Ciel sat in a stunned silence for a moment, unsure of how to process these words.
As such, his confusion eventually overpowered his emotions.
“…Avoid the anchor?” Ciel repeated, hardly registering the words that came out.
There were too many questions swirling around his head he didn’t even know where to begin.
Unfortunately, questions were not the only things present.
At the same time a vivid memory surfaced in his mind.
The last memory he would’ve wanted at this moment.
A memory of his father.
The attack had happened without warning.
One minute Holven had stood peacefully.
The next all hell descended upon it.
Ciel was diligently working on basic math problems, when he heard the explosions.
Before he could move his father had prepared to leave, ready at a moment’s notice.
Ciel recalled his small arm quickly reaching out for his father, somehow strong enough to stop his large frame.
His father turned to him, his face brimming with confidence.
He promised Ciel he would finish quickly.
Of course, he had believed him, he believed his father could do anything.
In his immature, stupid head he had believed with all his might.
Ciel quickly clamped onto the memory in his mind and ejected it.
His parents continued talking, but even their tone remained speculative
Hugo sighed, “Yes, avoid the anchor. That’s what he said he would tell you, right before you gained Insight.”
Ciel’s vision blurred, his words hardly louder than a whisper, “Why would he have said that? To tell you…” He looked up at his parents, seeing their concerned expressions.
“Did he know he would die?”
It was the only explanation Ciel could come up with.
He could find no other reason to tell others about a message he would give to his own child years later.
He should’ve given it himself, if he had known for years before.
Unless…
Unless he knew he wouldn’t last long enough to do so.
“No, it’s not like that.” Hugo said immediately, a tad too loudly.
“He would never… he had so much life… he wasn’t the type to…”
Whatever he wanted to say couldn’t fully come out.
Defeated, he slouched down looking at Ciel.
His gaze seemed to pass right through him, like he was reliving his own memories in a desperate attempt to justify his claims.
“He didn’t know.” Jade said confidently, as if trying to convince everyone including herself.
“He would never have done something that would have left you alone like that. After you were born, he even quit the military. He was content with his life, and he was content with you.”
Ciel’s head slowly drooped down, his gaze meeting his lap.
Of course, he knew what they said was true.
He had only ever seen the gentle side of his father.
Ciel had never believed those tales that he heard about his father being a ruthless general on the battlefield.
It was so far
But if he was so content….
With his life and with me…
Why was he so ready to risk his life, the life he was supposedly content with?
Ciel didn’t have the answer, and didn’t want to accept an answer.
His lips slowly curved upward, in a hollow attempt at a smile.
“Avoid the anchor,” he repeated again.
He sounded it out, trying to find meaning in each letter but failing miserably.
Three words.
That’s all he had to say, a decade after his death.
Hugo shifted in his seat.
“We aren’t really sure what he meant either. When we asked, he just said you would know when the time happens. Of course, that doesn’t mean we don’t have ideas, but I’m afraid they might conflict with his real intent. We didn’t want to leave you in the dark about this, but more importantly, we didn’t want to tarnish his message he had for you. Only you will know how important it may be”
Jade sighed, “Well for now, we could only hint at what we think it means.
Hugo tried smiling again, this time doing a little better.
“Don’t worry, Ciel. You’ll get the answers you want in three days. Until then, make sure to stay safe inside the estate.”
Ciel couldn’t bring himself to believe him, but he appreciated his efforts.
Yes, remember, you’re being hunted down right now.
It matters little what Father wanted to tell me if I don’t survive to find out what it means.
Across from him, Jade frowned, her face looking weary.
“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to stay for much longer. Us generals are being run ragged right now, on high alert for any moves made by the Militan-Alloway joint coalition. Regardless, we promise to come back to see you off to the Academy. His eminence WILL let us do that much, at least.”
Jade said this with such certainty that Ciel knew even the king himself wouldn’t go against her.
He smiled softly nodding before getting up.
After a short farewell, he exited the dining room, finding the guards stationed outside as if they hadn’t moved.
He barely noticed them as he returned to his room without another word.
All of Ciel’s plans for the day evaporated as he threw himself back into bed.
His room felt still, almost stiflingly so.
The interrogation had now been rescheduled for even later, so Ciel brooded over all the questions circulating in his head for a while.
His parents had told him what they could for now.
Aurore was still nowhere to be found.
Which only made his worry for her increase.
She’s been nothing but busy recently.
Actually, that was a severe understatement.
She had been busy for over two years now, ever since she joined the academy.
It was only now that she had ascended as a Master that he had noticed.
Even Leo was out at the precinct for the interrogation.
They’re all doing so much, and I can’t do anything but cower around here, fearing for my own life.
Ciel felt humiliated, in a rather twisted way.
Of course, it wasn’t as prominent as his fear, but still present regardless.
As he moved his arms sluggishly to unbutton his shift, Ciel realized he still had another lead.
The guards!
They were either Master or Elite rank, probably high enough to have some intel.
Whether they tell me or not is a different story.
Well… it’s worth a shot.
He quickly sprang out of bed, new energy revitalizing him as he knocked on his door.
After a few seconds, the taller guard opened the door, raising his eyebrow in a questioning manner.
Just the sight of him caused Ciel to hesitate slightly, but his conviction remained steadfast as he asked, “Has there been any updates on the group that attacked me?”
Ciel simply looked at him, silently pleading.
He glanced between the two guards, but their expressions were unreadable.
After an agonizing pause, the taller guard finally spoke.
“There are, but it’s all bad news. The three suspects were captured and taken in for questioning. We were transporting them down to the precinct, but they all ended up dead in transit. As far as we know, they committed suicide through unknown means.”
Suicide?
Was this an oversight by the Watch?
Or were they killed?
Ciel continued pressing for more details.
“What about any other leads? There had to have been other people, they cleared out two streets around me before the attack. They couldn’t have been alone.”
The guard’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he paused even longer before replying, “None were found at the scene”
Ciel sighed inwardly, They’re clearly not telling me everything, but why?!
In fact, there were probably many reasons… but how was Ciel to know if they didn’t tell him?
Despite this he carried on, “Fine, but that doesn’t mean there was no one else. Have any connections been made?”
Before the guard could answer, his partner raised his hand up to clamp down on his shoulder, “Just tell him, Peter. He’ll find out eventually anyways.”
Clearly still against it, Peter glared at his partner angrily.
Taking the hint, his partner took over with an amused look.
“They were mercenaries, hired for this crime. Whoever’s behind it was clearly trying to cover their tracks. We have a few ideas in mind, but nothing conclusive yet.”
So the updates they have is that they covered their tracks extremely well.
The captives were hired from the start, likely by a middleman.
They very well might never have made actual contact with the group.
One of the worst crimes an Insighted can commit is to become a mercenary, and there were three of them!
And to put the nail in the coffin, they had died before they revealed anything.
It was seamless, from start to finish.
Meticulously crafted to avoid any leak of information.
Ciel almost wanted to applaud their methods, if not for the fact they were trying to kill him.
Instead, it only filled him with frustration.
Ciel sighed inwardly, Oh well, can’t expect that much progress in a few hours.
He thanked them, and shut his door as he returned to bed.
In the end, he hadn’t gained much, but that in itself was something.
Their progress so far led him to believe they wouldn’t find more information in the near future.
Ciel was disappointed with the news, but also glad he would receive them.
At the very least, his guards were being cooperative.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he considered doing some exercise to calm himself, but decided against it.
Even with the healing, he was exhausted mentally and emotionally.
Getting into bed again, he tried to settle the loud thoughts that spun through his mind.
Eventually, his eyes began to grow heavy.
As Ciel tried to sleep, his body suddenly jolted awake, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
He stared at his ceiling for a few seconds, almost hearing his heartbeat accelerate.
Strange, maybe I’m still feeling off from that fight.
Sighing self depreciatingly, he tried his best to ignore it and sleep anyway.
Eventually, his willpower won over, and darkness embraced him.
If only it was that simple.