37. Oh, What A Thrill!
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Rodney's days weren't as comfortable as they had been when he was still a trusted steward of the Rozenbergs. Even without inquiring, he knew that his position had gradually changed when they arrived here in the empire. 

Kanon who was new to the job seems to have taken over his position. He did not follow the order of settling the affairs of Miss Lucia when he clearly knows it was the lord who arranged it. No matter how sensitive her position is, they still have to do their job because the lord favours her. Working in a noble household, naturally, you must be inclined to the masters. But it was better to choose a much favourable side. He chose Miss Lucia based on what he knew and her personality.      

Though a mistress she is much more amiable and generous than the lady with a bad relationship with the lord. 

Then the lord left making him panic for some reason, it was as if he could see the position he held on so tightly before slipping away. He had worked diligently during his tenure and he was dedicated to the household because of his father's education. 

All he wanted was to continue to serve and help. Ironically, the more eager he tries the further his dreams into reality. The lord might have misunderstood his intention or perhaps his timing was wrong, he convinced himself. He had been waiting for an opportunity to show his sincerity until finally, he received good news. 

Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing that this was the last straw that sealed him to a miserable fate.

 

Ayan woke up gasping for breath. She endured her dizziness to come down the stairs. She has no time to think about where she was or how she got here. This place is unfamiliar, and she doesn't know whether it was an ally or a foe who brought her in. What made her more frantic was when she couldn't see the boys inside the fairy ring. 

From the door to the corridors, the house was extremely quiet, not a shadow of a person in sight. Halfway, she heard muffled voices coming from below. As she groggily groped for the bannister leading down the hall she did not expect that such a scene would be waiting for her the moment she stepped in.

"I'm glad to see you again, milord." a woman stepped closer to Clayton intimately.

Why, isn't this the heroine herself? What is this girl doing here all of a sudden? Her long-lost husband is here as well. What a surprise.

She was immediately reminded of their miserable first day in the cottage. For some reason after seeing his back, Ayan's long-held patience snapped. All the grievances and disappointment she pressed down during these days of his absence came rushing back like a flash flood.  

Very well, you finally showed up… and you brought that with you. 

The sudden drop of temperature in the room was felt not only by the onlookers but Clayton himself. Something told him that he should turn back before he regrets it. As he did so, he was greeted by Ayan's terrifyingly cold face.

His body moved on its own wanting to get near her, "My lady…" 

Ayan raised a hand halting him wordlessly. "No rush, I presume you need a lot of space for your reunion with your woman." 

Clayton's face darkened, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." 

After saying so, she hurriedly turned to the room on her left. She needs to distance herself from these people or else… 

"My lady, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Care to enlighten me?"

Ayan scoffed indignantly. How dare he?!

She was stomping unhappily when he caught up.

"How did you get up? You must return to bed. You're not well yet." 

"Don't follow me."

Clayton chased after her ass. 

Ayan reached the drawing-room and stopped near the fireplace. "I am not well, yes. Who knew right? Wanna know why someone like me who did not get sick when crossing mountains suddenly turned like this? Well, it's because I was busy taking care of the house and shovelling snow every day. You see it was only me and the kids these days. If I did not do something about the damn snow, our cottage would have collapsed and crushed us in our sleep."  

The heavy sarcasm poured onto him like a bucket of cold muddy water but the bits and pieces in her rant came clear to him. She was alone taking care of the children and the house. What the hell happened while he was away then?

"This job is not suited for you, you could have asked anyone to do it. Look, you have gotten yourself ill."

Ayan glared at him when he pointed out the wrong issue, "Who on earth besides me would do it?"

"Rodney was supposed to--" 

"Rodney?" she laughed without humour. Now the fever was doing wonders to her sanity. "You know very well that your stuck-up snooty of a steward doesn't like me and you're hoping he follows your instruction? I have not seen a strand of his hair since I met him in the manor."

Oh yes, the damn steward never showed up since!  

"Clayton, Clayton… I thought we talked about getting along well in the future. I was even looking forward to it, I thought you were a good husband, responsible enough… haha, but this? When you said I gave you a chance I agreed, I know you had your opinions about my behaviour before and I can accept that but to deliberately neglect the children you have crossed the line!"

Thinking about him leaving them without a note or a reminder. Not even provisions. That time she and the kids walked for hours to reach town just to pawn one hairpin. She so infuriated like a combative hen, she reached out at the mantle and started throwing whatever her hands latched on. "I trusted you!"

"Ayan… my lady, calm down." Clayton persuaded dodging a flying wooden doll. 

"We waited for you like fools. Coco was not around. If I did not pawn off my clip I don't know what could have happened to us!" She had a brass candelabra in her hand suddenly.

Clayton did not wait for her to murder him with it and quickly came to subdue his furious wife. He grabbed her slim wrist, grabbed the sharp deadly object and pinned her to him before sitting on the couch. So now Ayan was on his lap unable to flail. 

"Ayan, I did not know... good lord..."

"Let me go, you irresponsible scoundrel! I am not done with you." 

"Don't be angry, don't be angry I know I'm wrong. I'm sorry" He said helplessly. "I should have been more clear with the instructions I left. I shouldn't have hastily departed and caused you grief."

Ayan gritted her teeth. "Let me go, I don't want to talk to you!" 

"Oh, my lady doesn't want to talk. She seems to prefer using violence."

"And you don't when you're crushing me like this?"

"I was only preventing you from getting hurt. There are sharp objects here you know."

Her bleary gaze went to the candelabra that rolled on the carpet. 

"See?" he said with an eyebrow raised smugly. 

Ayan muttered, "I hate you anyway. If you think I will forgive you just like this because you made an apology, you're sadly mistaken." 

"It's alright." he murmured, coaxing her like a child. "I know my wrongs. If I have to kneel for hours in front of you to lessen your anger I will do it. You don't have to forgive me." 

He looked like he was giving in, he even sounded one with that soft tone. But then when their faces are so close like this it was hard to unsee the odd gleam in his eyes. 

Something has changed. It gave her goosebumps for some reason. 

"C-Clayton?"

"Hm?"

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

Can she tell him he should stop giving her a sticky stare? It's unthinkable! 

"Can, can you let me go now?" she said instead.

"Why?"

Her heart jumped all of a sudden. When his face got closer and closer, the more she became unsettled. But the expected kiss did not fall, Clayton just put his forehead to hers before withdrawing quickly. 

"I'm sorry for putting you through all this… I swear I did not mean it. I left instructions before setting off. There was a list of things I handed over to be sent in the cottage for you and the children to use." Seeing his innocent expression did not lessen her upset, on the contrary, it made her anger surge forth.

She wriggled violently that her butt was grinding on his lap. Clayton was at the brink of losing his sanity when the bouncy mass of flesh hit his sensitive area. But he forebears for fear of scaring the silly woman.  

"You left something?" she sneered. "Why haven't I seen a single one of those things."

I swear to God, this person is daft. They keep circling on the same topic. 

The atmosphere in this room was weirdly seductive but not for the people waiting outside the door. The moment they heard arguments none dared to rush out to eavesdrop on their private matters besides, the voices were loud enough. 

"What is going on?" Schon asked Kanon who was guarding the door to the drawing-room. 

"Milady just woke up and saw the lord--" his eyes sharply went to Lucia. "She saw the lord talking to her." 

"Who is she?" Lachlan asked impatiently. 

How come there is a stranger to his house without him knowing? His gaze turned frosty. 

Rodney stepped forward despite his fear and introduced Lucia, "Milord, she's Lady Lucia. You invited her--"

"I was referring to your lady, your lord's wife," he replied harshly without giving him a look. "I don't know who she is or where you met her. You should have been around to guard your lord's family instead of prancing elsewhere. It makes me wonder who's servant you are. By doing so you have violated your contract. Clayton no longer requires your service."

Rodney staggered to the side. How can that be?

Lucia looked around the roomful of spectators and gripped her handkerchief sullenly. Although she doesn't recognize most of them, she knew Kanon. Everyone here is an acquaintance of Lord Rozenberg. 

"I'm sorry, it was because of me…." Lucia said softly, her weak-looking physique plus the amber eyes stained with water was too pitiful to endure. "It was only pure coincidence that she saw me talking to Lord Rozenberg, I also did not expect to see them here… but who knows she would take it to heart and…"

"Milady's upset has nothing to do with you." Kanon cut in coldly.    

Lucia stiffened. 

Schon was irritated on the other hand and harshly rebuked, "She cannot be stimulated. She needs to rest!" 

As her physician, he knows her condition all too well. What little energy she gained from sleeping overnight is not enough for this kind of stimulation. Ayan is not just sick with fever, she overdrafted her mana and it could backlash severely.    

"People unrelated must not be here," Lachlan added without hiding his intention to eject strangers. 

Rodney was too embarrassed he wished he could melt into a puddle. 

Then they heard something falling and cluttering inside. Everyone could no longer wait and pushed the door open. But instead of seeing the place covered with swords and blood, they witnessed a couple pressed indecently on the couch. 

"You, let go of me!" Ayan shrieked. "Pervert--" 

She stopped struggling when she heard the door open and people rushed in.  

"Ahh!" Lucia muffled her scream with her hands. Her red eyes shot Ayan accusingly. 

"Shut up!" Clayton roared. "Who invited you in?"

"I, I'm sorry…"

Ayan's energy has reached its end, the sudden rise in her emotion was too much and added by the fever, she unglamorous fainted halfway.

Clayton caught her limp body and nestled her carefully in his arms. His chest clenched the moment he realized that Lucia's presence might have been the last straw for her. 

She must have misunderstood. 

The fury burned in his chest in a mad loop looking for a way to vent. Then with eyes red from the haze of anger, he turned to Rodney who was lurking outside the door. Wishing to tear him to pieces. 

Clayton carried Ayan out of the room to return upstairs, when he passed by Kanon he immediately ordered for Rodney's arrest.  

The silent spectator on the side shivered in fear after knowing what a huge blunder he created this time. His eyes went to Lucia who was standing perfectly still in the middle of the hall innocently blinking at him. If he were a fool before, there was no way he would be now when seeing how the corners of her lips lift into a sly laugh. 

Like a mad witch delighted to achieve her purpose and he became the tool for her to reach it. 

"You.."

"The lord may no longer remember me. Perhaps because of my lowly status, and it has been a long time after all." Lucia said in a deep sorrowful voice that did not reflect her gloating face. 

She walked towards the door and basked in the cold sunlight. Her eyes sparkled with dark delight.  

"Y-You tricked me… you tricked me to bring you to him. To… to anger the lady?!" Rodney screamed, he wanted to jump and pounce on the evil woman but he was stopped halfway and dragged out of the estate. 

"If you want to settle your grievances, you may do so outside of my estate. I do not welcome you here." Lachlan spoke from the door. 

Lucia gave Lachlan a thorough stare, then lifted her chin. "A pleasure to meet you, Viscount Stellaris." 

"Get out!" 

"Is this how you treat the only Diviner of the empire?" Lucia played with the ribbon of her white fur coat. A faint smile was on her lips, "I thought the viscount knows how to be a gentleman considering how popular he is in the imperial capital. Unfortunately, I expected too much. Here I was being generous enough to visit hearing you are not well to extend my help."

"No need. I have recovered." 

Lucia's proud expression collapsed. "Impossible!"

Lachlan's lips rose to a mocking sneer. "Don't think your power is too precious and your temporary position can hide your malice. Sooner or later you will realize there is someone out there more deserving than you." 

With that said, the viscount turned his back without even caring how she will react. 

 

"How is she?" 

As soon as Schon finished checking Ayan's pulse, Clayton could not wait to interrogate him. He didn't know whether to treat it as fortune or misfortune that she woke up early making them able to communicate clearly. But something happened and it is now unknown when she will open her eyes again. 

The situation is worse than when he caught her before she was washed out by snow. 

At that time, he also suffered severe injuries from shielding her from the avalanche. They were dragged quite a distance from the village that it took two days for the rescuers to find them huddling in a small cave under the cliff. 

Clayton has a special physique because of the Hellfire, his body is extremely hot but at the moment, he wished he could raise a few more temperatures to keep her from freezing. 

The experience was extremely traumatic for him. He could still remember feeling the warmth leaving her soft body bit by bit. The bloodstains on her clothes and seemingly still face. If not for Schon telling him that she still lives, he might think she has already left. 

Just thinking about it hallowed him out. When they were at last taken back, he fainted from his injuries. 

Thankfully, she woke up briefly which was a good sign originally. 

But more problematic news came from Schon. She may need a long time to recover from overdraft. 

It's been a week since.

"There is no change," Schon said, rubbing his forehead. "I don't understand why her mana is not rising, she couldn't wake up."

"Mana overdraft…" Clayton looked at the sleeping face. 

"I have tried feeding her blue potion but to no avail. Except for the faint heart beat, everything about her is healthy." He already treated her wounds both inside and out. Rest is her only option but if she sleeps for a long time her body will slowly deteriorate. If that happens… 

Clayton sat by her side and held her hand gently. Her fingers were always pink and soft, and they looked even more beautiful with the fairy ring. He did not notice when Schon left the room or when Coco had come out sitting by the window.   

"There is no other way except to let her rest," he said. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to her as long as I am here. The fairy ring is awake, you just have to make sure that her body remains safe while she sleeps."

"How long have you known her?" he asked in a low voice, caressing her palms unconsciously. 

"Before the fairy ring was born." 

Clayton's eyes flickered. "But Ayan already has the ring since she was born. She grew up with it." 

"So you know?" 

"How could I not know? We have always been together."

"But why don't you act like so? You know her more than anyone else, more than her own family." 

His hand trembled. 

"You were resisting it, Young Marquess. You were afraid… afraid you might become invested in the wrong one." 

"Do you doubt her? Do you doubt she was not her?"

"The Ayan who gave you the fairy tears, the mother of your children and the Ayan in the forest… is her. Don't doubt it."   

Then Coco was gone, leaving Clayton petrified in silence. 

After a long while, a helpless laugh came out of his lips. His eyes gleamed with light as he softly touched her cheek. 

"Wake up soon… the children are waiting. Don't always worry me like this." 

 

Outside the chamber, the guards stood in solemn silence affected by their lord's mood. The rest of the brothers who fought with Shadowmongers had recovered but the lady was still far from danger. Even Johann who sustained most wounds was already jumping around and delivered the latest information from their spy. 

"Roy Sybil. Lucia Neu." Clayton crushed the parchment on his hand until the veins on his skin were visible. 

He had long made up his mind to settle quietly now that Ayan changed. He only wished to slowly gain a foothold in this country and leisurely live normally as a civilian while looking for the whereabouts of his father. However, the more he resist dipping a finger into the whirlpool of power struggle, the more they get sucked in. 

Clayton is not half-hearted when he sets his mind on one thing. He will do everything within his strength to fulfil it but now that this accident came, he can no longer choose the quiet and easy road he once thought of. Only when he has the power and capability to resist will he be able to give his family a good life. 

Soon the plan took shape. It so happened that the mercenary guild Knoll and the rest of the brothers worked for in the capital issued a dismissal order for no reason. 

Knoll paced in front of his brothers with worry etched all over his face. 

"I am terribly sorry, it was because of me that we ended up being dismissed." 

Fatty Lam pounded his hand on the table, "No brother Knoll, it wasn't your fault. The death of our comrades against the bandits in Eustoma was only a part of the reason why the agency made us resign. We know that the new owner of Green Ivy had long found us an eyesore since our team did not vote for him during the election."

Eli, the brother with dark skin second, "Actually, this mission seemed like a fool's errand from the very beginning. Don't we usually take missions on the west route, suddenly we were assigned here near our hometown. If this is not sending us to retire, I don't know what is."

"Brother Knoll, though we dare not hope for it, we had long been ready for the outcome." 

"You lads…" Knoll groaned, tapping his bald head in frustration. "Shouldn't you worry about losing a living instead of chirping after the agency? You have families to feed."

"Well, if we lose a job so be it. We look for another then." one echoed positively. 

"Yeah! My missus will only nag for a while but she'll understand."

The community hall was filled with raunchy laughter suddenly.

"Thankfully, the landlord gave us a huge bonus for protecting the whole estate from those ruffians. The money can last us for a long while. It was also a blessing that we happen to be here or else… I don't know what will become of our village and families."

It was a blessing indeed. The snow disaster has attracted too many unsavoury fellows, they even dared to burn their mill and granary. These days outside the fief, crime is rampant and those criminals took advantage of the weather to push their plan. 

"Let's put aside the issue of dismissal for now. We have to clean up the burned buildings and help rebuild them."

"Aye!"  

Just as the men lamented the loss of their jobs, an invitation from Clayton came to them that afternoon. After a day of heavy work, the mercenaries went to the manor to listen to his proposal. 

It was a long night of discussion, but none of the men felt tired. The lamps burned until the early morning. When everything is concluded, everyone has more energy to face the following days. 

The brothers were distressed about their unemployment yesterday, but Clayton extended an olive branch out of nowhere. He recruited them without a second thought and soon formed his team here in Arpeggio. 

Backed by Viscount Stellaris, they bought an old building in the middle of the city and reconstructed it as a headquarters of the newly minted Thorns Mercenary Group. As hired swords, the main job is escorting merchant caravans against bandits and looters, guarding buildings and households. 

There are less than twenty men from Knoll's original team who lived in this city and all of them came to Clayton for the job. 

Everything was set up neatly by him, and yet Ayan was still in deep sleep unable to see all of it. 

 

Ehehehe... took me a while to post again. Summer is my great enemy, it makes me lazy.

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