PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

465 Chapter 465 The Wolf And The Ice Princess

(Green Seed, Silvia Trevstone’s residence. 5:25 am)

As a person used to her daily routine, Silvia got up at the usual time before preparing herself a hot chocolate, a drink that she had practically become addicted to since she had her awakening. As part of her routine, Silvia drank her hot, sugary drink as she watched her sister sleep after she finished getting ready for another day out there.

Today, things were a bit different as Silvia met an unexpected visitor as she walked into her little sister’s room. Next to the bed where Silvia’s sister Samantha was, was the current boss of the ice princess, Desmond Astryd.

Sitting calmly with one leg crossed over the other, Desmond seemed quite calm as he looked back at Silvia. Unable to process the surprise for a couple of seconds, Silvia let both parties stay calm; the only sound in the room was an intermittent beep* emanating from the medical instruments.

A machine displayed the constant vital signs of Samantha, who lay in her bed like a sleeping princess, an appearance ruined by the IV and the mask that kept her breathing.

Having his own agenda to follow, Desmond couldn’t afford to waste time with nonsense, so he looked for a way to start a conversation with Silvia. “So this is why no one in the squad knows your sister and I thought you were just extremely jealous of her.”

Silvia ignored Desmond’s little joke, her cold eyes never leaving the man in front of her. Silvia knew Desmond relatively well, she knew he wasn’t here just to crack a joke or two.

The fact that he broke into her house meant that he had come here with a motive strong enough to push Desmond into this kind of action. The idea that Desmond had had enough of her and was here to kill her of course crossed Silvia’s mind but was quickly dismissed by her.

In the first instance, Desmond wasn’t a temperamental man to the point of doing something so drastic just because someone didn’t like him, in the second place, if Desmond really wanted her dead, she wouldn’t be breathing right now.

.....

The next idea that went through Silvia’s mind was that Desmond was here to do something to her sister but that idea lasted even less than the previous one. Silvia had seen the kinder and warmer side of Desmond, one that wasn’t just an act he put on, she knew he wouldn’t have the heart to hurt a girl who’s been in a coma for five years.

Since the chances of Desmond being here to harm her were slim to none, Silvia felt there was no need for her to be overly nervous or afraid of Desmond’s sudden appearance in this place.

“Do you need anything from me, boss?”

Desmond couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the calm expression on Silvia’s face, he hadn’t expected her to be so calm. “You don’t seem nervous about my meddling.”

“Why should I be? You are not here to harm me or my sister; you are not that kind of person.” Silvia responded calmly as she sat down on one of the chairs in the room.

Desmond watched as Silvia was so calm that she could even afford to continue drinking her hot chocolate and couldn’t help but have more respect for the woman. She was not only smart and capable, but she had more courage than most of the men around Desmond knew.

However, Desmond had a task at hand, so the admiration was kept to himself as he drew a gun and aimed it at Silvia’s sister’s head.

“Are you so sure of what you say? Who assures you that I didn’t go crazy with lust and want you so much that I would be willing to hurt your sister unless you become obedient?”

Silvia didn’t even flinch, as if Desmond’s words were nothing more than a summer breeze unable to shake the iron tower that was her will. “Even if you went crazy one day and raped me, I would be able to process that as something possible; but this? With all due respect, you don’t have the heart to shoot a girl in her sleep.”

Desmond was simply at a loss for words, Silvia’s logic was not something he could refute. It was as plain and simple as that, Desmond didn’t have the heart to kill an innocent child, not even if the potential benefits were huge or if it would somehow help his goals of protecting his family.

The conversation had barely started and Desmond was already cornered in an awkward spot, with all the script he had prepared now useless. “I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy, you’ve always been a bit unpredictable.”

Silvia didn’t quite understand what Desmond meant, but she still felt quite pleased when she saw that Desmond stopped aiming at her sister and put the gun back.

“So what are you doing here Desmond?” Silvia asked a second time.

Letting out a helpless and somewhat exasperated sigh, Desmond replied. “You don’t even call me boss anymore?”

Silvia imitated Desmond’s most common gesture, shrugging her shoulders and responding. “You are not in uniform and I doubt you will come here to discuss official business.”

Since manipulation and threats were already out the window, Desmond turned to his least favorite tool, honesty. “Well, I came here to recruit you, I want you to work for me.”

Silvia raised an eyebrow questioningly. “I believe I don’t understand, I already work for you.”

“You work for the army and your current position is that of a lieutenant under my command, I’m afraid that’s a bit different from what I’m looking for.” Desmond corrected.

As smart as Silvia was, she connected what Desmond said with what happened a couple of days ago, the timing couldn’t be a coincidence. “You are preparing to move against Rundert.”

The word “surprise” couldn’t quite describe what Desmond felt when he listened to Silvia. “How do you know I plan to move against him?”

Silvia answered simply. “You are not the kind of person who takes a hit and is left doing nothing. Besides, you’re too control freaked to let an idiot like Rundert go around abusing his authority to mess with you.”

Desmond laughed as soon as he heard Silvia. It was just as she had pointed out, though Desmond didn’t expect her to understand him that well. “It is precise because there will be those who can make that connection that I need someone on my side. Someone like you, famous for not getting along with me, you are a good choice.”

Silvia didn’t feel so good listening to what Desmond was saying, it was as if he was accusing her of something and she didn’t like it. “I’m afraid it’s not my fault that I don’t like the way you handle your love life. I can only feel sad for Claire who fell in love with a fickle man like you.”

Desmond did not argue about it, although he would not accept Silvia’s point of view as true, he was also aware that it was Claire who made his lifestyle possible and that by sharing his love among more people, it was Claire who received less in the end.

“I’m not here to discuss my love life, which, by the way, is none of your business. I don’t expect a cold woman like you to understand.”

“Are you trying to insult me?” Silvia almost jumped out of her seat ready to fight Desmond.

Desmond, for his part, ignored the aggression shown by Silvia and finished her off with his words. “Of course not, you and I know that you would like nothing more; Isn’t that right, miss masochist?”

Silvia blushed so much that it seemed that the blood was about to start coming out from somewhere. Stuttering, the girl tried to defend herself, very poorly. “You, you, what do you know, I’m not that kind of deviant.”

Wearing an expression that said, I’m an asshole please hit me, Desmond replied. “Hey, no one is here to judge you, everyone has their own tastes; although yours are a little more special.”

It was no surprise that ice blades began to materialize in the room. Desmond sensed that the joke might have gotten out of hand and reacted by smothering Silvia’s mana with his own.

Desmond tried to defuse the situation. “Take it easy, I’m not here to fight.”

But Silvia was not willing to give in so quickly. “No, you just come here to invite me to your personal crusade for no reason at all.”

Genuinely in no mood to play this game any longer, Desmond turned to his secret weapon. “Listen to me, I have a way to cure your sister.”

The magic words worked wonders on Silvia who practically froze instantly. “What?”

Now that Silvia had finally calmed down, Desmond revealed a glass box he brought; inside the box were about a dozen glass vials filled with a blue liquid. This was the most powerful healing potion that Sasha was capable of creating. The effects of the potion were of the long-term type instead of the instant type.

Placing the glass case on the table, Desmond proceeded to explain the effects of the potions and what he wanted in exchange for them. Desmond didn’t even expect a verbal response from Silvia, he was sure that she would accept the deal to get her sister out of her coma; so he left a folder full of instructions on a side table and left the room.

Silvia didn’t stop Desmond or say anything else, she just stood there looking at her sister with an expression full of love and determination. “Even if it means making a deal with the devil, your sister is going to save you; just wait Samantha, everything will be alright.”