Song Recommendation: Time by Hans Zimmer
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Theodore and Leonard got down from the carriage and told the coachman to wait for them there. The bootleg market was just a kilometer away from Horlicks Street. Halfway through their walk, the two parted ways.
"See you later," said Leonard before turning to walk away.
Theodore gave a slight nod. "Good luck."
Leonard turned and headed toward the narrow alley that led to the bootleg market. As a member of the Ministry's Investigation Department, he had been assigned an undercover mission there. His team had recently received a tip that dark witches were illegally purchasing dried roots of Incantia from the market and were planning to mass-infect demons with it.
Incantia is a deadly plant, whose roots turns out to be fatal to the demons if consumed, even in a smaller quantity.
The Ministry had banned its cultivation in all five lands years ago, as the roots burned through a demon's vital organs one by one, leading to death within fifteen minutes of consumption.
Unlike the pseudoborns and falseborns, trueborn demons showed a little more resistance to the poison. At best, they could survive a day before eventually succumbing to death. Unfortunately, Incantia had no known antidote. Death was inevitable.
Lord Theodore, on the other hand, didn't accompany his cousin to the market. Most people there knew his identity, and his presence would only jeopardize the investigation. So, he decided to wander the nearby streets in search of a beggar man.
A few townsfolk who recognized the Lord bowed respectfully. Others exchanged curious glances, wondering why someone of his stature was walking the streets like a commoner. Theodore ignored them and walked ahead.
Theodore would often disguise himself, by wearing worn out clothes and shoes, making himself look like a poor human man whenever he didn't want to attract any attention from the villagers. By doing so, nobody would notice him and it would be easier for him to observe people around without alerting them.
But today was different. He was out as himself— wearing a finely stitched suit under a dark brown, double-sided cashmere coat of the highest quality. His leather shoes were perfectly polished, and an expensive watch adorned his wrist. With his confident strides and commanding aura, it was evident to anyone that he was the man who held ultimate authority in the land.
Soon, Theodore spotted the beggar he had been looking for. The man sat slouched in front of a store, appearing weak and exhausted. People passing by either looked at him with pity or disgust. Some tossed him a coin or two; others ignored him altogether.
Lord Theodore walked up to him and dropped a gold coin into the man's bowl. The beggar looked up in surprise, his eyes wide. It wasn't every day a beggar received gold without a word.
With both hands in his coat pockets, Theodore walked away casually, without sparing the man another glance.
The old beggar waited a few minutes before rising to his feet. He began to limp feebly in the Lord's direction, keeping up appearances. But once he reached a deserted corner, he straightened his posture and walked normally.
He spotted the Lord leaning against a wall of a grimy old building, playing with pebbles.
"My Lord," the man greeted, bowing deeply.
Theodore turned slightly to look at him and gave a curt nod. "Fred."
"Did you find out?" Theodore asked, juggling three small stones with ease, like a man with no urgent business.
"Y-Yes, my Lord," Fred replied, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from his ragged shirt and handing it over. "I've listed their names here."
Theodore dropped the pebbles and took the paper. He scanned the contents quickly before folding it back and placing it securely into his trouser pocket.
"Good work, Fred," he said, patting the man on the shoulder before walking away.
Fred was a spy hired by the Arcardian Lord to monitor the people visiting Horlicks Street and to watch for any suspicious activity that might slip past the Ministry's notice. His job was to sit unnoticed and observe everyone coming and going, reporting anything unusual directly to the Lord.
Like Fred, Lord Theodore had placed several such spies across the Arcardian lands to keep him informed of everything that happened in his territory.
Theo then returned to the spot where his coachman and carriage awaited. Leonard had not returned yet, so he instructed the coachman to drop him at the Ministry and then come back to pick up his cousin.
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Meanwhile...
Amyra was growing bored at the mansion. She had explored the house earlier, but after her encounter with the Lord's pet, Oreo, she was too scared to wander further.
Who knows what other wild animals the Lord has kept locked up in this house, she thought.
She sat in a chair in the living room, lost in thought, when a maid entered holding a tray.
The maid placed the tray on the table and bowed. "I've brought you a glass of lemonade and some snacks, my lady."
Myra looked up and smiled. "Thank you," she said, picking up the glass. "And please, call me Myra."
She was tired of being addressed as my lady. Amyra saw herself as an ordinary person, not someone deserving of such luxury or treatment.
The maid bowed again and turned to leave when Myra called out, "Wait!"
"Yes, Lady Myra?" the maid asked. "Do you need anything else?"
Myra sighed. Lady again. But she let it slide.
"Um... is there any household work I can help with?" she asked. She wasn't used to sitting idle all day. She wanted to be productive.
The maid's eyes widened as she shook her head. "No, Lady Myra!"
Myra pouted. "Please? There has to be something I can do. I'm really bored."
Before the maid could answer, the butler entered the room.
"Milady, you are his Lordship's guest. The Lord would not appreciate it if we let you do chores," Alvin said gently.
"But I'm getting bored," Myra groaned.
Alvin dismissed the maid and thought for a moment. "Would you like to read a book, Milady?"
Amyra sighed again. Though she enjoyed reading, it still meant sitting around, doing nothing physical.
"Can't I do some cleaning? Or any simple task will do. I can even cook," she offered hopefully.
Alvin shook his head firmly. "Shall I lead you to the library, Lady Amyra?"
Defeated, she nodded. There was no winning against the butler's stubbornness. Silently, she followed him to the library.