Talay took Miranda to his mansion and the girl was surprised to see his house. It was bigger than she had expected, even bigger than her Lady's house. Although she knew that the man worked for Lord Eldrick, she had no idea that he was this capable and rich. ‘This man is not normal. I need to be wary of him.’ She thought inwardly as she continued to follow the man. As soon as Talay stepped inside the manor, the maids saw him and they immediately hurried to inform his presence to his mother.
“My mother could be a little overwhelming. I am meeting her after a month or so. Don’t be scared if she appears overly enthusiastic.” Talay warned and Miranda nodded at him. “Also, I hope you will remove your disguise. I promise I will do nothing to you. Your safety is my utmost priority, Lady Miranda.” Miranda could sense the sincerity in his
“What?” Zaina was stunned by the revelation. Her mind was unable to comprehend whatever she had heard and she pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. “Father, what did you say? The Lord of Volar is coming to save me?” She asked once again to confirm it. ‘Am I hallucinating or is it actually happening? I hope is this not a joke or a dream I am having.’ “Yes, my dear. The Lord owes me and I just sought out his help. I am sure he will come to our rescue soon. So, be prepared. I have sent him a letter already. He will be here in three days.” Kristoff assured her and the girl immediately hugged her father.“Father,” She sobbed as happy tears fell from her eyes. However, the old man misunderstood her and pani
Zaina recalled the first day of the Spring Festival. After taking their pictures at the photo booth, they had gone to witness the most exciting event of the day, the polo match. Zaina had seen the Knights play the sport in her kingdom and every time, she would be amazed by it. It was one of the sports she wanted to try but her father was against it. The sport was dangerous and he did not want his precious daughter to get hurt. The man was adamant about it and none of her pleas worked on him. So, Zaina could only give up on the sport. However, she had not stopped watching it.Just as always, she followed Kharal excitedly and the man was astounded by her high spirits. Miranda giggled seeing the man’s befuddled gaze. “Lady Zaina loves this sport. It’s just that her father has prohibited her from playing the game ever.”
The woman flipped the first card and Zaina stared at it not knowing what it was. “Ah, the Ace of Cups. Excellent.” The woman exclaimed and Zaina’s eyes snapped to hers. “Do you have someone in your life, Lady?”Zaina’s face scrunched up and she blinked at her, befuddled. “I…I…”“I mean do you have a man in your life, someone you like, you love?” The woman cleared her doubts and Zaina shook her head.“I see. Then, congratulations.” The woman grinned at her and pushed the card towards Zaina. “This is the Ace of Cards, Lady. You are going to meet someone who will capture your heart soon or there is a po
The long, stressful day finally ended and the sun rose, bringing with it hope and warmth. The depression and the sorrow vanished as the first rays of the sun hit the kingdom. Miranda woke up the moment the sun rays fell on her. Stretching her arms, she mumbled, “Lady Zaina, wish me luck. I am going to meet the Lord today and if everything turns out well, I might return to you soon with happy news.”Without wasting another minute, she got ready and this time she did not disguise herself as an old woman. Instead, she wa
“Milord,” Miranda called out to the man. “I apologize for my rudeness. Do you genuinely like my Lady? Or…”Miranda did not continue, but Eldrick understood what she wanted to ask. Instead of getting offended by her question, he was happy that his girl had someone who cared for her. “Lady, you do not have to worry about Zaina. My love for her is true, and it will always remain this way. I am willing to spend my entire life with my sweet girl and her alone.” Eldrick declared with room for objection and suspicion, and Miranda was filled with joy.“Thank you very much, Milord. Thank you. Lady Zaina will be exhilarated on hearing the news. And I am certain that you are the best man for her.” Eldrick just grinned at her, too excited to speak.“This is what you wanted to convey, Lady Miranda?” Talay questioned, amusement dancing in his eyes.“Yes, Sir Talay. I apologize for keep
"Lady Zaina," The knight answered, his face not showing much expression. However, he saw the evident surprise on Eldrick's face, and he wondered if he had spoken anything wrong. To add more to his confusion, Eldrick started to laugh out loud as though he had heard something hilarious.Even Talay seemed to be amused and was grinning. Only the knight did not understand what was happening, and he did not know what to do on seeing the two men smiling happily. "Milord," He started hoping to find out what had happened."Kind Sir, do inform your Commander that I will definitely help him. I'll assist Lady Zaina escape from the marriage as well as from Hollis. Also," Eldrick retrieved a parchment from the cupboard behind him and wrote something on it, before folding it and placing it in an envelope. "Could you please hand this letter to Lady Zaina personally?"Although the knight could not comprehend what was happening, he still agreed to follow his orders. He had known
“What did Commander Kristoff want from you, Milord?” Raelynn darted a look at Miranda who seemed visibly shaken by the information. Pitying the girl, Raelynn faced her brother only to see him hide his smile. ‘Why is my brother smiling? Is he trying to trick me?’ She wondered and looked at Talay only to see him staring at Miranda. She could not fathom what his feelings were with the way he was gazing at the girl intensely. So, Raelynn turned to her brother for questions.“Is everything fine, Milord?” Raelynn narrowed her eyes, not missing the hint of amusement on his face. The next second, she realized that the man was jesting her and she rolled her eyes.“Commander Kristoff has asked me for a favor,” Eldrick answered, his eyes fixed on Miranda. “He wants me to help some escape from the kingdom
“Younger brother?” Eldrick blinked in confusion when he heard Miranda's feeble voice. “Why didn’t I know about Zaina’s brother?” He narrowed his eyes at the girl who, instantly, cowered seeing the Lord’scowl. She could not comprehend his expression, especially when the man had his lips pursed and face serious. Raelynn noticed Miranda’s terrified eyes and she coughed, trying to gain her brother’s attention and the man turned to her at once, getting her signal. She shook her head, pointing her head at the girl and Eldrick immediately softened his gaze. “Lady, I apologize for scaring you. It was not my intention to do so.” Eldrick closed his eyes trying to calm himself down. “I was surprised to know that Lady Zaina has a younger brother. I never knew about him.”
Eldrick sat on the chair, his eyes not leaving the man who was kneeling before him. The two royal guards were standing beside him keeping him in check, while the other two guards stood outside the manor.Eldrick crossed his leg, his imposing aura impossible to ignore. He tilted his head with his lips pursed, and everybody could tell at once glance that he was beyond furious. And why wouldn't he be? Since the time he had set foot outside the castle, he had been uncovering shocking information one after the other. The day had been anything but pleasant, and Oakley wondered how much more would they uncover by the end of the day."Commander Carrier," Eldrick's voice resonated through the room. "Care to explain what we just witnessed." Although the Lord was giving an option for the man, everybody knew that it was not so. He was only ordering the man gently to do as he was told. Or else, the consequences would be dire.However, his threat did not affect the man,
Eldrick rode his carriage, thinking about Curtis's words again. 'Who is the Minister he was talking about?' He pondered over it, his mind unable to move away from the issue. 'Is he saying the truth, or is he just trying to deceive me?' Eldrick closed his eyes, his head throbbing in pain. The recent turn of events was too twisted and complicated, but it was not something Eldrick could not handle."Milord," Oakley had been observing Eldrick since the time they had left the warehouse. The Lord was lost in thoughts, not speaking the entire time. He had not said a word about what he had found out from the three men, and this was making the two ministers curious and anxious. Oakley's voice brought Eldrcik out of his thoughts, and he lifted his head in confusion. "Is everything fine, Milord? You seem lost and troubled.""Minister Oakley, I wonder if we should recruit new ministers and remove the older ones." Eldrick put forth his thoughts before the two ministers he trusted t
"Milord?" Curtis gaped at the Lord in horror, his eyes widening in trepidation. He shuddered at his words, and his palms turned clammy as time ticked by."Tell me, Curtis." Eldrick approached him slowly, his each step pushing the man closer to his doom. "How did you afford such expensive clothes? Where did you get the money from?""Mi-Milord," Curtis breathed, not knowing how to overcome the predicament he was in. It was as though the man had lost all his senses. He had even forgotten to lower his eyes and give Eldrick the respect he demanded. Curtis was frozen in his spot, and Kolan had no idea what was happening in the room.'Why is the Lord enquiring this assistant about his clothes rather than asking him Sir Fergus? What am I missing?' He pondered looking back and forth between the Lord and the assistant whose name he did not know."How many people are there in your family, Curtis?" Eldrick changed his question all of a sudden, and this ti
Ravi left the room and met the two other assistants who were waiting for him in anticipation. His calm gaze did not give anything away and the men could only frown at him. "Ravi, is everything fine? Are you fine?""Yes, I am fine. The Lord wants to meet you, Curtis." Ravi reiterated the Lord's orders, making Curtis's jaw drop."Why me?" He wailed, keeping his voice low so as to not alert the two ministers who were guarding the room."I don't know. It's best that you deal with it soon. The Lord seems vexed." Ravi stated calmly. However, the calmer he was, more the anxious Curtis became. He had just escaped the Lord's wrath, coming out alive from the lion's den. Now he was asked to go again. How could he do it?"Do you know the reason?" Curtis was almost about to cry and Ravi was sure that once the man stepped inside the room, he would be begging for his life given the way the Lord looked.Having no other choice, Curtis knocked at the door and
Hiro's happiness vanished, and his shoulders dropped hearing the Lord's determined words. "You may leave now and send the last man." Eldrick waved his hands and Hiro dejectedly left the room.The moment the two assistants saw him, they rushed him. "What happened? Why was the Lord furious?"Hiro snapped out of his miserable thoughts and shook his head at them. "Ah, that's nothing. Ravi, the Lord wants you to go in."Ravi narrowed his eyes at him, and he observed him closely. There was something strange in Hiro, but he could fathom what. Not wanting to make the Lord wait, Ravi entered the room after knocking at it.Eldrick was beyond infuriated. He was annoyed at Hiro and he still had another assistant to deal with. He could not control his frustration, and his face showed how he felt the moment Ravi entered.Ravi took a glance at the Lord to read his expression before he lowered his gaze. "Milord," He bowed at him politely, and Eldrick let out
"Shall we start from the beginning?" Eldrick stood up from his chair and walked around Hiro who was still slouching on the ground. Not once did he raise his head to meet the Lord in the eye, an action that he had rudely followed when he had entered the room a few minutes ago.Eldrick did not avert his gaze away from him while he continued walking. He only stopped when he was right behind him. Hiro did not dare turn towards his back and face the Lord. He was too petrified to even move. He had already annoyed the Lord by lying to him. He did not want to anger him more.Eldrick picked up the dagger that was lying by the door, and walked back to his chair, an action that did not go unnoticed by Hiro. His body stiffened as Eldrick approached him and he sat frozen in his place.Eldrick dropped the dagger on the table with a thud, the sound loud enough to send Hiro's heart thundering in fright."I expect an answer when I put forth a question." Eldrick gritted hi
After Curtis left the room, Eldrick had taken his eat on the chair, while he waited for the next man to enter. The dagger, he had removed earlier, lay on the table. Eldrick had not taken the effort to put it back to its original place.As soon as the man entered the room, his eyes fell on the Lord's face before they settled on the dagger that greeted him wholeheartedly. His eyes widened in disbelief and apprehension, and he could move his gaze away. Eldrick was amused to see his reaction. While Curtis had been scared to even lift his head and meet him in the eye, the second man was completely opposite to him.He had not only stared at him without showing him any respect, but he was also gaping at the dagger. Eldrick cleared his throat to gain the man's attention. He was younger than Curtis and from what he remembered, Eldrick was certain that he was the youngest among the three assistants."Are you done staring?" Eldrick chided him and the man blinked in c
"Why did you kill Fergus?" Eldrick's question made the man's eyes widen, and he dropped to his knees at once, bowing his head before him."Milord, I did not kill Sir Fergus. I am innocent. I did not kill him." He pleaded, his eyes tearing up in terror. "Milord, I did not kill anyone. Please, believe me."Eldrick narrowed his eyes, and he stared at the man trying to see through him. The man's body language did not seem strange. Although he was appalled and trembling, it was a reaction Eldrcik had already expected from him. "What is your name?" Eldrick did not ask him to get up, and the man had no choice but to stay on his knees."Curtis, Milord." The man replied without lifting his head."Curtis, say how many people are there in your family?" Although Eldrick's question was simple and harmless, Curtis knew that the Lord was threatening him, and he shuddered in fear."Milord," He cried, his mind unable to fathom what he had done wrong. "Please spare
"Call the helpers who were in the record section. I would like to interrogate them." Eldrick ordered Leander. Leander was just about to leave to follow his orders when the Lord stopped him. "Also, I want your workroom to be cleared out of all men. I want to speak to the assistants privately.Eldrick's orders stunned Leander, and he stood frozen in his place for a few moments. He had no idea what the Lord was thinking and why he wanted to interrogate them privately. Being wise he was, he had a hunch that it had to do with the three assistants and one among them knew crucial information that Eldick could use to find the murderer.Seeing Leander not moving from his place, Eldrick raised his eyebrows. "Is there a problem?"His sudden question brought the man out of his stupor and he shook his head immediately in fear. "No, no, Milord. I will leave right away." Leander scurried away like a scared rat, leaving Eldrick with Kolan and Oakley. They were at the main secti