In the dining hall of the Sanders manor, Arthur and Nadia busied themselves with breakfast.
A healthy dose of pancakes as well as a few other eye-catching dishes.
Forking a piece of pancake into his mouth, Arthur glanced at Nadia. "You aren't eating?"
"Don't feel like it." Nadia curtly replied.
Arthur looked her over. "And you look quite dull as well."
"I just…"
"I also don't like what happened to Alex and his family. However, worrying so much would only lead to you losing weight. You wouldn't want Alex to lose interest in you because of that now, would we?"
Nadia glared at the old coot before sighing. "... This is so annoying."
Arthur was just about to reply when he paused, only to glance at the stairs before revealing a smile.
"Ah, we were just talking about you," Arthur remarked. "Glad you could join us for breakfast."
Nadia glanced over to find Alex walking down the stairs in a white shirt and black trousers, his hair slicked back.
For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.
"Good morning." Alex greeted as he walked over and sat beside Nadia.
"Morning," Nadia muttered in response.
Arthur looked at the lovebirds before revealing a mischievous grin.
Of course, noting the expression on Alex's face, he decided not to go overboard immediately.
"Ahem, so how is she?" He asked.
Alex sighed. "She is currently in the garden. I asked the maid to take her there."
"Any better?"
"...No." Alex shook his head. "She asked that we go to church tomorrow."
"Ah, I forgot that tomorrow would be the 9th day of Eurus. How about we all attend a service at the church?" Arthur asked before glancing at Nadia. "We might be able to meet with the priest later for some auspicious times for marriage."
Nadia didn't bother with a response as she rolled her eyes.
Alex on the other hand had begun to get used to the old coot's shenanigans so he didn't mind much as he continued.
"She wants to ask for a private prayer session for the quick return of Douglas."
"The Church of Angelica doesn't work well when it comes to listening to the wishes of a woman."
"... I know." Alex understood from 'Alex's' memories that the Church of Angelica supported a patriarchal society where women were more or less second-class citizens.
They were not allowed to show skin in the church building else they'd be branded a whore, they were not allowed within 15 meters of the priest, and talking to priests directly could result in being whipped in the marketplace.
This meant that Alex had to go with her if she indeed wanted to ask for a private prayer session.
Of course, he didn't mind but as a man of principle, he didn't quite support the idea of attending such a church.
Emily's mind was made up however so trying to change her mind was not possible.
"Don't worry too much. Try to spend time with her. It would help her recover quickly."
"Mn." Alex nodded. "But I was thinking of sending her back to our home in the countryside."
"Why?" Arthur raised a brow.
"BoneHaven isn't safe at the moment and she may not be able to forget what happened easily. A change of scenery would help her condition improve."
Nadia turned apprehensive as she asked. "Will you go with her?"
"No." Alex shook his head. "I plan to remain here until either Douglas is found or the perpetrators of the attack on my home are brought to justice."
Heaving a sigh inwardly, Nadia replied. "It's for the best."
Arthur didn't want to call her out for her unhealthy obsession with Alex so he casually nodded. "Troubles could follow her though."
"You can help me cover her tracks, no?" As a potential son-in-law, it was okay to act a bit brazen, no?
Arthur chuckled. "Indeed I can. Alright, we can discuss more of this tomorrow after the private prayer session. Come, Nadia, we should be heading to work now."
"Don't forget to go to the bank later to collect the reward money for the Butcher case," Nadia whispered into Alex's ear as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "There's some money and a revolver in the cabinet in my room, use that."
Alex nodded in reply as she got to her feet with Arthur already heading for the door.
Just then, Arthur tapped his temples before turning around to address Alex. "And uhmm, about what we spoke about yesterday."
Alex met his gaze. "What about it?"
"It would take three nights to arrive so we'll discuss the basics the day after tomorrow."
"Alright. Thank you."
Unsure of what they were talking about, Nadia remained silent with her gaze alternating between the two.
Soon after, the duo left with Alex remaining at the table.
Picking up a fork, he reached for a piece of pancake and placed it in his mouth.
Savoring the taste, he muttered. "... It's quite good."
After having his breakfast, he called for the cook to clean up while he went to the garden to spend some time with Emily before informing her about his intentions for her to leave for the countryside.
She readily agreed as she also felt like BoneHaven was making it hard for her to recover, despite her attempts to get better.
Taking her back inside, Alex put her to bed before preparing to head out.
He wasn't one to sit at home doing nothing and since Nadia gave him an excuse to leave the manor, he planned on using it to scope out the city as much as he could.
Who knows what he could glean out of the word on the street?
Wearing a classy black suit with gloves and a silver inlaid cane, he stepped out of the manor and hailed a coach for a tour of BoneHaven.
After making himself comfortable, he knocked on the carriage and a moment later, a gentle clip-clop resounded as the coach went on its way.