"Adviel. You're coming with me!" I grabbed Adviel's warm scarred hands as we proceeded towards the secret passage. I even brought Gabriel in my bag as I gripped my coat tightly.
I looked at Adviel and he raised both of his eyebrows with some pout.
I sensed that he stopped walking so I turned to looked at him. He started removing his hands from my grasps and putting his right hand on the back of his neck.
He looked at the ground before inhaling some air then directly at me.
"Milady, I'm here to protect you but you just took me to sneak away from your household. Do you know this is a violation of your father's words that he----"
Yet before he could finish what he was saying, I grabbed his hands pulling him closer.
I knew he had instincts and that he also knew I would grab but he let me as my back touched one of the trees on the outside of the passageway but he held the back of my head before it banged into the old oak tree.
"Seriously Milady----"
"Isabela is my name not Milady, Adviel. Do you want me to say it again or do you want me to imprint my name on your forehead…" I said chuckling.
I pulled him closer so I could whisper to his ears but his whole face and ears were a bit red.
I got worried so I put my hands over his forehead, but he bulged and was about to move if I hadn't pulled his collar.
"Are you okay? You seemed hot, should we----"
"I-I'm fine, I-Isabela…" he said backing a bit and now he's covering his mouth with the back of his hands.
I got a sense that he was not okay, but it seemed that it was only because of the sun's heat.
Shaking my head, I took in some fresh air before gazing back at him. I took a step closer and whispered to him which he just let me.
"Adviel, I took you in here because from now on whenever I go outside without anyone knowing at least you'll be able to protect me, and believe me it's the same as what they have instructed you, so would you grab my hands as we go?"
I asked. He stared at my hands for a moment before looking away but I knew he had given his warmth to cover mine.
"Good…"
It didn't take us any minute to go towards the market and investigate the underground dealings. It's where I first saw and claimed Adviel.
I knew how surprised he was when he learned about my intention. But he later became interested.
Now we were in front of a small wooden door within the narrow alley just beside a flower shop.
People continue to pass by not knowing that some of the guild, a large secret organization about investigations aside from the legal knights of the sun's palace, resides in a small place.
I raised my hands and was about to knock when Adviel stopped me.
"Let me, Isabela…"
I sighed. I guess before we stepped in we should also call each other some alias so I leaned in closer and whispered.
"We should have an alias here, Adviel"
"Then what should I call you?"
"Bell, you can call me Bell, that's my nickname that only you can say," I just thought about it until now.
"Then you can call me Viel, should that suffice?" I heard him whisper back and a different sensation lingered through my skin making me back off a bit.
I nodded before he knocked on the door.
"Would you like some two pieces of candy?" We heard the rough voice of a man inside. It must have been the code that I've got to study from Gabriel's teachings.
I looked at Adviel who was doing the same thing to me and I nodded as I took a small step forward.
"We would like some strawberry candy and an orange one please…."
"Then please come in…" the small wooden door immediately opened, and the light unfolded our view. The outside is different from the inside.
Bricks that have the same color as the wood, built the place within. Walls from every corner have ten lamps.
It might have been small when the door was closed, but it was vast considering that it's a place where we can call a hall as soon as we stepped inside.
It felt warm. The moment I blinked, people with dark and light green coats appeared walking, passing each other.
Some held books and some had wooden sticks.
Others were talking and some were running while some papers were flying in the air.
I looked at the man who assisted us from the door earlier. He had this big beard on his face, and he was wearing a dark green coat that I could barely see his face.
Adviel held my hand firmly and was about to put me behind him. I looked at his face and he seemed to be glaring at the man.
He must have been bothered by the man rather than curious why I knew the code.
Well, for a strawberry candy, it means that the client needed something urgent, and for the orange candy it specifies the purpose as it was all about the underground dealings within the market.
"I see that my clients are very young but you two knew the code. Who taught you that?" The man said with a chuckle following afterward.
I stopped Adviel from murmuring some words as I talked to the bearded man.
"It seemed that the host is curious about the client which was inconsistent with the privacy act of your guild," I said, and the man's eyes widened as soon as I saw his hood moved aside.
The man soon chuckled
"Alright little ones, as long as you all knew the rules and regulations, then might as well follow me for your concerns…" the man said turning his back on us.
We followed him, yet as I led Adviel, I could feel his eyes bore holes at my back and I just knew what he meant by that.
I didn't mind it at all for a moment.
The alley became quiet as we moved away from the people passing by. Now we are at a place where we can see a large double-sided wooden door with some crests of symbols within it.
I didn't see it clearer since we were rushed to come in.
"Oh, now I have these little ones as clients. They're cute," a deep and chilling cold voice spoke.
When I looked at the man, I knew that he had something that no one had.
An aura that could kill anyone.
"So state your business why you allowed the little ones to enter the guild, Romlus…" the man with a dark demeanor spoke.
It's not a request or suggestion, it was a demand.
The man bowed dismissing the terrifying aura that the man in front of us held, and spoke.
"The little ones want some strawberry candy and orange ones…."
"Oh, so you also knew, how intelligent you two are…" the man spoke.
He adjusted his chair backing off a bit, then put both of his elbows on the table. His chin landed on the back of his hands and the shadow behind him lifted like a veil of magic. Unveiling a young-looking, flawless porcelain skin, with pinkish hair and a pirate's eyepatch appeared.
The moment I knew who we were talking to.
He was no other than the jack of all trades, the one that the imperial family wanted as their chief knight for the emperor, the one that ran away.
Twenty years ago, when I was newly born, this man had been the talk of the town. He saved the emperor from 1000 attempts of assassination that no one predicted. The assassination later revealed it was Count Cain's doing. He was sentenced to death.
When the emperor realized an unknown knight saved him, he called every person to find the man but no one ever found him. The emperor once said that the man had pink hair and golden eyes.
Now, we're gazing at the same description of a person.
The hero's statue was all over the imperial family, over every region of the empire. Though no one knew his name, they called him the jack of all trades.
It's almost been two decades but this man's figure never withered like a rose.
It stayed frozen in time.
"So why do these little kids want to hire my members?" he asked. The terrifying voice disappeared and was replaced by a curious warm tone.
I looked at Adviel who was looking at me. Both of his eyebrows raised. I sighed and stepped forward.
Adviel pulled me closer to him as he almost put me behind. I could even see his glare at the man yet his feet were already trembling. I felt his hands tremble on mine and the warmth was soon replaced by coldness.
"Oh if you just look at that. So adorable, these two kids might have been in a lovey-dovey situation that they thought our guild was a candy shop!" The man insulted, so I burst out setting Adviel aside, and spoke
"We came here for a special urgent reason. We need your help in investigating the black market. I needed to know all the clients there is…" I said
I heard the bearded man gasp while the man in front of us chuckled.
"So interesting. Yet what should you offer the guild in return?"
"Simple, do you even know the Rose of Dahlia?"
The man knew it very well. I could tremble in his eyes for a flash second because that rose was the only treasure the man who had disappeared had been searching throughout these years.
"And I just happen to know where it is… so is there a deal or not?"