Miss Du’monte must be talking about when I called out to her earlier… “I’m really sorry!” I rose my voice a little, trying to get my feelings across. My stomach was churning with guilt. I honestly hadn’t meant to upset her. Suddenly, a loud noise broke the air, and my face stung. She slapped me… I guess I deserved that.“Honestly… How dare a worthless-“ She suddenly stopped speaking as Sir Esquire put a hand on her shoulder, having quickly returned from his task.
“Y-you’re back already?” She sputtered, turning halfway toward him.
“Loreth was already long gone. I’m not going to track him down. Besides, I don’t think we really need to supervise him as he works. Now that said… I don’t know what happened, but she said she was sorry. Surely, it’s nothing worth violence?” He spoke gently, and she lowered her hand, biting at her bottom lip.
“Y-you’re right… It’s just… Well…” Tears seemed to well up in her eyes.
“What is it?” He asked concern showing on his face.
“She… She called me a harlot, that I’m keeping two men tied around my finger… When I tried to tell her that you weren’t a man of the sort of caliber as to lower yourself to such foolery… She continued to insult your honor and the prestige of your house!” As Miss Du’monte began sobbing, I was left standing in confusion.
“I don’t… know what she’s t-talking about…” I said, more than a little at a loss.
Sir Esquire gently comforted her before turning a harsh gaze towards me. “Silence. Obviously, we were wrong to allow a little skank to assist with this request. After we’ve completed this, I’ll be sure to report your misconduct.”
Ellvira scowled at him, “Her misconduct? She simply apologized to her after Miss Du’monte stormed up and started threatening us!” Her eyes were narrow slits as she glared at him, her cheeks turning red with indignation.
”I-I was worried that it may h-have come across that I was trying to hit on her… l-lover.” I pointed towards Loreth who was standing quietly some distance away. “I-it wouldn’t make sense for me to belittle those of a h-higher standing than I.” I struggled to maintain a straight face as I defended myself. Getting heated and angry would only serve as evidence of her foul lies, and it would prevent me from being able to think clearly.
“Her lover…?” He looked towards Loreth, his face hardened. He turned away from us and continued to walk onwards. “If we don’t continue now, we won’t be able to complete the request today.”
I stared at him as he walked onward. He didn’t seem like he was going to drop it so easily, so why…? I looked at Ellvira, who only shook her head. we all continued on, but the atmosphere was strained. Miss Du’monte seemed to be passionately trying to convince Sir Esquire of something but to no avail.
Eventually, we made it to our destination. It really hadn’t been that much farther away. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take of this and was relieved we had finally made it. Sir Esquire spoke to a few of the local farmers, who directed us towards the woods. Loreth was apparently a skilled tracker and was able to lead us to the den in a relatively short time. He was instructed to scout around the area with Ellvira, and I stood guard as Miss Du’monte and Sir Esquire discussed how to proceed. I was far enough away to not really hear them, but fragments of their conversation would drift to me on the wind.
Apparently, I had been mistaken in my assumption that Loreth was secretly Miss Du’monte’s lover, and she was actually in the middle of trying to woo Sir Esquire, whose family was of a similar ranking to hers. Perhaps that was why she had gotten frustrated when I spoke of Loreth being her lover. However, that doesn’t explain her attitude to when I complimented his eyes or the lies she spouted earlier. My annoyance was high, and though I kept an impassive expression on my face, I couldn’t resist kicking the occasional rock in my path. This is annoying. Next time Miss Lorna tries to have me join a party… I’ll stand my ground and tell her no.
“…send Loreth…. Scout out…” Sir Esquire’s voice said, sickeningly sweet in tone. It was a tone of voice I had only heard people use when they were trying to persuade someone. Miss Du’monte’s voice rose up, “….die to wolves… Talks of marriage…”
Die to wolves? I must have misheard. The distance was great enough, and their voices were hushed. Twigs snapped nearby, and my hands dropped to the hilts of my daggers. I relaxed when I saw it was just Ellvira and Loreth returning. Our eyes met for a moment, but he quickly looked away, approaching Miss Du’monte to report back, “There are no wolves nearby. The few in the cave are either all that are here, or they’re at such a distance that it doesn’t matter.”
“Good! Now… This is an order: go scout out the cave,” Her voice started out sweet, but as she finished her words, it turned colder than steel. Without another word, he turned around, walking straight into the cave. The wind howled shortly after, and it felt as if the air tensed around me. A bad omen. Shortly after I thought that, growls could be heard coming out of the cave, followed by the clang of metal against stone. In such close quarters, it’d be difficult to wield something like a lance. It would have been smarter to send me in first. Soon, five wolves rushed out of the cave, but the sounds of combat still echoed out, lurking around us. The five wolves ran towards Sir Esquire and Miss Du’monte, but instead of drawing their weapons, they turned and ran. As she passed me, Miss Du’monte turned and gave me a rough shove toward the wolves, as she whispered, “This is what happens when sluts like you approach what’s mine.”
