I am Reborn through Revenge

Do you want a hug?

***Anon's POV***

I have walked back to my room but somehow the image of Valerie still appeared in my head. I was smoldered by the thought of her. I suspected that I was going to do something stupid or act rashly and she may end up having a field day. So I needed to do something but I needed to do it cautiously.

I paced from one side to the other in my room, with my hands crossed at my back. I managed to avoid hitting my foot on the side stools and the table I kept some of my items. It had been a long day. It was as if time was slowing down every moment. Things were becoming fuzzy and who knows how murkier will it become sooner?

Valerie was still very new so why would she want to meddle in my affair? It doesn’t make sense to me unless someone did send her to do it, I thought.

My head began to spin. There was this twitching happening right inside my head and it appeared I could no longer think straight. I ran few paces to my reading desk, exactly where I kept a jug of water. I poured in some sizable quantity in a cup and drizzled it down in one gulp. Instantly, I began to sweat—it first trickled down my nose, then my head, then my entire body.

I sagged down on the desk, I was careful enough not to dislodge the jug from the table. I felt a little bit relieved. The twitching was gone at least for a while. The water did the magic. Now, my mind came back to Valerie. It was not as if she was a huge problem but she could be one especially when you overlook or let some underestimated threats like her slide. I was no longer the type of person that let things slide anymore—I get to the root cause of situations I don’t seem to understand.

You know, if you make a home out of a lion's den, then you need to learn how to roar like a lion or perhaps even louder. Because when the real lion owner comes back, you will have a lot of explanation to do. I was overwhelmed by the thought that I didn’t take notice that someone had already snapped a finger, beckoning me to look.

“Sir!”

That voice must be Brady, I thought. I lifted my eyes, I was correct.

“Brad, I swear to my ancestors. You are right where you should be,” I told him. “Please, come.”

Brady's lips pouted, curving his two brows in a wrinkle. “Sir, anything wrong?” he asked.

“Yes. Everything is wrong. Just shut the door and come close please,” I demanded.

He shut the door close, then he made a brisk walk over to where I was. He wore a crisp dirty white shirt with grey denim jacket. His shoe was ruffled with dust and the laces slacked to the corners carelessly.

“Brady, you smell like s**t,” I said, cupping my nose with my right hand. “Where are you coming from?” I asked, my hand shaping my voice.

He giggled. “Do you want a hug?” he asked, chuckling.

“What?”

“A hug Sir?”

“If your body dares touch me, Brad, then I guarantee you, I will pee on your grave.”

He laughed so hard to the extent that tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes. It was as if he knew I don’t mean those words I muttered. I tried as much as I could to sound serious.

“Brady,” I called him. “Please, step,” then waited “back,” then waited again, “a little.” My voice sounded dusky, void of any emotion.

As if he noticed my state of mind, he withdrew back a little. “Good. Do you know the girl called Valerie?” I asked.

“Valerie?” he raised a brow.

“Perfectly heard.” I nodded.

Looks like he tried fizzling his memory around. “No sir. It sounds new to me.”

“Okay. I’m going to brush you through. She was among the new maid that was recently selected by the Queen and uh—”

He caught me off immediately. “Ah!” He chuckled, letting his jaw drop. “I can see. You got entangled to one of them again.” He widened his lips and leaked out some air. Loud enough that made him seem like he was mocking me.

“Brady, please listen. I am being serious here.”

“Of course, you have always been,” he said and smiled.

I ignored him. “This new girl had been bringing food here every morning and I thought that yes, it should be the Queen who sent her to be doing it but it wasn't her. In fact, she confirmed it herself.”

“Sorry? Who confirmed it? The Queen?” he asked, crossing his hands on his chest.

“As a matter of fact, the Queen did not know of this. Though strategically, I threw the question at her and she arrived at an unknown, rubicon. She had no idea,” I said. I could see as his eyes flickered across the room, avoiding my eye contact—seemed like he was thinking. He brought his head a little down, making his thick eyebrow appear V-shaped from the angle I was seeing it from. It seemed like he had suddenly started to realize how serious what I was saying was.

“Have you been eating it?” he narrowed down his gaze.

“Eat?” I asked, raising a chin. “That’s one hell of a superfluous assumption Brad.”

He sighed deeply. “Good news,” he said, closing his eyes momentarily and inhaling a deep breath.

Brady can play being stupid sometimes. Using the word “sometimes” might as well underestimate how stupid he could be but that doesn’t in any way make me question his loyalty. Looking at him that moment tells it all. “Yeah, it is,” I agreed.

He uncrossed his hands from his chest, then put them on his hip. “I think we should just go and bring her here and then make her tell us who sent her to be doing it. If she refuses to say the truth then we will make her say it,” he said.

“That’s a wonderful suggestion,” I told him, he nodded. “But I have thought about that. I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“Why do you think so?”

“I have thought it through and also wanted to adopt the same suggestion you offered just now but I don’t think that would be a nice idea.”

He crossed his hands on his chest again, his eyes flickering towards me. “If I confront her with the question, then there might be a possibility of only two outcomes. One, she may deny it, or two, she may not. But the way I see the girl, she isn’t someone who would agree to tell you anything. For her to be used for this type of assignment then you should know that there is something about her that convinced whoever it was that sent her that she was the only person who could execute such plan,” I told him.

Brady waved his head up and down. “Seems like your hand is tied here. Or do you have any other plans?” he asked me.

“I do. I need you to get someone to run a background check on her. Family. Loved ones. Village. Friends if possible. I need to get all in a map, that would be used to break her.”

“Wait, are you planning to—” he lowered his voice, his real voice replaced with a much murkier, quieter voice. “You want to murder them?” he asked, putting his hands across his mouth, cupping it.

“I didn’t use the word murder, you fool. Besides, if she becomes a threat, I don’t mind going to the extreme,” I snarled. I didn’t care what it was going to take. If someone’s coming at me with a knife, then I need to get ready with a sword. It’s only a tree that will see where a plan is being devised to cut it down but still wouldn’t run. Unfortunately, I am not one—I am not a tree.

Brady became expressionless. He looked at me like I am a monster. I understand, he had never seen me say something like that. But hey, this is the survival of the fittest. Not only the strongest stands firm but also the resolute and the determined. I can’t stay in a tub and allow ripples from soap to creep into my eyes. Never.

“Sir?”

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said and bowed. I think he swallowed his point. Maybe he suspected that I will get mad even more if he says what he wanted to say.

“We are good?” I asked, scanning him.

“Yes. Your wish is my command, your Highness. What do you want exactly?” he asked.

“I want you to run a background check on her. When you are done, you tell me. I have a small saving with me and I am going to give you some coins. I wish I had a lot. I need you to pay who can do it perfectly and return answers to me as soon as possible” I said. “Understood?” I asked.

“Perfectly!” he nodded.

“Please, Brad. I need you to do this as quickly as you can. And one more thing, find someone you can trust.” I squinted my eyes at him. I was sure he read it right. He knew I wasn’t teasing him around.

I walked straight to my reading desk, lifted some books I propped against each other, and brushed them aside. I brought out some coins. “This would be for the investigation, take it," I said. I gave him fifteen silver coins. "Hire a professional. I want results.”

He nodded. He left, carrying his weight with a ponderous sort of confidence. I knew he was going to do it but what I didn’t know was when. I had confidence in him even though I didn’t want to bother him with these sorts of things but I had no choice. If I decide to do it myself, I might get spooked and if I ask him to do it himself without involving a third party, he might be spooked as well. I believe I was being spied on by someone somewhere, so any risk I need to take must be done calculatingly with a lot of painstaking effort. I watched him until he jammed the door close.

Results Brad! Results! I muttered. Let’s go dig some well.