Dinner was prepared, accompanying Lyra and Duke Kleo who were awkwardly stunned, remembering the hot kiss they had just a moment ago in his room. Their hands occasionally moved, just so they didn't look too clumsy.
"Mr. Bertus," called Duke Kleo, looking away to hide his blushing cheeks, as he accidentally saw Lyra's beauty in front of him. "Are you going to serve the wine tonight?"
Mr. Bertus's eyebrows shot up sideways. "We always serve wine, My Lord, just like the previous nights."
The duke's face paled. "O-oh, right. Yeah, you're right." He cleared his throat, glanced briefly at Lyra then looked away again.
Meanwhile, the maids were still passing by to do some stuff. Some of them were still on their way to the kitchen for dessert, one thing that was usually served last to maintain quality.
They whispered to each other, passing through the hall of the palace which was high and majestic, with large pillars made of marble, supporting the core of the palace powerfully. Not far from them lies a plot of land filled with beautiful grass, with several aesthetic fountains that have statues of various symbols. A few dozen meters after that is neatly trimmed boxwood, shaped like a maze, a place where the duke was solitary and sought important thoughts.
Then on the other side of the palace, there is a place for the training of soldiers, next to the armory. So far Duke Kleo still holds excellent credibility regarding his military leadership abilities.
The residents of the Wereal Palace, including servants and soldiers, would have a higher status if they were outside the palace, considered majestic for being able to survive well under the direct rulings of the ruthless and highly competent duke.
"You know?" One of the maids started the conversation as she walked towards the kitchen, with petite, quick steps. "I saw Lord looking awkward in front of Miss Lyra," she continued. "Looks like something happened between them."
The other maids answered. "I was there to welcome the Lord's return, and I saw that there was a bite mark on Miss Lyra's shoulder."
The other maids gasped while covering their mouths. While walking quickly, like a penguin, they checked their surroundings. After making sure everything was safe, they gossiped again.
"Do you think Lord did that?"
"I don't know, you know how Lord treats women, right? Do you remember Dotty who was executed for accidentally touching Lord's body?"
"Is it possible that Lord did it because he already had a lover? That is Miss Lyra?"
"Well, maybe that's true. But they still look very naive for a couple."
They pondered again, as if contemplating an issue of craving across the country, or as if contemplating how much salary they could save for their future.
"Miss Lyra's identity is still very mysterious. Nobody knows about her. Some believe they have seen her in the big market in the city. But some believe they've seen her in the bakery, working there. Is her face a common one?"
"I'm not sure," said another maid. "She was very beautiful, a beauty very rarely possessed by any woman in Eastlandor. Or is she from another city?"
Confusion and rumors continued to spread, like burning embers from kerosene, ready to burn anything if not put out at the right time. All the maids knew how to keep secrets well, so the rumors could only roll between them.
Meanwhile, a fat person approached the door of Mr. Pinn's house. In his trouser pocket was a pouch of money. His face was covered by a sizable hood, though that could not hide his enormous, giant-like reflection.
One of Mr. Pinn's slaves opened the door, then widened her eyes when she saw who it was. Her pretty face suddenly turned pale like a corpse. "D-don't rob us! We just lost property to a fire." It seemed that there were frequent burglaries in that house, in various strange ways.
"It's me," said the fat man, lifting the hood over his head slightly, exposing one eye. Then he lifted the bag containing his money.
"Oh, it's you. Come on in! I will call Master first." Her plump body vanished in the room, after closing the door and letting the fat man in. There were a few small conversations before Mr. Pinn finally came out with his pajamas wrapped around him.
His old eyes narrowed between the flames of the torch. "Big, why did you come?"
"To pay compensation," said the fat man, removing his hood completely, and revealing his identity. It was Gerald, who threw a bag full of money at Mr. Pinn. "We still have three months, right? And my money can pay off a quarter of your loss."
Mr. Pinn squinted as he received the bag containing the money, then counted it very carefully. He looked up suspiciously at Gerald. "Where did you get this money so quickly?"
"I don't think it's any of your business, Mr. Pinn."
"Are you robbing?"
"Unfortunately I am not you."
"What are you saying?" Mr. Pinn had almost hit Gerald if his slave had not stopped him.
"Besides, I came here to visit my old friend. Where did you lock her?" Gerald's hand pulled out the dagger he was carrying, revealing its extremely sharp and terrifying edge.
Mr. Pinn retreated a moment and then asked his slave, Wiggie, to lead the way. She nodded obediently, hiding her delighted smile. Her hand was waving at Gerald as she walked as normally as possible.
As they entered the slightly dimly lit hallway, she suddenly plopped down on Gerald's body, pressing her chest to his quite intensely. "Did you come just to visit Tania? Didn't you come to see me too?"
He sighed and then gently pushed her away. "Sorry but it seems you still misunderstand me."
"You saved me several times from danger. You even got in the way of Mr. Pinn when he nearly burned me. You risked your life for me. Do you really have no feelings for me?" Wiggie has beautiful and exotic skin, with very large eyes and curly eyelashes. She was once the daughter of a rich merchant, who suddenly had to be sold into a slave by her stepmother after her biological father died.
Her fate is very pathetic, but she tries to survive and find a way to be free. Gerald was the only hope in her eyes.
"I really can't see anyone being hurt," said Gerald lightly, backing away and against the wall as he felt Wiggie aggressively pinch him again, giving him a spongy and passionate pressure. Unconsciously he held his breath.
"If I end up being sold again by Mr. Pinn, then you can't meet me, won't you regret wasting your time?"
He shrugged. "If that's what's best for you, then that's fine."
"Even if I'm free and end up marrying a man, won't you be sad?"
"If you're happy, why should I be sad?"
Wiggie snorted, then headed back down the hall. "You're not ambitious enough. Maybe that's the reason you can't have your own house even though your cooking skills are really good." She fell silent, brushing her jet-black, shiny hair back. "Do you know what happened to Lyra right now?"
"No," replied Gerald as if he didn't care.
"You don't have to pretend in front of me, I'm not siding with anyone. I stand for myself." Then she turned to face him. "She has been trapped by Baron Jason. Now she had gotten into trouble with Duke Kleo because of it. What I heard this afternoon, Baron Jason managed to make her sleep with the duke, thus angering the duke and about to execute her. Are you sure you still don't care about that?"
Gerald rattled, clenching the hand that held the dagger. If only it didn't have a receptacle maybe his hand would have been sliced and bleeding. "Aren't you making this up?"
"You can check if you want," said Wiggie defiantly. "She must be at Wereal already, ready to be executed tomorrow. Or if she was lucky then she would be imprisoned for a few days. Do you still want to pretend you don't care about her?"
He clenched his fists tighter, remembering how hard he had warned Lyra all along. He did plan to take no responsibility for anything if anything happened to her, but the execution? This time it seemed he couldn't just stay still. He wanted his close friend to be happy and have a good and proper life. If she died, then that hope would be in vain.
Wiggie saw a glint of determination and fierceness in Gerald's eyes. Her lips smirked. "I know a secret way to infiltrate Wereal. I used to sneak a lot to visit my late brother when he was a soldier. You can trust me, and take her away."
"Let's say I can infiltrate Wereal, then whether I can find out where she is? She could be in prison and she could be somewhere else."
"As you heard earlier, my late brother was a soldier when he was alive. That means his friends are soldiers. I can dig for information from his friends. We can leave tonight if you want."
Gerald was silent, considering Wiggie's offer cautiously. "You can't possibly help me without expecting anything right?"
"As I thought you were smart," whispered Wiggie happily. "Just being my man is enough. You have to hug me when I need you, you have to help me when I want to."
"I can't possibly help you free. I'm just a poor man."
"I have my own way of being free. But I have no way of getting rid of my feelings for you." Wiggie is indeed an aggressive and courageous woman. "Be my man! That's enough for me."
Sighing, Gerald peeked through the torchlight. "When exactly can we leave?"
Once again she smirked, then came closer to hug his soft and warm body. "Soon. Let me put The Old Master to sleep first. Wait a minute! You can meet with Tania. She's over there." Then she left, leaving him trapped with no choice.
Even though he could take Tania away right then if he wanted to. But that put him at risk of losing Wiggie's trust, the only person who could help him save Lyra.
Meanwhile, Wiggie went to the kitchen to serve Mr. Pinn warm water, which had been put sleeping pills in it. She deliberately wore skimpy clothes in the form of transparent lingerie.
"Master, I brought a drink for you. And I miss you very much." Her eyes blazed with a sea of plans when she finally saw Mr. Pinn gulped down the drink she'd given him, then he collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.
"This is my way of escaping later," she squeaked, having enveloped Mr. Pinn with a blanket, took in her proper suits, then went over to Gerald, ready to go to Wereal and free Lyra.
***