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They ate the buns that Almera packed for them as they rode back. This had become their norm. Almera didn’t bother her to eat. She understood that Mira wanted to hurry back home. They returned the cart early and walked to the supply shop. Mira told Jack about Aldrin’s request. Jack nodded. Mira had only 3 gold coins and 20 silver pieces in loose change but that was plenty for them. They had shopped with just 50 silver pieces. Mira stocked up on all the vegetables, a barrel of ale, 2 lots of herb pouches and even treated themselves to two small barrels of wine. She did feel a heartache as she gave Joe a gold coin and received 50 silver pieces. She muttered to herself “It’s alright. We are working hard to live a good life.” Jack chuckled. How could he not understand his money grubber wife? Once they reached home, Mira followed Jack into the woods after they kept the 2 gold sheets in the locker. She wanted to look for mushrooms. Jack started chopping after asking her not to go far. Mir
They rushed back; Mira washed the furs clean while Jack watered the plants. Just like before, Mira flung it into space. “Husband, would the supply shop have alum?” Mira asked as they walked to go to her parents’ place. “What’s alum?” Jack had never heard of it. “It’s like a white powder that is used for …” Mira thought for a while before saying, “cleaning fur.” She pouted and muttered “That the only use I know.” “Don’t know.” Jack shrugged “Joe usually has a bit everything.” “Can we take a quick look?” “Um” Strangely, Joe did have it. She bought a small bag of salt and alum. Each cost 10 silver pieces each. Joe only had a bag of Alum; Let’s just say it was not a popular item in their countryside. They set off to Mira’s parents place as soon as they finished at Joe’s. This time, they took a carriage ride as they were both tired. 10 silver pieces poorer! “Mom, dad, we are here” Mira announced as they entered. “Come… come…” Matthew was always happy to see his little girl. “Dad,
Jack and Oden chopped the remaining wood that he had bought back from the woods while Martin stacked them to the side of the house. “So, what happened?” Oden asked; the haze in his heart had disappeared as he saw Jack and Mira interacting. “You remember that bastard Mira used to like” Jack kept his eyes on the kitchen door as he spoke in a low voice. “What about him?” Martin asked in annoyance. “He came here three days ago.” Jack told them everything and how he found Mira hiding in a corner shivering with fear “The bastard wanted to use her to create a scandal so that I will lose my selection at that court position.” “He has some skill. You should have seen the crowd here when I got home.” Jack’s voice was filled with disdain. “No wonder, Mira wouldn’t open today.” Oden nodded thoughtfully. “Bastard, he dares to scheme against us brothers?” Martin was furious “We should teach this bastard a lesson.” “Someone already did.” Oden smirked; He was the apprentice of the Slegh’s man o
Mira finished mixing and started to rub the furs in the water mixed with powders. “Can you bring the wooden spoon you made?” Jack bought it out for her to look. Mira touched the edges to make sure it was smooth without a single bristle sticking out. “Here, stir the one we did in the morning.” Mira handed him the spoon. “Hubby make a small cage for them so that they can untie and store the rabbits.” Mira felt sorry for the little guys that were staring at her. “Um” Mira went inside to prepare the meat. She smeared it spices and butter like she did yesterday. Looking at the rabbit, she had an idea. She quickly boiled some potatoes. While the potato was getting boiled, she quickly cut some onions and put them in the spider pan to fry; She looked around and entered space after confirming no one was around. She quickly picked some of the mushrooms she stored earlier and came out after carefully looking around. She chopped the mushrooms and fried it. She mixed this with some of the nut
“We will leave the cage here.” Oden spoke after being silent for a while. “Huh?” Mira looked at him in confusion. “We will be troubling cousin as we will come and get one or two for supper or dinner every day.” Oden smiled. “If we take the cage and one of the other tenants see them, we have to give it to the Sleghs if they come looking.” Oden explained seeing Mira’s confused gaze. “Everything we have is a loan. We are servants of the Sleghs.” Oden had a helpless expression. “If we take this and we have to hand it over to the Sleghs, then we will be disrespecting cousins’ good intention.” “This way, they can’t find fault with us.” Oden was prudent in his thoughts and actions. “In that case, no problem. Come and take whenever you please.” Mira smiled as she leaned on Jack. “We better get going or mom’s going to worry.” “Um” Jack and Mira walked them to the edge of the road and waved goodbye. Mira went stirred both sets of furs again before putting the pails in the outer shed and
“Mom, make something you and dad like. We had a really big meal at cousins.” Martin had a satisfied smile as he spoke. “Mom, I think I should have a light soup.” Oden touched his paunch with a sheepish smile. They truly were pigs today. “Mom, they ate a whole rabbit all by themself.” Anne-Marie whispered in Beth’s ears before giggling “I tried too… but who asked my stomach to be small?” Beth shook her head helplessly “Oden’s father, what do you want?” “I want to roast it on fire…” John’s eyes showed a rare twinkle, but he soon suppressed it “But the neighbors will know for sure. Let’s just do something simple." “Tell ‘em to go to hell.” Martin was a rebel; he never cared what others thought. If he thought it was right, that was good enough for him. “I will set the fire.” He walked out arrogantly. “I will make sure he doesn’t burn this cottage down.” Oden chuckled as he followed his brother. For once, he agreed. He threw caution in the air and walked out to help Martin build the
Mira woke up early with Jack the next morning. She didn’t feel tired at all. She wondered if it was a dream that she got up and worked at night? She went to her work room and checked before coming to the conclusion that it had something to do with her space. Jack milked the cow while Mira stirred all the pails before going in to get breakfast ready. She had baked fresh bread last night; Jack ate breakfast before setting off to deliver milk to his aunt. Mira sat back at the slate stand and worked on the design on the hand sleeves. Mira finished this work as Jack returned. She went and stirred the three pails again before settling in start the work the half-finished work from last week. She scribbled on the parchment 10 before starting. She worked for an hour and stopped. She went in to space and picked up the dead rabbit that she thrown in on Friday. The rabbit looked like it was only killed a few minutes ago; Even the body temperature was still warm. “Husband” She walked to Jack’s
Jack was peacefully enjoying his meal when the doorbell rang. Mira had finished eating and was sitting back watching him eating with relish. “I will go.” Jack knew her shadow from the incident hadn’t diminished.” Martin and Anne-Marie stood at the door. “Come in.” Jack closed the door once they came in and walked back to the dining table. “Are you still eating?” Martin asked in surprise. They came this late giving them time to eat. “Have you eaten?” Mira smiled. Anne-Marie shook and then nodded. The smell wafting in her nose and tempting her to say ‘no’ but mom would kill her when she got back. “Ha…ha…ha…” Mira laughed looking at Anne-Marie’s cute expression “Would you like to eat some?” Anne-Marie nodded throwing a side glance at Martin, only to be surprised to see him nodding as well. She got them both plates and plated some similar to what she had done for Jack. “Cousin, do you want to adopt a cute and extremely obedient, well-behaved most desirable girl?” Anne-Marie blinke
Thomas and Orseus stepped on their toes as they leaned over their father’s shoulders and read the scroll along with them; tears rolled down Cornelius and Baldwin’s cheeks as they saw the scroll in their sworn brother’s hand and read greedily.Their tears didn’t stop even though they finished reading the letter. The guilt of not being there when their sworn brother needed them the most was eating into their soul; they listlessly handed the scroll to Jack and Mira.“So now we have to find Esmeralda to cure Uncle Jerome.” Orseus pursed his lips. He called out to Jerome as Uncle Jerome smoothly, he had no difficulty as he grew up hearing these two names, Alex and Jerome; to him, they were family, more closer to him than Uncle Alaistair and his sons.“If we have guessed correctly, we don’t have to go anywhere searching for her.” Cornelius shook his head and added with an air of mystery “She is much closer than we think.”“Are you saying that the healer that we go to is, this Esmeralda that
“If only we knew….” Harry sighed regretfully “Then we could have followed that man’s trail and found Alex sooner.”“You think too beautifully... Alex would never lead a trail if this was his contingency plan.” Baldwin sneered before his expression turned serious “But we may have stumbled upon some unexpected luck in finding Alex.”“Did granduncle Zumerong shed some light?” Orseus asked, leaning forward eagerly.“Heh!” Corenlius scoffed “They were kept in even greater darkness than us.”“Then are you talking about the man who lives at Mer waters?” Thomas asked hesitantly; he really didn’t know why his father and godfather were so confident, just because he trained with Jack?“Son, you don’t know.” Cornelius shook his head “Leal can never be separated from Alex; wherever Alex is, he will follow, whether it is in life or death.”“There has never been a more loyal shadow.” Baldwin too sighed regretfully.“Then what are we waiting for?” Almera looked around curiously; Mira leaned forward a
Jack and Mira, along with the rest of their group, dragged their exhausted bodies and reached Southamberston palace at the break of dawn. Without making any noise, they all went to their respective rooms without any fuss. Everyone had a room at Southamberston palace even though they each had cottages specially prepared for them; both Martin and Oden went to the rooms that were prepared for them instead of their cottage.Early morning was unusually noisy with many unfamiliar faces around the breakfast table and yet it was as if no one noticed the familiarity of the unfamiliar faces at the table; the only exception was the three unfamiliar unfriendly faces as they sat through the farce as though they were watching a show and not part of it.Almera and Katherine joined them shortly after breakfast, as noisy as ever with Almera complaining that her husband didn’t love her anymore and that he was in love with his first wife, the estate responsibilities and that she always came second.Firs
Jack and Mira rushed back without stopping; their pace was originally fast, but it became even more rushed after they received John’s message which wasn’t much, just a short line written in a shaky hand ‘Matthew and Harry are back with three visitors’.Don’t misunderstand the shaky hand, it wasn’t fear… It was just John trying to write in his best hand. But unfortunately, it was bound to be misunderstood, due to John’s years of acting, acting timid, which was more believable for his son and nephew, more believable than his daring persona.Thomas had just entered his palace when his page rushed in and announced that he had a note from Southamberston and passed the note. It was the same note that was sent to Jack, written in the same shaky hand, 'Matthew and Harry are back with three visitors’. However, it evoked an entirely different expression from Thomas.Thomas stood up excitedly as he reached for his cloak that he had just hung up; he wrapped it around as he walked and called out to
Back at Southamberston, by late afternoon, a travel weary Matthew and Harry had arrived back at Southamberston with three additional unfamiliar men who were covered from head to toe, leaving only sharp eaglelike eyes.Without Harrison’s calm balancing act, the household was on the verge of being thrown into chaos when Beth walked in, in a hurry, ushered in by one of the maids who was flustered.The chaos resulted from the fact that there were three strangers who looked suspicious; the imaginative minds of the young staff who worked at the castle had worked themselves up with a theory they had concocted.Their theory was that the two elders who had gone to relax were held hostage, and they were unable to escape and were brought back here for the young Duke to save them; but the young duke wasn’t here; even Lazarus and Harrison weren’t here.The young maid who ran over to call Beth and gasped, almost out of breath “Lady…. Lady… Lady Beth, the elders have been held hostages by three sinis
Jack and Mira set off in the afternoon along with their men since there was nothing left for them to do here, at the manor and considering that they had been away from the duchy for almost a week.They first made a stop at the healer’s place as per Jack promise to Cornelius and Baldwin; however, there was still no one at the cottage. Jack quietly took the scroll that he had prepared previously and jumped over the wicket gate. He walked around the cottage a few times and returned as though nothing had happened.This was his agreement with the healer; he never understood why she was so paranoid, but he had always respected her rules in her place. When he returned, he no longer had the scroll in his hand. He had placed it in their usual place, inside one of the potted plants, one that looked just like the many potted plants that were placed in the backyard and yet she would correctly identify the one with message scroll.Out of curiosity, he had watched her once as she walked in through t
Everyone had rested at the manor after their late-night discussion and was up at the break of dawn, filled with vigor and new hope for answers to their decade long search. Somehow, they all had the feeling that they were closer to their quest, closer than they had ever been….After breakfast, everyone dispersed as quietly as they had arrived leaving behind Oden and Martin who were going to follow back with Jack and Mira.Corenlius and Baldwin decided to go by the healer’s cottage once more before heading back; Jack accompanied them while Mira stayed back to sort out and implement the plans she had previously discussed with Jack for their manor.However, both Cornelius and Baldwin were destined to be disappointed; the wicket gate was still locked, and the cottage desolate as ever, without any signs of life. Both Cornelius and Baldwin had a defeated expression as they considered what to do next.“I will come over once we have finished our plans for the manor and check on them.” Jack open
“Godfather, why was your interaction with the commander who came to our aid a bit weird?” Jack asked once he remembered their encounter with the cavalry that had rushed to their aid.“Che!” Cornelius sneered the disdain on his face couldn’t be more pronounced “Did they think that I Cornelius Richard the fourth am an ornamental fool to have sat firmly on the throne for the last decade?”“Didn’t you also note the abnormality?” Cornelius hooked his eyebrows towards Jack.“Whose they?” Orseus asked with a curious smirk, looking at his father who was riled up.“Who else, other than the Sorens?” Thomas shook his head helplessly as he answered even though he knew his good brother did not need an answer to his question.“Why would them helping us through the crisis annoy his highness?” Martin asked Jack in a whisper; even though it was a whisper, other than the woman who were not trained, everyone else heard him.Everyone’s gaze consciously or subconsciously turned to Jack to hear his response
Jack led everyone to their basement room under Mira’s workroom after dinner so that they could quickly get to the bottom of the reason for the waterworks. However, even before they all got into the room the doorbell rang.“10 gold coins that’s Martin.” Jack winked as soon as he heard the bell before shrugging “It’s a wonder he didn’t rush back with Harrison.“Your grace, he wasn’t there.” Harrison informed with a nonchalant expression although his lips were twitching non-stop “He was at the smithery when the carrier pigeons came in.”“Makes sense.” Jack chuckled as he walked towards the door.“10 gold coins that’s my pain.” Baldwin shook his head.“Mine would if he could sneak out…. but that’s going to………” Cornelius’s complacent expression has already started to crack; he hadn’t even completed his sentence when he heard Mira exclaim “Your royal highness…”Cornelius shook his head helplessly rubbing his forehead wondering if he was to eager to enjoy life and whether his son was ready fo