Duke Grey and his people were still looking for the trespa.s.ser and some pieces of evidence against Agatha. However, both had been very slippery. It was hard to locate the una.s.suming a.s.sailant since the person left no trace and could not even be tracked using magic or hounds. As a result, the duke"s frown kept getting deeper each day since he really wanted to tear the perpetrator to pieces to get back his lost face.And the pieces of evidence? The previous coven meeting could have been a good opportunity. Marian even wanted to join in the fun. But a few inexplicable things occurred to the two leads apart from the freezing incident, so the opportunity naturally slipped away.
Both Andre and Marian found it regretful, yet what could be done? The weird events in the manor and the palace made their hands tied. The people they tried to send on their behalf couldn"t infiltrate the horse trader"s manor due to the forest in front which had turned into a maze leading any trespa.s.ser outside.
Basically, all sorts of odd things still happened even though the witchy royal consort was not creating problems for them.
And on top of it all, for three consecutive days, someone kept sending anonymous letters to the Marian. Each letter detailing Adam"s movement. In particular, the letters kept narrating Adam"s progress in his travel and his approximate date of arrival!
The woman couldn"t help but hold her breath each time she received an envelope that mysteriously appeared in her dresser.
Greetings, milady. Good day! Four more days to go. Get ready to be dragged back to your father"s land! Your beloved knight is coming for you!>
It was the same content, albeit the number changed. Yesterday, it said five days to go… And like yesterday, it mysteriously vanished without a trace, sending s.h.i.+vers to her heart that was fearing the unknown sender.
But what really made Marian Obson more fearful was the latest letter. She could be seen frequently staring into the void, looking lost in her thoughts. Her mind was obviously on the news that Adam had journeyed towards Holon for her, to bring her back to Borley. It was a fact she had no choice but to accept after seeing the image sealed in the artifact mysteriously sent to her together with the letter.
"Adam is coming for me…" The words were repeated in her mind.
Feeling like it would be hard for her to fall asleep, she got up. The man beside her stirred in his sleep and half-opened his eyes. Marian felt enchanted for a while, finding her husband very handsome and irresistible under the soft glow of the lamp. The constraint in her chest lightened up a bit due to the fluttering feeling in it, especially when she heard his voice.
"Where are you going?" said the duke in a very sleepy tone.
She hesitated for a but then still smiled and planted a kiss on his left cheek. "Milord, don"t worry. I"ll just be heading out a bit to get a gla.s.s of water for myself. I found the evening temperature hotter than usual so I am feeling thirsty."
The male lead grabbed her arm. "You could have just called the servants. If they can"t even fulfill their purpose, what use do we have of them? Just order one to bring what you need here and stay with me."
She shook her head and then laughed at the childish expression he was sporting. Why wouldn"t he even allow her to be apart from him for a while? Didn"t he know he just become more adorable in her eyes? She once again shook her head, "Please go back to sleep, milord. I will be back in a minute."
The duke no longer held her back, watching her go out. He could hear her talking to the maid standing guard outside the door. His heart felt warm at the thought that she was keeping her voice low to not disturb him any further. Content, he fell back to sleep again.
Time pa.s.sed and the girl"s maid returned with a tray in hand carrying a porcelain water container. The maid had asked this before, but asked again, "Milady, are you sure you don"t want me to brew tea for you? We have received several supreme tea leaves as tribute from new va.s.sal territories and one variety is especially good in calming one"s mood and heart."
Marian only pointed at the vacant round table in the middle of the balcony and the maid understood her command. She then said, "I don"t need anything anymore. I just found myself needing something to moist my throat. You can go back to your post and then follow the head maid"s arrangements."
"As you wish, milady." After one last curtsy, the female servant vanished in the dark, exiting through a side door connected to the balcony. The girl"s footsteps had been very light, scared of displeasing the d.u.c.h.ess or disturbing the Duke"s sleep. All servants were afraid to earn their master"s ire. The fact never changed even if the master was very tolerant and kind.
It did not take long for Marian to be left alone in the place. She helped herself with a cup of water and then walked towards the bal.u.s.trade, her free hand grabbing the cold stone construct, afraid that the wind would blow her away.
It was in the middle of the night. The season"s nighttime was not that cold. But Marian who was standing in the balcony feeling the evening breeze while reminiscing her childhood. Her thoughts lingered on her current situation…
Honestly, she felt so complicated and lost.
The person coming for her within the week was somebody standing by her side since she was young, protecting her from harm and making her days fulfilling together with her brother. That knight had been the first person to make her heart skip a beat. He was her first love that had become somebody from her past after turning into "Margarette Holon". Now, he was rus.h.i.+ng to this foreign kingdom, riding his handsome black horse to get her…
She took a deep breath, her eyes glazed over the blanket of stars above.
"If he knows who I am now… I"m sure he will easily believe it"s me, and he will try to persuade me to come back. He will be very considerate and gentle. But he won"t be able to force me to go back due to my ident.i.ty here…" she murmured to herself in a barely audible voice.
The woman lost in nostalgia sighed and then started to plan how she would deal with her knight. While it was unfortunate, there was no way she could fulfill Adam"s or her parents" wishes. The old Marian had died…
A couple of minutes later, when the cold had started to become intolerable for her, she turned around. Her husband, the main reason for her decision to stay would notice that she had disappeared from his side for so long. She wouldn"t want that big child to throw tantrums or "punish" her. With this in mind, she turned on her heels, planning to head back to the bedroom.
But then stuff happened and she had to pause her steps, eyes widening at the impossible scene she witnessed.
"Did someone… just materialize before me?" A question so unbelievable flickered across her mind.
Her shock came from the fact that the appearance of the infiltrator was noiseless and without warning, like a cat. Her whole body descended into an icy pond when she observed the person"s features.
An expressionless face with red lips, snow-white skin that seemed to glow naturally under the moonlight, high nose, and a pair of soulful eyes that could no longer be more familiar to her.
In this world, apart from her, who would ever have the fortune to experience seeing a reflection of her soul in the flesh while in the body of somebody else?
A cold breeze kissing the exposed skin of Marian"s face, and a high-pitched scream came out of her mouth.