Neirin waited for the Courtesan's words and stories about her client. All three of them stayed silent as they waited patiently. All stares were pointed at the lady.
The time in the clock ticks. The tension was still there.
Neirin was slightly concerned since she had been outside the palace for so long and hadn't informed her servants that she was going out.
In the worst-case scenario, the king might have some suspicion about her when he finds out. Still, Neirin could easily make excuses if she wanted to. So without any pressure, she acted like what she was witnessing right now was irrelevant since she was a servant in disguised right now.
"I-" Aurellian swallowed. There was hesitation in her voice. She clenched and unclenched her hands several times, trying to calm herself down. Her eyes were wandering to the different objects inside the room. Still, she never dared to look everyone in the eyes.
Something must have frightened her about Arthur, or perhaps, she was still afraid of that night.
Adlen heaved his breath. His single action causes the Courtesan to flinch and tremble even more. This disappointed Roxanna, and she covered her lips with a fan.
"Why not sit for a moment, my dear lady?" Adlen acts courteously. "We are not pressuring you about anything. Simply talk if you want to and if you are ready, my lady."
The words of Adlen did not help at all.
Roxanna guided Aurellian to sit on the sofa. Both of them sat side by side. Roxanna then poured some wine into a cup and gave it to Aurellian, thinking some liquid might calm her.
"Thank you, master." Aurellian accepted the wine. Roxanna nodded, watching the Courtesan down it in one go before heaving her breath as though she was gathering her courage from her stomach.
"I was with Lord Arthur Liden a week before his death." The Courtesan started. All the attention inside the room shifted now that she was willing to talk and start the story.
"He was not under the influence of alcohol at that time, but he had few pouches of money. It was all in gold coins."
Adlen tilted his head a little bit. "Then?"
Aurellian swallowed. Her hands were still on her lap. Eyes looking down. "I did not ask where did he get such an amount of money since we were taught in the guild that asking something about your clients is prohibited until they were the ones who spill the beans instead."
There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice. She hesitates. She looked like she didn't want to talk, but she knew she had no choice. The master of the guild was there. She said that the man in front was important.
"The lord requested me to pleasure him. He wanted me to sleep with him. I a-a-sked why and explained to him that we Courtesan w-w-who work here has choices that are more important than the customer's p-p-pleasure. He looked desperate at that time. He b-begged. He wanted me to make him forget."
Neirin noticed how red Aurellian's ears were.
"I-I-I Uhm, I wanted to decline at first, but I saw his money. He said he was w-willing to pay any amount. Since the lord looked like a respected nobleman with money, he must have been confused and desperate, and with my desire to climb ranks, I seduced and pleasured him like I was taught."
Neirin glanced at Roxanna before shifting her gaze back to Auerillian.
"We fell asleep after we have done the deed." Aurellian's eyes wavered. Her hands clenched her dress very hard, causing the fabric to wrinkle.
She blinked several times as though she was trying hard to get something off her mind that kept popping out. Nevertheless, regardless of her struggling emotion, no one told Aurellian to stop or take it easy.
All three of them waited. They only waited for her following words.
"In the middle of the night, the lord woke up screaming. I was worried as I hurriedly grabbed the blanket next to me since I was still naked then. I was distraught. I just woke up. I was tired, and my head was aching. But what was happening to me didn't matter. What I saw was."
Aurellian closed her eyes. She continued to recount that night. "Lord Arthur grabbed his bags. His expression looked desperate as he dug inside his bag aggressively. His breath was loud. His eyes turned dark. He looked like a dog- a desperate dog looking for his owner.
"It was like the world didn't matter to him at the moment, and all he wanted to find was the red pill inside his bag."
"Red pill?" Adlen interrupted. Aurellian opened her eyes. Both of their gazes met. The Courtesan nodded. Adlen frowned. He was a little bit confused.
"Continue."
"I w-was scared and wanted to call the master at that time, but Lord Arthur started crying after taking the pills. S-s-surprised and speechless as I was, I kneeled on the floor with him and put my arms over his shoulders, asking what was wrong. That's the only action I know. That was the only thing that I was taught."
"My touch seemed to affect him. He hugged me really hard. He was still naked. He doesn't care. I was confused. Before I could assess the situation, Lord Liden cried aggressively. He cried loudly and desperately. I have never seen a man cry like that before."
"I let him be. He cried on my shoulders. Then, a few minutes passed, and silence enveloped us. He kissed my cheeks lovingly. Like he's my lover putting aside the fact that I only met him on the same day. He told me he loved me. He told me that he cherished me. He then confessed."
"Confessed?"
"Yes, confessed, my lord. The money he has was his said inheritance. It contains only a few golds that could make him survive only for a few years. Learning such a fact made me scoff in contempt, thinking he won't become my sponsor. That all the effort and pleasure I gave him had turned into ashes. It made me furious. But before I could even shake his arms off me, he mumbled a few sentences making a story."
"What is it?" Adlen asked. His gaze never left Aurellian. It was the same for Roxanna and Neirin.
Aurellian's eyes soften. Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "He told me his life, my lord."
"His life?" Adlen frowned. However, on the other side, Neirin had a few conclusions. She did not interrupt and let Aurellian finish her words.
"Yes," Aurellian gives a nod. She sighed, wiping her tears. "He's a very miserable man. He told me first about his dreams. He had a dream of becoming someone known in history. He was the third son of his parents. Hence, he knew that he wouldn't be inheriting the title. But that did not stop him from dreaming. He wanted to travel the world. He wanted to write books and poetry. He seemed to love art. Then, he told me his dream of falling in love."
"He told me his ideal woman. Lovely hair and hazel eyes. It took me quite a while to see that what he was describing was me. He asked me to run away with him. I do not like that thought. I have reasons to stay in the guild with the guild master. I wanted to decline and never see him again. He was a mistake. He was my first mistake. But, then, he proceeded to tell me his story again as though he wanted me to take pity on him."
"He told me that his family was getting bankrupt. However, before that, he told me he met a man while drinking a few nights before."
"A man?" Adlen interrupted again.
Aurellian nodded. Her lips were pale. "did he describe this man?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Can you tell me?" Adlen was curious. Right at this very moment, there was finally a lead!
There was a pause of silence between them before the Courtesan proceeded.
"Arthur Liden wasn't able to see his face. But, he told me the description of his clothes and what he said to him."
"Go on." Adlen nodded.
"The man was wearing a dark rob covering his whole face, but he was tall. He was a few inches taller than Arthur. He was the one who handed Arthur the pill, telling him that it was something he would be needing."
"Arthur was confused, asking the man to elaborate on what he was saying. He wanted him to make sense."
"The man had a deep voice. He only said that there would be a disaster that would bring his family to ruins. He will be the first to be sacrificed. He told Arthur that the red pill would become his help. The man told Arthur about a magic of some kind."
"Of course, Arthur did not believe that. However, he took the red pill. Just like that, a few days passed. Then, like a prophecy, the words of the unknown man wearing a rob came true."
"There was a dispute over the inheritance that all of him and his siblings would be getting. Arthur told me that this was not a problem before. They were a well-off family. So, he did not understand what was really happening. And before he could even understand the situation, he was kicked out of the house, leaving only a few pouches of gold. He was told to never come back to the family again."
"Arthur Liden did not believe his family. But a few days passed, and no words came from them. That was when Arthur decided to stay here in the guild of flesh. He was devastated. He looked betrayed and desperate. However, that was not the reason I was afraid to tell his story."
"Then?" Adlen wanted to know more. The same with Neirin. She felt like something was off from the beginning. Especially with the man that Aurellian was talking about.
"By the time I refused him, when he asked me to go with him, he overdosed himself with the red pill. He went crazy!"
Aurellian trembled. She grabbed her dress even tighter.
"I do not know what to do! I was afraid! I was terrified! I wanted to run away at that moment. But before I could even do so, Arthur! Lord Arthur! Arthur turned into a monster!" Aurellian cried out loud, covering her face with her palms.
The words she uttered caused the three of them to have shocked expressions. They looked at each other. Wide eyes and mouth opened! No one expected this confession. Roxanna and Neirin looked both speechless.
Adlen stood on his feet! He walked closer to Aurellian, grabbing both of her shoulders and making her look at Adlen.
"What do you mean monster?" Adlen shouted.
"Just exactly what I said!" Aurellian shouted back. Her eyes were all red now.
"Wide eyes. Cracks formed in his skin. Blood seeped out, and his teeth turned into fangs! Then he was growing hairs in all parts of his body!"
"He was writhing in pain! I was scared! I ran out of the room. I wanted to ask for help. However, when I returned, he wasn't there. What was left was only his belongings and the gold coins he had inherited. Then, after a few days, I read his death on the front page of a newspaper!"
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