Hal got ready to depart for the address given to him in the letter. He was curious to find out what Lady Terisia had to say to him, and so he wasted no time finding a carriage that would take him to the location.
The place was a high-class restaurant called "The Noble's Delicacy", it was even better than the bar they went to in the Noble residential area, with better furniture and design overall.
He entered the establishment and looked around for a moment, only to hear someone call out to him from a distance.
He turned to see who it was and saw Albert, the butler of the Aquilia house, walking up to him. He waved at him and wore a big smile on his face as he approached, but after all they had gone through, with the lake, Hal was not too thrilled to see him.
"Hey, long time no see, old friend", Albert offered his hand to Hal, who made it clear to him that he was not welcome
Albert noticed and pulled back his hand before scratching his head for a few seconds "Still angry about Clear Water Lake, I see"
Angry, Hal was furious; the only reason they were in this mess in the first place was because of the mission he gave to them. Hal chose to stay silent, for any word that would come out of his mouth at that moment would be highly inappropriate.
"I heard what happened to your friend, so I understand why you wouldn't be happy to see me, but you should understand that I had no choice but to serve my lady, so could you please let it go?"
Albert smiled at Hal with guilt in his eyes; Hal still did not feel like letting things go, but at the same time, it served him no purpose to stay angry at a guy who was only serving their lady.
He let out a sigh and offered his hand to Albert, who gladly took it with a smile, "Thank you for understanding, friend"
Hal retrieved his hand almost immediately as he then went on to ask, "So, where is Lady Terisia?" Albert's face twisted in surprise before he finally answered the question.
"Didn't I include it in the letter? Or, well, the thing is, my lady will not be the one meeting you, but I will be the one meeting you in her place" Hal resisted the urge to palm his face as he wondered why the butler would forget such a crucial detail.
"So, why won't she meet me?" The butler wasted no time answering the question at hand as he said, "The thing is, her aunt, the Lady Relina Aquilia, was chosen for the selection, so she is aiding her through the campaign"
"I wonder why someone would willingly advocate for such a role knowing they are going to die in just ten years" The butler shook his head as a sigh escaped his lips.
"I don't know either, maybe it's because of the power the role grants or maybe because it's the king's will, either way, that is not something butlers like us should be getting involved in"
Hal nodded at Albert, who gestured to a certain table. It was secluded and in the corner of the room, making it the best place to discuss matters you wanted no other person to know about
The two of them made their way there and took a seat as Albert offered Hal a menu "Order what you would like, the bill is on my lady"
Hal was glad to accept the offer as he received the menu from Albert and looked through the options. There were a lot of extremely exotic foods that Hal never imagined he would ever eat.
From things like Dragon tail soup to delicacies like the spiked barnacle broth, Hal put the menu down as he thought twice about ordering anything on the menu.
"Why are we here exactly?" Albert, who was focused on his order, looked away from the menu with a sombre look on his face as asking Hal why he would disrupt such a sacred process
"We will be meeting someone here in just a few minutes, in fact, he should actually be here" Albert looked until he saw someone he seemed to recognise
He called out to the man who was wearing a long brown coat and a brown hat to finish off; the hat concealed his eyes as he turned around to see who was calling out to him.
He walked with hastened steps towards the two and sat down opposite Hal, under the coat he wore a black shirt and cream-like trousers, a weird choice for someone hell bent on acting mysterious.
Though what caught Ha's eyes was the Emblem of Haverfield that was embroidered into the pocket of his long coat
He took his hat to reveal dark brown hair that resembled the appearance of chocolate, with his eyes being a light shade of brown. He placed his hat on his chest and gave a brief bow before placing it on the table.
"Greetings, gentlemen, you can call me Vandinel Deminicus, the royal detective for the king of Haverfield, and I am hot on the case of the mysterious disappearances that have been plaguing this place just like my predecessors once did"
He looked directly at Hal and Albert, who were slightly stunned by the man's brief introduction, "I am Albert Butler of the Aquilia house, and this is Hal Butler of the Harleyclover house and sorry our predecessors were not butlers"
The butler chuckled, calling out to the waiter who was nearby, "Please get me some rosemary bear if you may"
The butler bowed as he turned to Hal and Albert with inquisitive eyes "And what may you have, dear guests?"
His eyes did seem as welcoming as he eyes that judged the butler's attire that they wore on their bodies. Hal got the urge to blow it in his face as he looked at the waiter and said in an arrogant tone.
"The most expensive food and drink you have, please, nonalcoholic" The waiter's eyes widened, and so did Albert's, though Hal tried his best to ignore his gaze.
Albert turned to his menu and spoke soon after, "I will have a simple plate of Eberlastian pork ribs and give me a rosemary beer as well"
Hal quickly felt out of place and sank back into his seat, a rather shy expression replacing the one he had earlier. The waiter threw him one final glance before leaving to deliver their orders.
Mr Vandinel chuckled for a little bit and, with a sigh, said, "You seem very excited, young lad and glad I'll be working with you on this case"
Hal's mind quickly returned to the task at hand as he pushed himself away from the soft cushions of his seat and sat at attention to absorb all the detective's words.
"So tell me, young lad, how much do you know about this case so far?" Hal reached into his memory and answered with what little was provided to him by Mr Faizo.
"There are mysterious disappearances that take place every ten years during the high court prime minister's selection that ends with the rise of the blue moon"
Mr Vandinel smiled as their orders finally arrived at their table. He picked up his beer and took one gulp before finally speaking again.
"So, do you know about the blue moon curse, the cultist that believes in it or how the curse was once stopped a couple of decades ago, only to start again fifty years later?"
Hal was intrigued by that last statement as he asked carefully, "How was it stopped back then?" The detective's lips curled into a smile ", By a Scholar of Fernis, of course"