Ett descended in a spiraling motion until she reached the final stop. When she looked up, four blocks stood before her, positioned slightly ahead of the others.
"Looks like a button."
Ett glanced at the scroll to find clues on how to do it. Surely enough, the tiniest mark was on the upper side of the House of Isotel. They were numbered according to how you pushed them.
"2, 1, 4, and 3."
A heavy slide was soon heard before it opened from the other side. Clasping the scroll, she wondered why Ett hadn't burned the scroll to ashes when she could memorize it so easily.
She was grateful, sure, but Ett always did everything she could to avoid leaving a trace.
Shaking her head, she pressed on. The path led her into a dense forest, where the air was thick with the scent of damp earth.
"It is passable."
An escapade route.
"Ah, the sun."
It had been so long since she had closed her eyes and felt the sun on her face. The palace was shrouded in perpetual gloom, as if it housed creatures of the night. Even when daylight streamed through the windows, she had been too weary to step outside, missing the warmth that a human should embrace.
Now, following the map, Ett made her way south to the first street, where only a few passersby lingered. But as she pressed on, the crowd thickened. Her eyes widened in awe—her senses felt sharper, more alive—yet there was no time to linger. After a brief moment of hesitation, she approached a blacksmith and finally spoke.
"Hello, good sir." Is this the way to talk?
"Ah, yes little lady?" The blacksmith smiled.
"Perchance, do you know where the House of Isotel is located? It's where my sister works."
Somehow, the blacksmith's face twitched for a moment, his smile tinged with pity.
"Go this way, cross two more shops, and walk forward until you see a green house. Then, head down the left side. You'll see it there, one that stood next to the highest House. But don't use the front entrance—take the path behind and knock on the wooden door instead."
"I see. Thank you."
It must be some kind of custom since she wasn't a customer.
"Much obliged."
Ett arrived at the back of the House, well not a house more like a tall building but quite still lowkey. The House of Isotel, known as the House of Entertainment and Leisure, catered to both commoners and nobles. Two separate buildings stood side by side—one for the common folk and another, far grander, reserved for nobility yet both are hidden. There's nothing grand about it. Still, the latter was the most prestigious, where only the elite gathered.
Alright, this must be it. The entertainment hall was where commoners met, shared gossip, and unwind after their tiring shifts.
Opening the door, Ett tried to act as naturally as possible before going to the counter where the man had just finished serving a drink to a customer.
"A child?"
The man frowned, looking at her outfit," This is not a place for a child to play around."
Ett said, "Is this part of the Etanda 45 Street which serves the Tari wine?"
The man was silent momentarily, casually taking a bottle of liquor to wipe it.
"Haven't heard of it."
You don't believe me, old man?
"Then may the light in Adiand forgive me. I have misspoken."
The man looked at her with a long, lingering glance this time.
"Adiand is forgiving. Besides its Adnate 54, Tari wine is rare unless you have the cap?"
Ett brought out the wine cap that had her signature.
"Good, let me show it to you. Please choose your flavor."
Hmm, I should have presented it first. Why should there be steps for muttering keywords anyway?
When they entered, another room was opened.
A faint light shows going deeper into a chamber full of books and wine. It is the same with the underground black market in movies; even information guilds look like this.
"The leader will arrive a bit later."
"Alright."
"Then I'll excuse myself."
"Thank you."
"My pleasure."
With nothing else to do, Ett simply sat there, her eyes tracing the lines of the painting on the wall. The only sound was the steady ticking of the clock.
"Sorry for the lateness!"
"Oh."
"Thank goodness, Mazi."
A sunny voice—that's what Ett thought as she looked at the young man, likely in his twenties, panting as if he had just run a mile.
"Good job, Mazi. It was good that you were quick enough to notice this lovely client lest she waits a few more hours. Did Lady Ecaton order you?"
It must be Ett's alias whenever she goes out.
"You got the same coat, although it seems to be…hmm, fixed smaller? Apologies, my trusted assistance was confused for a moment."
Ett glanced at the young man, its screams a debonair flair. Okay, time to act again.
"Yes, mistress can't come."
"Huh, then why did the lady order such a young child like you?"
Ett was silent.
"Ha."
The young man opened his table drawer and gave her a thin stack of paper put together like a notebook.
"This is what your Mistress needs. Tell her that the sum of the money is larger this time. The Ostenian's famous son killed one of my men."
Famous son? She better check her vocabulary again once she gets home.
Ett took out her pouch and gave it to him. "Is this enough?"
The young man's eyes glimmered, opening the pouch, "Oho! Far more than what's expected. Your Mistress is truly generous."
"She has another favor."
"Oh, no wonder. What is it?"
"Continuing to watch whatever Ostenian Duchy has in mind and discovering more about the 2nd Commander of the Larak Empire. The last one would have a bigger sum if you could find this person at your earliest convenience."
"For a child, you know too much about what's happening from behind."
"… It's for serving the mistress."
"You're too loyal as a child."
Ett paused.
"I am my mistress's helper and no one else."
The man smirked.
The child was too cautious, and sharp for her age. Such great potential from a mysterious client that even he cannot find who it is. The more he delved further into who that woman was, it was always a dead end, and this child acted like the woman herself.
"It seems your Mistress won't come much often, seeing there are three tasks she wants me to do. What's the third?"
"It's finding the former Earl of Valharam."
The man quickly gave her a hard stare. The silence lingered for a moment.
Earl of Valharam, if the Valharam Household was wiped out with all the people inside it, then the Earl himself was dead.
Can you find a dead man? Unless there's a possibility that he is alive from his client's point of interest.
"The mistress had a lead."
"Did your mistress not tell you how this will lead to the country's political disarray?"
Ett nodded.
She didn't want to, but the Earl of Valharam had returned the old Ett to her adult form in the novel. Only to die that day. Hooray.
"The Earl of Valharam might appear on the outskirts of the western border of the Jushen Empire. To be specific, the Oran Valley, and he is wearing a green cloak with one remaining in his hand. He has a black dagger. There should be a burnt mark on his heel. Cough, cough. Excuse me."
Ett exhaled a breath; she really couldn't take too long.
"She doesn't know the exact day or year, but Mistress only wishes to tell you that the man will appear. It is not necessary for you to act if you cannot."
This time, Ett untied her hood, seeing him eye to eye, "But Mistress said, if you do, then you can ask her one thing about anything, and she will answer you as long as she knows. She'll do her utmost to assist you. Cough." Man, talking so long is so tiring.
Finally.
The young man smiled, "Indeed, it is a tempting offer. But, child, I am more curious. You look exactly like her."
"..." I'm her twin.
Ett, just like before, stayed silent. It's better to keep quiet, and it's not like the person in front of her is stubborn enough to play along with her.
"Forgive my blatant opinion. Then,"
The young man slumped down languidly. "Tell your Mistress the pay now just needs to add another 100,000 gold when you want them to know the two pieces of information. The last one, I'll think about the hints your Mistress gave me. After all, lives are more precious to gain more gold, no?"
Ett stands up, "I'll tell the mistress, thank you for your time."
"The information would be delivered like it used to be."
Used to be? She doesn't know and can't rat out that the 'Mistress' didn't tell her.
"No, this time will be different. Either I'll visit or… you wait how it'll be delivered."
The young man nodded and ushered her to the door, giving her the 'wine.'
"Tell your mistress not to forget my name, Cashim. You can call me, Cashim as well, Little Lady."
Cashim added, chuckling as he closed the door. "Till we meet again."
"Strange."
Ett mumbled. Were Ett and this man named Cashim in some strange, I mean close relationship, or is it only that guy's impression? There was no such thing in the novel. Had that man told him his nickname rather than the actual name that Ett knows?
As she left the House of Isolet, Ett gazed in another direction. It was the place to get the vial. She will address the issue when she visits again. The vial isn't that empty. There's no rush. The agenda for today is now finished. The longer she lingers here, who knows what will happen when she returns?
"And I'm getting tired from walking."
Good thing it's not hot at the moment.
Yeah, let's go back and come again some other day.
"So exhausting."
Cashim watched the little child trot towards the crowds, disappearing from his line of sight. If he looks past the color of the eyes and hair, that kid seems too much like his client, as if it were her identical twin.
"Ya, the temperament is also the same. Sigh."
"Did you find anything about Lady Ecaton?"
In a hidden corner, a man came out and bowed.
"Forgive me, Sir. We always lose track the moment she enters the forest."
"The cave?"
"Yes, the cave."
"That child was about to go somewhere, but she stopped, quite sensitive too."
"Should we wait outside the cave?"
Cashim shook his head.
"We won't know when she'll come up again. Besides,"
His mind drifted to the last words the child said to him. He can ask her one question or even aid him once, even if it breaks the rules, as long as he helps her track down the Earl of Valharam. It is the most important, rather than the two tasks he was given.
"Have some of your men stay in Oram Valley and its surrounding valleys starting tomorrow. You've heard what the Earl of Valharam will look like, right?"
"Yes."
"Good. We shouldn't let go of our client, who reeks a mysterious air of regal composure uncommon to other nobles. You may leave." In short, the highest golden goose they ever had.
"Understood."
"Oh right, the banquet will be held tomorrow. I wonder if that little child will be there?"
Cashim wondered, flipping the coin in his hand.
"She might."
After all, having a vast amount of money to splurge only means she is a noble with a higher standing.
Even if the little girl acts like a servant, her composure and elegance contrast to how maids should behave when they are ordered by their masters.
"Duchess, marquess, or Earl? Which is which?"
"Or it could be in disguise, too."
Cashim laughed, "Aiya, nobles love to play in disguise. Aren't I the same as well?"