North x Northwest

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Regardless of how magnificent the mansion in reality was, with all of its exterior lights turned off, the building was rather gloomy. The foreboding atmosphere was heightened by protruding decorations along the windows, resembling distorted faces hiding in the dark.

A faint light leaked through one of the windows. Behind it was a butler checking the outside from between the curtains before immediately closing them meticulously. The man moved away from the window and soon enough lit up the wall lamps throughout the interior. When the room was suitably bright, Venua burst through the door and came in, instigating the butler, who was up on a ladder to light the chandelier, to come down hastily.

Venua grumbled at him and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room.

“I’m getting sick of this.”

The butler bowed his head instantly and soothed his complaining master.

“Please, we only need a little more time.”

Venua glared angrily at the half-lit chandelier. The villa’s resident manager and servants had all been sent downstairs, so the butler had to do all the chores on his own.

“This is getting frustrating!”

“We still need to be careful. The people of Roahn are all incredibly sharp in a way that we cannot underestimate them. How could I let them come face to face with the Prince Regent? The squad will arrive soon, so I apologise once more, but please wait two more days, no, three days.”

“Damn it, what am I supposed to be afraid of that I should hide in the dark? I am the son of Obernyu!”

“News from the Mireille family hasn’t yet arrived, and Admiral Retiro’s intentions are unclear. Until then, it will be better to hide our claws, that’s all there is to it, so please don’t consider this a disgrace.”

“You’re incompetent! If you hadn’t been so lazy, this wouldn’t have dragged on like this.”

“My apologies, Sir Venua.”

“Damn, you bastards. it appears you’re elite in name only, but in reality, you’re all useless. I brought you here after hearing how excellent you were, but what have you done since arriving here? When we return to the principality, I will reorganise the royal guards first.”

The butler, no, Maxwell, the elite platoon leader of the Obernyu guards, endured and swallowed his master’s verbal abuse with dry saliva.

“I received some news just a while ago. Would you like to hear it now?”

Venua gestured without his expression showing any signs of calming down. As Maxwell pulled the string next to the table, a shabby-dressed man came in through the side door of the inner room. The man, who came to Venua’s side and bowed down to the Prince Regent, immediately opened his mouth.

“I have confirmed her face at the Devito Harbour. You were right, it’s Miss Liloa.”

Sipping his drink, Venua’s shaking hand came to a halt. Maxwell spoke on his behalf.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. She has been going out more frequently recently, so I was able to confirm it several times. I’m also not the only one who witnessed her. For now, she’s mainly moving around the port.”

Venua slammed down his glass, causing his wine to overflow. Maxwell quickly wiped the back of Venua’s hand with a handkerchief and continued his interrogation.

“Any chance of us being found out?”

“We remained undetected.”

“How can you be sure?”

“It’s said that the Marquess has no interest in matters outside the residence. I heard that the Marquess of Roahn isn’t even in charge of the administration of the city. Therefore, it’s highly likely that he’s unaware of this villa being rented.”

Venua shouted and jumped up from his seat.

“What a complacent way of thinking!”

“No, Sir. In fact, the private soldiers dispatched from the Retiro residence appear to only keep an eye on the activities of the Garni Merchants, belonging to the Duke of Mireille. So, you don’t have to worry about us being discovered. However…”

“…However?”

“Miss Liloa herself also appears to have several escorts. It looks like a very tight structure, so it must’ve been ordered by the Marquess himself. She’s clearly under the protection of the Marquess…”

“Are you saying that those mere private escorts caused this delay in your task? If you’re bluffing, know that I’ll cut your head off right now.”

‘The Marquess can mobilise not only a private army but also the city guards. Security is tight throughout Roahn’s downtown… And with the monsoon season approaching, merchants will move their supplies in large quantities, too. Nominally, it’s said that the city’s security is being strengthened for this purpose, but even we, who aren’t affiliated with any merchant association, will be subjected to inspection if we move even slightly too hastily… Due to these restrictions on our movement, we can’t simply…’contemporary romance

“I knew I’d have to slit your throat!”

Although he shouted, the Prince Regent’s cracked voice wasn’t very intimidating. Soon after, the sound of coughing mixed with sputum echoed in the inner room for a while, only to be silenced when Maxwell handed his master a glass of water. After taking a sip, Venua stroked his pale face. His clumped bangs fell helplessly down his brow, casting a deep shadow over his sunken eyes.

“What about my father?”

Venua, who had been staggering, sat back down on the sofa. With his head leaned back, his sweaty neck glistened in the chandelier light. As he loosened his cravat as if his soaked shirt became too bothersome, he looked at Maxwell. Sensing his master’s persistent gaze, Maxwell lowered his head and opened his mouth.

“He has a new woman. A widow who already has six children.”

“Damn it.”

“Didn’t they say that the last woman also had four sons? Still, she couldn’t even conceive in the end. So don’t worry too much.”

“But we’re running out of time… time!…”

Venua muttered and gulped his glass down. As his hands trembled, the ice in the glass clinked loudly. Apparently, he didn’t mind the liquid flowing from the corner of his mouth down to his neck, seeing how he only wiped his face after he finished his drink. Venua’s red, bloodshot eyes darted around before settling on the top of the head of the prostrated man.

“No matter how many guards there are, there will always be a blind spot.”

“…”

“Whether you lure her in or wait for an opportunity, I don’t care as long as you bring her here right away. I’ll give you a week. After that, I’ll…”

The butler at Venua’s feet further bowed his head.

“Yes.”

“I’ll hang your neck in front of your squad’s lodge. Tell your men that. Maybe they finally come to their senses when they see you… those slow-moving bugs…”

***

For the longest time, Avar, the owner of Cocoon Merchants, hosted a weekly banquet in Roahn. The banquet, which was originally held at his mansion, continued in Gualtiero after he was imprisoned. Due to his influence extending not only in Roahn but throughout the whole Empire, many people came to admire him even while he was detained.

Standing by a window inside Gualtiero, Lil watched the spectacle of luxurious carriages entering the gloomy front yard and lining up before the entrance.

“Fucking madness.”

She couldn’t help but curse. In Lil’s imagination, there hadn’t been a more hostile and frightening place than Gualtiero. Although she heard about the recent changes from Ed, seeing it with her own eyes was completely different.

‘Who knew that even someone imprisoned could still host a banquet and wield so much power.’

Lil took a look around the corridor where she was standing. The ground-floor hall was meticulously decorated to reflect the tastes of the recently visiting nobles. It was so extravagant that it put the reality of being a prison to shame and created a phoney sense of cosiness. Despite all the luxury, garrisons were still stationed all along the parapet. Lil’s ribcage tightened with tension as she made eye contact with one of them and swallowed her dry saliva upon feeling a sharp pain in her chest.

She lowered her veil and adjusted the hem of her dress. There would be no one to suspect her as she was buried beneath the frills of her hat, but that didn’t mean she could easily escape her nervousness.

The closer she got to Avar’s cell, the louder the orchestral music became. The place, reminiscent of a banquet hall, was full of laughter. Lil opened her mouth wide upon being sucked into the ridiculous sight…

***

About half an hour later.

“…That’s right. I heard that the Marquess rarely leaves his residence…”

“…Yeah. I also only saw him from far away during the fleet protocol…”

“…Still, I heard he’s very handsome. He’s one of the best-looking men around…”

“…Those are the rumours that are all going around, but who knows if, in reality, he’s short and very odd-looking, given how he hasn’t gotten married yet?…”

“…Well, everyone who hasn’t seen him in person would say the same thing…”

“…Did you actually see him?…”

“…No. Not me, but my friend’s cousin’s brother-in-law is a Lieutenant. The Lieutenant’s daughter was watching a ceremony from the front row, and she nearly fainted because of the Marquess’ looks. She got dizzy and almost fell behind her chair. That daughter is a friend of my friend’s cousin, and a friend from my friend’s cousin is also a friend of mine, so in the end, it’s like I confirmed it myself…”

“…Well, he likes corpses. So, he’s probably not interested in living and breathing women…”

“…But doctors generally have a bit of an odd side, haven’t they?…”

TN:

Of course we haven’t forgotten about the recap chapter we promised to upload this sunday, however, our schedule changed a bit and we didn’t manage to finish it on time. We’ll stick to our regular upload moments this week and add the recap chapters next weekend! 🙂

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