I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 124

Brother and sister, my ass!

These were the thoughts of Abigail Capala as soon as she entered her bedroom. After having a long night, she had returned to her room expecting to be able to get a long rest, but what she found instead was a man in her room, and her lady-in-waiting, her cousin, in his arms. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. She had never been that close to a man. Even her father had never held her that close. When she recognized the face of the man, she was even more surprised.

She quickly closed the door so no one noticed his presence. He was certainly a surprise. She had been under the impression he was dead. Yet, not only was he alive, but he also managed to enter her bedroom without alerting any guards. At least, as the lady of the household, she certainly hadn’t invited any men into her mansion, let alone this room.

She could only chide security for becoming so lax over the years. No, she couldn’t even blame them. She had to let go of so many due to financial constraints. The only staff still working there were those too old and loyal to leave. Most of them are living on coins at this point, and even then, her coffers would be empty by the end of the year. Managing the medicinal fields had turned out to be more difficult than she had ever predicted, and no matter what she did, crops continued to fail at an alarming rate. Of her two greatest worries, the crops were at the top.

The second was the push to see her married. Yet, Abigail was stubborn so she had cut a deal with her uncle. She would select the man who won the tournament this year as her husband. He was confident in his son’s martial prowess, and so he eagerly agreed, but Abigail had known from the start that he had always had an eye on merging this branch with his own. By marrying Abigail into his family, his branch would gain more power, and even a bit of a connection to the main branch.

However, if Abigail allowed this, she would lose all autonomy. She knew she’d just become an extension of her uncle’s power, and would no longer have any say in how her life progressed. The tournament was her desperate last chance. Perhaps, some other man would win and even though she’d still likely lose her autonomy, it would at least keep her from becoming a pawn of her family. If she married someone from one of the other houses, she’d still be a chess piece, but perhaps one on a larger playing board. At this point, it was the best she could hope for.

Perhaps, that’s why she envied this cousin of hers so much. Mara didn’t have to worry about such things. No one even knew of her existence besides Abigail and her Steward. How freeing would it be to give your heart to some simple farmer’s boy and even meet with him for a nightly rendezvous? No consequences, no worries.

Abigail couldn’t help but sigh. Unfortunately, there were consequences, and it was Abigail who had to bear them all. She didn’t resent this cousin of hers. She merely envied her a bit. Her expression grew more serious, and as Mara realized the situation, she pulled away from Spirit with an embarrassed expression on her face.

“My lady.” Mara declared, lowering her head.

“Do you always barge into rooms like this?” Spirit asked, looking slightly annoyed.

Abigail’s face flashed with anger, but it was Mara who grabbed his shoulder and spoke first. “I’m sorry, Brother. This is her room. I’m the one intruding.”

Spirit blinked in surprise. “Really? Why?”

Abigail noticed that he didn’t apologize at all.

Mara grew even more embarrassed. “My room has no windows, and the walls are very thin so I was afraid someone would hear us…”

Abigail’s mouth couldn’t help but fall open. Hear them? She had walked in on them embarrassing. Did this cousin of hers intend to… to… embrace him… on her bed? Abigail was mortified, and for the first time, she felt genuinely angry and betrayed by her cousin. However, Abigail had long since gotten control of her fury. Expression turned cold instead.

“Mara, sneaking a man into the Capala Residential after hours is both dangerous and disrespectful.”

Mara seemed to realize what she was saying, and she let out a gasp. “N-no! That’s not it. I heard… I heard he died!”

Abigail couldn’t stop herself from wincing slightly. She was hoping Mara didn’t notice, but another voice spoke up, crushing her hope.

“You had already heard it.” Spirit declared. “How long ago, I wonder.”

Mara’s eyes widened in shock, and Abigail couldn’t help but feel a spike of guilt. “About… a month ago. I sent someone to keep a watch on him.”

“You knew all this time?” Mara’s eyes teared up again, and a hurt expression appeared on her face.

Abigail couldn’t help but wince more. She had just wanted to protect her from the shock of his death until a little more time passed and she was more settled. She had even let the rumor slip to her staff so that Mara could find out naturally. She never would have guessed that Spirit would choose to contact her right after she found out.

Although Abigail was guilty, she also couldn’t help but feel a bit wronged. After all, Spirit also should have known that there were rumors of his death, yet he chose to hide for nearly a month without contact too. Yet, she was getting blamed. This was truly the power of a woman in love. She saw no fault in her man. Abigail still understood she was wrong too. With a small sigh, she nodded to herself and put on a face of repetency.

“I take responsibility. I’m sorry. You already lost your parents. I was afraid that if you lost your love… ahem, brother too, that you wouldn’t be able to recover. I was hoping for us to grow closer so that you wouldn’t feel you were all alone by the time you found out.”

Mara’s expression softened, and she even put on a smile. “Abby.”

Abby was a nickname that she only let people close to her call her. She had told Mara once to just call her Abby hoping to bridge the distance between them. Up until that point, Mara had only called her Lady Capala or my lady. This was the first time she used her first name. Abigail couldn’t help but feel a surge of warmth.

“Mara…” She responded.

The two cousins embraced, and Abigail felt her heart settling reconfirming that she had at least one person she could call a friend and family. Other than this one event, Mara had been a perfect lady-in-waiting. She was quick-witted and hard-working, and Abigail had truly begun to appreciate her companionship, especially since she was the only person in the household within her age group. The two had even spent a few nights in bed together sharing secrets. It was enough she was willing to overlook this completely.

“Ahem.” Spirit cleared his throat as the two girls hugged. “It seems like everything is fine for now. I’ll be heading out.”

Abigail pulled away from Mara and then approached Spirit. “That is easier said than done. Mara may have helped you sneak in, but it’s trickier now. A man can’t be seen leaving my residence this late at night. Especially with me looking for a husband, such a thing would destroy my reputation.”

“Mara didn’t help-“

Abigail sniffed upon getting closer. “Is that… alcohol? You’re drunk?”

“I-I had a drink or two…”

Spirit winced as he glanced at the curious-looking Mara, but that look was all Abigail needed to confirm it was true. This guy was something else. Not only was he some basic farmer chasing after a noblewoman as beautiful as Mara, but after playing dead for a month, he arrived in a drunken state, abusing Mara’s good-natured personality to sneak him into her bedroom.

Abigail no longer blamed Mara at all. She felt a bit embarrassed for doubting her cousin’s intentions. With Mara’s pure thoughts, it probably had never occurred to her that Spirit had any intentions on her. It was this lecherous man. He likely faked his death on purpose to cause Mara to drop her defenses. If Abigail hadn’t arrived just in time, how far would he have taken advantage of her innocent cousin?

Abigail’s opinion of this man instantly reached rock bottom as she gave a dismissive snort. “I still know a few hidden paths that even my Steward isn’t aware of.”

She walked to a wall, and then pulling down a sconce, the room fireplace opened up. Mara’s mouth fell open, and even Spirit looked surprised.

“I will escort you out, but please note this path is one way only. Don’t dare try to return this way.”

Spirit cocked his head. “I wouldn’t try.”

It was almost convincing, but Abigail already knew him to be a lech. With a sniff, she ordered Mara to watch the entrance lest it closed on her. She grabbed a candle and then headed into the hallway. Spirit gave Mara one last look and nodded his farewell. He then wrapped his arm around her, whispering something in her ear. Abigail tensed, but their exchange lasted only a moment before he pulled back. Mara looked a bit dazed, but then she nodded, breaking into a beautiful smile. Abigail couldn’t help but sigh. It might take a long time, but she’d save Mara from this man’s clutches.

After that, Spirit followed Abigail down the stairway and then a long underground tunnel. It traveled for some time. When they reached the end, she pulled aside a massive rock door. The door was far too heavy for a mortal to move. Even a paragon might struggle. It would take someone flawless to move it, or someone like Abigail who had a strength mutation. She had designed it that way. After all, if someone at a flawless level or higher was after her, escaping would be the least of her worries.

“Forget her.” She spoke as Spirit passed by.

He stopped, turning to her with a frown. “Excuse me?”

“Mara… she’s part of a different world than you. You two can never be together.”

His eyes lowered for a second, and then he nodded. “I know.”

Abigail opened her mouth to say more but then paused. Something felt strange about his eyes. He continued as she put the stone back in place, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what he said. It felt like when he answered her, he was talking about something else, but she decided not to dwell on it. She had to go back and get some sleep. The tournament was coming, and then she had a wedding to plan.