The Lover.

Denise's hands shook. She put the letter in her mouth and began to chew, it was bitter. Thankfully she was alone in the powder room. She chewed very slowly. She was lost in her thoughts.

The Lover was freaking Lord Richard Gallagher. Was he the reason Colette had been obsessed with economics towards the end of her life? She wanted to shape herself into someone suitable for Gallagher? Not that she could judge but this made everything ten times worse. He was famous.

Denise spit out the letter out the window. She couldn't swallow that information or the paper used to share that information. She remembered the man she had met at the wedding.

The man said, "Lord Gallagher offers his congratulations and wishes your farewell."

That was what the strange man had said, Denise was sure. That man must've been his servant. Then what was he doing here giving her some letter of love and other unimaginable things when he broke it off with Colette on her wedding day? The man was a prude.

But Colette and Lord Gallagher were supposed to run away together, so technically, the fact that she married Swain must've broken his heart...enough of that pity party, she thought. She had a new life that depended on whether or not she could give her husband the Verradus economy. Her head on her shoulders depended on it.

She stood up and left the powder room. She had a new conviction. She would avoid Lord Richard Gallagher like a plague. He was nothing to her now, she was married to a sword wielding tyrant.

Speaking of her beloved husband, she was escorted to his 'business meeting' once she had left the powder room. He was seated on a large plush seat, it had room for two. In front of him was a man tied to a chair. Who else in Verradus could have a private interrogation in another noble man's house? Swain stood when she entered the room.

"Lord Fisher" Swain said taking her hand and leading her back to the seat, "I present to you my newly wed wife." he smiled, it was cold and chilling. She did not want to be Lord Fisher.

Lord Fisher was a small man with frightened eyes, he had come to the Penrove ball to seek help from his noble friends but they had sold him to the devil that was the Duke. They were loyal vassals, afraid of the man but terribly loyal.

"Congratulations my lord" he said, his voice trembled with every syllable.

"Thank you Lord Fisher." he held Denise close, "My wife asked to meet you, seeing as she sees some value in you. If it were my sole opinion, you would be hanged from the very gates you wished to open, by midnight. But alas, here we are Lord Fisher."

Swain took a lot of pleasure in instilling fear into the man.

"Hello Lord Fisher" Denise began.

"My lady" he looked at her like she was his savior, she didn't feel like one. She was not going to save him. she was going to use him.

"You served as the empire's ambassador to the tribes beyond the gates, why?" a simple question.

"I had a passion to understand the people, my lady"

"What did you find out?"

"Pardon my lady?"

"You must've found out something about the tribes people Lord Fisher, something good enough to save the lives of your wife and child."

The man was terrified. He knew what she was implying.

"What do you want from the tribes people, my lady?"

She thought about how much information she could give, "I want workers for the mines."

"The chief will never allow it. He prides himself on traditions.He curses Verradus and its people."

"Your father in law, I presume?"she asked, Lord Fisher winced.

"Well tell me Lord Fisher, I am willing to have a truce with this chief, that is if he agrees. However, I need to give him something in return. What would he want? You should have an answer to that, lest your wife and child are hanged at the gates before you do."

"You said you wouldn't harm them!" Lord Fisher broke.

Swain simply shrugged and ushered a servant to refill his whisky glass.

"So tell me Lord Fisher, how can I get what I want? I am a very impatient woman." Denise continued.

Lord Fisher swallowed, he had deduced that the woman knew of the other reason he was being hunted as a mad man by the tribes people. He wanted to live, he wanted his family to live.

"The people there are sick." he said.

"That is common knowledge Mr. Fisher" she said "They eat monsters for breakfast"

"But its worse, they ate something wrong. It made them very sick. They do not die but they suffer from the pain and the symptoms. The disease forces them to kill themselves."

The story was getting crazier.

"The chief is looking for a cure before he and his people kill themselves off. I was there when it started."

"Did you eat it?" Swain asked suddenly interested.

"No. By the time I arrived, they had finished the last of that beast"

"How many people are dead?" Denise asked. "How are they staying sane?"

"I don't know." he sighed "The children didn't eat the meat, so the children keep them sane."

It was terrifyingly incredible, Denise thought.

"Alright Lord Fisher, gather your things, we're going to meet the chief." Denise stood up. She had a plan of sorts.

"No!"

Denise rolled her eyes, "Carry him and the chair. We have a deal to make and a cure to produce. Husband, I need to send a letter to a friend of mine in the Enchanted Valley"

"You're going to cure them?" Lord Fisher asked as he was lifted while still tied to the chair.

"It depends Lord Fisher, on what they ate."