章 33: Malcolm Willow
The Willows of Merah were once a very famous and well respected family.
Their ancestors have fought in wars, created imperial architectures, and risen high on government positions.
Despite their fame and wealth, they lived a humble life.
The Willows made the small village of Merah, a prosperous and flourishing place.
They were selected as the virtuous family that will lead the village, however, somewhere in time, the winds of drastic change robbed the town and The Willows from all its glory.
Once they were praised, but now they were condemned.
Malcolm Willow was the eldest son of the village head, but he was also an undercover assassin that worked for the holy council.
His ancestors were responsible for creating the secret tunnels and hiding and so he had the blueprints of that place.
With proper use of his wits and his resources, Malcolm not only got safely out from the tunnels but he also made sure to trigger traps for Nesrin and Izekiel.
He was disappointed that he could not finish his job, but when he saw Nesrin standing in front of his house, it was as if the gods also wanted him to finish the unfinished.
Nesrin stiffened as Malcolm's gaze rested on her for longer than necessary before turning towards Izekiel.
"Brother!" Jakes exclaimed, "They are here to meet our mom!"
Malcolm hesitated for a second, before opening the doors completely and inviting them inside.
"Who are you?" he asked nonchalantly.
"We were just travelling by," Izekiel casually replied, "But there seemed to be no inn in this town, so, we wish to discuss with the village head."
Nesrin watched Malcolm warily.
Malcolm had raven black hair that reached slightly above his shoulder, and cold sharp eyes.
He looked very similar to the man who had attacked her, but why would the son of a village head be an assassin?
Then again, a lot of things were odd about this village.
Since the moment Nesrin arrived here, she had felt something off and eerie in the very air.
Malcolm led them to the living room.
A woman sat on the sofa, wearing a big, black, furry shawl. She had surprisingly long white hair that was let down. There was a youthfulness in her face, but her maturity of years was clear in her eyes.
She didn't glance at them but poured the tea in already prepared three two cups.
"Mother," Malcolm slightly bowed to her, "They wanted to meet you,"
Nesrin was astonished.
"I am Hanbel," the head of the village smiled, "Malcolm, they would spend the night here. Take the lady to guest room,"
Izekiel's playful smile hardened, Nesrin glanced at him, their eyes met and he held her gaze for a while before nodding.
Nesrin felt a sudden coldness, when she left the living room and followed Malcolm upstairs.
This man made her uneasy.
Her eyes lifted and she noticed a small wound on his neck.
She stopped in her tracks.
"Are you not coming?" he asked without turning.
"It-It's not like that..." Nesrin resumed walking, "I was just wondering. Is Hanbel a witch? It seemed like she was expecting us,"
"She is simply blessed with the sight," he muttered, "she can see small glimpses of future,"
"Ohh, I see,"
Nesrin tried to sound casual as her cold sweaty fingers clasped her skirt.
Izekiel was here, she doubted Malcolm would dare to harm her unless he felt threatened.
Perhaps if she does not reveal his cover, then he may stay silent as well.
Nesrin and Izekiel might gather useful information from the town, they can have a proper shelter as well as protection.
The commoners had a recent condemnation towards the crown.
Nesrin wanted to keep things as peaceful as possible.
Where the stairs ended, a corridor spread in front of them.
There were only two rooms, the left one was the guest room.
"Thanks,"
Nesrin quickly turned the knob, but Malcolm placed a hand on the door and stopped her.
"Don't leave this room," his gruff voice warned, "Don't wander,"
Those words carried no emotion, but had the promise of danger. Nesrin fought a shiver and nodded stiffly.
Malcolm looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, once again, for too long for comfort before he dashed away and went down from the stairs.
Nesrin watched his disappearing back, and let out the breath she didn't knew she was holding.
She didn't enter her room.
-system, tell me about Malcolm.
[Full Name: Malcolm Willow
Age: 26]
[The character of Malcolm Willow is currently unlocked, complete profile information can not be displayed.]
Nesrin creased her brows.
This name sounded strangely familiar, was he a main character in the novel? For some reason, she couldn't recall him no matter how hard she tried.
[Johanna is advised to stay away from Malcolm in order to complete her canon fodder goal in time.]
Nesrin glanced at the staircase.
No one seemed to be near.
Malcolm was one of the people who wanted to kill her, and Nesrin needed to know the answer.
She walked towards the other room.
With each step she took, a dreadful heaviness slowly crawled inside of her.
But the door in front of her might give her the answers she needed.
Nesrin opened the door as silently as possible and closed it behind her with the same softness.
There were tall bookshelves around the room, most of them in a language foreign to Nesrin.
However, the one thing that caught Nesrin's attention was a crumpled piece of paper, along with a small coin lying beside it.
This coin was from the holy council she knew.
Why would Malcolm throw it away like this?
Nesrin took the crumbled sheet and flattened it.
A faint scent of sandalwood came from the paper, as Nesrin read, her eyes became deep, with a hint of darkness that was unknown to her.
The door of the room opened with a creak sound, Nesrin froze, there was a pause behind her before the door was locked with a click.
"I asked you to not wander...didn't I?"
クリエイターの想い 
Alancaster
Alancaster Thanks for reading!
Enchanting The Cruel Prince
New Book Out! A tale of forbidden love, and courtly intrigues~
-- 贈り物
が届きました 
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット