“I'm sorry, but milady isn't accepting visitors right now.”

Caitlin was unaware of the tension she had caused by her statements. Her words implied that there was some sort of problem with the woman she was serving and that no one was not welcome in the household.

Olivia looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, “And who are you to say who is welcome in the house?”

The maid felt the weight of Olivia's stare and knew that she had said something wrong, but she was not sure what it was. She kept quiet and hoped the conversation would move on.

“When can we see her?”

“Not now. I'm sorry. Please come back later.”

“I see.” Rinaldo tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “Well, thank you for your time.”

The pair turned to leave, but Caitlin's next words stopped them in their tracks.

“Wait. I may have spoken too soon. Let me check with milady and see if she's willing to see you.”

Rinaldo's heart quickened as he waited for Caitlin to return. He was not sure what he would say to the woman who had once raised him, but he knew he had to see her. After what felt like an eternity, Caitlin returned and beckoned for the pair to follow her.

She led them to a small manor on the city's outskirts. There was not much to look at, but it had a pleasant atmosphere.

The first floor appeared to be a large living room, with a small kitchen in the back. Its wooden floors were polished, but not to where they would be uncomfortable to walk on.

The second floor was a small hallway, with a few doors leading off it. It had large doors, which were the entrance to Rinaldo's and his siblings' rooms.

None of them stayed here anymore after their father's death. Rinaldo was the last to leave.

The third floor was a single large room, with a few small windows covered in crimson curtains. It was empty, save for a few pieces of furniture.

There was a bed in the corner, occupied by a woman, and a dresser against the far wall. The only other thing in the room was a small door in the centre of the far wall.

“Milady. The visitors are here.”

“Thank you, Caitlin.”

Caitlin bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her. The woman stood up from the bed and walked over to the table. She sat down in the chair, and the two visitors sat across from her.

“Mother. It's been a long time.”

“Yes, it has. You're looking well.”

“Thank you.” Rinaldo looked at his mother's face. “You look…”

He trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence. At first glance, the woman still looked the same as she had when he had seen her last, six years ago. Deep, clear blue eyes that could spellbind even the most hardened of hearts, and a face so beautiful that looking at it was like looking at the face of an angel.

However, there were subtle differences, too. There was a spark of something in her eyes that he couldn't place. And her face was thinner than he remembered, the delicate bone structure more pronounced.

Her hair was also shorter than he remembered, cut just below her shoulders, and there were more streaks of grey in it than before.

She looked tired. Exhausted, even. But despite all that, she still carried herself with dignity, even a serenity, that made her hard to look away from.

Rinaldo almost felt as if she were staring back at him in that split second before he took a step back and swallowed his own discomfort.

He would never have said he disliked her in person. Not that she was an abusive mother to him. It was just that she had always been… a little strange, for him, at least. Or at least he had always felt that way.

She smiled at him. “Oh?”

“Well… I mean…”

“Go on.”

There was always something about her that made him feel uneasy. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was definitely something off about her. Maybe it was the way she always seemed to know what to do in every situation.

Whatever it was, it made him feel uncomfortable around her. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he did. And it was something that he had never shaken.

It was one reason he had never been close to her, unlike his siblings. But, he supposed, it didn't really matter. Now he wasn't sure he had that feeling anymore.

There was a moment of silence between them, and then Rinaldo spoke again. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare.”

“I look like I'm about to die.” Her smile turned wistful. “It's all right. I am.”

“Mother, don't say that.”

“It's true. I've been sick for a long time. I will not get better.”

Every disease has a cure, Rinaldo thought. However, it seemed like the cure for whatever was ailing his mother wasn't available yet.

He tried to stay positive, but it was hard. What if she was the person behind the disappearance?

His knowledge of alchemy wasn't as good as his mother's, but he at least knew prolonging one's life by draining another person's life force was one of its applications.

“Is there anything we can do?” Olivia took notice of her predicament.

“No. There's nothing anyone can do. I've made my peace with it.”

“Mother, I wish you would have told us. We could have come sooner.”

“There was no need.” She dismissed her son's concerns. “I knew you were busy with your own lives. So what brings the two of you here? Especially you, Viola.”

Olivia gave her an odd look, one that seemed to say she was wondering how the woman was going to react if she told her she was wrong.

“Well, I'm not sure you got the right person. My name is Olivia, of the Luminous Knights.”

The woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she gave Olivia a brief but assessing glance.

“Oh.” She looked at Olivia up and down. “I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. My eyes aren't what they used to be.”

“It's alright. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ragnell.”

“Anyway.” Rinaldo looked at her. “We came to see you because we need your help.”

“My help? What could I possibly do for you?”

“We're looking for someone.” He tried to avoid his mother's curious gaze. “Someone who may have been involved in something that happened recently.”

“And who might that be?”

“We don't know.” Rinaldo shrugged. “That's why we need your help.”

“I'm not sure how I can help you.

Rinaldo took a step closer to her. “You can help us by telling us what you know. Anything you know about what happened, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem.”

And then she saw it, the conviction in her son's eyes. It was as if he was ready to arrest her on the spot if she refused to cooperate with him.

Rinaldo tried to reassure her she wasn't in trouble and just wanted to talk with her, but there was something about how he said it that made her wary.

Her initial reaction was one of quiet watchfulness, but as she thought about it, she realised he was right: there was a certain urgency to his voice. She was getting quite a few concerned looks from Olivia, too.

“You suspected me, don't you? What do you want to know?”

“The truth. It's in your best interest to answer my questions. I will let you go if you tell me what I need to know. I have no wish to harm you. I simply want to ask some questions.”

She thought about this for some time, then nodded.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Rinaldo then asked the woman the following questions: Was it true that she never went outside for years? Did she know anything about the disappearances in the city? Had she talked to any of them before they went missing?

Her answers were short and to the point: Yes, no, and no.

“I'm sorry if I couldn't be of more help.” The woman looked flustered. “Maybe you two should ask Caitlin instead.”

Olivia stood from her chair and pressed her fingertips against her temples. “Caitlin?”

Ragnell nodded. “She's the one who comes and goes. She's the one who takes care of the place.”

“Where is she now?”

“She is in the kitchen. I think she went to get you something to drink.”

Rinaldo and his companion turned to leave, but he paused and looked back at his mother. The woman's face remained impassive, as if she was expecting him to say something.

“One more thing. I will not marry Viola.”

“You're going to marry Olivia instead, I assume?”

He expected the woman to say something against this. When she did not, he nodded his head in apparent satisfaction.

Rinaldo and Olivia walked quietly from his mother's chamber, closing the door. The pair turned and walked out the door, heading toward the kitchen, and found Caitlin sitting at a table.

“Oh, hi.” Caitlin looked up from the book she was reading. “How's it going?”

Caitlin's hands were holding her book and a mug of green tea. The book was a compilation of the top-selling erotica of the past fifty years—all in one volume. Rinaldo didn't know this, but Olivia did.

As soon as her gaze met Caitlin's, she admonished her. “Why are you reading that dirty book?”

Olivia caught her off-guard. The maid didn't answer, but she turned to look at her. The colour of her cheeks seemed to have taken on the crimson hues of tomatoes.

“You aren't going to answer my question? I mean, it's really dirty.”

“It's not dirty at all. It's just, um, romantic.”

“You shouldn't be reading that at work. Give it to me.”

Rinaldo didn't know why Olivia insisted on making the maid part ways with her current reading material. He was a bit put off by her attitude. Her tenacity reminded him of Viola. However, he decided not to complain and kept his feelings about it to himself.

“I'd rather not.”

“Why not?”

The maid was not blushing anymore, and her gaze was steady. “Why not? It's not like I'm a kid. I can read whatever I want.”

Rinaldo snatched the book from Caitlin's hands, much to her surprise. He held it up by the cover and stared it down. It was very simple, just the title in big red letters.

Caitlin and Olivia both froze. The former opened her mouth to protest, but Rinaldo was the first person to speak.

“Ladies, let's have done with this silly argument.”

“I can't believe you'd betray me like this.” The maid gave Rinaldo a tearful look. “After all the things I've done for you.”

“It's not betrayal if it's for a greater purpose.”

The original quote was, “It's not betrayal if I never trusted you,” but Rinaldo was not his sister, and he would be lying if he told her that. Besides, he had a feeling his sister would sue him for copyright infringement when she learned he stole one of her catchphrases.

“What greater purpose could there possibly be than my happiness?” Her face darkened. An icy sense of dread entered Rinaldo's body, and he felt a ripple of alarm go down his spine.

“Our purpose is to protect the future of the people and maintain peace.”

“People's lives are at stake here,” Olivia added.

“Oh.” Caitlin's anger evaporated. “Well, all right then.”

Rinaldo asked her the same questions he had asked his mother to look for inconsistencies and found none. They passed their test with flying colours. However, Rinaldo wasn't certain of their innocence yet. He informed Caitlin that the only way he could be sure they were honest with him was to observe their every move.

“We'll be staying here for one night.”

“Just one night?” Caitlin voiced her disappointment.

“If people continue to disappear while we're here, that should be enough to clear you two.”