Suddenly, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder.
"Are you a believer, My Lady?"
The voice belonged to Lady Octavi.
I kept my eyes fixed on the statue of Delia. "Maybe I am, or maybe I'm not," I said quietly. "Yet this statue stands graciously in the middle of this square, even without anyone around it."
Lady Octavi chuckled softly. "Without anyone around, her presence—which this statue symbolizes—should be enough to remind us of her greatness and the impact she had on the people…"
She stepped to my side, her boots crunching softly on the pavement. "So, why does My Lady want to go outside? It is not about admiring this statue, right?"
Slowly, I turned my head to her. Our eyes met.
"No, it is not about the statue," I said with a small smile. "I want to find Cassius."
"Cassius?" Octavi raised an eyebrow. "What is the matter that you want to find him?"
"It is not that important, but since he is with Valerie, I am curious about it…"
"Well, to find him in the Capital is surely hard. If it is not that important, how about we go home?"
Hearing that, I shook my head vigorously.
"Come on! We just barely got out for a moment, and now you just tell me to go home," I insisted, pouting slightly. "It is bothering me."
She sighed, defeated by my stubbornness. "So where does this 'curiosity' lead us?"
"Well, if he is with Valerie... we must check the taverns in the city."
"Why do you assume they will be in a tavern?"
"I just gave Valerie a light errand for me; therefore, she is likely in a tavern."
"There are a lot of taverns in the city, My Lady… You want to check them all?"
"No. We can start with the most crowded or lively ones first. We can consider checking the others if we don't find him there."
"If that is your plan, we need to go now; there will be no time to check all the taverns in the city."
We went back to our horses. As Lady Octavi helped me mount and climbed on behind me, we rode away, leaving the lonely statue behind.
As we distanced ourselves from the square, I kept looking back at Delia's stone face until she vanished from sight.
As we rode through the streets, Lady Octavi spoke up, her voice close to my ear to be heard over the wind.
"May I ask you some questions regarding Cassius and Valerie?"
"Is there any problem with them?"
"No, no. It is just… why does My Lady bring them to your household?"
"I bring them for my needs."
"Needs? Is Adel not enough for you?"
"She is more than enough. I am so grateful she is always with me," I said honestly. "Yet… Somehow, I want more people around me who are not on the orders of my parents."
"I understand that. However, will His Grace and Madam allow this? They may not be happy with this issue, My Lady, bringing strangers into your household."
"They aren't strangers; I hired them."
"I know, yet without any background check or without knowing their true intention, it can lead to potential danger or harm to you."
Or lead toward my doom if I don't recruit them before any Paragon finds them, I thought grimly.
"Even if I didn't know their background," I said aloud, keeping my voice firm, "I will keep insisting on hiring them."
We arrived at the first tavern. Adel dismounted and checked inside. Octavi and I stayed on the horse, continuing our conversation.
"The worst thing," Octavi whispered, her tone grave, "is that they know about the family's Transmutation and the Black Transmutation. The information may leak to someone's hand from them. Did you not anticipate that, My Lady?"
"Of course, I am not anticipating all of that."
"Why does My Lady act like that?"
"Because… Everyone around me kept me in the dark."
"Around you?!"
"I barely knew anything. I didn't know that these Transmutations were a big deal because no one ever told me about it. The first thing I knew about it was when Adel tested Valerie about her power. Valerie used the Transmutation, and because of my idiocy, I told Adel to use it too during the fight between you and Adel… At that time, Cassius told me about these Transmutations."
I paused momentarily, letting the frustration seep into my voice. "So, of course, I am not anticipating all that because of my selfishness and ignorance. Is that right, Lady Octavi, as the Tutor of mine?"
I couldn't see Octavi's face because she was behind me, but I felt her stiffen. She took a few seconds to respond.
"About… that…"
Hearing her struggle, I softened my tone.
"I believe it is not your fault that made me this ignorant. For me, you granted me great information and knowledge. However, as time passed, I realized there was something beneath the surface. Everyone felt like they were keeping something from me. I believe it wasn't your fault, nor Adel's. It must be an order from my parents to keep this secret from me until they found a time to tell me."
"I… am… just…."
"You don't need to speak more words and feel guilty about my mistake. You just followed an order. You told me about my Transmutation, and I know it would be so hard for you to disobey the rules and tell me the truth. The problem of Cassius and Valerie and the other things going on in me—let me try to handle it. As Adel told you when you two argued about the spar, it is something I need to figure out on my own after you give me some advice. I must resolve this matter with my parents."
During the rest of the trip, Octavi and I were quiet. The distance between us felt wider. I felt her guilt radiating from her back. Yet it wasn't her fault entirely; it was my parents' fear, their desire to shelter me from my memory loss, that had created this cage of ignorance.
After checking five or six taverns, Adel finally came back from one with a nod. She brought great news: Cassius and Valerie were inside.
Octavi helped me down from the horse. This tavern was located in the suburbs of the Capital, far from the desolate city square.
Adel guided us through the bustling street toward the tavern entrance. I wondered why the center of the Capital wasn't this lively. Here, people came and went, merchants shouted, and children played in the streets. It was a stark contrast to the dead zone we had just left.
We entered the tavern.
The smell of hearty stew and ale hit me. Laughter and chatter filled the air.
I heard a familiar voice from the back. Adel led us there.
It was Cassius and Valerie sitting at a table, sharing a drink with someone else.
As I approached, I looked closely at the stranger. He had darker skin than us, a sturdy build, and curly black hair with streaks of medium brown at the top. He had a thick beard and looked older than my parents—weather-beaten and worn.
We stood beside their table.
Cassius immediately stood up, opening his mouth to address me formally.
Quickly, Valerie grabbed his wrist and yanked him back down, shooting a pointed look at my commoner dress.
I looked at Cassius, who struggled with the informality.
"It seems you have found the person, Valerie," I said.
"Yeah," Valerie sighed, swirling her drink. "However, this man doesn't want to come and consider your invitation."
Hearing that, I heard a whisper from Adel. "Don't tell me you want to invite him like Cassius and Valerie?"
I ignored her. I sat in Cassius's seat before he could protest and stared at the man.
"It seems you are the one who wants to invite me," the man said, his voice deep and rough. He glanced at Valerie. "Not her."
"Why did you decline her invitation?" I asked directly. "She offered you a sum of gold, even though she had that sum right now."
"I came to this Capital not to seek gold or fortune," he answered flatly.
"What about I double the original offer? Or maybe triple it? As long as you accept the invitation to come with m-"
Grip.
I felt a hard hand on my shoulder. It was Adel.
I saw Lady Octavi keeping her distance, clearly deciding not to intervene after our earlier conversation. Adel's stern expression warned me not to proceed.
"As I said," the man repeated, "I came to this Capital not to seek gold or fortune. However, I find you odd. You dared to double or triple the gold. You seem like someone who doesn't come from that dress." He pointed a calloused finger at my tunic. "Which indicates you must be from a noble family. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"You may find it later," I said evasively.
"Why do you want me to join you?" He looked around at my entourage. "You have more than enough of this kind of manpower. My time has passed to be involved in chaos or clashes."
Adel whispered urgently in my left ear. "You must not take him into your household."
The man's eyes flicked to Adel.
"You should hear your servant's words," he said. "I can't accept your invitation."
"Adel," I said aloud. "Tell me why I shouldn't invite him! Don't whisper to me. Speak it so he can hear it. So Cassius, Valerie, and Lady Octavi can hear it."
Adel hesitated. Finally, she spoke clearly.
"This man seems not to be from this Kingdom, as indicated by his appearance. His sturdy skin and hair indicate he is from a coastal area, which our Kingdom doesn't have. A person from a coastal area wandering here alone is a rare occurrence. Usually, traders come in groups. This man is alone. He must have an intention that is so important to seek in our Kingdom."
The man looked at Adel with sharp, assessing eyes.
"You... aren't from this Kingdom either," he observed. "Your black hair and skin are slightly different than hers. You must be from a different region as well, like me. It seems you have disguised your true identity."
I didn't know Adel's background was coastal. Her skin tone didn't look like his, but he saw something I couldn't.
"So what is your gut feeling about this man's intention?" I asked Adel.
"The biggest fear is my former occupation," she replied cryptically. Assassin.
"Really?"
I knew what the man was searching for. To tell him directly wouldn't be convincing; he would accuse me of being involved.
I began to talk about something else.
"When I was fourteen years old, I met four children on the street," I began softly. "They were in horrible condition. Three were girls—triplets—and one was a boy. The boy, as the oldest, pickpocketed to get coins for food."
I looked at everyone's faces. They were confused.
I continued, "One of my attendants told me there shouldn't be kids on the street because the orphanage should take care of them. Yet, in reality, I found four children. Without hesitation, I decided to take them to my household. Seven years later, nowadays, they have found their interest."
I glanced at the man. He was listening intently. A look of dawning understanding—and hope—appeared on his face.
"You seem to have a fondness for children," I noted.
I put my hands on my hood.
Seeing this, Adel and Octavi immediately stepped in front of me to block the view from the rest of the tavern.
I pulled down my hood, revealing my long white hair.
The man's eyes widened in shock.
I straightened my posture, projecting the authority of my station.
"May I introduce myself. My name is Aurelia Aurelius, the First Daughter of the Aurelius Family, the Duke of Florence."
I leaned in. "The reason I am here is you."
"What do you mean by that?" the man asked, his voice shaking slightly. "Why does the Aurelius family want me?"
"It seems my household's name has carried to other kingdoms that you know my family. The one who wants to invite you is me, not my household. However, my invitation comes with privileges; you will live in my household."
"Young Lady, you still have not answered one question from me."
Why?
The reason was that I didn't want to die. But I couldn't say that.
"The reason is that I am still naive," I said.
"Naive? You have great people around you; they are way better than me at guiding you."
"I may have great people around me, yet they are my parents' people. The only people I hired are her and him." I pointed at Valerie and Cassius. "They were mercenaries, and I hired them."
I looked back at him. "My gut is telling me that you have a lot of experience in your past. And I know the precious information that you seek."
The man sat back, his hands gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.
"Is the story of those four children actually connected?" he asked softly, desperation leaking into his voice.
"Yes," I confirmed. "The real reason they were on the street actually connects with someone you seek."
SLAM!
The man smacked his hand on the table, startling everyone. He stared heavily into my eyes.
"Are you and your family the ones who are behind all of this? Because you know what I seek. Surely, you must be involved in some way."
I tapped Valerie. "Give me the gold."
Valerie handed me the heavy bag. I placed it on the table in front of him.
"Receive this gold and find me," I said. "The name of Aurelius will surely be easy to find. The gate of my house in this Capital is wide open for you. The Gate of Hope you have tried to seek for seven years... come into my house and meet me. I shall tell you everything."
I paused. "However, my family and I don't have any involvement in this matter. Yet a family in this Capital tried to cross into my household territory."
I pulled my hood back up and stood.
"You need to hurry because you will race with my parents. If my parents arrive here before you come to meet me, the Gate of Hope will be closed. You may have less than a week."
I looked down at him one last time.
"So hurry, Bo."
With those words, I turned and walked away, followed by my retinue, leaving the bag of gold with the stunned man alone at the table.