RAIN

CHAPTER NINE:☁️

He gazed into my eyes, his expression transforming from curiosity to astonishment. "Wait a minute...your eyes look familiar, and your voice...I've heard it before. Have we met before?" he asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.

I hastily adjusted the cloth covering my face, my heart racing with anxiety, because if he finds out I I am he would not help me. "No, we haven't," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite the growing unease within me.

His eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me intensely. I could feel his gaze piercing through the fabric of my face cloth, as if trying to uncover a hidden truth. The air was thick with tension, and I struggled to maintain a calm demeanor.

Suddenly, he took a step closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm sure I've seen you before," he insisted, his eyes locked onto mine. "But where?"

I tried to edge away, my heart racing with anxiety. But my feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move. What did he remember? And how much did he suspect?

"My lord, where would you have seen her? She's the child of a wealthy man. Oh, you've probably heard her voice at a gathering of the elite," said Shi-Xarian.

He still couldn't shake off the feeling of knowing me, his eyes lingering on mine as if searching for a spark of recognition. His brow furrowed, and his lips pursed, betraying a deepening puzzlement.

"A gathering of the elite?" he repeated, his voice laced with intrigue. "I think I understand. You're the daughter of...?"

He paused, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "My Lord, perhaps it's not wise to pry into the young lady's affairs Shi-Xarian said. Her family's identity is not our concern." one of the men said(his name is Dygeon).

But Jea waved his hand dismissively. "No, I must know. There's something about her that seems...familiar." His eyes locked onto mine once more, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"I'll introduce myself, and so should you all," I said, to change the conversation.

"My name is Lynn," I lied, trying to keep my true identity hidden. I turned to the rude woman. "And you?"

"I am Raya," she said.

"I am Vain," one of the men chimed in.

"I am Dygeon," the second man added.

"I am Liana," the last woman said.

"And I am Shi-Xarian, as you already know," another voice added.

"It's nice to meet you all," I replied. "So, are you going to help Lord Louis?" I added, turning to Jea.

"Hmmmm, should I?" he replied. He turned to the others.

"Yes, I will," he said, "but you might end up giving me more than you expect."

At that moment, hate and anger welled up inside me. I knew that was definitely Jea - always selfish and evil.

"But you must sign a contract first," Vain said, her eyes narrowing. "And it must contain all your information, just in case you decide to run away after we help you."

Liana went and brought out the contract from a drawer, and handed it to me, saying, "Here, I'll help you fill it if you can't write." Feeling something was off, I still played along and collected the contract, trying to appear nonchalant despite the growing sense of unease in my stomach. She led me to Jea's table."Sit," she said, offering me a chair with a hint of a smile. I sat, trying to steady my nerves as I began to read through the contract.

I added my fake name, "Lynn," and fake family name, "Smith," to the contract. I also scribbled a fake signature, trying to make it look as authentic as possible.

"All done," I said, trying to sound casual. Then I handed the filled contract to Jea, who took it with a sly smile, his eyes scanning the page with interest.

I stood up, trying to convey a sense of eagerness. "Okay, so when, where, and how do we start?" I asked, looking at Jea and the others, who exchanged knowing glances before Jea spoke up.

"We will start after you give us our payment," Jea said, his eyes gleaming with greed. Raya, Vain, Dygeon, and Liana all nodded in agreement, their faces set with expectation. "The payment is 10,000 gold coins," Jea added, his voice firm.

"I replied, "It's service before payment." But Liana just chuckled, a cold glint in her eye. "Oh no, princess, here it's payment before service," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

I turned to Shi-Xarian, hoping he would intervene, but to my surprise, he nodded in agreement with Liana. "I'm afraid that's how we operate," he said, his expression neutral.

I knew it, something was off, I said to myself, my mind racing with suspicion. Are they trying to scam me? I wondered, feeling a wave of unease wash over me. Wow, I couldn't believe I fell for their tricks, I thought, shaking my head in disgust. Even Shi-Xarian, who had been nice to me and had even allowed me to stay at his place, was in on it. I just knew Jea was up to no good, I thought, recalling his sly smile and greedy eyes.

Just as I was about to reject their offer, a strong feeling struck me, like a jolt of electricity running through my veins. It was as if the power of GOOD, coursing through my being, was urging me to accept their offer. The sensation was unmistakable, and I felt an inexplicable sense of trust wash over me. Despite my initial reservations, I found myself nodding in agreement, accepting their proposal.

I hesitated for a moment, then reached into my pouch and removed half of the gold coins I had. I handed the pile of glittering coins over to Raya, who smiled sweetly as she accepted them. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she counted the coins, before nodding at Jea, who gave a curt nod of approval.

"I will give the rest to you soon, including the paperwork for the land," I said, looking at Jea and the others. "And, as promised, I will teach you my sword skills within our search for the Milar witch," I added, glancing at Shi-Xarian, who nodded slightly, a hint of a smile on his face. Liana and Raya exchanged a look, seeming to communicate silently, before Liana spoke up.

"Very well," Liana said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "We will prepare for our journey to find the Milar witch. Shi-Xarian, please ensure our gear is in order." Shi-Xarian nodded, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Raya, please see to the provisions," Liana continued, her gaze sweeping over the group. "We will depart at dawn. And, as for you," she said, turning to me with a sly smile, "we will be watching you closely, to ensure you uphold your end of the bargain."

As we were all about to leave, Jea suddenly grabbed my wrist, his grip tightening like a vice. "Leave us," he commanded the others, his voice low and menacing. The group hesitated for a moment before departing, leaving Jea and me alone. He held my wrist tighter, his eyes boring into mine as he whispered, "I will find out who you truly are. You can't deceive me. I can see through your face cover and your voice. I am sure that I know you, and I will uncover the truth soon." His gaze seemed to pierce right through me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as he added, "You give off a familiar dark aura." I smiled calmly, despite the anger growing inside me, and carefully released my wrist from his grasp and turned to leave.

I turned back to Jea, my eyes narrowing slightly as I spoke in a low, even tone. "You better know where the witch is," I warned him, "because if you don't, you'll see that same true dark aura you feel around me come to life. I don't like it when people waste my time and energy." With that, I turned to leave, calling back over my shoulder, "See you at dawn."

As I reached for the door knob, Jea's voice stopped me, his words dripping with venom. "You remind me of an evil woman whom I hate and never want to see," he spat. "And if I did by chance, I would kill her." I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I didn't look back. Instead, I opened the door and stepped out into the night, the cool air a welcome respite from the darkness that seemed to emanate from Jea's very presence.

As I met up with the others, Raya immediately asked, "What happened in there?" But I brushed her off, saying, "I'm hungry, let's go eat." Dygeon agreed, and as we turned to leave, Raya grabbed my wrist, her grip tight. "What's with you all grabbing my wrist today?" I asked, exasperated. Raya's eyes narrowed, her voice low. "What...what do you mean you and Lord Louis held hands? Don't dare do anything funny with him." Her gaze was fierce, but I stood firm. "Let go, or you won't live to regret your uncalculated actions," I warned, my tone cold. She released my wrist, and Dygeon apologized, "Sorry, she has a crush on him." I turned to Raya, my expression one of disgust. "What do you see in him? He's just an...ewe," I started to say, but caught myself when I noticed the others staring at me, wondering if I knew Lord Louis. I quickly changed the subject. "Let's go eat, I'm starving." We arrived at a fine restaurant in the corner of the town and entered, where we had yet another exotic dish I'd never tasted before