Aide only managed to appear after the entire commotion died out.
"That Edward is the same age as that jeweled scion of the Nahyan Clan, Zechariah Nahyan and yet somehow is way worse than him." Aide could no longer restrain his laughter afterwards. "Good job on teaching him a lesson, Master." It's a relief knowing the annoyance against Edward is a universally shared feeling, even by those who works here.
“I’m surprised he has all the time in the world to slander someone. If violence isn’t such a big deal then I’d have crushed his skull right away.” Hearing the Aide saying that as a person whose figure wears the exact same measurements as any professional wrestlers out there, his threat sends me shaking a little.
“Juliette, you can slap him with a broom and I can assure that you’re doing everyone a favor.” Master suggested with a grin on his face, I snorted in response.
“Easy for you to say, Master. I’m not so bad that I’d harm others by hurting my feelings.”
“As expected, you’re level-headed and kind at the same time, just like your parents." Master sniffs on what appears to be his crocodile tears. "Oh, I wish there were more people like you in Tellus…” While Master is busy daydreaming, Aide dives straight into the most recent issue.
"So you're going to attend the party, eh?"
"On the bright side, this is my only chance of seeing Ariel the Prima Donna up close."
"Heh, enough with that sensational star! You're reconciling with your uncle!" Aide's excitable reaction never fails to take me aback.
"Yeah, but don't expect too much. Mending something takes a lot of time." And I don't want to spend more time festering here waiting for uncle.
“Does that mean I can see you in a suit, or perhaps a beautiful dress?”
And with that, Aide sends his fist flying against his boss' head as if he was nothing.
“Even as officers, we remain law-abiding citizens of Tellus. You know I can whistleblow that as an act of sexual harassment.”
"Ahaha, alright, alright. Dammit, that hurts."
It’s always very reassuring, comforting even to see these two bickering. But it’s even more satisfying knowing that I’m acquainted with this pair of amazing individuals. I may not have everything. In fact, having at least one person who wouldn’t view me indifferently is already a struggle on its own. To have these two supporting me when times get rough, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
"Then I guess we'll see each other tomorrow night?"
Come to think of it, uncle did say Master was invited to the celebration. "Yes," I nodded. "I'll try not to trip on anything."
"Relax, you'll do well tomorrow night." Master gives me a thumbs up, excusing himself afterwards with Aide following him from behind. Aide also saluted me, though I’m not sure why he tends to do that when I'm around. It’s not like I’m anyone important. After their leave, I noticed a small piece of paper falling from Master’s pocket. I tried calling him but when I looked up, he’s already gone from my line of sight!
"Seriously, he's always quick to vanish..."
The picture that fell through is a photo of a woman sporting animalistic ears, specifically horse ears. Undoubtedly, she’s a Sceades the blessed children of Dunskad from Sceadu.
Still, for him to keep a picture of a woman, in a revealing dress even, to himself is a bit raunchy, isn't it?
“No matter how you look at this, this is clearly invading. I should return this to him.”
Whatever relationship he has with this woman is for him to deal with. Absolutely none of my business. The idea of knowing alone already feels wrong to me. And so, I try to track down where Master might have gone to and ended up in an empty hallway, but not for long. I hear another familiar voice, but this one isn’t worth being joyful at. I retreat immediately to an empty room, praying that no one notices me for hiding here.
From the door gap, I saw my uncle with a woman behind him. Her ears are pointed, while her physique is fairly short, shorter than me even. Unfortunately, I recognize her. A Fae who goes by the name Morgan, belonging to one of the ancient people alongside the Anwyn folks that have existed prior the arrival of Progenitors, though it seems like the two tribes aren't exactly in peaceful terms with each other.
About my experience with her, I remember bringing a basket of freshly picked berries from my neighbor to him (please note that I’m doing this out of courtesy and not because of anything), and she wasn’t pleased knowing how I interfered with his working hours.
So, she scolded me, calling me an incompetent brat. But, the scariest part wasn't even that, but the fact that a Fae like her are capable of seeing through lies. So, whenever I try to make an excuse, she would poke at and make her uncouth remarks known, which are usually spot on.
This is also the reason why I don't like visiting Woodcut!
Sooner afterwards, he is greeted by both Master and Aide, with their faces growing unusually stern. From that I realized, I’m definitely eavesdropping on some strictly confidential issues.
As tempting as it is, I’ll be damned if they know I’m listening to this.
“Still with the warning letters, Director Richter?” That came from Aide, and the way he sounds so polite baffles me.
“No, however…”
There's an unusually long pause trailing at the edge of the sentence, and here I thought my ears aren't working to do this level of eavesdropping.
“...at the cost of Gerald’s life. We didn’t adhere to the letter’s warning, and he died for it.”
My heart dropped listening to the bomb news Morgan just delivered. Someone died? Seriously? When a massive celebration is just around the corner? What terrifying timing is this?
Alright, maybe death isn’t so rare in Keeper, a law enforcement agency that deals with the criminal world daily, but to hear it being discussed in an obscure hallway, in smaller numbers even makes this discussion even more jarring.
“Looks like information got out sooner than I thought. Do you want me to track how this news circulation is at our disadvantage, Roland?”
“Let it be, John. We don’t have time for this. The best we can do is to add more guards surrounding the venue and eyes on the air.” I’m not sure which one I should be surprised at. The fact that there might be a security breach before the celebration, or I might have gotten a glimpse of Master’s real name.
“Roland, whoever caught wind of our negotiation plans with Sceadu Keeper and the Court can possibly alter the flow of our operational management. If we don’t track this immediately, then——”
"I say we proceed as planned, John. I understand your intentions, but we cannot commit to a full-scale investigation. Not now. Not when a celebration is upon us.”
Master rebukes. “However, Roland, if we don’t prepare for this——”
“Our Sceades friends aren’t going to be so amicable with us knowing their kin was murdered under that much layer of security. However, there's a limit to what we can do for now.”
“That’s not the only thing, Roland.”
I don’t remember the rest of the story, because I blanked at what Master said to defend his intentions.
“If they had the gall to make a mess like this a day before the celebration, at this rate, there might be a scheme to assassinate all the important guests, prominently you.”
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