The duke refused to tell them anything more about the treasure that was meant to be inherited by Tai, but instead handed them a cylindrical hollow rod.
"This will become a map when you finally descend into the caverns, but be warned, you must not show it to anyone or let anyone see you enter the caverns lest you stir up forces you won't be able to fight back against"
The warning sank deep as Tai quickly placed the rod next to his bracelet before flicking his wrist and storing it safely inside.
The duke did not engage them in any conversation until they arrived at a huge manor that was even bigger than the Harleyclover mansion.
It was mostly painted black and had four floors. It looked old but preserved, and on it was a giant picture of an owl perched on a great tree as it stared at the moon, although it looked a little bigger than a normal moon would be
They were received by Maids wearing entirely black long maid outfits with purple gloves, having the same emblem as the one on the manor.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, the Great Owl has been awaiting your presence"
The maids spoke in unison, sending a shiver down his spine. He turned to the duke, who gave them a brief nod as the maids bowed and gestured to the manor entrance
And at that moment, a dark purple carpet appeared as if manifesting from their gloves, and this time, even Tai seemed impressed
The duke calmly took a step forward, and his two guards followed. Hal turned his head back and saw the two maids standing upright again as the gates closed behind them, making Hal feel as if they had stepped into hell
They reached the gates of the manor, which opened automatically this time a revealing a group of maids and butlers standing in a line to form a path into the manor
There were two butlers at the front who wore black suits with dark purple gloves, but this time the emblem was on their suits, embroidered in a light shade of purple. They bowed down and, just like the maids before, spoke in unison
"Please, dear lord, let us guide you to your destination"
Didn't these guys find this a little bit intimidating for these people to be speaking in unison like this, or was this normal in the nobles of the upper rank
The duke smiled at the two butlers before gesturing forward
"Please do humble butlers guide me to you, lord"
The butlers again stood up in unison and turned before moving forward "Then follow us, dear lord"
Their steps were not slow but were also not as fast as the two butlers walked down the path of maids and butlers who bowed down the minute they passed.
Hal would have been proud to receive such respect if it weren't also so disturbing that they were led down to a big room with a large rectangular table.
It looked close to an office with a few bookshelves and a fireplace burning with a humble flame. Behind the office also paintings of different ancient-looking people. The room was filled with different ancient-looking swords and spears that made Hal stare in awe.
Behind the table was a man seated in a chair facing the giant window at the back of the room. The duke reached and bowed with Tai, who turned to Hal, was a scowl on his face signalled Hal to do the same.
"You called for my presence, Great Owl", the man raised his hand from behind the chair and signalled them to raise before lifting his chair into the air and turning it.
Both Tai and Hal's eyes widened. It was rare to find people with the same gift unless they shared a certain family tie, but right in front of them was this owl guy using a gift similar to that of Lyrrah.
The chair turned to reveal a man of average height with dark purple hair and light purple eyes, but his eyes seemed to gleam in a particular pattern as if glowing slightly.
He had a mysterious air about him and wore a dark purple suit with a scarf tucked into his suit and white gloves on his hands. His trousers were black, and his shirt was blue with no sort of facial hair to be seen. In fact, he looked to be in his early thirties, which was younger than the duke, who was bowing down to him.
"Mr Walter, I'm glad you were able to make it. Please have a seat and let's talk about the ongoing disappearances"
Mr Walter took a seat as Hal and Tai came and stood behind him. Mr Walter turned to them, and his eyes said a lot, 'I want you to get out'
Hal and Tai prepared to leave when they heard a voice call out. It was calmly spoken yet intimidating as well, but it also called for utter and complete submission.
"Please, Mr Walter, let them stay. What we are about to talk about will be made public tomorrow anyway"
"As you wish, young lord, Tai and Hal return to my side at once"
There was no time to waste as they returned to their position behind the duke. The Owl leaned back in his chair with his hands crossed as he clapped his hands
Within an instant of doing so, two maids walked into the mansion with a wine bottle and two glasses. They uniformly placed the two glasses next to the lord's and filled them with wine before departing quietly
"Please, Mr Walter, indulge yourself, and enjoy the hospitality of the White family" Hal and Tai froze and snuck a glimpse at each other
Hal remembered the day Lyrrah introduced herself atop the clock tower, and the name she told them that day was
"I am Lyrrah White Van Haverfield"
So his suspicions were right, Lyrrah was part of the Owl's family. At that moment, he felt glad that nobody else at the mansion, apart from them and Elizabeth, knew her true name, but how long would that last.
"Thank you, Great Owl, your hospitality is much appreciated, but I will have to decline the wine, but if you have some tea, I will gladly take it"
The Owl smiled before clapping his hands again, and the two maids returned
"Please get our guest some tea" The maids nodded before turning to walk out of the room "In the meantime, we can discuss our own issues"
The duke pushed the wine glass aside before finally resting his hands on the table and facing the Owl, who took a sip of his wine
"First, Mr Walter, I would like to inform you that the Duke Humphrey has sadly gone missing, making him the selection's first victim"
The Duke suddenly paled
"What do you mean, the selection hasn't even started yet, my Lord, so how could he have gone missing?"
The duke, who had raised his voice slightly, realised the disrespect he was showing as the Owl stared at him intimidatingly.
"Forgive me, my Lord"
"I understand how you feel, you and he were extremely close, and in the last selection, you lost your mentor, Duke Humphrey's father, but that doesn't mean you raise your voice as nobles. We must portray to our citizens that we are calm. How will they feel if they see their leader buckle?"
The Duke stood and bowed before the Owl "Again, please forgive me, my lord"
The Owl let out a sigh and waved his hand, signalling him to take a seat
"If you really want to show that you're sorry, then I expect you to stop hiding in your mansion like a rat and come out into the day as a true noble"
The duke nodded calmly before silently sitting down
"And please do not worry, our detective says he has got a lead on the cult that is frequenting the city and that he got a talented assistant aiding him as well, so maybe we will finally put an end to this curse"
The duke turned to look out the window as he appeared to have gone deep into thought
"Please, sir, is that the only reason you have summoned me here?"
The duke turned his eyes to face him before sitting upright again and taking another sip of his wine. At around the same time, the maids returned with a tray of cookies and another having a teapot and several tea cups.
The maids placed the things down and proceeded to quickly prepare a cup of tea for Mr Walter, then left the room once again.
"No, Mr Walter, the actual reason I called you here is quite personal to me. I felt my Niece's soul flame shine brightly somewhere in your area. I have invited all the nobles that live there, and you are the last"
Tai and Hal paled as there was a long period of silence before the duke spoke.
"Sadly, sir, I have not seen her around, but Lord, you know that your niece was the last to disappear in the previous selection, so why do you still have ho…"
There was a sudden movement too quick for any of them to see before they realised several swords, daggers, and spears were an inch away from them, ready to stab or impale them.
"My niece still lives. I never want to hear you claim such a horrid thing again. me and I just had a little falling out, and she ran away. She. Did. Not Disappear"
All the duke could do was nod as he let out deep breaths
"Forgive my Lord, I shall never claim such an event again. In fact, I will do anything in my power to help you find her"
All the weapons returned to their usual positions as Hal now wondered what he would do if he found out they had her
"Is that so, Mr Walter?"
The Owl's voice had become extremely intimidating as he waved his hand, signalling them to leave.
"Then leave me be, return to your mansion and search for my niece, but the butler with the golden brown hair stays with me"
Hal's eyes widened. Why him? What did he do? Was he going to die?
All these thoughts flew through Hal's head as the duke asked
"Forgive me for asking, but what do you need him for?" The Owl leaned back into his seat as his eyes glowed slightly
"I know his soul, it's a precious one with it I will find my niece and further the power of Haverfield isn't that so mighty Scholar of Fernis representing both knowledge and space time"
The duke turned to face him with a look of shock as Tai turned to him with worry, and as for Hal, only one question rang out in his head
"How did he know? And how much does he know?"