[Back to the present]

I get startled once I hear the loud sound of the door bumping into the wall strongly. Instantly, I move my body, turning it around just to see Millicia with her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath.

“Millicia... You should knock before...” suddenly, she straightens her body and closes the entrance doors, locking them with the key on top of one of the tables. Once she turned I saw the sweat dripping from her pores while a serious expression took place, “What happened?”

After regaining her composure she begins displaying what I assume to be an attempt of communication. Her body was portraying silly figures making it hard to understand what she was trying to achieve.

“A bear?” I questioned her but she quickly shook my idea off.

Her face was flushed as frustration began to grow within her. It was clear she wanted to let me know of something of importance but wasn’t being able to.

“A man?” as she placed her hand on her crouch and began walking in a typical manly way, I tried my best not to laugh out loud. She nods with a relieved expression.

‘I have no idea what this is...’ she begins to make strange movements with her arm.

“Cutting cake?” honestly, that was the only thing that had come to mind.

Extremely frustrated, she groans and, without any warning, her body quickly walks towards me. Forcefully, she grabs the quill out of my hand and does a clumsy stick figure on the paper sheet I was using right before scratching his right arm off.

“A man without an arm?” I frowned once I saw her reassure my thoughts, “From this mansion?”

‘There are several men like that...’ even if my gut yelled that it was Dan, I couldn’t be hasty. Several servants and workers had lost their arms in battle, especially the older ones who fought alongside Edgar Wharton in the war.

Millicia nods again before grabbing the letter opener and stepping back a couple of meters. Her arms begin to mimick someone's fighting.

“Is it a guard?” her eyes widen and she nods repeatedly, “Then it should be Dan... What happened?”

For a moment I thought that he had done something atrocious to her but, as I saw her focused expression I comprehended that it was something not related to her.

She grabs my quill once again and writes “Kit nops” on the paper sheet. Repeatedly, I tried to read it but her handwriting was still too poor to be understandable.

‘I need to tell Alphy about this...’ Millicia wouldn’t be useful if she couldn’t deliver information properly.

Understanding I wasn’t able to read a word of what she had said, she looks around conflicted, thinking about another way to tell me whatever had happened. Finally, she heads to one of my jewel boxes and grabs them before placing them in a bag, pretending to be a robber that was heading towards the door.

“Dan was robbed?” I furrowed my brows displeased but she shook her head.

She then proceeds to store the jewelry back in the box again before walking towards me. Quickly, she grabs the writing material once again and draws another person and a large bag around Dan.

‘He’s the jewelry...!’ finally it hit me, She doesn’t know how to write properly yet, thus she never wrote “Kit nops” instead the letters meant “Kid naps”.

“Was Dan kidnapped?” immediately, I question and she falls on her feet exhausted before nodding in relief.

Several questions ran through my head as I tried to find any plausible justification for them. 

Why had Dan been kidnapped?

Who had been the culprit?

Was this event related to me or were there external factors at play?

 “Did you see who it was?” Millicia shooks her head and I frown. Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy, it never is.

I settle down my mind and begin to make a draw on the paper sheet in a futile way to relax my body. Thankfully, I was finally able to think things logically.

‘It hasn’t been that long since he lost his arm... A couple of weeks at best... He shouldn’t be able to leave the bed, then why...?’ since we had no leads regarding the ones behind the incident, we needed to learn about the guard first.

“Milly, find out why Dan went out today, that is your top priority, for now, understood?” she nods her head before unlocking the door and leaving.

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

“Milady... We’re back...!” half an hour after Millicia left, the rest of the servants appear. Their attires were covered in dirt and small leaves.

“Come here,” I tell them before seeing them form a line, waiting to deliver the items to me.

Slowly, I begin going through the leaves of each group. As I expected the majority of them were not the ones I was searching for but, much to my surprise, they had been able to catch a lot of the material I needed.

“Get those leaves in a cloth bag, Olivia,” I state before walking towards my small pouch and removing two gold coins, “You two, come get your reward.”

My eyes were locked onto a group of two men who were new within the estate but, surprisingly had faired better than all the other groups. Jade appears and lays his back on the door, startling the maids who didn’t expect his presence.

The men walk towards me and stretch their arms before feeling the heaviness of the coins on their hands.

“Well done,” I declare, “Now leave us.”

At my words, they quietly head out the door.

 

“Speak,” Jade quickly locks the entrance and kneels before me.

‘I already told him to stop this...’ even if he was a slave, there was no need to display his loyalty in such an aggressive fashion.

“She...” as he started telling everything Luana had done through the day I listened quietly as if it was a pleasant melody being played on repeat. Suddenly I straighten my body and widen my eyes.

“What did you say?” my nails were being carved onto the wooden chair. Jade looks at me conflicted, not understanding what I mean, “Repeat the last sentence.”

“Luana saved a kid from a group of mercenaries,” his words were as sweet as honey, ringing on my ears repeatedly.

‘That’s it...!’ finally I knew how to approach her without raising any suspicions. Luana’s attention was as good as mine.

“Tomorrow we shall have a small trip to the capital Jade...” a grin is displayed on my lips as I sense an enormous pride taking control over me.

“Yes, master,” emotionlessly, he replies.

“For now, let’s take a walk... I have a task for you,” swiftly I grab the small cloth pouch filled with leaves and head towards the door.

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

[Simultaneously, in the Wharton’s duchy in the North]

“Is there anything for me?” Terrel questions his aide who had just come back from the capital.

“Yes milord, there are several letters and some gifts from your father,” Edwards politely responds before placing a pouch on top of the wooden table.

Promptly, Terrel opens it and reveals a bunch of letters from several senders. Swiftly, his fingers travel through the paper sheets, reading each name carefully.

 ‘Donovan, finally...!’ a grin appears on his lips once he sees what he was looking for.

“Leave!” his loud voice echoes through the warm mansion and, in a glimpse of a moment, Edward’s presence was nothing more than a pure memory.

 

[Lord Terrel,

I hope you are fairing well as my health hasn’t been the greatest.

Regarding our last conversation, I am indeed attempting to deliver your message to the Queen but it is proving to be harder than I expected.

Do you have an estimated date for your return?

 

Prince Donovan Virden]

 

Terrel’s eyes traveled through the words over and over again as his frustration kept on growing incessantly.

“This little bastard...!” annoyed, he crumbles the letter within his hand before throwing it to the fireplace. As his body remained in place, sitting in a very lousy yet relaxed way, on the dark wooden chair, his eyes focused on the flames that consumed the prince’s letter.

He began playing with his tongue inside his mouth as he questioned the choice of his actions.

‘Should I’ve gone for Blake instead?’ Donovan was showing reluctance and Terrel was a man tainted with impatience. He wanted things done on the spot, not a hundred years later when he would be nothing but the leftovers of a skeleton.

 

The only reason Terrel had put his faith and time with Prince Donovan was due to the rumors that, after some digging within the palace grounds, turned out to be the harsh reality.

Queen Vivian does not favor Prince Blake in the slightest and it seems like she is trying to gather enough powerful allies to contest his rightfulness to the crown.

‘I’m sure if it wasn’t for that, things would be a lot easier...’ he wondered as his dirty finger touched the table, making a sound echo through the room, over and over again.

Everyone knew that ever since the Virden’s lineage took the crown there was a unique criteria for the successor. “The boy whose hair equals wildfire shall become the next king,” was one of the decrees of the first monarch. This was a rule that had been followed by line through generations but, for some unknown reason, queen Vivian was defying this rule with all her strength.

At first, Terrel intended to support Blake but, once news regarding the king’s illness got out, he quickly had to adapt. Even if his father, Edgar Wharton, had been a neutral house, not choosing a side to support, he didn’t intend to follow in his footsteps.

‘There is too much to lose by staying neutral... If we choose wisely we can become bigger than any of the other houses...!’ was his line of thought, ‘No one would dare to mock me again...!’

He promptly tried to develop a friendly relationship with Donovan but, even then, their meetings were counted due to the prince’s health. Deep down, Terrel was suspicious since that boy emitted the same aura as a pure trickster but, even then, he couldn’t accuse a royal heir of lying.

Things appeared to be developing smoothly but, much to his surprise, ever since he was stationed by his father to assist the Wharton’s duchy, Donovan has cut down their contact severely. In weeks, this had been the first letter to arrive and the news were devastating.

Terrel needed the queen to know of his intent to support her second son so that he could grab all the rewards that followed but, that sneaky little snake is avoiding it at all costs.

‘Why...?’ he couldn’t understand what was the main reason behind the prince’s actions.

Was he conflicted? Unsure of what action to take?

Or was he just delaying this on purpose?

“Shit...” Terrel mumbles after clicking his tongue between his teeth.

 

Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door is heard right before a sharp sound from the entrance opening widely is captured.

“Milord, your guests for tonight have arrived,” Edward declares before the sound of clacking chains echoes through the room.

“Oh-Oh... Tonight’s batch is extremely pleasing... I shall recompensate your efforts greatly,” he grins while his eyes travel up and down, analyzing the multiple preys in front of him.

Three different girls, no older than sixteen stood before him, dressed with a very light yet tight attire, making it possible to see the small curves on their pearly white bodies. Their frail figures were shivering, partially from the cold and partially from fear, as tears dripped down their horrified eyes.

“Place them how I like it and leave,” he declares effortlessly right before seeing the guards who surrounded the girls take them to the bed.

The chains were locked between the bed frame, making them unable to leave unless they were willing to break their own bones or cut their hands. As if this wasn’t enough, the guards proceeded to place a piece of cloth in their mouths before tying it tightly behind their small heads.

“Are the goods damaged?” Terrel frowned once he saw some wounds on one of the girl’s inner thighs, “You know I don’t do used whores.”

“I can assure you they are fine for picking, my master,” Edward promptly reassures him.

“Very well... I trust your good judgment,” Terrel says before beginning to remove his clothes.

“May your night be restful,” the aide quickly bows and leaves, followed by the leftover guards in the room.

As Terrel approached the young maidens, his body became lighter and his skin more visible.

“I am extremely upset so I won’t be playing nice,” he declares effortlessly before removing all his clothes completely.