31. I understand

We woke up in our room at Asanor Manor, Grant and I. The curtains swayed in the open window, letting the morning breeze into the bedroom. The sun wasn't high enough, so we guessed breakfast hadn't started yet.

“I'm hungry,” I jumped out of bed and looked for my slippers.

“You've just died, but you're still thinking about food?” Circul Junior stared apathetically at the ceiling, not making the slightest movement towards the kitchen or dining room.

“People even take food to the graves. Don't tell me ghosts don't want to eat too.”

“Yes, you'd make a perfect undead ghost,” the guy said melancholically.

I glanced into the mirror. I looked like a creature from the underworld, with my tattered hair and sleepy appearance.

“But I'm not stupid, unlike some people. If you ever kill me in real life, I'll haunt you with that look and accuse you of not knowing where the heart is,” I said to the president's son, angry that my death wasn't as quick as his.

Grant grinned and stood up. He walked to the wardrobe, unbuttoning his shirt on the way.

I turned away as soon as his bare back was revealed. It wasn't that I was embarrassed, but Circul had a well-built figure and it was obvious that he hadn't skipped physical training at the military academy. I didn't want him to catch me looking at him; he would surely make some sarcastic remark about me.

“Did it hurt?” he asked, fastening the buttons of his new shirt.

I'd been brushing my hair before, occasionally squinting at the guy's reflection in the mirror, but now my hand was hovering and I frowned, remembering the last few minutes in Oblivion.

“You know, surprisingly, no. You told me it was going to hurt a lot. Why wasn't it?”

“So the elixir worked.”

“What was that elixir, anyway?”

“Painkiller.”

“What? You gave it to me, and you? Did you feel the pain?”

Grant shrugged his shoulders in silence and walked into the bathroom, the chain dragging behind him, sliding along the pile of the carpet.

I sat in front of the mirror with a lost look on my face until Circul returned. On the one hand, I was glad that he had done me the decent thing, that I had died easily and without pain, but on the other hand, I was alarmed.

Why was he so kind? I would never have offered him painkillers, I would have enjoyed every second of his suffering.

“You'd better get dressed. I suppose you're not hungry anymore,” the guy stood in the bathroom doorway, his shoulder leaning against the doorjamb.

I stirred, banishing any speculation as to the possible reasons for my enemy's generosity, and looked around for my belongings.

Our night's shopping was neatly stacked by the door. I unwrapped them with anticipation, already imagining the shocking sight I would have to feed the inhabitants of the house for breakfast.

After I'd dressed, Grant gave me a meaningful look, but said nothing, although it was obvious he was tempted to twist a finger at a temple and ask me to change.

But he seemed to have something more important on his mind, so he didn't dwell on my appearance, and as soon as I'd finished the last plait, he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the stairs to the ground floor.

Much to my disappointment, we did not go straight to the dining room, but to the living room, where the voices of the president and the Minister of Defence could be heard.

“Father, why? Why did you send us to Oblivion? Why did you let me see her again?” the guy immediately attacked Rizor with an accusatory speech.

Circul Senior didn't show any surprise, but it was noticeable as a shadow fell across his face - though it might just have been a cloud obscuring the sun.

“Didn't you want to do it yourself last night? How much of my money have you invested in this so-called ‘Hole’? Grant, I'm beginning to think that you lied to me when you told me that you weren't allowed to attend field practice. You didn't have to leave the Academy. I'm already regretting giving you that expensive yacht, which you sold three days later.”

“Is money all you care about?” Grant clenched his hands into fists.

“I care about your future,” the head of the country stood up, the aura of power sending shivers down my spine.

His son, however, only turned away from his father and walked back to the window in silent surrender. But from the way his shoulders hunched, it looked like he was barely holding back his anger.

“Why did you bring this girl to my house?” Klaster Asanor asked suddenly.

I glanced at his face and backed away towards Circul Junior, so much open hatred burned in the minister's eyes.

“She's linked to my son, how could I leave her behind?” Rizor also gave me a threatening look.

“Your son is always welcome in this house, but not this one...” Asanor stopped halfway through his sentence.

I couldn't understand why the grey-haired man who looked at me so angrily didn't like me, and I gripped to the president's son's shoulder, hiding my gaze. Grant seemed almost like a kindred enemy, fervently loved and understood. Unlike his relatives.

“Once the bomb is removed, you won't see her again...” Circul Senior hurriedly led his brother out of the living room. Their voices could be heard in the hallway for a while before the front door slammed shut.

“Sick of it all!” the guy shuddered and tore the curtain away, ripping it from the eaves.

The pegs crashed to the parquet with a clatter.

I picked up the curtain from the floor and hung it on the chair, stalling as I tried to find the right words to say. I seemed to understand Grant's pain. I was still reeling from the sight of Rizor, the one who'd sent us into Oblivion.

My hatred for the president grew from day to day. The desire to take revenge on him became more than a whim, it became a craving.

Circul Junior reached for the second curtain, and although I shared his desire to smash and break things, I felt sorry for the local cleaners and butler.

“Calm down,” I stopped his hand.

“What do you know?” the guy shouted.

“Everything. I understand everything, Grant,” I said quietly, looking into his eyes and holding his right hand.

I understand.