Chapter 97
1011 Words
Third Person POV
“It’s unethical to talk privately to someone else’s husband.”
“Shut up Hicks. What do you want?”
“I just wanted to say hi. Since I have nothing to do, let’s have tea together.”
“We’re in times of war. We can’t just casually have tea together.”
“You always look for an excuse to relax around me.”
“If you didn’t always have to study me, I won’t be so wary of you,” she replied.
“Haha, I understand. So, where’s what you promised?”
“This again?” Ariel said, letting out a sigh while rubbing her forehead. “Follow me, you bastard.”
“It’s always a pleasure to do business with you, General Ariel,” he replied with a smile playing on his lips and she gave him a dismissive wave.
“Yes, yes, whatever.”
The two generals took a carriage through the capital city to a covert and run down part of it. They alighted at the entrance and walked right in, Ariel leading. They got to a dead end and below their legs was a regtangular piece of wood. When she lifted it, there were a step of stairs below leading into the darkness.
“Cover your nose.”
Listening to her, he covered his nose and followed her through the total darkness. She walked like she knew where she was going and had been there multiple times. Eventually, they came into a path filled with light and saw a pair of armed men guarding the gates. When they saw her, they immediately opened it.
He followed her into a dungeon like structure, deeper until he was sure they had walked a mile. They reached another sealed room. Ariel told him to wait outside. She wrapped a cloth around her face and went in. he stood there for a while till she returned with a small pouch.
She held it up as she stared at him and said, “What you want is in here.”
“I’m amazed, really. I never expected it to be real but here I am, collecting c******s from a general. The world truly is mysterious.”
“What’s more mysterious is you requesting it. I would’ve guessed Will since he always looks inane but you… what are you going to do with it? Pour it into Irina’s tea so she isn’t able to go?”
“No! What a childish plan. I never wanted to go in the first place so I just put things in place and now, I have the time to experiment on this.”
“... You’re insane. Let’s go.”
“We’re not going back that way?”
“That’s a one way entrance thing. We’re taking another route.”
“How many routes do you have?”
“... Several.”
“Is this how you supply it to Casella and Perimas?”
“One, that’s none of your business. And two, how do you know?”
“How wouldn’t I know? Those two Kingdoms are the capitals of debauchery and elitism. They crave this stuff like it’s Iorite.”
“Yes, they are crazed buyers but as a merchant, I learn not to question.”
“I don’t remember that being your profession.”
“Being a general is boring. I live a double life and it’s more exciting than you can imagine. Of course you can’t imagine more because your life exists in books and experiments.”
“Feel free to take a jab at me. I’m doing this for the future.”
“Of course you are.”
They find their way out of there and back to the surface where they emerge in an abandoned house close to where the carriage was parked. Hicks smirked and said nothing, hitching a ride back to where he would get to his own dwelling.
On the other extreme of the continent, in a country that was hot all year round, the guards in the rural borders connecting the two kingdoms were having a big problem. It was a pest problem, you see; a human sized pest. This pest was so annoyingly strong, it was hard to get rid of.
As expected, a younger looking version of Kalvin was causing trouble everywhere. He had sticky fingers and took whatever he liked. He was also equipped with martial arts that majored in flexibility and movement so getting away for him was as easy as breathing.
The young attendant who went with him was close to having his breath stopped. One day, he lost it and chained the prince to a chair.
“Your highness. Can you please stop?”
“Stop what?”
“Causing trouble for us! We were asked to come do something here by Lady Susanne but we’ve caused nothing but trouble. We’ve had to run from our official lodging just to evade the guards! How are the ones we’re looking for going to find us now?”
“It’s their job. If they cannot find us, then it’s their loss.”
“Your highness, we’ve never settled in one place for more than a few hours. How are they going to find us like that? Would you like it if someone made your job harder for no reason?”
“Who is going to do that?”
“Lady Susanne once she finds out this is what you’re doing.”
“Who’s going to tell her?”
“A letter is already on it’s way to her. Even if you kill me, you’ll still get punished.”
The ropes, which the attendant was sure he tied securely, loosened like it was a toy. The prince rose and rubbed his thin raw wrists.
“I don’t kill people. I was just having a little fun. It’s not my fault they don’t have a sense of humor!”
The attendant kneaded his forehead. It was just his luck, getting assigned to the most troublesome sibling of all; the last born prince.
- Writer
