บท 18: Four Quarter Merchant Association 1
The smell of bitter tea lingered inside the room as a man wearing a hat arrived inside the room. The man's name was Pratt and he couldn't help the excitement that he felt after hearing the news of the Duke's arrival in the black market.
"This faithful servant greets the Duke of the North," he bowed, removing his hat before kneeling on one knee— a gesture that was pretty common in the North. "Your grace."
"Take your seat… we have no time to waste." The man drinking the bitter tea had a black mask that covered half of his face. It was Duke Lucas of the North.
"Yes," the man put his hat back on, covering his bald head. "We have been expecting your visit, your grace."
"Have you secured the package?" As expected, Duke Lucas went straight to the point. Pratt smiled at this. The Young Duke might be young, but his direct and blunt traits were what all the Four Quarter Masters liked about him.
"We are working on it," Pratt responded.
"How many do you have now?"
"Two medium-sized crates, but we are working on buying more."
"I want it by the end of the monthbefore I go back."
"Yes, your grace. I will make sure to be ready by then."
"Good."
A suffocating silence filled the room. The man wearing a mask took a sip of his bitter tea. "I want you to investigate someone for me."
The man just stared at him. "We have all the information about the most important individuals in the seven empires. We— "
"Rosalind Lux."
"Ro— Rosa what?"
"Rosalind from the Lux Family."
Pratt frowned. Then he snapped his finger. A man walked into the room and bowed before them.
"Get me everything about Rosalind Lux," Pratt said.
The man gave them another bow before leaving.
"Your grace… Rosalind Lux is the second child of Martin Lux— "
"Stop telling me something that I already know, Pratt."
"Yes, your grace. My apologies." Pratt lowered his head and let the silence inside the room.
Not long after, his subordinate came back with a piece of paper.
"Leader…"
"Is this it?"
"Yes."
"That's the only thing that we have on Rosalind Lux?" Pratt asked his subordinate.
"Yes, leader. Miss Lux isn't someone important. The Lux family sent her away when she was twelve. We didn't dig deeper into her background because…"
"Because what?"
"Because there is a rumor that she might not be a member of the Lux Family as she wasn't born with white-blond hair. Her hair is as black as the night."
"Black as the night!?" Pratt snorted and looked at the man sitting opposite him. Seeing the Duke's lack of reaction, he sighed. "Alright. Give it to me and leave."
"Yes."
"Your Grace, this is the only thing that we have about Miss Lux. According to this, her mother was just a peasant. Some say she is a fallen noble, but it was also said that the patriarch just chose her because of her face and lack of a background. They must have planned to let her leave after giving birth, but she died and so they buried her in an unnamed grave. However, since the child was born with black hair, everyone started bullying her until she was sent out of the mansion. They said it was because she had a sickly body."
"Those are things that I already know, Pratt." Duke Lucas frowned.
"Your Grace— this— "
"Find out everything about her. And I mean everything. You have three days to do so, I want the information as soon as possible."
Pratt's face paled. He knelled. "Yes, your Grace."
Few knew this, but this black market and most of the black markets in this continent was owned by the Four Quarter Masters Merchant Association. Pratt is one of the Four Quarter Masters and was well known for being a tyrant in the merchandising industry.
But in front of the man before him, Pratt could only kneel.
"Leader…"
Pratt's face turned even uglier when he heard his subordinate voice. He had instructed everyone not to disturb him today. All of his appointments had been canceled for this very reason.
"We may have a situation that needed your urgent concern."
"I am busy. Can you — "
"It's about your daughter. Someone said that she could remove her black curse."
Pratt's eyes widened, but he quickly hid his expression. "Your Grace, please spare my subordinate. He doesn't know anything better. I will make sure to punish him and teach him the rules. I— "
"Come in — " Duke Lucas interrupted him.
"Eh?"
Pratt looked horrified. It was known that the Duke never liked it when he is interrupted. Pratt immediately panicked.
"Your Grace, please spare my servant. He is but a young child… please spare him. Your grace— "
"What did you say earlier?" Duke Lucas asked.
"I— "
"Speak!" the Duke said.
"I— There is someone who claimed that she could heal the leader's daughter."
Pratt immediately faked a laugh.
"How could that be? A black curse cannot be healed. Stop talking nonsense. You should go and — "
"Let her."
Another silence descended inside the room.
"Didn't you hear what I said?" the Duke said.
"Your Grace please— please spare my subordinate. He really didn't— "
"I said, let that woman heal your child. Do not make me say it again, Pratt."
"Y— Yes, your grace." Pratt lowered his head. Despite not understanding why the Duke would suddenly tell them to let that woman in, he had no other choice but to follow everything that he wanted.
Still, Pratt couldn't stop the anxiety in his heart. His daughter had been very sick since she was born seven years ago. The child was born with a black curse— something that Pratt or his wife must have contracted while traveling.
The black curse was something that the Dark Lord used to wreak havoc in these lands more than a thousand years ago. Not even the Blessing of the light from the Lux Family could heal a black curse! How could someone claim that they could heal his daughter!?
He walked inside the room where the woman who claimed that she could heal his daughter was in. If the woman cannot do what she claimed she could accomplish, Pratt was prepared to behead her even if they were in front of the Duke! She must be killed for trying to pull such a cruel joke!
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