At the dead of dawn, on a lonely, less traveled road, a carriage rolled to a stop before a more prestigious one.
The well-dressed man hastily exited the carriage and hurried towards the other.
Without stepping out, the one within the prestigious carriage exchanged harsh words with the well-dressed man.
"Due to [YOUR] mistake, Rivers," the occupant hissed through the curtains of the carriage, addressing the well-dressed man by name, "the eyes around us wraps ever tighter…! Need I remind you what is at stake, fool?!!"
Rivers clenched his fists tightly.
"I know what is at stake," he said, his tone clipped.
A snide, unamused chuckle erupted from the carriage. "You certainly do, don't you? After all, all in the kingdom will move against you upon discovering your…[livelihood]."
Dark fury erupted in Rivers, and he glared at the man within the prestigious carriage.
"Do not forget what that "livelihood" has done for you, Earl," Rivers warned, barely restraining his temper. "Four years ago—"
"[ENOUGH]!" the Earl snarled.
Thick silence fell over them.
Then the Earl spoke once more, causing the rage in Rivers to spill.
"If not for your usefulness, I would have abandoned you long ago!" the Earl spat. "Make no mistake: useful or not, I can rid myself of you any moment. Even [now]. Remember [that], Rivers!!"
…
Long after the Earl left in his prestigious carriage, Rivers seethed as his own carried him home.
As Rivers entered his residence, the lanky servant—who Rivers had beat senselessly months prior—greeted him.
"Father!" Rivers's son also greeted, clearly wanting his attention.
Rivers didn't acknowledge neither them nor the servants as he walked towards his study, his mind and body itching as he recalled his exchange with the Earl.
"What are we doing today, Father? You promised we would spend the day together, remember?" his son chattered at Rivers's heels.
The idea of killing the Earl flashed again in Rivers's mind. Yet, he couldn't be rash...
Just as the Earl had usage for Rivers's "livelihood", Rivers had usage for the Earl's bountiful wealth.
"Father…!"
[Curse the Earl], Rivers fumed silently as his son continued to whine at his feet.
[Curse the Earl, curse his words, curse his existence—]
"Father…!!"
Rivers whirled towards the maid who was trailing behind his son and snarled, "Do your job properly and take him out of sight!"
"A-apologies, milord," the maid stuttered, reigning his son back by the shoulders.
"But I woke up early just for today—" his son whined.
"Hush, young Master," the maid shushed as Rivers entered the private study.
As he was about to close the doors, however, Rivers recalled the Earl's threat.
[…all in the kingdom will move against you upon discovering your…[livelihood]…]
…
Countless of times, the Earl had called upon Rivers to 'take care' of those the Earl wished gone.
The Elkhaus family was one such case, one that—despite Rivers being careless about burning the bodies—should have warranted the Earl's respect yet did not.
But work along that line was only a slice of Rivers's "livelihood".
Though Rivers himself felt no shame about his other…darker affairs…many others would condemn it, something the Earl was all too aware about, thus his little threat.
Rivers clenched his teeth.
[Bidding others to do your dirty work…how does that make you any better?!!]
…
Suddenly conscious of his pulsating [hunger], he called for the lanky servant.
"Bring [him] here," he ordered the lanky servant before shutting himself away in his study.
…
From a near viewpoint, hidden, the son watched as the lanky servant returned with another boy his age.
He watched as the boy was ushered into the study, watched as his father laid a gentle hand on the boy's head, a gentle thumb on the boy's mouth…
The doors closed on that scene, and the son turned away, hating the boy who always held his father's attention.
║║║║║║║║║║
I received a letter from Claire, one of many.
[Dear sister,
Are you safe? I hope you are safe.
I want to visit, but Father says not yet.
Will you be home soon?
I love you, sister.
I miss you.]
Claire's handwriting was unsteady since she was still practicing, but it was heartwarming, nonetheless.
[Winter is coming], read the rest of her letter.
[Stay warm.
Write back, please.
Love you,
Claire.]
"Stay warm, as well, Claire…" I uttered, smiling as I silently promised to write her back.
And, just like that, winter arrived.
At the same time, so did news of the Elkhaus investigation.
My ears burned when I learned that among the mounds of bodies that were found near the capital—bodies that were contaminating nearby streams, contributing to the illness that had befallen Claire and I—one was verified to be Baron Elkhaus's.
…
What made my stomach curl even more was the news about Baron Elkhaus's wife and their two children.
The bodies of the Baroness and her children were found stashed and buried underneath their own home, having been murdered like the Baron.
…
[Elkhaus.]
In the game, Elkhaus was the name of the House that adopted the heroine.
Though the game didn't detail the history of the Elkhaus House, it mentioned that the House had been dormant up until its new lord restored its power.
[…]
The reason the Elkhaus House had been dormant was because its previous household had been slaughtered…?
…Why?
Why would a household, especially one with future connection to the heroine of the game, be mysteriously wiped out?
Not only that…but the three powerhouses—the Queen Consort, the princess, and the Marquess… They were murdered around the same time, in similar fashion.
Suspicions and even more questions I was hesitant on unravelling swarmed me.
What connection did the Elkhaus House have with the three powerhouses?
Who caused their deaths, and what was their motive?
What would they gain?
…[Who] would gain?
Again, a straightforward answer would be the kingdom of Meeria since the war between Meeria and Dorono loomed in the future.
Yet…
[War of succession.]
…
…Perhaps, after the war, in the ragged aftermaths of Dorono…?
I shoved those thoughts towards the back of my mind.
It was something to think, to ponder about…but I couldn't go any further given my current position and priorities.
[…]
I exhaled and resumed the rest of my day.