"Haha! I can see why you are only low-ranking members. Though slowness is something common amongst commoners, so I will not hold it against you."
The taunts of Percival bounced off my skin as I merely shrugged my shoulders in response. It was the only way that I knew to respond without opening my mouth to speak. This guy was truly an insufferable prick. Seeing that he didn't accomplish much with his provocations, Claire was the one to remind him of our goal. The precocious bastard would toss aside his ponytail, allowing the wind to take it for a moment.
"This place must take a lot of work to be taken care of in this capacity. There have to be at least forty types of flowers here," Bonner says, surprised.
Taking a good look around, one could tell that we were in the presence of the affluent. This garden had to be at least fifty yards of nothing but well-sculpted bushes and beautiful, colorful flowers. I am no florist, so I couldn't possibly identify them all, but there were some that I did know. Mostly the roses, but there were some flowers that I recall originated from this world. Regardless, the few bushes in this area were expertly trimmed to complement the two stone sculptures. There was a singular water fountain, approximately twelve feet high, and it sprinkled water throughout the basin at the bottom.
The design was simplistic as it was a fish with a horn on its head, but the coloring was extremely detailed. It was splattered in various shades of orange and yellow to the point that it resembled a Magikarp from Pokémon. It was quite a beautiful sight, I won't lie. It reminded me of the gardens that you would occasionally see on the internet, which the influencers showcased in their mansion tour videos. I found the whole sight quite impressive.
When the breeze returned for an encore, it once again carried that scent with it. From the looks of it, Percival was leading us in that direction. In the near distance, I could spot what amounted to be a structure designed to protect those underneath it with shade. As we grew closer to it, I could tell that six white columns rose from its stone foundation and supported its gray roof. The scent's thickness soon doubled in abundance the moment we came in close quarters with the Pavilion.
"We have arrived, Brother. You sought an audience with the commoners, and I have obliged and delivered them to you," Percival says once we arrive at the opening of the structure.
Bonner would halt our advancement as Clarice did the same to him, leaving only Percival to accompany the origin of the scent underneath it. It would only take a few moments before the person revealed themselves to us fully. Much like his brother, the individual in question had long, flowing blonde hair, but his hair fell past his shoulders. They wore their hair in a similar ponytail as well. Though I could just sense how different the two brothers truly were.
At a glance, you could tell that Percival was the taller of the two, but he could brag about only a few centimeters. Unlike the wide-eyed, smug expression of his sibling, this male was strangely… melancholic in comparison. He would almost look aloof, but similar to that of my comrade, Bonner, at times. I could see it in his eyes, but still, he attempted to greet us with a warm smile.
"Are you the ones that were slated to meet with Lady Ana today?" he says, his voice void of any real emotion.
His soft eyes bounced from person to person before ultimately landing on Claire in front of us. The latter had a curtsy to show proper respect to him. I even contemplated doing the same, but ultimately decided against it.
"Yes. Lady Ana has granted us the courtesy to allow us to be in her magnificent presence, and we are honored to be in yours as well," Claire states after she returns to her upright stance.
"Would it be correct to assume that these three are your men?" he says, gesturing towards the three of us.
I would watch the man with careful eyes to ensure he did not attempt anything. The vibes of this guy were slightly off from how he was selling himself. You could draw parallels to me, Claire, and him in that regard. Although he was attempting to portray himself as powerless, the scent that smothered kept me on guard.
"That would be accurate," she confirms to him.
He didn't react much to the information as he seemingly accepted it without any qualms. He would step down the few stairs from the pavilion and join us on our level. In comparison, Percival remained in his elevated position.
"I know that they're not much to look at, but even common soldiers have their uses," Percival chimes in.
"Agreed. Master Percival has the correct idea. These men were going to serve as my muscle going forward. I was going to be paying them on my savings, and I required Lady Ana's permission," Claire clarifies.
"Oh? Is that so?" he responds. "Allow me to properly introduce myself to you all. I am named Mordred. Mordred Blois."
Mordred was the name of this melancholic male. He would brush his hands down his clothing, eliminating any wrinkles that dared to encroach upon his look. Based on the way that his brother was acting around him, I could tell that there was more to him.
"So Master Blois-" Claire says, but she finds herself corrected.
"Mordred is fine," he responds plainly.
"Well, Master Mordred. I am sure that my men and I are wondering what business you have with us? We are grateful that you aided us in getting into the manor. You have done us a solid since Lady Ana was not here at the moment," she continued.
With his hand, Mordred would gesture towards what I would assume was a table somewhere underneath the pavilion. His mood seemingly shifted on a dime as the atmosphere around him grew more serious. It was a distinctive change from the previous expression that he had. It was surprisingly unnerving to me. Percival and Claire picked up on it also and responded with their actions.
"I believe you three should be trustworthy enough to hear what I have to say as well. Step forward," Mordred says, gesturing towards the three of us as well.
I immediately found his wording odd. How could this man possibly trust us when he just met us, and he just told us his name? There is a gap in trust present, if I am being honest. This whole scenario is just shady. We were supposed to meet Ana Von Angea, but instead, she is supposedly gone.
Now, Mordred and Percival Blois stand before and lead us around like a pack of fools. I was unsure if the other two were thinking similarly to how I was at the moment, but I couldn't see their eyes. Bonner and Q would offer no complaints nor hesitation when they stepped onto the stairs to enter the cool shade of the pavilion.
Not wanting to be left behind, I naturally followed them, but I raised my guard. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary, per se, but this scent on Mordred was rather… distracting, to say the least. My eyes lay upon the collective as the three members of this world sat down at a table and left us, outsiders, standing.
Based on my knowledge of worlds and eras of this nature, it was common that those of lower status stood up while their superiors sat down. I mean, perhaps such culture still existed somewhere in our previous world as well. Maybe a CEO or a boss would sit down and allow their secretary to stand up or something. Either way, the act didn't offend me or affect me in any shape or manner.
Mordred's demeanor was ominous in comparison to the other two members of the table. They seemed drawn to the edge of their seats, waiting to hear what the elven blonde had to say to us. To be honest, the more his silence grew, the more I found myself interested as well. After all, I required answers and information if I were to safely navigate this world with my friends.
"What we discuss at this moment is only known by a handful of people, and I would like to keep it like that. Lady Ana Von Angea, as well as her daughter Claire von Angea, have gone missing for a time now. Four weeks, to be specific. There has been little contact between their carriage and their guards," Mordred says.
It didn't make much sense to me, considering that the woman sitting just across him was the missing Claire Von Angea. She was breathing the same air as him at this moment, but it dawned on me.
"I have come to believe that my mother and house are in danger," were the words that Claire had mentioned to us just earlier that day.
Seeing that she has taken up the moniker of Clarice in the presence of these individuals and guards, some pieces began coming together. My eyes would briefly move over to Claire's position to see how she was reacting to the revelation, but surprisingly, she was rather shocked. That or she was good at acting. It was convincing if you asked me.
"Huh? How can that be?! Lady Ana missing?" Percival blurts loudly.
His outburst was met with the sharp glare of his brother, and it bottled his reaction. Percival's previous smug and boastful face was cast into utter confusion. A bomb was dropped right before my eyes.
"Calm yourself, brother. Have you lost your manners?" Mordred says, scolding his brother.
"Lady Ana and Claire have been missing for weeks now. How could that be if she allowed us into the gate?" Claire says, grabbing their attention.
That was the question I now needed an answer to. If Lady Ana was indeed missing, then how were we able to revoke her name? A missing person cannot allow strangers to access this city. That would indicate to me that something strange is going on.
"That was my doing for the last two weeks. You may have noticed that Lady Ana has not been taking any public appearances in recent memory. In reality, she has been unaccounted for. Her daughter also disappeared during that period. Our father has taken it upon himself to locate them, so rest assured that he will find them and return them safely. In his absence, Astana has been led by our elder brother, Gareth, as well as myself on several occasions," Mordred continues.
"And what of Tillian?" Claire asks promptly.
I found it rather strange that she would ask about that person at that specific moment. Her body posture noticeably tensed up, and I could hear the haste in her voice as in that split moment, Claire showed a sign of weakness. Mordred must've associated her show of concern as one typical of a servant learning of their master's fate, as he didn't think anything of it.
"Young Master Tillian has been safeguarded in his room for the time being. He will be safe there. "
I suppose that brought a sense of relief to the elven woman as her posture changed. It had reverted to a more relaxed posture. It was a noticeable shift, and surely I wasn't the only one to notice. Though I could just be unnecessarily reading into things. Those details could be insignificant, but still, I could not shake this nagging feeling. In this situation, it was better to remain ever vigilant rather than be caught off guard. Either way, likely something was going on behind the scenes.
Just what did we get ourselves involved in?