บท 57: 'Well, that was fast'
Two hours was all it took for them to arrive in front of the palace gates with the speed they were at. Though arriving at Eblon, Alexander separated from them. He didn't say where he'd stay exactly. He only told them that he'd get by himself, and he was old enough to pull through so Vance didn't hesitate to leave him.
At the gates, someone manning it from the towers peaked through the window and saw them waiting. Vance looked up to him and shouted to open the gates. It was already late in the morning, but the man looked like he did a little partying last night.
"Should I teach him a lesson later?" Arabella whispered beside him.
"Always the hot-head, Arabella. I'm amazed by how your personality switches when you're with Amelia." Vance said as he watched the gates open. "What are you going to do when your man can't handle you?"
Arabella's brow arched, "If he can't handle me, then he'd be long dead."
"What about Clement's knight? What was his name again? Javer? Ah, Jyver! He seemed capable enough."
"I don't see the meaning in this chitchat, Mr. Vance." Arabella rolled her eyes, and Vance couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. It's not so often that the lady assassin's out of words.
And while the two of them bickered, Ancel could be seen coming out of the entrance to meet them. Behind him were two more knights under his supervision. When the advisor and his sister made a stop, the other two quickly went down the stairs to take the horses' reins from their hands and guide them back to the stables.
"Welcome back," he said, bowing to the old advisor. "Grandfather and Older Brother already went home?" he turned to face his sister.
"They wanted to rest a little before heading to church. And I need to freshen up and get ready myself. Excuse me," Arabella didn't forget her manners and curtsied before leaving them.
Alone with the duchess' knight, Vance asked how the trip to Fayburgh was. Ancel told him that there wasn't much that happened, and the duchess was able to inspect and hold a meeting with ease, and they got back to the palace early last night.
"There was a new face though," he mentioned and Vance quickly turned to look at him.
"New face?"
"Yes. He's got silver hair like the duchess and said he came from Pradour. They got rather close quickly, so I had to be extra vigilant. He stayed behind and I instructed one of my men to go back and scout him out." And by one of his men, he meant one of the Felfords assassins that might be lurking someplace, staking out for potential dangers.
"The name?"
"Oswyn Burtonne."
Vance chuckled, "Well, that was fast," he said.
"What is?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about him. Silver hair used to be a symbol of belonging to the Salwyn family. To have one brings great pride to that person, but, of course, extramarital affairs are unavoidable. There's a lot of illegitimate children and then so on and so forth, hence, why silver hair is more common in Pradour now."
"So, in short, that man is a relative of yours? A relative of the duchess?"
"I don't think so. Dehstun found him while traveling to Guvien and learned under his tutelage. He knew his family came from Pradour, but he was only able to go there when he traveled with Dehstun some years back.
"So, you knew that he's coming?"
"To be honest, yes. But I didn't know it would be this soon. Where is he staying now? "
"He said he's got a job at the Keep as a scholar." Vance nodded. He got a word from Dehstun a few days ago saying that he's sending someone to help him with his planning, but all Vance asked him was someone he trusted enough that could take over his duties in his absence.
And to think that he already established a connection with Amelia meant that he was taught well. Aside from being a mercenary doctor, Dehstun also used to be a spy for Vance back at Pradour. His being a doctor was but a façade to get closer to his targets.
"I'll meet him when I get the time later. Thank you, Ancel. You may now return to your duties." Vance said, and the knight assassin bowed and turned his back.
Fishing his pocket watch, Vance looked outside the courtyard and saw the servants and other townspeople busy going back and forth for tonight's bonfire. The kitchen needed some extra hands and a lot of space for preparing the food, so several hands were hired and were instructed to use the barracks' kitchen to prepare the food to be shared this evening since the palace's kitchen was also busy with the luncheon after the mass.
Vance sighed.
There's too much to be done, and so little time. He also remembered that he hasn't checked the list of guests coming for the luncheon. The last time he had that list was in his office, so he walked towards the direction of it at the far end of the east hall.
But as the advisor walked closer, his brows furrowed, and his steps became lighter.
The door was slightly opened.
Vance looked back and then carefully inspected the surroundings if something felt amiss, but there wasn't a thing that seemed out of place. The door didn't look like it was forced open either.
He gulped.
Untying his cloak, he took it off and cautiously placed it on the floor. Vance then reached into his pocket to take a small foldable knife. After taking a deep breath, the advisor gripped his knife tightly and with one swift move, opened the door to his office.
"Heavens, Uncle!" Vance locked eyes with his granddaughter who had her back on the door. "I think my soul left my body for a second there. You scared me," she said, half chuckling, as she took shallow breaths with her hand on her chest.
"What are you doing here, Lia?" Vance sternly asked, trying to control his breathing. He slipped the foldable knife behind him and walked towards the duchess. "How did you get in?"
"Uhm… I was looking for the list of guests for… later. I misplaced mine." She said with a half-smile. "Also, you gave me a spare key, though this was the first I used it."
"Oh, I, uhm, I see…"
"Are you alright, Uncle?" Amelia's brows furrowed too. She placed the papers back on the advisor's table and went to check on him. "You look a little pale."
"I am?" Vance forced a smile, but his tone told proved otherwise. "I guess I was just nervous that someone might've sneaked in my office, or that you were harmed in any way."
"I'm fine, Uncle." Amelia comforted her advisor with a soft smile. She held his hands and continued, saying, "The knight's been swarming more than usual. It's not a good day for anyone trying to sneak in."
"That's true," the advisor finally smiled. And when the duchess released his hands, he held them up and hugged Amelia tightly. "Happy birthday, Lia," he whispered and felt the duchess—his granddaughter—heave a sigh; her arms going around him as well.
Amelia didn't like being greeted on her birthday, but Vance always did, and he told her that since everyone's too considerate to greet her when it's a day for mourning, at least someone should address it.
"You should get ready for the mass. We don't want the High Priest waiting," Vance distanced himself from her and tucked some stray hair behind the duchess' ear.
Amelia nodded at him. She straightened her dress and walked past the advisor to the door. Vance looked back to see her leave, but just when she was about to twist the knob, the duchess stopped and looked at him.
"Oh, I hope you won't get mad at me, Uncle," she said timidly.
"Why? What is it?"
"I accidentally read one of the letters on your table thinking it was the list. I didn't understand it much, but, uhm, there was something about a coup?" Amelia tilted her head to remember and every letter that came out of the duchess' mouth felt like huge rocks burying Vance on the ground.
His heart pounded so much he could hear it loud and clear.
As part of her education, Amelia learned different languages, except for Pradour's. Vance requested her governess, who happened to learn about their circumstances, not to teach her the language. So whatever Amelia understood, or how much she understood from the letter, she might've picked up elsewhere.
"Is it that bad there? I know that there's a current conflict but not the gravity of it." Amelia's brows furrowed even more. "I hope it won't escalate to something else. The unfortunate children are the most vulnerable, after all. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache. But if they ever need some help, let's give them what we can."
Vance's throat felt dry. He didn't know what to say because he's far too concerned about how much she understood from the letter.
"But why do you have a letter from Pradour written in their language?" Amelia suddenly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, "Is the letter from your family, Uncle? Perhaps you're from Pradour? Are they asking for shelter? You know that I will welcome them here, right? If it's too much for them, they could always come and live here. Away from the trouble. The sooner the better."
"Ah…" Vance wiped his forehead with the handkerchief that he took from one of his pockets. "Thank you, Lia. I… I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." The duchess subtly squeezed his arm and flashed an understanding smile. "You should go and change, now. Arabella must be waiting."
Amelia nodded before inhaling sharply.
"Take as much time as you need to rest, Uncle. The mass is still three hours away. I know you're tired from the travel. We'll talk more about your family when we're all rested and can think properly, alright?" Amelia let out a short giggle to lighten the mood, but none was registering in Vance's mind. All he could think about was how to get out of the situation safely without offending the duchess as she seemed keen to know more about it.
And if she started asking others of it that might just spell disaster for him, his plans, and everyone involved.
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