A plain carriage stops in front of a tavern located at the back alley in the central market. A woman wearing a black dress and a veil gets off from the carriage while the coachman is helping her. The woman looks at her surroundings first before staring at the tavern with an obvious disgust on her face.
The tavern from the outside looks uninviting, crude, and uncomfortable. Logs and sandstone pillars make up most of the building's outer structure. When the woman enters the tavern, the inside is as gloomy as it is on the outside. Marble pillars support the upper floor and the long candles are attached to them. The walls are decorated with animal skins, though it looks like it has not been maintained or cleaned for years.
The few people inside appear to be dangerous in a way or another, but whoever they are, you would unconsciously feel like to stay away from them as possible. The woman ignores them and walks straight to the second floor where the man she will meet today is already waiting for her. She already spotted the man sitting at the corner while drinking beer. How can she miss it if the man is wearing flashy and bright colored clothes?
Sitting on the vacant chair in front of the man, the woman removes the veil that covers her face. The woman is none other than Viscountess Beckie. She is here to meet the Earl Bartilon in this tavern secretly. They both decided to meet here tonight and discuss their deal.
"Look! The rich Viscountess of Cladeu family is finally here!" Earl Bartilon said in a loud voice. "Oh wait! You are no longer the rich lady that everyone knew!"
"Shut your mouth in this instant, Earl Bartilon!" Viscountess Beckie commanded.
"You do not have the right to order me, little Beckie. Remember that I know your darkest secret."
This makes Viscountess Beckie shut her mouth. She can only glare at the old man who chugs his beer in a disgusting manner. Even if she wanted to make this pig in front of her stop from acting so indecent and rude in front of her, Beckie cannot do it. For now.
Earl Bartilon knew her darkest secret. Beckie cannot afford to let this disgusting man spread this secret which can definitely destroy her reputation in the whole kingdom. And Beckie does not want that to happen. Not even Earl Bartilon can drag her down.
"Send me two bags of silver coins by the end of this month." Earl Bartilon said as he put the mug he was holding on the table with a thud.
"Two bags of silver?! That is too much!"
Because Earl Bartilon knew her secret, he is using it to gain a lot of money from her every month. If Beckie fails to pay Earl Bartilon with the amount of money that he is asking from her, he will surely spread her secret in the society. And if that happens, Beckie will surely lose her everything.
Beckie had thought of killing Earl Bartilon before. But this man is too sly and cunning. Earl Bartilon declared that she will never kill him. If really dares to do it, her secret will still be revealed.
Earl Bartilon told her secret to his unidentified right-hand man. The moment that man received a notice that his lord was assassinated or killed, he was given an order to put Beckie's secret on the headline of the morning newspaper. This puts Beckie at a disadvantage. She failed to find the identity of Earl Bartilon's secretary so all she can do for now is to endure and follow his demands.
"The second bag will be your compensation for me. I heard from my assistant that your daughter is now officially engaged with Marquis Cres Val's second son." Earl Bartilon said as he waves his hand on a waitress to ask for a refill. "What a pity. I thought I will become a married man again."
It was truly a pity for Earl Bartilon. It seems like he cannot marry the first young lady of the Cladeu family. Although he wanted to have a young bride, Earl Bartilon does not want his peaceful life to be destroyed. Especially when he knew that the engagement partner of Lady Shannen is Marquis Frederick's son.
"That is only an engagement. They are not yet married. Who knows what will happen to their engagement in the future." Viscountess Beckie said with a calm expression, but her voice is laced with bitterness.
"Oho? What is this? Little Beckie is genuinely mad?" Earl Bartilon laughingly said.
Truth to his words, Viscountess Beckie is really mad. Her blood boils in anger by just remembering the face of a certain young man who openly mocked her in front of her family and servants. That was the first time she encountered such a situation. Even though her status in society is not that high, but no one dared to disrespect her in anyways.
"Earl Bartilon, do you have any men that you can order to deal with some pest?" Viscountess Beckie asked.
"Hmm... Well, I know some experts in disposing of some pests. Tell me, what kind of pest do you want to exterminate this time?" Earl Bartilon meaningfully asked. "Is there another lingering pest roaming around your husband? You are such a jealous woman, Little Beckie."
Viscountess Beckie frowned after she heard what he had said. Her hands tightly balled into a fist under the table. But even though Viscountess Beckie is fuming mad right now, she forced herself to calm down. She still needs the man in front of her to accomplish her plans.
"It is not a woman this time. I want your help to erase a young man's existence." Viscountess Beckie said. "I want to you kill the marquis's second son."
Earl Bartilon halts his movement before looking at the woman sitting in front of him. He can see the seriousness in Viscountess Beckie's eyes. The thing she wanted to do is no joke. Both them know that in this kingdom, the Cres Val family is greatly favored by the King. Not to mention that they have a huge influence in high society.
"What kind of grudge do you have for the marquis's son?" Earl Bartilon asked.
"Are you not mad that someone stole your supposed-to-be bride?" Viscountess Beckie questioned him back.
Viscountess Beckie made a deal with Earl Bartilon before. She promised her stepdaughter's future marriage to Earl Bartilon in exchange for him not forget her secrets anymore. If she can arrange a marriage between her stepdaughter and Earl Bartilon, then both of them will earn a good deal. Viscountess Beckie can finally get rid of that girl and Earl Bartilon will earn a pretty wife.
At first, Earl Bartilon vaguely refused with this offer. He finally found someone who can supply him a lot of money without doing anything, so how can he easily let lose this opportunity?
But when he saw how young and beautiful Lady Shannen is, he quickly changed his mind. Having a young bride is not that bad at all. He already plans to mold Shannen Cladeu into a lady suited to his taste after their wedding. What he truly desires is a human pet, not a loving wife.
"Little Beckie, of course, I want to remarry, especially when my bride is a young and beautiful lady. But the person you wanted to kill this time has a difficult status. He is a son of the marquis who was greatly favored by the King."
"So what? As long as your men know how to do their work in a precise manner, they will never know the identity of the person behind the killing."
Earl Bartilon falls in deep thought. Beckie has a point. No one can point a finger on him as the suspect because they never had an encounter before. Also, his men are good at doing dirty works for him. They never leave evidence on the crime scene that can lead them to him.
Seeing that Earl Bartilon did not quickly agree, Viscountess Beckie add more benefits to pursue him.
"I can pay you an additional two bags of silver coins if you kill that young man for me." Viscountess Beckie said. "Think about it, you can have additional money and at the same time, you can finally have my stepdaughter as your bride."
When the old man in front of her is still not talking, Viscountess Beckie finally shows her temper and slams both of her hands on the table. The other customers only took a quick glance in their direction before continuing their own business. This scenario is already normal for them.
"Answer me! Can you do it or not?" Viscountess Beckie demanded.
"It's not that we cannot do what you want, Little Beckie." Earl Bartilon coaxed her. "But we cannot do it this instant."
Sending an assassin to the Cres Val mansion is very impossible. Viel Cres Val is a wide-known General in their kingdom and the knights under him are highly skilled fighters. Bribing one of their servants is also not a good option. The servants of the Cres Val family are extremely loyal to their masters.
"We should make our plan as smooth as possible. If they discover any inkling that connects us to the assassination of that young man, then the marquis will never spare the both of us." Earl Bartilon explained.
"...Why don't we do it on their engagement party?"
"What?"
"It will be the marquis's son's birthday next month and they will hold a huge party on the Cres Val mansion. I heard that all the nobles in the society will be invited. They also plan to announce his engagement with my stepdaughter on that day."
"A party, huh..."
If that is the case, then maybe Earl Bartilon can kill the young man at his own birthday party. Although the security in their mansion will be tight, there are still a lot of advantages for them. A lot of nobles will be present at that time and servants will be busy serving the guests. If Earl Bartilon can plan it carefully, he can put a disguised assassin inside the mansion to kill the marquis's son.
"I see. That will be good." Earl Bartilon cheerfully said. "Then Little Beckie, consider it done. After his birthday party, you will see the details of his death in the newspapers after one month."
Viscountess Beckie finally shows a smile for the first time ever since she stepped inside the tavern. Since Earl Bartilon finally gave her a positive response, then she does not have to worry about that young man anymore.
So what if he is Marquis Frederick's son? In the end, he will die at his own birthday party.