Chapter 49

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕷𝖆𝖇𝖞𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

I know that information could wait, but I would never be more curious than ever if suddenly, a war broke out immediately, that's why before I could set my head straight, I went back to my room with my back leaning on the door.

My hands touched the clothes in the middle of my chest as my breathing became more rapid as if I had run out the whole lap within the empire, as if I had almost lost my breath.

My knees started shaking and they went to the floor my arms continued to hug my knees until the passing breezes were no longer cold and the shivering of my body became engulfed with warmth.

I inhaled a lot of air and blinked my eyes a few times before slapping both of my cheeks and exhaling that air.

"I need to go find that guild master..." without any hesitation from my voice, I went to my cabinet and put on clothes that I asked Anna to buy then covered myself with the coat.

Then a memory came from my mind when Claudius introduced me to his newly renovated room aside from the caging of the assassins, he also showed me a way out of the household without being found out by the knights.

At times like this, I just wanted to hug Claudius and by now, I knew that he would have a running nose.

Chuckling with the thought, I immediately headed to his room and found a key that he would always put behind the portrait of a scenery. I put it into a keyhole and eventually, the small door opened and light poured into my vision that when I blinked, the light never faded.

It took me a few times to walk towards the path until I found myself in the forest near our household. I looked behind me and the door immediately closed.

"Thank you, Claudius..." I whispered and I hoped even if he never heard my words, he would still be doing fine in the imperial academy.

I didn't need any more time to waste so after turning my feet moved towards the path where the market would be.

I never experienced this kind of thing before, going alone within the market without being known as a lady from a noble household.

All I cared about then was for Caliere to look me in the eyes and speak the love that I wanted from him, but it never came true.

As much as I wanted to hurt him, and wanted nothing to do with him, I wouldn't be able to do those things now.

Not when I realized that there were a lot of people who needed my help and I wanted to protect my loved one so becoming his ally while claiming his trust would be a big deal for my loved ones to be protected, since he would be the future emperor of this empire.

Although, I never even thought that I had forgiven him for what he had done to me.

I might forgive him in the farther future but not right now, when my wounds were still fresh and still being mend by the time.

I might appear to be his friend but the forgiveness that I would give him would never be nearer than now.

"Be careful," a young man held me by the hand as I didn't even realize that I was already facing a passing carriage.

When he pulled me closer to him, I felt as if his scent was familiar but when I managed to properly stand, I tried to look at him, but the young man was nowhere to be found. The only glimpse I had of him earlier was his brown hat and simple clothing like an ordinary person.

Yet his voice was deep and soft.

I tried to look for him but then, my sight went to a familiar-looking young man again, this time, he had the same coat as he had in that auction, but he wasn't alone anymore.

He had his arms crossed over his chest, his lips were forward his cheeks became chubby must be the air he was holding in his mouth.

I could even see how some old men messed his hair while others laughed and he argued as if he was mistreated and yet, the old men would offer him some desert from their work.

The old men surrounding Crane must be from a nearby restaurant but then my eyes widened, perhaps, they were from that diner that I had entered in the past but it was only a façade because their true business was that they were the guild's pawns.

I tried to walk near them but seeing how Crane laughed when he threw some of the cake towards the old men, instead of being angry the old man just laughed, and the others followed.

Then my thoughts traveled back to look at the people's appearance back then, their faces were full of scars the same as their hands which is why some of them wore masks while some wore coats to cover their body's dry wounds.

But the old men that Crane talked to weren't one of those people and so I managed to think that they might be ordinary people living near the market.

I took two steps away from them but just before finally going away from where Crane was, a warm hand tried to stop me and pulled me closer to him that I didn't even have a choice but to close my eyes.

The warmth was comforting and it was safe to the point that it was nostalgic later I knew who it was based on the chuckles.

"Good to meet you here, Lady Festin," he said but then my eyes widened.

The voice from my fading vision back then said my real name back when we were in the Crevon place, or was it just my own hallucination or dream?

"Crane, why are you here?" I tried adjusting myself from him but he wouldn't let me go and yet, I managed to break our hug when his hands were still on mine.

His warmth kept on lingering on my skin and even if I wanted to step away, I couldn't, not when he reminded me so much of my friends who I wished to be here right now with me.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I wanted to be truthful to him once but if I did, wouldn't I be making the most dangerous decision about telling this ordinary boy my identity?

"It looks like something is bothering you, Lady Festin..." He said while he moved his thumbs over to the back of my hands.

"If I said that there is, would you want to hear my words, Crane?" I didn't spare any seconds to waste time beating around the bust and looked at my reflection in his soul.

I saw his eyes widen before finally settling with a curling of his lips.

"I knew you would always seek me when things don't go the way you wanted this time..."

"Pardon?"

***

"So you have the nerve to make a deal with me, young lady?"

"Be respectful Gludius, she's still my friend"

"I know that young master Crane but to think that she's demanding something that I couldn't even foresee made me feel----"

"Gludius," I heard Crane with his dark tone as if warning the chairman of the guild named Gludius with his voice and eyes that stark out of glare from the darkness.

I heard the chairman of the guild sigh and tried to massage his closed eyes, before finally settling them straight into mine.

"Fine, if you so wanted it to, young master. But that doesn't mean that it would be easy for her to know that information"

"I trust her, Gludius, and she's not a kid when compared to my friend's mind"

"I see," where the guild master's voice was. I gulped and blinked my eyes a few times before seeing some papers in his hand

"Young Lady Festin, right? You wanted some information about the occurring or upcoming war from the neighboring empire Hildigger and the Mezor, right?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation

"Then I guess you should wait for a few more days or weeks because these papers weren't information but letters to my most trusted spies within that empire," my eyes widened but then I looked at Crane who was glaring at Gludius

"Oh and trust me, I would never lie not with the young master who saved my life, and not to his precious friend..."

"One thing Gludius, have you done what I've told you to?"

"About that Count, there were a lot of mysteries in it's old household but I've found some few. Although it was before the Mezor empire established its name within the place"

I don't know what they were talking about but I think that it was related to the Vesron or the truth potion that Crane was creating.

But who was the Count that they were talking to? I'm sure that my request had been done but I was too curious to know who the noble person was.

"So it's settled then?" Crane asked Gludius but the old man laughed, the kind of laughter that wasn't venomous but wasn't kind as well.

"I think about the lady's request it wouldn't be paid with just money or gold, young master," he was now adjusting his hands to the table and his eyes started to dart on mine.

"What do you need this time, Gludius?"

"Well, young master Crane, I was curious about this one family, that I haven't known for a while since their information was restricted"

"Family? Who was it?"

"Are you willing to pay the price this time, young master Crane?"

"Yes..."

"Then I guess, it would be the Monsiore household. I've been investigating that household for a long time but the traces of their traditions would always be erased..."

"Traditions?"

"Oh, you two didn't know? That was the olden tradition before the house of Monsiore swore the blood oath to the imperial household. It was the tradition of passing the bloodline to kill one of the heirs of the throne..."