Hakushaku to Yousei

Chapter 2

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P. 52
    In the 16th century imperial court of Queen Elizabeth, there once was an Earl called Lord Ashenbert. He claimed to be the descendant of Lord Blue Knight, and was an adventurist, who traveled all over the world, and told strange and wonderful anecdotes that he saw and heard to all the people to gathered at the court. From all of his stories, a listener gathered and wrote down just the stories about his ancestor Lord Blue Knight, which is said to have been the origin of the book ‘Lord Blue Knight – Traveler from the fairyland’ by F. Brown. Lydia knew very well about this book.
    It was one of the very many stories that her father read to her after the death of her mother. She remembers her father saying that this is a true story. Of course, for Lydia who knew about the existence of fairies, she didn’t dare doubt about it.
    She only struck with admiration that there would be clans who could acknowledge a human as their ruler when there would be a fairy king in a land where fairies ran it.
    A book that modeled after Lord Blue Knight who was said to exist, most likely that was the part of the book that everyone believed to be real and naturally the fairy part was fiction.

P. 53
    But Lydia thought that there was nothing unreal about any part of the wonderful, magical story in this book.
    Information about the treasured sword Edgar talked about is also available in this story.
    In the last chapter, there is a scene where Lord Blue Knight leaves from Edward I. He says that he will return to the fairyland. To the king who asked if he will return to his court, Blue Knight replied “Of course if your majesty calls for my service I will come no matter where I am. I am forever your majesty’s humble servant. But the fairyland time runs at a different speed then the human world. A year over there may be a hundred years here, then again, spending some ten years and aging old could just be a few days worth here. So I ask that your majesty, any time I, or any one of my descendants returns to you, please be able to know that we are who we are.” Then the King gave his sword to Lord Blue Knight. In the name of Edward I, no matter when it shall be, the King of England will welcome the one who is proved to be the Earl Blue Knight.
    After that, it was said that a number of the heirs of Lord Blue Knight had appeared in the England royal court.
    Out of those, one of them must have met Mr. Brown who wrote the story of Lord Blue Knight.
    And now, Edgar was that descendant.
    The thing that he is trying to get his hands on is the treasured sword of Edward I, proof of his position as Earl.

P. 54
    Finding that was the job that was offered to Lydia as a fairy doctor.

    “Well I guess that’s alright? Why don’t you help?” Nico was in an unusually good mood this morning. That being because a breakfast meal of pancakes and bacon was properly delivered to their room.
    “Hey you, weren’t you talking yesterday about how suspicious he was."
    “But unless you don’t do it, you’re going to be thrown out penniless into an unfamiliar place.”
    I wonder if that threat was serious.
    “But even if I help, it won’t guarantee that we’ll find the treasured sword.”
    “Just take it as money paid in advance. You’d better make sure to get your worth. Oh, but there’s always the idea of going on the run after getting the money,” said the carefree, irresponsible cat, tying a napkin around his neck and arrogantly used a knife and fork to carry a slice of bacon into his mouth.
    If one was going to charge money, then that person must be responsible and work for it, that’s was a job was. But Lydia was undecided because she wasn’t sure if Edgar was the real heir to the treasured sword or not.
    Though, as Nico says, unless they don’t run with the money, it would be difficult to refuse helping them.

P.55
    “I have to write to father.” Lydia took out some paper and an envelope that was set in the desk by the window.
    “Dear father, it seems that I will be arriving in London later than I was planning. A gentleman called the Earl Ashenbert has offered me a job regarding fairies. He says he’s the descendant of Lord Blue Knight. I don’t know if he really is, but it looks like he won’t release me unless I finish the job.”
    She wondered if she should write about how she was nearly imprisoned by a man named Huxley, but decided that it would only worry him and didn’t write it.
    “Anyway, please do not worry about me. Take care of yourself, so long.”
    After signing her name and closing the seal, there was a knock at the door.
    Edgar came breezing in. He said good morning with a crisp and cloudless smile. His blond hair s.h.i.+ned in the bright morning sun. He seemed so perfect that she began to feel jealous and wondered if G.o.d patronized him too much?
    “What is your business?”
    “I thought we should discuss our plans in what we should do from now.”
    He came in arrogantly like this was his room and sat down on one of the sofas. His foreigner servant that trailed in after him stood by the door and didn’t move. Nico had already finished his meal and because he was stretched out on the cus.h.i.+on, Edgar wasn’t able to witness his rare eating situation.

P.56
    “First, would you look at this.” Edgar laid down a coin on the table near him. Lydia sat down on so as to face across him, and picked up the coin in her hand.
    “An old gold coin.”
    “The Earl family coat of arms is on it. And can you see that there’s something written on it? According to our family, it’s writing that was inscribed by fairies.”
    “It’s so small I can’t read it.”
    “Even though you’re a fairy doctor?”
    Lydia was ticked off by the comment. “You know, you can just look at it through a magnifying gla.s.s. When it comes to the talk about fairies, people might see this as mysterious and then they’d expect I’d use some magical powers and poof! The problem would be solved, but a fairy doctor’s weapon is their knowledge about fairies and negotiation skills. I am not a wizard.”
    “I understand. So, this is a photo of it through a loupe. Can you read it this time?”
    Lydia was briskly handed the piece of paper, and she overtly scowled.
    He could have just took this out from the beginning.

P.57
    On top of that it revealed that there was some collection of twisted letterings with a little quirk in them, but if you look at it without being wrapped up by the fairies and so on, then you could immediately notice that it was alphabets.
    “…This is unmistakably English writing. Are you testing me?”
    “I don’t know your capability. In society there are people who take advantage of others claiming that they cannot see what they see, and talk about how only they know about ghosts and fairies and visions of the future. However, you don’t connect it with the something obscure and unaccountable, and just because I am not able to understand it, you don’t seem to be the type to give a vague answer. Just being able to find that out should be a plus for both of us, isn’t it?” He said plainly, as if nothing.
    Lydia scowled even further. But it was annoying that she was underestimated.
    “So, then, my lord whose the descendant of Lord Blue Knight but can’t see fairies, then do you believe that it was truly fairies that inscribed on this?”
    “This was inscribed by humans. If it is at the least of this level of detailed work, then it isn’t something that a human can’t do. It doesn’t serve as evidence that fairies exist.”
    “So you’re saying that you’re someone who fundamentally doesn’t believe in fairies. And yet, you believe in the existence of the treasured sword that’s protected by fairies, and going to have that searched by a fairy doctor who you don’t know if she’s a fraud or not?”
    “The sword of Lord Blue Knight itself only has a historic origin and doesn’t have any mystical about it. The issue is where it’s hidden. Fairy names are used as the words to guide us to its location. Lydia, you said that a fairy doctor’s weapon was their knowledge about fairies and negotiation skills. I just want that knowledge. I don’t need any magical powers. I just want you to be able to understand what the words inscribed on here mean. Would it damage your pride for someone like me who doesn’t believe in fairies to ask for the help of a fairy doctor in order to get that?”
    Faced with his challenging stare, there was the urge inside of Lydia that built up, of wanting him to admit his wrong and accept her reason. The reason why fairy doctors were needed from long ago.
    The bond between the fae and humans was so strong that just knowledge couldn’t unravel it.

P.58
    “Edgar, unless you don’t ask more than just knowledge from me, then you won’t get your hands on the treasured sword, you know.”
    “How reliable! Then would you first read this.”
    Taking a breath, Lydia took the piece of paper handed to her.
    “[The green jack from spankie’s cradle. A dance with the pixies on the night with a moon. Beyond the silkie’s cross. The maze of the pooka.] ….What is this?”
    “That’s what I want to know.”
    Just like those first riddles, there was more of it using other fairy names. Without stopping, Lydia decided to run her eyes through all of it.
    “….[Exchange with the Merrow’s star. If not, the merrow will sing their song of lament.] …Is this all of it?”
    “The merrow’s star is most likely the star sapphire that’s on the treasured sword,” replied Edgar.
    “So, then, this last part is that important part related to the treasured sword. I wonder what the [exchange with a star] means,” mumbled Lydia.

P.59
    “I don’t know about that either, and the rest of it."
    “I’m pretty sure that the first half of it is hints of the hidden location, but where are the estates of the Earl family? If we don’t go there, then I can’t say anything definite.”
    “My family has lands and buildings all over England.” Edgar spread out a map. There were red x that marked various places on it.
    “Where shall we start?” asked Lydia.
    “I want to know that too.”
    Lydia was stumped. If they were to fine comb through each one of them, then that would take an exhausting amount of time. And yet this man shoves this to her repeating that he wants to know.
    Well of course, from they’re point of view this is a job they offered to Lydia.
    A job, mumbled Lydia.
    In the end, it looked like she was left with the option of accepting it.
    But if she looked at it positively, then it was an unusual job offer that was decent.
    If she wanted to become a profession, then she shouldn’t be hesitating at a time like this, and as Lydia felt desperate she stirred up her fighting spirit.

P.60
    Maybe there is a hint of which estate it could be in that riddle.
    She ran her eyes across both the map and memo and realized something about the names.
    “Well, it seems like it uses a lot of fairies from Ireland.”
    “Oh, really? But, my family doesn’t have any estates or castles in Ireland.”
    “And merrow is what people in Ireland call mermaids, but if this points to where the sword is, then it might be somewhere close to the sea.”
    She trailed the west side of the coast that was near Ireland. There was one mark by the coast connected to the Irish Sea.
    “Ah, what about here? Manann Island. If it’s an island, then it should have one or two legends about mermaids.”
    “Then let’s start from here.”
    It looked like she was going to take the long way around to get to London.
    “For your information, I don’t work for free. You’ll going to have to pay me up front.”
    “Certainly. How much?”
    Now that she thought about it, she never really did have a decent offer for a job up till now, and so she realized that she hadn’t really decided on an exact wage for her services.
    But if that were to leak out to him then he’ll underestimate her, so Lydia desperately put on a poker face.

P. 61
    I’ll be disparaged if I make it too low. Daringly, she showed all five fingers on her hand in front of Edgar.
    “Raven.” Edgar called for his servant, without a single opinion to Lydia’s demand.
    Raven swiftly left the room without waiting for instructions and immediately returned with. Of course in his hands was an ebony tray with a cheque on it.
    Right in front of Lydia, Edgar signed the cheque. When she looked at the cheque she was handed, Lydia shut her mouth before she nearly yelped in surprise.
    “Is that enough?”
    She thought she was overcharging an exorbitant of 50 pounds, but 500?
    If she was just thrown such a fortune so lightly, she in turn became embarra.s.sed and couldn’t correct the misunderstanding.
    “That seals the deal. I’ll be expecting highly of you.”
    Just when Edgar stood up from the sofa, for the first time Raven opened his mouth to Lydia.
    “My lady, would you like me to send out your mail?”
    It seemed he spotted her letter on the desk. He surely is a servant quick to notice. If it was in a normal situation, Lydia would think that, but for that place and timing she immediately sense a unnerving s.h.i.+ft in the air.
    Raven had realized that Lydia was trying to contact someone beside them and purposefully asked her so that Edgar would hear.

P. 62
    “It’s alright. I’ll send it out myself.” She hurriedly replied, but she knew that Edgar sent a sharp glance at the envelope.
    “A letter to who?”
    “...To father. I wanted to write to him to let him know I’ll arrive late to London. Is that bad?”
    “It’ll be bad if our location is leaked out. Huxley and his men may go on ahead of us.”
    “I’m just going to tell him that I’ll be late.”
    “Just that will make it apparent that you’re helping me. Please understand Lydia, once you have agreed to our contract, I am your employer. All secrets must be confidential, and I’d like you to follow my instructions.”
    He didn’t say it in a harsh voice, but there was a force in it that didn’t allow any objections.
    He was used to others serving him. With his placid eyes and dignified voice, and his straight but powerful posture, he had everything imaginable quality of a high cla.s.s n.o.ble, that it made his words sound undeniable.
    Still feeling a faint urge to retaliate, Lydia remained silent.
    “I apologize for being unreasonable. But, Lydia, please don’t inconvenience me too much. That would be in the best interest for you.”
    She wondered if she were to secretly send out her letter, then would she be thrown into the sea? His calm voice gave her that frightening idea.

P.63
    A peculiar mix of calmness and frightening.
    The only thing Lydia understood was that, in the end, she was in the same situation as when she was prisoned by Huxley.
    She didn’t know she if could compare which man, Edgar or Huxley was the better the two evils for her. But she was sure that Huxley was a man easier to read.
    Her letter to her father was still left on the desk, and the reason they didn’t confiscate it was probably because he was confident she wouldn’t mail it out. To prove it, Lydia didn’t have the strength to want to.
    The loyal servant wasn’t just a simple servant to Edgar but also a smart right-hand man. But Lydia saw the two of them had a much stronger bond than that, like partners in crime.
    It could be just like they were saying, that he would truly kill anyone who hurt Edgar.
    “Hey, next time, make sure to bring the milk tea hotter! It’s not like I have a sensitive tongue like a cat,” said Nico to Edgar and Raven who were leaving the room. Lydia glanced towards Nico, wondering what made him want to talk all of a sudden, but Edgar didn’t seem to notice that he said anything, only Raven stopped briefly, but after deciding that he imagined it, he followed after his master.

P.64
    “He calls himself the heir of Lord Blue Knight, but if he’s a boy who refuses to believe that a cat can talk from the start, then he will never be able to see fairies, or come to understand them.”
    She wondered if this means she’ll end up helping an imposter.
    Either way, she had no choice in the matter. Lydia’s strength was drained from the thought that she’d become a captive.

    From then on, every time she left her s.h.i.+p room, Ermine accompanied her.
    Unlike her strange, nondescript brother, she was cordial and talked warmly to her, but she didn’t know if that was just a mere show. Because she was the servant of Edgar.
    “Ms. Carlton, the sunlight is strong today, so please use this,” said Ermine as she covered a sun umbrella over Lydia who went out to the deck alone.
    There were pa.s.sengers who showed interest by glancing at the maid in men’s clothing, but Ermine paid them no attention.
    Lydia wasn’t a daughter of the high-cla.s.s society that she’d worry about sun tanning, but she did envy Ermine’s beautiful white skin.
    “The weather is unusually beautiful today for this country,” remarked Ermine. The side of her face appeared like she was remembering the sun of a foreign country.
    “Ms. Ermine, have you been to foreign country?”
    “Please call me Ermine. And yes, I am not British.”

P. 65
    “Now that I think about it, Edgar also said that he had been in a foreign country up till now… So that must have been true.”
    “Do you not trust Lord Edgar?”
    “That’s because there’s so much he…., besides our first meeting was him grabbing me suddenly and pinning my arms behind my back. On top of that, I don’t know if he’s kind or frightening, or if he’s a gentleman or something else, is he really an Earl in the first place?”
    She replied with only a soft smile, and didn’t mention anything about her master.
    “And that man named Raven. He’s young, but he was no expression on his face what so ever. Did Edgar order him not to smile? If he was ordered that, he seems like the type to follow it.”
    “Raven is that kind of child. It isn’t that he’s been ordered to act so. Ah, but, if it was Lord Edgar’s order then he may do anything to follow it.”
    That kind of child. The way she said it sounded like she was very close to him. A relations.h.i.+p like she was kindly watching over him.
    She must of sensed Lydia’s curiosity and answer her question.
    “Raven is my younger brother.”
    “Huh, but….”
    “Our skin color is different because our father’s are different. Ms. Carlton, you say that you know anything about fairies, but have you ever traveled over to their world?”

P. 66
    "…Well, yes, you may not believe me, but, the pa.s.sageways are everywhere. On the border of shades and sunlight, places where the wind momentarily changes course, in the thickets of hawthorns and bushes of elderberries, and in the shadows of the shamrocks leaves.”
    “In our country, the existence of fairies was also believed. But, as something more frightening. And there were children who were born with the blood of those feared fairies. Raven was that child.”
    “Eh, really? Then, he, can he also see and talk to fairies too?”
    “I’m not sure. He was a child who didn’t want to talk to others about fairies.”
    She could understand about not wanting to talk to others about it. If Lydia had a quiet personality about it, then she would too have done so. But of course, in order to not forget about her mother, she always kept her attention open toward that magical world. But Lydia was also, whispered behind her back of being a fairy changeling from a young child. She didn’t resemble her father or mother, her eyes color was extremely rare, and her eyes would follow something when she was alone in the baby crib, and then suddenly giggle and laugh, and when she grew up, she would play by herself with something invisible and talked to it like it was talking back to her, and that had disturbed her nanny.
    She would just ignore those who called her an oddball, but when she was called a changeling, it was shocking and sad, like her ties and memories with her mother were negated.
    “So he also had bad experiences. It’s something that other’s can’t understand.”
    “I believe so. And in Raven’s case, it’s an incarnation of an evil spirit. It was originally regarded as a horrid existence, and the one to be possessed by it would be cast away from society, even as his older sister, I wasn’t able to understand everything about him. …We left our country like we were hunted out, but we found our way to Lord Edgar and finally found our place in the world.”

P. 67
    “….Because he’s the Earl of the fairyland?”
    “Whether he’s the Earl or not, because he is a sad man.”
    Sad? To Lydia he was arrogant and coercive, and manipulated other like a p.a.w.n of his own game, and seemed to be enjoying dangerous deals with others and treasure hunting.
    Lydia tilted her head, and Ermine lifted the edges of her lip. She replied back with an expression that was mixed with a hurt smile.
    “The Lord’s kindness and strictness is a part of his sadness. And that’s why he accepts our sadness as well. I only wish that the fairyworld will bring true repose to him.”
    Lydia wondered what she meant by true repose.
    Because it was the place where the descendants of Lord Blue Knight will return to, or because it was her wish because he wasn’t the real heir, Lydia didn’t know.
    Edgar and Raven and Ermine, they showed her different sides of themselves one after another that her picture of who they were was always s.h.i.+fting.
    The alarm horn whistled. The low, vibrating sound was sucked into the darkening sky.

P. 68
    A group of people who were talking out on the deck, pointed to something out on the sea, and Lydia craned her neck to see.
    It was an army patrol s.h.i.+p. The large black shadow headed in their direction. And then the s.h.i.+p they were on gradually slowed down.
    “I wonder what happened,” said Ermine and knit her nervous brows. “Let’s go back to the room, Ms. Carlton.”

    The room Ermine lead Lydia into, was Edgar’s cabin room. Edgar stood by the window, made an angry face and glared at the black patrol s.h.i.+p, but unexpectedly smirked as if he thought of something amusing, and turned to face Lydia.
    “Perhaps Huxley is searching for us.”
    “Huh, that’s impossible. Are you saying he’s moving the army?”
    “Well. We’ll find out in due time.”
    Huxley may be getting near to them, yet Edgar didn’t show any signs of worry.

P. 69
    According to the captain’s explanation, there apparently was someone dangerous secretly stowed away on this s.h.i.+p, and so the crew is going around inspecting the rooms.
    Perhaps Huxley protested to someone powerful he knew with that kind of complaint. There was a possibility that Lydia and Edgar were seen running onto this s.h.i.+p.
    After a bit of time, a military officer came into the room with a few of his men, introducing himself as lieutenant commander, and said politely “I am terribly sorry, my lord, but may we have your permission to inspect your cabin?”
    “Go ahead. It would be troublesome for me if there was someone dangerous hiding in this room. There are rooms we aren’t using, so please inspect those as well,” said Edgar without hesitation, as he sat on the sofa.
    While he had his men do the inspection, the lieutenant verified the ident.i.ties of Raven and Ermine, and asked a few simple questions to Lydia, and asker for her permission to enter her room.
    “Uh, about that stow-away, what kind of person is it?”
    If it was indeed Huxley’s report, Lydia was curious to know what sort of complaint he told them.
    “Well, the stow-away could be the one behind the robberies happening in London. We have a report saying the stow-away may have a hostage, and we decided this needed immediate action.”
    “A hostage.”

P. 70
    “Yes, miss. Said to have threatened and kidnapped a young woman. A girl about the same age as you.”
    “Lieutenant, please don’t say anything that would frighten her. It’s already terrifying news. And isn’t the thief you’re talking about the one rumored on the streets to have killed a hundred people?”
    From Edgar’s words, Lydia finally remembered the news written in the newspaper. She wondered if Huxley used an actual robbery where the thief was on the run. And by claiming that the thief had a hostage, he maybe having them look for Lydia as well.
    Perhaps he didn’t antic.i.p.ate that Edgar and Lydia would have prepared a ticket, and planned to capture the pa.s.sengers that didn’t have their names on the cabin list.
    “Ah, I apologize. But, my lord, the rumor of him being the American killer was because they had similar characteristics. That murderer was executed.”
    His men came back from their search reporting that there were no abnormalities. Just after their report, the man who was taking notes behind the lieutenant suddenly interrupted.
    “Lieutenant, about that thief, the report says that he’s a young man with blond hair and his eyes are purple…”
    The lieutenant didn’t hide his scowl.
    “Loine. That’s enough.”
    “I see, that’s a common characteristic. There’s one here,” said Edgar plainly.

P. 71
    Lydia couldn’t stop herself, she turned to look at him. Now that she looked at him, he did have the same feature. But if it was just that, then there were many others with the same trait.
    But.
    Lydia had a bad feeling, and couldn’t take her eyes off of Edgar.
    “Well, it looks like our job here is done. We need to go to the next room. Thank you for your cooperation.”
    “Thank you for your service.”
    After the lieutenant and his men left the room, Edgar must have noticed Lydia’s gaze and turned to face her.
    She whipped her head back forward, but because she did it so unnaturally, her suspicion of him must have been easy to recognize, and she hated herself for showing that.
    “Lydia.”
    “Wh, What is it?”
    “We’ll arrive at Scarborough port in about two hours. Make sure to be ready to get off the s.h.i.+p.”
    Without asking any questions, Edgar just smiled at her with his usual incontestable demeanor.

P. 72
    “Loine, what were you thinking. Did you want to call the Earl a thief?”
    “No sir, uh, Lieutenant, it was just that the Earl did resemble him.”
    “No he doesn’t, that portrait had the look of a good-for-nothing crook.”
    “Yes, it did, but you can’t depend on a portrait. And…anyone can have that hair or eye color, but he has a distinguis.h.i.+ng feature. If we verify that then everything would be clear.”
    The self-important looking officer who was walking down the hall quickly, suddenly stopped his tracks and turned to face his subordinate.
    “Then were you going to ask the Earl to stick out his tongue?”
    Nico, who was sleeping on the hallway lamp stand’s sun lit warm marble, got his nap disturbed and twitched his ear.
    “After we asked something humiliating like that, and there was nothing, do you think we’d get away with that? Of course he’d refuse and on top of that he’d put in a complaint. And to have a cross tattooed on your tongue means you’re a serial killer in America. If you want to mix that with the thief in London, just keep reading the gossip papers like the excited citizens.”
    “...I’m sorry. But, uh, was he really executed in America? The serial killer who was called Sir John was said to be a charismatic man having a high cla.s.s quality about him, and the body that was shown after he was hanged was rumored not to resemble someone like that…”
    The lieutenant faced his subordinate and openly shrugged his shoulders.

P. 73
    “How can there be any cla.s.s or charisma in a hanged body. And Loine, you’re mistaken about the general point. The one we are searching for, isn’t the pa.s.senger of the first cla.s.s cabin, but the hoodlum hiding somewhere.”
    Hmm. Pa.s.sing his paw over his whiskers, Nico watched as the officers pa.s.sed by, and plodded back to Lydia’s room on his two hind feet and grumbled to himself ‘Now this is going somewhere.’

    Lydia and everyone got off the s.h.i.+p at Scarborough port, and headed west by railway.
    The view from the window was repet.i.tive and monotonous. And in the steam train, Lydia had to sit across from Edgar in a disquiet compartment which was unbearable for her.
    Periodically she would stand up and about meaningless.
    “Hey, hey, if you fidget like that, they’d get suspicious of you,” said Nico appearing in the pa.s.sageway standing on his back hind feet.
    “Hey, Nico, about what you said earlier, do you really think ….so.”
    “If the officer said no, then wouldn’t you also think so?”

P. 74
    “You’re right, it’s hard to believe that a serial killer would be able to speak that perfect King’s English.”
    She reached that decision, but there was still something bothering her.
    Maybe it was the shady part about Edgar’s character from the first time they met.
    “You know, you could just check his tongue.”
    Lydia was told the news about the cross tattoo from Nico who eased-dropped on the conversation of the officers. She couldn’t understand how someone would come up with the idea of putting a tattoo on someone’s tongue and then actually performing that. However, that piece of information was very valuable. How she was going to check that, was something Lydia was mulling over in her head from when she heard it from Nico on the s.h.i.+p.
    “But, you normally can’t see another person’s tongue. And the story about the tattoo was supposedly on the American, so if there was nothing on him, that wouldn’t be proof that he isn’t the thief that’s been doing the robberies in London does it?”
    “For the time being, we can relax by knowing he isn’t the killer. Because they say that the London criminal’s victims are all alive.”
    That could just be a coincidence. But, it could be just as Nico says.
    She did want to get things straight.
    But, Lydia ended up not coming up with an idea and returned to their compartment.
    When she looked over to Edgar, he was sitting by against the window, with his stick resting on his lap and eyes closed.
    Maybe he was sleeping.

P. 75
    Maybe I could use this opportunity….
    Lydia tiptoed over to him. He didn’t seem like he was going to wake up. Even though he was napping resting his chin in his hand, he was perfect, like if you would put him in a painting that would fit perfectly into an elegant frame.
    His golden hair swayed over his white cheek covering it with its shadow.
    Lydia focused on his lips.
    But however much she starred at his mouth, she couldn’t see his tongue.
    If she were to stick her finger in his mouth, he was sure to wake up. Even though she knew that, Lydia was drawn to Edgar, and didn’t move from where she was bending down to look over him.
    (Are men normally suppose to be more rugged?)
    Long eyelashes, finely shaped lips and a smooth thin chin. She had an urge to touch him, like with a feeling you’d get when observing a marvelous sculpture of art.
    When she reached out her finger, his lips slowly curved. Into an amused grin.
    He opened his eyes and looked straight into hers.
    “May I help you?”
    Lydia froze. She had her index finger pointed near the tip of his nose.
    “If you were to going to offer your lips, then I was going to keep pretending to sleep, but I didn’t think that I was going to get poked.”

P. 76
    “Um, ...I was just…”
    “It’s alright, to touch me.”
    “No, I wasn’t going to...”
    She swapped her hand back. And she tried to run from the scene but Edgar grabbed her shoulder.
    “Oh, I apologize; I shouldn’t have snubbed a lady’s offer. I would be more than happy to reply to your expectations.”
    He moved in toward her, which made Lydia go into a fl.u.s.tered panic.
    “No, I, your tongue..”
    “Tongue? I didn’t imagine you’d fancy the French style.”
    “Wh, what are you thinking, you….!”
    She struggled to shove Edgar away, but Lydia saw Raven carrying in the tea over his shoulder.
    But, he didn’t pay attention to Lydia nearly being pushed down on to the seat, and remained expressionless as he placed the tea set on the table and was about to leave.
    “Wait, you mister, why don’t you help me!”
    “Raven wouldn’t stop me even if I were to snap your soft neck.”
    What a level of loyalty. She wondered if these people were all in the same criminal group.
    Rage bubbled up inside her. Her mind went blank for a moment, knowing that he was an Earl was the only restraint holding her back flew out of her head, and she whipped her open palm at him like she was going to do it to a scoundrel.

P.77
    Her palm landed right on his cheek, and Edgar finally let go of Lydia. However she didn’t let it end with that, and tried to throw the tea cup that caught her eye.
    “My lord!”
    Lydia came to her senses to Raven’s voice.
    But by then, the hot tea had already been splashed onto Raven’s arm as he cut in between them.
    “I….I’m so sorry. You, you better cool that down with water.”
    “I am fine. There is nothing to worry. I will go make a new pot of tea.”
    “That won’t be necessary. Go get that treated by Ermine.”
    He nodded to his master’s orders honestly, and Lydia watched as Raven left and heaved a sigh.
    “Don’t worry about it,” said Edgar nonchalant.
    “You, it’s your fault! You forced me…., and saying something scary like you’d break my neck like that.”
    “That was just mentioning an example.”
    “It would have been better if you got the hot tea on you! I didn’t have any intention of hurting Raven.”

P.78
    “Hmm, then you don’t care about me who was slapped.”
    “Of course I don’t!” She snapped at him and rushed out of the compartment.
    “Stop it already, Lydia, even if it was a woman, someone who’d try to hurt the Earl will be killed.” Just when she spotted the dark back of Raven by the sink and was going to approach him, she heard the faint whisper of Nico’s voice.
    He’s joking again. But she was still nervous, but also hesitant about ignoring him after she spilt tea over him.
    Raven must have noticed Lydia’s footsteps approaching him, but he didn’t turn around.
    “Um, did it leave a mark?” She cautiously asked him.
    “It isn’t a big deal. More importantly...” He finally turned around and although he didn’t show a smile as usual, he didn’t look like he was angry either.
    “Just like you said, I should have stopped Lord Edgar earlier.”
    “Then Edgar wouldn’t have been thrown at with tea?”
    “I never imagine that a lady would do such a thing.”
    Lydia was slightly insulted, but the feeling of contrite that she injured him won over that.

P. 79
    “I’ll let you know that not all women would be flattered by Edgar flirting them.”
    “Yes, thank you for showing me that.”
    His serious response apparently wasn’t intended to tease nor blame Lydia, but because he didn’t mince his words, he was probably easier to understand than Edgar even though he didn’t show any expressions.
    “Pardon, but how old are you?” While she was at it, she decided to ask him what she curious about.
    “I am eighteen.”
    “Oh. So you’re one year older than me.”
    “It’s because of this undeveloped face.” He even replied that seriously.
    Like he said, maybe because his eyes were big, he did appear to look some years younger than his actual age. And so if he were to smile, she thought he was sure to give a very friendly impression to others.
    “I want to ask you, if, Edgar were to try to kill someone, would you really not stop him?”
    “I wouldn’t say that I would stop him, more like I would be the one to do the killing.”
    Being able to say something like that so naturally sent a s.h.i.+ver up her spin. Unlike Edgar, when this person said it, it didn’t sound like a joke.
    “You would dirty your hands for your master? But going so far for your master, wouldn’t that be mistaking your fealty to him?”

P. 80
    “If I was to commit a crime, it would only be for the sake of Lord Edgar. He taught me that I do not have to kill other than his orders. Although, it took some time for me to understand that.”
    She didn’t understand what he meant. Only that, Lydia felt like she was standing in the depths of an endless darkness.
    After looking up close she noticed that Raven’s eyes which she thought was the same color as his pure black hair, actually was a dark green.
    She remembered being told that he carried fairy blood in him, maybe that was due to those eyes of his. As that thought drifted by, his dark green hooked her.
    Then he also looked back at her.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. I was just curious about your eye color. See, I have green eyes as well. Since green is the color of fairies over here, and in my case I can see fairies which apparently overlaps with other images of fairies, so I was called a changeling. Oh, a changeling is when a fairy kidnaps a human child and leaves their own offspring in its place and has humans take care of it.”
    From unexpectedly ending up looking at each other, Lydia became embarra.s.sed and started to rattle on and on, but when she stopped to take a breath, he interrupted.
    “A spirit is something that lives in the forest. The forests in England are pallid; they have the color of your eyes, the color of the sun.

P. 81
    Where I was born, it was a thick tenebrous green where there is no light. The fairies of this country are too bright for me to see, but you might be able to see the spirit in me.”
    He looked like he smiled faintly, barely noticeable to her eyes. And it was a dark almost tearful smile, and even if they had the same power to come in contact with fairies, she felt like he was a different kind of person.
    A magical spirit incarnate from a different country.
    Lord Blue Knight was said to enjoy traveling, and told of tales of happenings in far distant lands, and liven the royal court.
    The eastern oriental countries at that time, was a farther place than the fairyland, filled with mysteries and wonders to the British.
    The story of the Earl who came from the fairyland along with his magical servants.
    Lydia had the feeling like she was taking a step into the old legend of the adventures of Lord Blue Knight.
    Were they the Lord Blue Knight and his followers who came to the human world yet again?
    Or were they killer thieves?

P.82
    By the time they got off the steam train at the last station, the sky was glooming from the dark of dusk.
Normally stations were located in the outskirts, and so outside the station there was only one dark empty street for carriages to pa.s.s by on. There weren’t that many other pa.s.sengers besides them, and after all of them quickly dispersed, there were no other people besides them.
    Raven went off saying that he will go catch a hack. There should have been a waiting area for the carriages behind the station building.
    “Mister, are you looking for a carriage? Where’s your destination?” Just then, a man spoke to them who emerged out from the dark shadow of the station building.
    “No thank you. Our valet has gone to call a hackney,” dismissed Edgar to the man with a cold shoulder.
    “Oh don’t say that, sir, I’ll make it cheap for you,” said the man as he kept creaping up to them, and suddenly grabbed ahold of Lydia’s arm.
    Before she could open her mouth, a sharp knife was fixed against her throat.
    Edgar and Ermine a.s.sumed a ready stance. But as they looked around them, they were surrounded by a group of men who stepped out from the shadows.
    “Don’t move, sir.”
    Turning to face the voice which was a man who stepped out of the group and showed them a flash of the pistol that was hidden under his frock coat.

P. 83
    It was Huxley.
    “Oh, so it was you Huxley. Although I didn’t know you went by that name,” said Edgar in a ridiculing tone.
    The man glared ferociously back at Edgar, which made him look like a completely different person than the Huxley who kindly greeted Lydia.
    “Don’t give yourself such airs. Your pretend of being some sort of n.o.ble is absurd.”
    “It’s not pretend. And besides, I’m not ‘sir’, it’s ‘Lord.’ Try not to mix that up.”
    “Stop joking around! Are you enjoying an extravagant trip with our father’s money?”
    “The compensation your father offered me, unfortunately, was just pocket money. I couldn’t agree with it, but that’s over with. It’s not like we have money troubles.”
    “Compensation!? After you stole everything, you plan on stealing the jewel our father is after? It’s your fault that father…”
    “The reason your father is in the hospital on the brink of death was because you carelessly fired your gun. Even if you aimed at me, wouldn’t it be obvious that it might hit your father who was behind me when you think about your aim? And yet you cry out like I was the one who did it.”
    “Shut up! Shut up! I’ll make sure you never are able to open that c.o.c.ky mouth of yours again!”

P. 84
    Listening to the two of their conversation, Lydia stood, still grappled by the man behind her, in utter shock.
    What was the meaning of this? Edgar was after Huxley’s father’s money and jewel? Huxley shot his gun and it hit his father?
    “We’re going to have Ms. Carlton help us from now, understand? Hey, tie them up. I’m going to drag you all to the police and have you hanged.”
    “Oh, then you and your father’s crimes will be made public. Would you like to accompany us to the gallows? Or, maybe that would be first.”
    Just as Edgar was finished, a black shadow crept out beside Lydia.
    With a ruffle of air like the faint beating of wings, the shadow flew back away from Lydia, lightly brus.h.i.+ng against her cheek.
    The man that was grappling Lydia, fell, to the ground without making a sound. His neck was severely twisted, he had stopped breathing.
    The shadow danced further on.
    Raven.
    As if protecting from Huxley’s line of fire, he glided down in front of his master.
    He stood ready, with a slender knife in his hand.
    Huxley’s men jumped all at once to try to hold down Raven.
    The faces of the men weren’t only the ones on the s.h.i.+p, but it looked like they had other thugs who they must have picked up nearby in their group.

P. 85

P. 86
    With just Raven, it looked like he was outnumbered.
    However there was another whirlwind that appeared.
    Ermine kicked down one of the men who was standing by her. In that following movement with a knife in her hand, she backed up Raven.
    Lydia realized that her men’s clothing was for the purpose of flexible movement, but she couldn’t help but gape at them.
    The Blue Knight Earl and his two mysterious raven and ermine servants? This was like it was out of the storybook.
    Lydia then realized that Edgar was standing beside her. But just as she turned to face him, he grabbed and pulled on her arm.
    At that moment, there was the sound of a gunshot and a hole was shot open by their feet.
    Raven dodged aside in a flash. His leg that was swung up high came down strong and hard to knock out the pistol gripped in Huxley’s hand.
    Then he turned around defending Edgar with his back, and evaded the men who came charging at him one by one.
    “My lord, there is a hackney at the corner just ahead.”
    “Can I leave this to you?”
    “Please be careful.”
    After their simple exchange, Edgar turned his back pulling Lydia’s arm and headed away from the fight.

P. 87
    The lamp that lit the carriage s.h.i.+ned faintly far off in the deep dark black. However Lydia caught her foot on the hem of her entangled skirt and tumbled. Just when she heaved herself up, the tip of a saber pointed at the tip of her nose.
    “I said that we will take her along with us. John, you can struggle all you want, but you’re only a worthless good for nothing that’s fit to die in the garbage pit.”
    Whose John?
    Huxley grabbed Lydia.
    Why, she thought to herself, as her blood boiled with fury. Why does every single one of them try to trick me, and threaten me, and why do I have to listen to what they say?
Even if Huxley had an edged weapon, she didn’t care as she finally lost her temper. Lydia fought back frantically, trying to break lose of his grip.
    “Gossam, no, stop!” yelled Edgar.
    Huxley must have been ticked off when Lydia bit down on his finger, and swung up his saber about to strike.
    Shoved out of the strike by Edgar, Lydia witnessed the edge of the blade sc.r.a.pping him on the shoulder, and slicing open his coat.

P.88
    Edgar twisted his brows in pain.
    When Huxley charged to strike again, Edgar, though he was injured, held out his walking stick.
    From his stick, he drawed out a rapier, like a sword from its scabbard. He stopped Huxley’s saber with the forte of his blade, charged his strength and threw him back. He used that moment and force to cut Huxley’s cuff, which made Huxley quickly step backwards to put distance between them. Once again, Edgar pulled Lydia"s arm as he dashed off in the opposite direction of Huxley. When they finally spotted a hackney, he shoved her in and climbed in himself.
    “Who…who in the world are you! Who is John? And Gossam…” cried Lydia, but Edgar stopped her screaming by slapping his hand over her mouth.
    “Drive, now.”
    Even though Edgar was injured and the situation looked like he was forcing a young girl into the carriage, which from a normal person"s view would look like a kidnap, the driver didn’t ask any questions after he was tossed a wad of money.

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