The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human (16 page)

Before long, raised voices came from the princess's tent, so loud they drowned out the noise of the soldiers bustling about. I wished they would quiet down so Ciel could sleep.

They didn't and, eventually, I got tired of them. I lifted myself and Ciel from the bench, and I walked up to the tent flap to ask them if they could talk in a more polite and calm way.

A sound of the table being pounded by a fist jolted me and stopped me in my tracks.

“No!” the princess said. “You will have them stop immediately. If your magicians cannot be bothered to obey a simple command restricting their use of fire, then they are better off assisting the refugees in Arehan."

Curious, I peeked through the gap in the flap and saw Prince Kale lay his hand on the princess’s cheek. “Well, my little dove. Talking to me like this is highly inappropriate.”

The princess slapped his hand away. “Indeed. I am quite appalled you do not see how you are behaving like an uneducated brigand.”

Kale smiled. “Unless you want to trade with those savages from the republic, I suggest you silence yourself and think about how you can please me in bed.”

Wow
, Codex whispered. 
He’s something special. Do you want to stab something sharp in his groin? Like your halberd?

The princess clenched the hilt of her sword. “I promise you, 
Kale
, I shall do everything within my power to ensure that the two of us are not married. If I see you in my camp again, there will be consequences. Get out."

Kale ignored the visible threat and shrugged. “My little Yuriana, the Imperium’s mercy is the only reason Lodina is still an independent kingdom. You wouldn’t last a single day here without my magicians.” He stepped closer to the princess, their noses almost touching. “And I doubt there is anyone in your small kingdom who could stop our planned marriage. You are all talk, just like any other woman.” With a smile painted on his face, he headed to the exit. “Oh, and you should be honored. Be grateful that I consider you worth marrying.”

The prince pushed aside the tent flap. I wasn't able to move fast enough, and, as he stepped outside, our eyes met.

I backed away to let him pass.

He didn't.

Instead, he stopped before me. His sword rattled in its scabbard, threatening to work its way out, until the prince laid his hand on it and silenced it.

With his weapon tamed, he winked. “Well, aren't you just simply gorgeous. I am Prince Kale, the third son of the Legerement Emperor. It is a pleasure to meet someone of your beauty. May I have your name?”

“Narius,” I replied, focusing on his sword. There was no mistake. The sword was identical to the ones carried by Lord Arudi’s flock. 
How did he get—

The prince walked up to me until only Ciel was between us. “Well, it would be quite a change to pleasure an angel. Do you have a moment? I wish to question you in private. I am sure we will get to know each other very well.”

"I... I don't know. I need to see the princess."

"A woman of your beauty? Please... There are better ways of spending your time."

Feeling a bit uneasy, I thought about flying away. At that moment, though, Emily coughed and drew the prince’s attention, her staff glowing. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The prince turned to face Emily. “My, my, you are almost as pretty as my servant girls. And your name would be?”

“None of your damn business.”

“Oh? Why are you so protective of the angel?" the prince asked. "Are you her lover? Is that why she is so uncomfortable? Do you ladies need a strong man to fix the two of you?”

Emily bared her teeth. “I suggest you leave before I freeze something in a way that it will never thaw.”

The prince raised his hand and walked away, turning his head for an instant to wink at me. “Someone is a bit upset. Narius, we shall talk again, under more favorable circumstances.”

Relieved the prince went away, I looked back into the tent where the princess had sunk into a chair. She covered her face with her hands. “Such arrogance," she muttered to herself. "I am going to wring his neck. Bloody fart, I hope you have diarrhea.”

Seeing as she was done with her last guest, I stepped inside, my wings brushing against the flaps.

The princess, without bothering to look up, hollered, “I told you to leave. Or is your shriveled-up skull so thick that you cannot even understand—" She looked up at me, and the hatred on her face was replaced with suspicion. “Who are you?”

“It’s Narius,” Emily said, pushing the tent flat and entering after me.

The princess rose from her seat and strode up to me, her blue eyes looking down at my thighs then at my chest. “How?”

Emily twirled the feathered necklace, eyes twitching. “He ate a magical apple he shouldn’t have.”

The suspicion in the princess's eyes disappeared. “I see. Maybe I can feed one to a certain womanizer and see how he reacts.” She clasped her hands behind her back and gazed at Ciel with curiosity. “But that is my predicament… who do you have in your arms?”

“She’s a dryad, the one controlling the forest,” I answered.

“Impossible, the reports said it was an adult male elf.”

“What grown male? Never mind. Talk to her yourself.” I shook my arm, and the dryad stirred awake, staring at me with her little brown eyes. I lowered her to her feet and let out a sigh of relief at my new-found freedom.

Ciel rubbed her eyes and gazed at the princess, her eyes now filled with anger. “Are you the one who’s keeping the humans here?”

“Yes, I am in command here.”

“Good. Then I can tell you what to do.”

“Sorry?”

Ciel pointed outside the tent. “Stop killing the trees! They are alive and have feelings!"

The princess frowned. “I cannot. It is vital to the kingdom that I keep this road clear for trade. Even the smallest disruption can cause severe repercussions to the economy, and I cannot risk the prince coming back to 'help' me.”

Ciel revealed her true legs and raised her fists at the princess. “I don’t know who this Economy is, but if you don’t stop, I’ll send big scary trees that won't burn or be chopped down so easily. I'll send everything I have! Even saplings draped with poison ivy!”

The princess glowered down at the dryad. “I do not have the patience to deal with this right now. If you insist on threatening my efforts here, I will make sure you do not leave this place. The forest is one of the most important resources in the kingdom, and I will do everything in my power to preserve it! Even if I need to destroy half of the forest.”

Emily paled, and she stepped between the feuding pair. “Your Highness, wait. I’m sure Ciel means no offence. Let’s just calm down a little. We just need to work…”

The Codex sighed, drowning out Emily’s voice. 
Well, this is about to explode in our faces.

Why? Emily’s in control.

For now. Sooner or later, though, it will get worse. But do not fret, my pretty innocent angel. I have a solution.

You do?

Of course. A heroine always appears in desperate times with a magical solution.

Really?

When have I ever lied to you? Just listen and parrot the words I say.

I nodded. Clearing my throat, I got the attention of the bickering trio and the dryad and repeated the Codex’s wise words. “Ciel, I know that you want to talk to your father, but it is important that the road stays open. Otherwise, people would starve.”

“No! Not after what I just saw. Economy can be hungry for all I care.”

“But then those who get their food from the road wouldn’t be able to get excited at night.”

“What?”

“Well you see… when two people or more are in a private place by themselves with no one watching, they remove their cumbersome clothing to hug each other and work out. Their sticky, sweaty bodies slide against one another."

Emily blushed, and the princess suddenly focused her attention on the map.

Ciel, on the other hand, smiled. “Like what you and Emily were doing last night?”

“Precisely.” 
Wait, what did I do last night?

Nothing to write home about.

Ciel bobbed her head. “The two of you sounded like you were having fun, and it would be mean to take that away from other people, but I do need to send a message to Father.” Ciel pouted and placed a finger against her chin. “Let me think about it.”

Good,
 the Codex said. 
Now that the small fish is taken care of, face the human that looks like your mother.

I obeyed the voice inside my head and thrust my hand towards the princess. “And you, Astreal’s doppelganger, you don’t have any say in this. Judging by the way things are right now, you are going to get squashed by the forest. In fact, if the little dryad realizes you can’t stop her, the entire road will be covered in a matter of hours, and I know you are already having difficulty keeping just this part of the road clear.”

Emily glared at me. “What’s wrong with you, Narius? That’s the princess you are talking to. Show some respect!” Then she blinked her eyes a few times. “No. Hold on a second. Something's off. You sound different. You actually sound intelligent.”

Brushing away her inaccurate comment, I continued to repeat the Codex’s words. “Of course, you could burn down the forest and destroy parts of it, but you don’t want to do that, do you? The fire would just as easily get out of hand and harm your precious lumber industry.”

The princess’s face twitched. “So what are you proposing, angel?”

I shrugged. “You will have to trust each other. The dryad will stop the trees from touching your roads, and you will stop chopping them.”

“Fair enough.”

Ciel tugged at my wing. “But what about getting my trees to search for my father? I can’t stray too far from my home unless I'm in a forest.”

I pointed at the princess and allowed the Codex’s flawless logic to flow out of my lips. “The nice lady, whose face reminds me of the archangel who failed at her son’s education, can use her connections and resources to help find your daddy. I mean, really, who teaches her son that hugging someone else in bed makes cherubs?”

I fingered and spun my hair. 
They don’t?

Ciel narrowed her eyes and joined me in my confusion. “Huh?”

“Well, you see, when Narius was a young boy, just when he had gotten me, Astreal—" I closed my mouth. 
This doesn’t really seem relevant, and I am sure mother taught me everything important.

Ha!

Before I had the chance to ask what she meant, Emily raised an eyebrow and stared at me with concern. “There is something wrong with you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Narius,” I said.

“You just referred to yourself as 'Narius.'" Emily closed her eyes and exhaled. "Let me guess. The Codex is behind this, isn’t she?” Shaking her head, she turned to face the princess. “Your Highness, this is a terrible idea, and I’m truly sorry we troubled you like this. Please forget what you have heard and forgive this idiot. She... err... he doesn’t mean to offend you.”

Yuriana laughed and flashed me a smile. “No, this is the most reasonable proposal I have heard today.” She gave me a curt nod. “Angel, you have my word that no harm will befall your friend. And I apologize. It was un-lady like of me to blackmail the two of you in the first place.” Turning to Ciel, she lowered her head and gave a small bow. “As for you, young lady, I apologize as well. I was in a foul mood and was not in the right state of mind. I hope you will forgive me and allow me to search for your father on your behalf.”

Ciel glanced at the princess, then at me, appearing confused. She quickly lowered her head, mirroring the princess. "I’m sorry, too. I-I’ll stop the trees from bothering you and let you do fun things at night.”

The princess chuckled. “Thank you. And if you are interested, I might have already located your father.”

Ciel’s ears perked up. “Really?”

“Yes. A silver-haired elf carrying a black book. At the time, I suspected that he was an elf, but now it seems that he would most likely be a dryad.”

Ciel scratched her head. “But he has brown hair like me, and he should already be at the smoldering desert.”

An image of Mafis flashed in my mind. I grabbed the princess by the shoulders. “Where did you see him?”

The princess’s body tensed. “Well, the report said he was traveling south, not too far from here, heading towards the capital.”

Excited by the news, I hugged her, and felt her heart beat with mine. “This is wonderful. So we were going the right way even if it was to retrieve the missing half of the book. Thank you.” I placed my hands on her cheeks and gazed into her eyes. "Thank you."

The princess held her breath and tried to inch away, but I held her firmly, slowly moving to kiss her.

“No you don’t!” Emily shouted. She grabbed my dress and yanked me back, almost making me fall onto my wings.

The princess, her hair now tangled as if a bird had nestled in it, blushed.

"Something wrong?" My voice was different, yet familiar. I looked down at myself. The large bumps in my chest had disappeared, and the dress tugged away at my skin as it was ripped apart by my now larger body, especially at my waist and shoulders. Curious, I pulled up the bottom of my dress and saw my old friend.