreed to be his aide, because for the first time, she had met an individual with the same lofty idea as she- to ensure a steady future for the empire. "This, I understand, but did he have to include you as well?" Natasha gazed at her cousin In surprise- even she had not thought about the reason he approached her for this. "I believe.. It may be due to the trust that he has vested in me." She said softly. At the end of it all, it just came down to trust, or so she thought? "Well, I am willing to turn a blind eye to this just this once." Diego said, with a wink. Natasha stared at him, her mouth agape. "Isn't this dereliction of duty? The council is bound to discover eventually, and the the least incident I would want to occur Is you getting into a tight spot for my sake." She said the latter in a low tone, feeling somewhat guilty about it all. Her cousin chuckled silently to himself. "And how will they seek to find out, If I may inquire?" Diego asked her. Natasha felt her head spin slightly. "But are you not treading the path of corruption, if you stand firmly by this decision of yours?" She asked him. "Not quite. In a sense, what you did isn't completely illegal, since you and the crown prince deemed such an action as necessary for the benefit of the empire." He emphasized. "Also, if it were to be his imperial majesty and his royal highness in such ascenario, they would have applied similar tactics as well; Worst case scenario, his highness may be placed on probation. " He added. "So there is no need for you to worry yourself unnecessarily." He added. "Thank, you , Diego." Natasha muttered quietly, of which Diego nodded. "I am going to need my ring back, though." He demanded , as he carefully placed the hairpin back on her hands. As he did, Natasha took off the ring, returning it to his rightful owner. "Well, let's make a proficient Use of the remaining hours of the night." Natasha told him, as she slipped back into her bed. "And the other half of the magical stone.. " Diego began, as he turned towards the door. "I will recall it, unfailingly. " She added. "I will be expectant in that case ." Diego said, closing the door gently after bidding her goodnight. "I will stand by my word, Diego. I really would cease to see him again." Natasha thought to herself, as she laid on her bed that night.

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 The butterflies danced around blissfully amongst the flowers. And at the Grey barn, strode in a certain adult, in the company of Two small children. While the two children chattered excitedly amongst themselves, the adult had an obvious scowl On his face. To him, this was more likely of a disturbance, or rather an intrusion of some sorts. "There he is!" Leonia recognized her pony right away( was it not one of the first sheds, by the way?) "Marshmellow." She muttered silently to herself, while while giving the pony a gentle stroke. The horse in turn rubbed his head against her small palm affectionately, clearly enjoying the attention. Theodore could only flinch at the mere mention of that Name. If it hadn't been for Diego insisting that this particular foal be under Leonia's care, goodness knew that he would have claimed it for himself. "May we leave now?" He inquired, as he gazed at the two children, who had their full attention on the foal. "Can we girdle it?" Leonia asked quietly, as she gazed at her cousin with pitiful eyes. Theodore sighed.

 Not too long afterwards, the three individuals, and of course the foal could be seen walking slowly from the steep slope. Theodore was the one that meticulously guided the foal, its harness in its hand. Of course, he was much more wiser than to permit the eight year old to ride in such terrains to the manor. "I am beyond capable of riding by myself, you know." Leonia complained; while pouting her lips. The much smaller Morris was seated in front of her, his hands grasping firmly the harness of the foal, while Leonia had gingerly placed her hands on his shoulders. "And risk either one of you breaking an arm or a leg? No, thank you." Theodore said, as he briefly glanced at the child. He had long learnt to avoid such circumstances that would make him seem like an irresponsible adult. "Also, your Marshmellow isn't quite strong enough to tread upon such precarious terrain, not without assistance, that is." Theodore explained, before turning to the latter once more, with a look of vexation. "Could you not have summoned Egiel for this?" "Egiel was busy when I called upon him." Leonia said. "You were the only person who was not currently occupied at the moment." She pressed on. "While that may be true, I still like to treasure My free time." Theodore explained in a cordial tone. "So Theodore, are most of the horses we saw at the barn truly in your possession?" Morris interrogated with sparkling eyes, as he envisioned all the horses he saw at the barn earlier. "Most of them are, but not all." Theodore replied, in an arrogant tone. "Most some others are for Diego and.." "Hey." Leonia interrupted, as they approached the manor. "Isn't that brother and Diane down there?" She said, while pointing, causing Theodore and Morrris to look at the direction In which she pointed.

 "Again." Diego said, in a solemn voice. The location in which they chose was not too terrible either, since the canopy of trees provided a sort of solace from the immense heat of the sun. Diane, her hair packed into pony tail, huffed heavily while sweat trailed down her face. She charged in once more, only to have her blade parried effortlessly. "Remember Diane, Proxemics." Diego voiced out, as he slightly stepped out Of Diane's striking range. "How is it that you do not feel ... the slightest bit of fatigue?" Diane inquired as she huffed repeatedly, while her sword trembled In her grasp. "My body has Long become accustomed to such vigor." Diego simply responded. "To be an effective swordsman, you will need to possess enough endurance. An in depth knowledge of your opponent, as well as their fighting styles, is also a necessary perquisites." Diego expantiated. "Just as, you have been interpreting my every move before I could even execute them?" Diane inquired, as she rose up from the where she sat with a slight smile. "That is only because you made yourself easy to read. And you always tend to leave open a defense before you strike." Diego explained. "And I initially realized something else." He commented, as he walked up to her. "What?" Diane mumbled in confusion, as the man suddenly stood before her, while gazing at her seriously. He did not respond, but lightly lifted her chin up with his hand, before releasing it again. "Bad posture." He mumbled to himself. "Your wrists must be aching by now, are they not?" He inquired. He was right. Was this training session to continue for the day, Diane feared that her wrists may likely earned up in a bad shape; they were already swollen and red. "This is the way you hold your sword, and this is the manner of which I hold mine." Diego illustrated. In his while Diego held his in a more simplistic manner, and more firmly; that of Diane appeared to be quite loose. "In this sense your hands are bearing the full weight of the Blade, causing your attacks to be quite loose and predictable. This also explains the reason as to why your lunges are so easily deflectable." "I see." Diane mused. But before she could enquire further, she heard the sound of Morris's voice. She glanced Southward, and there was her brother waving to her with his companions.

"Sister!" He exclaimed excitedly, while leaving into her arms, as soon as Theodore aided him in highlighting from the foal. Diane patted his head softly- it hadn't been too long since they had last met. "Leonia?" She turned to the latter, as she opened her arms for an embrace. But the latter recoiled into her brother's shadow. "Forgive me Diane; but you are perspiring rather unpleasantly at the moment." She replied curtly, while poking her small head from behind her brother's back. "You shouldn't blame the child, Diane- she is obsessed with cleanliness, just like her elder brother." Theodore quipped in, while he patted the head of the foal softly. Diane smiled at his statement, she was aware that the latter had only made such an utterance so she would not feel bad. "Ah, so this is marshmellow?" Diane said, as she strode up to the foal. The beast looked far more graceful in the daylight rather than in the barn. "Such a magnificent creature." She said, as she scratched the back of its ears gingerly. "I wonder how it would look like when it eventually matures?" She inquired, as she turned to Theodore. She was aware that the foal was a product of Theodore's cross breeding. "The same as it looks, at the moment." Diego suddenly quipped In. For some reason, Morris was seated on his shoulder. "Such a joy kill." Theodore muttered irritatedly under his breath. "Come again?" Diego suddenly said, causing Theodore to flinch. Did his cousin possess ultra sound hearing? "Ahem.. I was just about to inform Diane that although it may loose some of its features, it would still look magnificent nonetheless." He asserted, with an arrogant look on his face. "Children, could you kindly excuse us for some seconds? We adults have something confidential to discuss about." Diego stated. "No! Not right now!" Morris resisted when Diego was about to drop him, clutching harder to his Locks. "Yes, right at this very instant." Diego played along. Through much coercion and persuasion, the children eventually left, dragging their most prized possession along with them. "Diane, you got to that end and do some practice swings." Diego instructed her, as he pointed southwards. "Even I am not permitted to eavesdrop?" She inquired, in a slightly confused tone. "Not on this occasion you are not." Diego responded to her curtly. "Alright then; I shall do according to your bidding." She uttered, although she directed an unusual glance to both men before she departed from their presence.

 "So, how do you like your new sword?" Theodore inquired, as he gazed at the sword that laid around idly on Diego's waist. "It is more effective than I thought it be; I believe I would prefer these one to the one which I previously used." Diego commented. "And yet you complained that I did not present to you a more noteworthy gift." Theodore stated with a smirk on his face, but Diego ignored him. "You make quite an excellent instructor." Theodore praised, as he glanced over at the Area where Diane trained in solitude. "So, what was it that you wanted to discuss about?"

 "Hiyaah!" Diane yelled out, as she swung her blade in a downward motion, and the sound of the sword slashing through the air came to her hearing. She exhaled a puff of air, before glancing to over to where both men stood conversing. "Does he so strongly believe that I am a child, and can not stand in their midst as they discuss?" She said to no one In particular, as she slashed her swords sideways with much agitation. She was about to slash her sword downward again, when something caught the corner of her eyes. She was a bit far away, so she could not really differentiate If it was a sort of bird, but she could tell that there was something unusual about that tree. Just as she was about to conduct her personal investigation, Diego suddenly called out to her. "Where are you going, Diane?!" "Oh, I- my legs feel cramped, so I was going to walk about a bit." Diane responded, thinking that Diego was overly conscious of her movements. Could the man not permit her to roam about in peace? She noticed Theodore muttering something before chuckling, of which Diego replied to before consenting to her departure.

 As Diane approached the tree, she subconsciously glanced back; but both men still seemed to be engrossed in their conversation, as they seemed not to have noticed anything. Maybe she could have told one of them to accompany her? But she shook her head at that thought. She felt the inclination to run back, when she got the exact details of who was on the tree. Perched, or rather lying on the tree, dressed in all black, was a Man, of which Diane had never seen before. Although his clothing didn't appear to cost a fortune, they still appeared decent on the one who wore them irregardless. The persona was content in his slumber, completey unaware of the damsel who stared upward at him.

 Foolish as it may sound, Diane did not feel any sort of apprehension as she faced him. Mayhap it was because she had her sword by her side? A blade she wasn't even proficient In?

"Ahem." She began by clearing her throat loudly. She hoped that that would be good enough to stir him, but the man did not so much as flinch. Feeling infuriated, she picked up a small pebble and threw it at him, without any regards for the consequences. The Man grunted before opening his eyes, and saw the lady giving him an upfront stare, without any fear in her eyes. "And who might you be?" The man inquired In a drawling voice. "I ought to be the one to pose that question." Diane replied. "You do realise that you have encroached on private property?" A playful smile came to the man's lips. "Of what value Is this information to me, when I am well acquainted with the master of this estate?" Diane was slightly stunned by what the man said. No one in the family had ever introduced her to such a person- what if he were to be an imposter? "You cannot fool me." Diane said, as a slight frown came to her face. "I believe I was gracious to you for not even alerting anyone about there being a hidden threat. I will do that right away." She told him. "Go ahead then; go and inform whoever it is you want." The man lazily said. Diane was about to move, but found that she could not; it was as though her legs were rooted to the spot. "How highly unusual." The figure muttered, as he slid down from the tree. Only when he approached her, did Diane feel a bit of fear. But the man simply held her chin upwards, and stared at her blue orbs with those black eyes of his. "So you are the one.." The man muttered, as he released her. "Diane!" She heard a familiar voice call. She whipped around, discovering that she had gained control of her body once more. Theodore and Diego walked up to her. "Diego, there is someone here, he.." Diane began. Diego glanced at her with a perplexed expression. "Where?" Diego asked. Diane glanced at the spot the man initially stood-but he seemed to have went with the wind. "He was.." She tried to get the words out, but for some reason, her tongue seemed to go numb whenever she thought of the occurrence. "Diane, there is none present here." Diego assured her In a firm attitude. "Perharps the heat has gotten to her?" Theodore quipped in. "We should probably head back indoors." Diego agreed, as they pulled the reluctant Diane along with them. They failed to notice the presence of the man who sat in a tree, observing the whole incident with a bored expression. "It is indeed unusual." He muttered once more, as he took a bite from the apple in his hands.