Noon was close at hand and the sun had fully regained its vigor, driving away the morning cold and began to blast its heat down onto the world.
A brown varnished carriage stood outside the Bright household, the coachman holding on to the reins and keeping the two horses still while he waited for the clients to make it out of the house.
He hoped they wouldn't be the typical clients that kept their carriage waiting a whole hour before setting foot outside and only to tell him to wait another thirty minutes because apparently they didn't think he'd show up this early.
He shook his head and let out a sigh, how could he be early when the time is discussed beforehand?
Hopefully, this couple won't be like that, so he waited, butt clenched in hopes they wouldn't be the kind of client he despises.
Just as he was thinking so, Arthur and Esme exited their home, dressed rather dapper.
Esme's green color scheme went perfectly well with the color of her eyes, the shawl was draped over her shoulders and wrapped out around her arms, and her hair fell over her shoulders like a cascading waterfall creating an elegant and noble appearance.
"Sorry if we made you wait"
Arthur called out to the carriage driver before turning to lock the door and along with her made his way to the carriage.
Arthur wore a simple dress shirt, collared and tucked into black trousers and his hair was combed. Fairly simple.
The carriage driver simply gave him a nod, grateful they could keep the time, unlike some customers.
After checking that the coachman knows where he is going, the destination was discussed beforehand.
The couple entered the carriage and got comfortable, although the trip shouldn't be longer than maybe 20 minutes or less.
The interior was quite spacious and allowed for both of them to sit on opposite sides while their legs were out and extended and the seats were big enough for Arthur to lie in them as he would on a couch.
"We never discussed what we're going to say to the Marquis"
She brought up the topic just as the carriage began to move.
"It should be simple, we're asking for his backing in order to deal with a criminal"
"Yes but what are we trading? Don't forget we don't want him reporting to the king about this. That means offering something that will be beneficial to him but detrimental if he mentions it to the King"
In this instance, she couldn't really think of anything that would fit that description.
"I think it's better to have him demand something in exchange, like I said before I don't particularly mind if he reports to the king or not."
Arthur shrugged, He did not truly believe that the Marquis needed not to inform the king, it's not like owing the King a favor would be detrimental to his well-being and besides if it's something egregious he could just not do it.
"Arthur, currently Eastonia and Wessonia are holding the Draxonian Empire off, no reinforcements have been requested from the south yet but the more this stalemate continues the more the Lionheart kingdom will have to be involved."
Esme felt as though Arthur didn't truly grasp what it meant to owe a favor to a king of a nation. It's more than just a verbal agreement you can simply ignore.
Esme knew the king well enough to know he was quite vindictive and unforgiving.
"I know all that, Emperor Dracken did try to recruit me before, so I'm up to date with things"
Of course Esme was not surprised the Emperor had made attempts to recruit him, it was common knowledge that the man was recruiting Explorers and Mercenaries alike. Although it was surprising Arthur did not accept.
"Then you should know that owing a debt to the king means he could have you participate in the war. A war that has Explorers that are equally as powerful as you, a war where you could die"
"I'm aware, but I could just ignore it, if he wants me to fight in a war, I can just say no"
Her brows creased and her mind realised that it was more than just him not understanding what a debt to a king meant but more of his own personal arrogance. Thinking more about it Esme realized this was not the first time he displayed this kind of thinking.
She also realized that she hasn't been feeling the urgency she should be feeling regarding the issue with Bulat. Not since Arthur drove off those men Bulat had sent.
'Of course, as a woman I should trust my husband to handle these things but still…'
Letting his calm confidence affect her and in turn cause her to treat dire situations without the urgency they're due was dangerous.
"It's not that simple, King Harold–"
"Esme"
He gestured with his hand, informing her to be silent for a moment, surprising her and forcing her to raise a questioning brow. She did not believe the carriage driver would overhear their conversation.
"The carriage hasn't made a single turn"
There is no distinct place where the edge of the capital separates itself from the slums, however, there is a definitive street that the people who live close to the slums use to separate themselves from the slum.
The street itself was less of a street but more of a wide and open patch of gravel that cuts off, distinctly separating the edge of the capital from the slums.
Not only that but the closer and closer you get to that point the more the houses start to appear more run down and worn, there's also a smell that alarms you that you've gotten close to the slums.
To avoid reaching the slums, one has to make a U-turn and return the way they came or make a turn that will lead them to an adjacent street.
However, the carriage Arthur and Esme were on, had continued on a straight line for a while now.
"Did you wear the items?"
Esme was still a bit confused, not completely sure what he was getting, however when he asked her that question she immediately made the connection.
She gave him a nod.
"You think, we'll be Ah–"
The words barely left her mouth, interrupted by the sudden stop of the carriage.
Neither of them had the chance to react as equally as suddenly as the carriage stopped, the carriage was struck by something.
The wall of the carriage bent inward, the wood making up the wall, splintered and broke, followed by the window that was hidden behind a deep red curtain.
Splinters and glass shards flew towards Arthur as the Carriage jerked to the side as if it was being rammed by a bull.
Esme found her body being flung to the other side of the carriage, her shoulder crashing against its walls and her head crashing against and breaking the windows behind the curtain.
Luckily she had items as such the pain she expected to feel was nowhere to be felt, the only thing she felt was the discomfort of suddenly being tossed around.
She had instinctively covered her face and head to protect herself and let out a fearful yelp.
With her eyes covered, this meant she didn't see much of anything that transpired, however, she did feel a secondary impact that jostled her and caused her to bite her tongue.
At first, she had thought it was a secondary attempt at trying to break through the wall of the carriage however when she felt herself in the air for a moment and then crashed onto the ground, she realized something was off.
She hadn't landed face-first on the ground however she would have if she hadn't had her face protected with her arms, unfortunately she felt the impact and pain of crashing on the hard road.
The cool down of her items wasn't over yet thus she took the brunt of the force from falling off a carriage.
Esme opened her eyes, her forearms aching as if they had been struck by a sledgehammer and her head feeling a little dizzy and disoriented.
She felt the heavy beat of her heart as fear and adrenaline flooded her body, forcing her mouth dry of any saliva. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the brown dirt of the ground.
She supported herself on all fours with her still aching arms and hands, the adrenaline helping dull the ache, she ignored the dirt that clung to her and turned her head to look at the state of the carriage.
What she saw was no longer a carriage, but a shadow of one. The front half was gone, the horses had sprinted off with it leaving behind the back half that looked to have been torn from the front with the grace and poise of a sledgehammer.
Her eyes still a bit fuzzy, she focused on the man who stood beside the wreckage, bald-headed, who seemed to be scarred. Arthur wasn't bald.
"You're not my husband"
....
A/N: Next chapter should be out on Wednesday