Underneath the old run down house, inside a swelteringly hot basement, Dorn gained consciousness. He squinted his eyes against the dim room, cautiously he tried to take in every detail he could from the flickering firelight.

He tried to make a move only to find himself tied on a chair. His foggy head cleared up instantly as the rope against his skin began to bite. Worse, the dull ache he felt on his jaw was due to a piece of cloth shoved in his mouth.

Hell and fire, that stinking servant boy got him good!  

That heavy fist he received as a reward for being momentarily distracted is not something he cannot withstand on normal days. He admits that was one good punch enough to make a bruise. If he had been more vigilant he wouldn't have ended up here, tied to a chair and his mouth stuffed with smelly cloth.

It was by sheer luck that he can still wake up today if not he'd be rowing his way to the underworld this instant. Why did the person decide to keep him breathing? That, he doesn't know.

Thankfully. Thankfully.

"Awake now are we?"

Dorn squinted towards the approaching figure. Despite the poor light, he could clearly tell that he was quite delighted with this handiwork.

"Not struggling? Aren't you an odd one? Most of the time when people are caught in such a restricting position they fight it with all they got." The agent said, dismayed to see that his captive is behaving nicely.

How is he going to go about with the interrogation when he is being quiet like a stone wall? The agent panicked silently. Why is he so calm? What is he plotting?    

"Ahem! Did you think that hiding in this far off place will save you?"

Who's hiding? Dorn rolled his eyes inwardly. 

"If you're curious as to who I am then I will tell you. Remember that viscount's daughter you kidnapped two months ago? Her parents wanted revenge. I'm from the agency who does odd jobs that mostly the shits in the Justice Bureau fails to solve. An eye for an eye."

Ahh, mighty hero! Thy words are too good. It's just that— you apprehended the wrong person, can't you see? Never have I kidnapped anyone nor met any viscount's daughter whatsoever! There was clear ridicule in Dorn's eyes.

The agent, of course, did not miss it but mistakenly thought that 'Toad' is resenting him for his arrest.

While the agent thinks of several ways to make Dorn speak, Dorn is already halfway done with his binds. He did not expect that the person who captured him would be so stupid to mistake a target. 

~sigh. Since when did Lonely Maiden have such a pathetic agent?

If the agent heard his thoughts he most probably would throw the same question back. While it's true that as people on the same line of profession, one has to be thorough with the investigation before acting, the other should also be more vigilant of his surroundings. 

He moved arbitrarily. Dorn on the other hand was too lax that is why he was caught off guard. Fortunately, through this incident those flaws were exposed earlier and corrected in time.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed with your disguising skill. The mask looks quite sturdy." The agent was about to grab Dorn's face when a flying wet cloth hit his face.

"You have the wrong person, DUMBASS!" Dorn roared. "I'm from Phantom doing the same errand as you."

The agent was momentarily taken aback by that roar. However he soon recovered and roared back, "Don't try to wriggle your way out of it!"

"As if I'd do that." Dorn spat disdainfully. "I only happened to be in the same place when you came. As a matter of fact, I know exactly where you took me." 

"..."

"Isn't this the hunter's old cabin outside Freesia? It's at the foot of Bear Mountain! In front of the house is a small vegetable garden and a well."

The agent stood petrified. "How… how" 

"It shouldn't be so surprising, I grew up playing around this area."

Actually, he would hide here whenever his father beat his ass. 

"The superiors said that the Toad is a sly criminal who is good at convincing people. Your words hold no weight to me."

A vein popped on Dorn's forehead. 

"Brother, do I look like an old fatty to you? I'm at the tender age of fifteen with smooth elastic skin and a healthy body. FIFTEEN, not forty, not fifty!" As he was rambling furiously at the agent, he was also busy untying the rest of the rope. "Damn it, don't let me catch you. I'll break your legs once I get out of here, see if I don't." 

Because of his mounting anger, the aura bursting out his body created a fizzle in the air making the agent anxious.

Finally breaking out of the rope, Dorn stood cracking his knuckles. 

Agent: (ʘᗩʘ’)

"You're free?!"

"Ehehe… d'ya think I'd obediently remained tied up? Before I forget, you punched me and slung me up to your shoulders like a sack of potatoes so…."

The agent stepped back unconsciously. 

"Tell me, how do we settle the debt?" Dorn asked menacingly. 

Seeing that he is not up for an argument, the agent drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance.

"I'm warning you criminal, stay put or I'll be forced to use violent means."   

"Tch." 

Annoyed, Dorn took the signacalum hanging on his neck and pressed it on the agent's forehead. The other thought he was bracing to attack and raised his guard but the expected blow did not come.

He was stunned in place looking foolishly at the bluish metal pendant hanging in front of his eyes.

"Phantom." The words glared at him.

"Thank goodness you are literate." Dorn said exaggeratedly. "You should have done so earlier to save yourself from all this embarrassment."

For a long period of stillness, the agent stood motionless while holding his weapon, until the sarcastic tone came.

"Are you really a person of Lonely Maiden?"

The other guy straightened up his spine, "Hell, you think I'm  a fake? Although I'm a rookie I'm still a genuine one."

"As an agency that deals with intelligence reports, how could you mistake a target?"

"Like you are any better." The agent grumbled, taking offense. "You put Phantom to shame, I only tapped you a little and you passed out. Are you so fragile that you easily get beaten like that? Is your body made of paper?"

The angry veins on Dorn's forehead bulged. "You're the one who picked the wrong person. Is your brain made of paper?" 

As humiliating as it was, what the agent of Lonely Maiden said jabbed him on the  sore spot. He had no other words to argue with this hateful fellow. He became complacent thinking that he is inside Nachtwald, the confidence and trust he has with the people around here made him loosen his guard. If this keeps on, forget about being a permanent shadow for the young lady. Duke Al and Sir Ahmose will never entrust him with her safety when the time comes for her to set off outside the territory.   

"Cough… it's better that we stop wasting our breath arguing about our errors." Dorn said unnaturally. "The enemy is still out there." 

He coughed several more times as if he had eaten something itchy. 

—as if he wanted to cover up something embarrassing.

The agent also added, "I will not make the same mistake." his eyes, however, are moving shiftily to the side.

It was good that there was only a bit of light, else they would be more embarrassed to see each other's expression that was worse than eating green lemons.  

And thus, the two climbed out of the basement and rushed on their separate ways. Seeing each other for a minute more would inevitably kill them with anger and shame.

 

Back at the square… 

When Sterne noticed that something was odd, she ran back to the garden and found that the little girl had already left.

"Ah, that cheat!" Cecelia said, plunking her hands on her waist disappointed. "I thought she wanted to play."

"Maybe her family found her already." Stern said. "It's too bad we didn't get to ask her name. Why don't we go to Omnia and have lunch? Emilia will be coming shortly and grandpa Haw will pick you up later."

"Oh, alright."

Though Cecelia did not like that kid at first, she eventually relented seeing that 'she' looks sad and doesn't mean any harm to Lady Sterne. She knew that not all rich noble girls are very mean, but still it wouldn't hurt to be aware especially to girls with sneaky eyes.   

After tidying up the snake and gecko toys Sterne frowned.

"There seems to be something missing." She thought while tilting her head on the side.

When she couldn't put a finger on what it was she decided to grab the seven-year-old Cecelia's hand and trotted away. From the other side of the topiary, the person they are searching for is looking at them secretly snickering holding the orc head.

Meeting the mysterious little girl was only a short episode but left an impression on Sterne. For several days she inquired about a missing child from the stations and found no answer. As for checking the visitors of the duchy, she gave up after a hundredth try. There are various people entering Freesia, from tourists, merchants and adventurers. She could not possibly check them all.  

Perhaps the child did manage to find her parents and left soon. 

The matter was soon forgotten as there are more things to handle as the lady of the house. 

 

In a secluded part of the garden where a beautiful magnolia tree beside the lily pond grows, clusters of rare flowers bloomed. Light floral scent wafted as the gentle breeze blew.

Sitting in the gazebo holding an account book, the young lady seriously flipped through the pages. Her hair gathered in a tousled braid held by a yellow ribbon emphasizing her delicately moulded face. Dark long eyelashes fluttered ever so softly every time she blinked.

"Uncle Wil, Omnia is doing greatly under your care." Sterne smiled at the Lutum land baron standing beside her.

"Milady praises too much. I merely manage the business along with the other five, it was your ideas that changed its many aspects. The profits from each store are steadily increasing. Trefoil without your guidance wouldn't be able to produce high-quality fabrics, the same as Daturas where most of our herb medicines come from."

Sterne gracefully turned a page and smiled at the contents. The ledger in her hand is divided into two parts where debit and credit are accurately stated courtesy of the eldest Kyrios.

"Will we be able to expand our influence towards the royal capital?"

Baron Wilbur revealed a trace of worry in his eyes. "Recently, there have been problems with counterfeit when we released the first line of Imperial Silk. The major stores in Aurea created a rumour that the Imperial Silk we are selling is no different from the silks imported from the Eastern Empire. Your brothers decided to stop putting them on display for now and encouraged their friends that if they wanted to purchase the product they would need to go down here."

Sterne gave a small laugh. "No wonder there is a sudden rise of tourists."   

She couldn't help but praise those two rogues. Only they would think of benefitting from that kind of disaster.

"I heard Young Lord Kyrios and Sir Dio made a few demonstrations using the fabric during a banquet. One of the young ladies were made to wear a dress made of Imperial Silk. Seeing its exquisite grade firsthand has already won many favours but then a slight accident happened when some malicious people tried to damage the clothes of the said lady. In the end, it was still Imperial Silk made from an A-rank monster's fibre. They really thought it was like any other delicate silks."    

"Letting them see its unique characteristics on their own is more effective. The issue is now resolved. I take it?"

"Well, we resolved the bigger issue within the nobility but there are problems with merchants going about from town to town cheating people into buying fake goods."

That is quite worrying. She sighed. Even when it was patented by the Merchant's Guild there are still gutsy individuals sneaking about.

Sterne handed back the ledger when she finished reading it to walk around the pond and stretch out.       

Today Golden Leaf is full of people from travelling nobilities to merchants. Omnia is the same as well.

Before, travellers rarely lingered here. The inns in Nachtwald are nothing more than a short stop for rest, if only they needn't rest their horses and tired bodies there is no way they would endure staying. They avoided Nachtwald like the plague, fearful that at any moment a monster tide would occur.  

The perception changed when reconstruction commenced. The scenery began to shift from its dismal grey to a lively paradise pulsing with vitality.

The spices and new condiments had brought the fief a huge fortune and there are still plenty of products that have not been fully introduced. The land is rich and fertile supported by good clear weather all year round.

Years ago most of the area was not arable due to the land littered with mud soaked in poisoned water.  

As the sombre mood lifted, recovering from many years of misery, merchants from every territory began to visit and transact. Profits soared from dealing with trusted partners, the shops' revenue from selling unique items rose the budget enabling the people to rebuild the towns.

With a less than an hour of carriage ride from the ducal estate, capital city Freesia has become Sterne's second playground.

The town square's main attractions are its magnificent water fountains, tall standing trees and natural sloping landscape of small hills lined with an array of colourful flora arranged in flower beds.

Compared from its former thatched and log houses, dirt roads and weedy soil, Freesia is now an exquisite mix of cobbled streets, stone, brick and timber houses with clay roof tiles turning it to something picturesque. The drainage system, water source which is aqueducts, and building architecture were all from an ancient design Sterne and her brothers dug up from the library.

Masons of Lutum and architects from Silva focused their abilities on rebuilding. The stone quarries and the abundant trees from the forest provided enough resources. Sterne, however, has no idea as to what extent their improvement has reached, but she was hoping that at least they have caught up with the rest of the kingdom's territories even a little.

What she didn't know is that most of these guests coming and going out of the Duchy have become enchanted with its natural beauty and addicted to their food.

Over three years of diligent rehabilitation, with all the five huge towns (Silva and Freesia to the East,  Trefoil and Lutum in the West, lastly, Daturas in the Northeast) cooperating Nachtwald regained its former magnificence.

"Nachtwald will continue to improve from here on." Emilia assured her. You will finally be at ease then, she wanted to add.

"That thing has not happened yet..." Sterne murmured absently looking at the surface of the water.

Emilia's heart jumped.

This look, this gravity in her tone Emilia had seen it many times. She has never known a child as worried as her lady. It was as if she was chasing on a schedule that if she fails to comply a tragedy will occur.

Her lady's distress started when the Herald came. What did she see from there? How could it bother her so?