Governor's Mansion

City of Eustoma

 

A teenage boy holding a wooden bucket filled with stained cotton bandages hurried out of the guest room like his life depended on it. A few minutes ago, he was there inside watching in silent trepidation how nineteen men in hooded cloaks tried to save their person from the gates of hell.

After several attempts and dedicated effort, the person still failed to return. On the bed, the man lay still, breathless and cold as the colour left him bit by bit.

The servant boy felt rather sick seeing how his blood spurted from the ugly wound on his chest. He could have lived, the servant thought. If not for his violent outburst after waking up from a coma… 

He heard from other servants that these men came the other night carrying the injured person and had a little dispute with the governor. Things seemed to have calmed down and they reconciled to stay within the mansion ground.  

He didn't want to dig too deep, not even think about it when it comes to the affairs of his masters. After all, those who last discovered his secret were quietly dismissed… or worse. 

Upstairs a thick suffocating stillness wrapped the whole room. 

The leader has passed. The deputy clenched his fist tightly.

Who would have thought that only in this place they would lose one of the best Shadowmongers in the land? 

"Send a message to the imperial capital." Second, the deputy of this squad cut off the silence with that resolute remark. "Her Highness would be pleased to know that the pest she was looking for has been found."

Though he wasn't entirely sure if the man who killed the leader is working together with that pest. No matter what it was, they can no longer retreat.

 

In the middle of a hearty dinner, Ayan fell into deep thought.

She remembered that the reunion of Clayton and the heroine happened here in Eustoma. But today's event ended without her seeing even the shadow of the heroine. According to what she heard, there had been a huge misunderstanding.

Rodney still fell helplessly in the charms of Lucia Neu, which was to be expected already. However, what surprised her was Kanon. As one of the most loyal admirers of the heroine, how could he not follow the script? It was even hinted that he was extremely repulsive of the woman.

What happened???

Without the heroine, how could their love flourish? The first spark happened here in Eustoma when the governor took a fancy to Lucia Neu's beauty. But under the protection of Clayton and the Thorns, there was no way his malicious plan would succeed. 

They escaped the city while being pursued by the governor's henchmen. Clayton was heavily wounded and the youngest of the Thorns sacrificed himself to save the heroine from the enemy's knife. 

The battle was hard-won and they finally made it to the city of Arpeggio. There, the heroine met the third male lord. He was a friend of Clayton's who coincidentally owned the country manor where they temporarily stayed. 

And by luck, it was also in there that they found… 

"Are you alright?" Clayton broke her concentration as he put his cutleries down.

Caught dozing off in the middle of dinner, Ayan embarrassedly bit her lower lip and tried to appear natural. "T-The chicken was a little dry."

"You are eating mutton, my lady." 

Ayan hurriedly forked her food, stuffed it to her mouth only to stop. What chicken? What mutton!? It's only radish after all!

He watched her face change colour like a painter's palette. This look of half eating and half crying made him feel inexplicably amused and since she couldn't spit it out under everyone's eyes, Ayan had to grudgingly chew on the unpalatable radish she placed on the far corner of her plate and swallow it down. 

Clayton drank water to hide his smile. Who told her to ignore him in between conversations?  

The three days of stay in Eustoma came to an end when Clayton announced they pack up after dinner to move to the next city in the south. That was what they were talking about before she went offline. 

Ayan had no objection and carefully gathered their belongings into two large bags.

She wiped the Raven and Carmine, changed them into thick travel clothes and checked their travel provisions. There wasn't much to do after that but wait. Around eight o'clock when most are getting ready for bed to save candles and lamp oil, a simple wooden carriage stopped by the inn's backdoor and quietly left the city before the main gates closed for the night.  

Nights in ancient times are very dark with the absence of modern lighting, added by intermittent cold drizzle made the journey more unbearable. They were in a rush, the biting cold wind whistled past the window as the scenery blurred behind.

They rode past sleeping villages and hamlets until they broke into the hinterlands where no familiar constructions left. 

For some reason, this abrupt departure gave Ayan a sense of foreboding. All she could do for now is trust Clayton's decision and hoped they make it to their destination without a mishap. Unfortunately, she hoped too much this time. They were halfway through the chilly evening when she heard sounds of fighting. 

Ayan had the urge to curse.

Clayton hastily got off the carriage telling her not to come out no matter what. 

Their road was blocked by a group of men wearing ordinary clothing. The hazy light from the torches only provided her with a few glimpses of their bloodthirsty appearance yet it was enough to make her understand that these people earned their living from killing.

"Milady?" from the outside, she heard Johann's voice. "The lord sent me to look after you."

Ayan opened the carriage door to let him in but the kid refused shyly. 

Hehe, don't even think about it or else the lord will toss him out in the woodlands again. He's had enough of those bears already; they even come to visit his dreams. 

"Will you be fine out there? It's very cold you know."

"We have been to much colder places before so milady need not worry about me." 

He's flattered by her care though. 

Ayan was still uncomfortable, especially when Johann suddenly turned silent. She felt something wasn't right. 

"Johann?"

The kid poked his head from the window gesturing to her not to make any noise. That quickly quieted her down. Seconds pass, only the whispers of the wind can be heard and in some instances-- Ayan and the children's breathing.

Johann tapped his foot and flew to the roof fighting with someone all of a sudden. The heavy movements woke Milk from his sleep. 

"Shh… it's okay." Ayan scratched his chin to comfort the restless cat.

The carriage shook and the door flew open. A man with a thick beard looked inside and smiled wretchedly at her but before he could extend his hand, a sharp blade had already poked him in the neck.

There was no pain a first. Only a chill. 

The lady in front of him held the dagger calmly. 

"Y-You... urrrrghhh..."

The surrounding noise gradually rose, and Johann returned horrified to see that a bleeding man was standing near the carriage.  

Johann raised his knife to hack the enemy when the man just fell on his own. Blood gurgled from his wound as he twitched to the last of his breath. 

Then he heard her speak close to a whisper. 

"He's not getting up," Ayan said, still maintaining the defensive stance. 

"Milady, a-are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, "There is only him. We're fine."

Johann still felt disturbed by the thought that someone slipped through their net and managed to get close to the carriage. The Thorns spread in every direction to make sure no one gets close. If the lady hadn't… his feet felt weak and he sank into self-blame.

"Johann," Ayan called him. "It's not your fault. Come, check the person for me. See if he is someone familiar."

Johann snapped back to attention and hastily did as told only to be stupefied.

"Damn me, if this isn't our carriage driver!" he cursed furiously. 

No wonder. He gritted his teeth and dragged the body out of the lady's sight lest it adds more to her distress. Yes, in his eyes, Ayan looked distressed. How could such a gentle woman accept the fact that she had stained her hand with blood?

If Ayan could read his thoughts, she would most definitely pat him in the back with sympathy:

"Lad, your lord taught me to kill Furies in the mountains and conditioned me slowly how to deal with the enemies. No need to be emotionally tangled, really." 

Johann looked back into the carriage with a very guilty look. This was supposed to be his duty yet he failed somehow. However, after realizing that the lady is not someone easy to bully, he had a whole new level of respect for her as a woman. 

In the carriage, Ayan wiped the little blood that stained her knife. She thought she would have more psychological barriers. Humans, after all, are different from beasts. But thinking of her children, herself and Johann's fate, she could not afford to be timid. 

With a clear mind, she aimed to kill. 

Strange, she wasn't frightened by the act but more frightened of her decisiveness. She closed her eyes and chose to look on the bright side. 

So her earlier guesses turned out to be right, Ayan thought. Even if the positions were changed, the events that are supposed to happen will still happen despite having a few revisions. Right now, she stood on behalf of the heroine and the misfortune that could have fallen to Lucia was rewritten by Ayan.

A tide of relief washed over her. For the first time, she felt a hundred percent sure that no matter how the book foretold, there is a way to twist the direction of the events to avoid the miserable and bloody path. She looked at Johann who was still standing out there alive and unscathed. 

It's completely unreasonable for this talented lad to die young. Fortunately, she was ready. 

Clayton came back in a hurry after an hour smelling of blood. 

"You fought? With whom?" She asked frantically looking at him from head to foot. "The others? How about them?"

Clayton suddenly pinched her cheek, distracting her. 

"Y-You…"

"I'm fine, so is everyone. No need to worry," he said rubbing the skin that slightly turned pink. 

No wounds? Thank heavens.

"How about you? I heard from Johann--"

She cut him off with a snort, "I am not so fragile as you think milord. And Johann did a splendid job of guarding us."

He had more than a couple of enemies according to what she observed. 

Clayton was worried nonetheless. "I have wronged you."

Now she wanted to laugh but asked instead. "Who are these men? They appeared out of nowhere."   

The twins are sleeping soundly and have no idea of what was going on. After a brief stop, the journey continued without any hindrance this time. 

"They were the people hired by the governor as retaliation for disclosing the cursed artifact to the garrison knights."

Her face contorted into a frown.

"After a thorough investigation, it was found out that the governor was the original owner of those things. The empire has long passed down an edict to punish anyone who sells and buys cursed artifacts because of the miasma they carry. But some collectors cannot help themselves brazenly defying the order." 

Ayan took out a new cotton shirt and a towel drenched in water and handed it to him. 

"Those things, where did they come from?"

Clayton paused seemingly recalling something, "Two decades ago, a nobleman commissioned several explorers to venture overseas to the Ruins of Lusca to unearth relics that are said to be remnants of the fairy clan. But on the voyage back, an accident occurred. Many of those aboard the ships turned into frenzied monsters. The noble who funded that exploration did not want it to break into a huge scandal. Moreover, that nobleman was already in a bad position during that period so he chose to keep the matter secret by…"

"D-Did he kill those people?"

He nodded. "Even their families were not spared but the truth came out eventually and he was sentenced to execution. As for the treasures, they were confiscated for sealing. Later it was revealed that not everything was kept. Half of those were smuggled out by collectors and now, they are spread everywhere."  

"The governor must have love antiques a lot to defy the edict," she said drolly. 

"Don't worry, there will be no more of him. Starting tomorrow, the governor of Eustoma will step down from his position and face trial."

The news was like a bomb to Ayan. The governor lost overnight just like that? This issue has dragged on until half of the story! As one of the queen's most powerful backers, the governor still has plenty of uses. Now that he fell earlier than she expected, who will help the queen's family expand their army and completely become a powerhouse? 

It seems the story she knew is no longer reliable. The plot is now like a runaway bull hurrying towards a cliff. Apparently, there were already changes before her arrival. Oh well… perhaps she can take advantage of this and avoid the major disasters that may fall on their side.  

Her hands softly rubbed the cheeks of her two boys.