Zerath had to admit the lores and legends were genuinely fascinating to read. He could easily dismiss most of them as fanciful dreams of demons who longed to meet the Varkhail just once in their lifetime. A few female writers had penned passionate stories in the guise of 'memoirs' of their love for Varkhail. Many claimed to be his wife.
He shook his head and sighed.
Being shrouded in mystery makes one really popular.
But unfortunately, he couldn't find any memoirs connected to that cave. Though fictional or laced with fantasy, none of the accounts claimed to be the survivors of being imprisoned in some mysterious cave and forced into illegal breeding. Not that he had expected such accounts to be publicly available anyway. The nobles of that time would have made certain that anything sensitive would be redacted.
"Maybe, I'm looking at this the wrong way…" he murmured.
He closed his eyes and imagined himself to be a slave, enduring something horrific for a long, long time. Then he imagined being freed one day.
Those survivors he freed…how did the culprits silence them?
Money? Fear?
Perhaps some had settled with money, perhaps fear was the answer for the rest.
The ones suppressed with fear - how would they have lived thereafter?
If they had to account for their experiences against the strict orders nevertheless, how would one go past that? How would I have expressed myself?
Not directly or that'd mean death.
Indirectly. Discreetly. Without raising any suspicion.
Zerath opened his eyes. He went through all the memoirs and lores and legends a second time. He read each and every detail carefully and absorbed all in, no matter how improbable it seemed. Through his strenuous efforts of going, he finally found a beacon of hope buried within one passage.
I lived in a dark room all my life because I was a troublesome child. My parents had locked me up. I wasn't allowed to go outside. I wanted to. I really did.
I got tired. I cried and begged but my parents never let me out because I was a troublesome child. The dark room was my home, they said.
It was very lonely at first but soon, it got a bit better. I made these 'friends' with whom I laughed and talked to. They never talked to me though. But it was fun. But then…they got lonely too. They got tired too. Just like me.
At this point, Zerath suspected these 'imaginary friends' could be the other prisoners.
I also made some little friends now and then but they didn't like me that much. They would keep crying and crying all day long and then disappear on me soon enough. Always.
Why? I wasn't such a bad friend. Fine, sometimes I talked a lot, but I wasn't so bad.
Little friends? Was he talking about the children who were born? But why and where would they disappear?
Had they been taken somewhere else to be raised and trained as soldiers?
He flipped the pages and continued to read.
And then one day, a new friend came to visit me…
He was different. It felt so magical. He was wrapped all around with a golden light so bright that it blinded my eyes. Then suddenly I realized that ah…
It was the sun shining behind him. It felt so beautiful and warm. Its light tickled my skin. The dark room wasn't so dark anymore…
Then I realized that I was finally…outside…
Whereupon I witnessed the most beautiful dance I had ever seen in my life.
—
Vivia's expression was beyond indescribable.
"You know Audreya would never kill her friend and yet you accused her? And now you're suddenly confessing?"
Walterce lowered his head, ashamed. "I know what I did was wrong…"
"If you knew, why did you do it?" She took a perilous step forward and towered over his kneeling figure.
"Did Raff- I mean, Lady Claudia's husband tell you to lie?"
"My lady!" Erissa pulled her back, her expression pale. "My lady, please don't approach him so carelessly. What if he holds a weapon and would try to hurt you?"
"He's not armed. I'm fine, Erissa."
"You cannot be so sure, my lady…" She darted quick glances left and right. "I-I think we should leave, my lady. I don't feel this place is safe anymore. This man was stalking and spying on Miss. Audreya's house…I get a bad feeling. What if he has brought more people with him? We're out here on our own without any knights to protect us."
I'm certain Sir Walterce doesn't have thugs on his side, but it's difficult to explain to Erissa…
"Let's go back, my lady. You were already in danger when Miss. Audreya attacked you, and now this man could do the same! Sir Benjamin would wake up any moment too, and if he doesn't find you in place, he'd summon the entire army to look for you! His Highness and His Majesty would fume upon learning that my lady snuck out of the Covenant."
Vivia wasn't bothered by the first argument in the slightest. Walterce wasn't a danger to her. The part about Benjamin was a real problem though. She had to leave soon to reach the Covenant in time and not get caught.
But Audreya was nowhere in sight. All that remained was a letter Vivia knew hadn't been written by her. And now Walterce stood before her.
"Who told you to lie?" She asked icily.
"Ra-Raffert…"
She clenched her fists. "Why did you do as he said? Just because he got wealthy and would load you up with gold? Was that enough for you to sully your disciple's name?"
"I…I…" Walterce's lips parted to speak but failed to form his answer. "I had to keep her safe…W-we had lost Vivia already…"
"Safe? Was Audreya in any danger?"
"Raffert said if I didn't lie then, Audreya would be hurt…" he trembled, "or perhaps m-meet the same fate as Vivia…"
Her eyes squinted.
"What could I have done, Princess? I knew I had disappointed Audreya immensely and let her down. But I had no other choice. It was only wise for her to abandon this quest for justice and just…just live the rest of her life peacefully. Raffert is a dangerous man now. He knows some very influential people now who could truly hurt Audreya just like they did to Vivia…"
Vivia's voice dropped frostier still. "Who? Who are these people? Doesn't matter how influential they are, they aren't more so than the royal princess."
Suddenly, a hand shoved her down. Vivia, who suddenly faced the ground now, didn't have a chance to react. "Erissa, what happened-"
"Sir Benjamin, over there! That man was going to throw something at my lady!"
Sir Benjamin? He's already here!?
"Did you really say Benjamin, Erissa?"
"Yes, my lady. That's why I was rushing us out from here. Now Sir Benjamin is here, and he'll report this to His Majesty for sure."
Much to Vivia's horror, Benjamin did appear before her and hauled a man along with him moments later, forcing him to his knees.
"What were you doing? Speak!"
Vivia swallowed hard.
It's really Sir Benjamin! How did he get here so soon!?
The man forced to the ground protested. "Hey, let me go! I don't know what you're talking about! I wasn't going to throw anything at anybody!"
"Lies! I caught him hiding and watching my lady. Then he took something out in the dark. He was definitely aiming at my lady."
"Aim? I was just checking my pocketwatch! Who are you anyway? Do you just blame people left and right without a reason? Check my clothes if you want. I've no weapons with me!"
Benjamin was the least bothered about his permission, patting him thoroughly and unreservedly. He pulled out a metallic chain with a round pocket watch at the end.
"See?"
Erissa frowned. "But you were keeping an eye on her, weren't you?"
"I was trying to find my friend's house!"
"This is a quite secluded settlement. Why would your friend live here?" She grimaced.
"Ugh…because he was recently released from prison. He was in for some theft. He wanted to live away from the public eye for a while and start anew, so he had been living here temporarily. I thought I'd drop by for a visit, but I got lost. I was trying to find his house, not spying on your lady! I'm a respectable man!" he fumed.
Benjamin dragged him all around the settlement and eventually found the friend's house he was looking for. The friend nearly dashed to escape, but Benjamin was quick on his feet.
"He's telling the truth."
The man Erissa accused shot a sharp glare at her. "You've to say something now?"
Erissa bit her lip, embarrassed. "A-Apologies. I was only worried about my lady's safety. This settlement well…isn't the safest place to stay for long."
"It's fine," Vivia sighed and produced a small pouch of gold coins. She handed it to the man and said, "I sincerely apologize for the trouble."
His jaw dropped at the sight of the sparkling gold coins, and every last trace of his grievances evaporated on spot.
He cleared his throat. "Well as long as you understand."
Only once Benjamin was truly satisfied he wasn't a threat that he released him. He then faced his mistress, his gaze rivaling the cold depths of a sea.
"Before, when I said that an enemy could strike at any moment, I never once imagined that my lady would prove to be that very enemy. Pardon my rudeness, but would you please care to explain what is going on, Princess?"