GETTING READY FOR THE MISSION!

Ralph stopped outside the door and watched it carefully under the flickering light of the torch in his hand.

The last time he came into this part of the Longhurst mansion was about three months ago. And yet it has not changed much, except for the thickening of the dust layer and the increasing population of insects and spiders.

He didn't bother to clear the cobwebs or remove the dust, instead, he bent forward and rummaged through the thick bunch of dust matted cobwebs. His fingers touched the cold metal and felt the rust on its surface.

He pulled it out and after straightening up, found the circular hole in the handle of the door. One might think that it was a part of its design, but only Ralph knew that it wasn't.

He inserted the metal rod he had found in that hole downwards and then twisted it to the right. An irritating creaking sound fell on his ears.

He pushed open the door, and all the dust that was gathered on the doorframe fell, making him cough loudly. He waited until it settled down and then stepped inside.

He closed that door behind him, disappearing into that secret chamber. A chamber where no one except Ralph was allowed to enter or even knew how to enter, not even Cordelia or Theodora!

Ralph lit up the torches inside the room one by one with the help of one he had carried with him. The room lit up bright, and he swept his gaze over it once

He should have come here more often to keep it clean. Without wasting another minute, he found a broom and began the cleaning- the ritual he was following for more than four decades.

*

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*

Gerald sat on a thick branch of a tree with a bag of coins in his lap and Filch on his shoulder. He stared at the starry sky with a heavy head.

The niffler rubbed its head against Gerald's face and made some guttural sounds as if it was thanking him for saving him from the clutches of Reznor.

Gerald smiled a tired smile and nodded his head. "I couldn't lose you at any cost Filch! You are my best friend and friends always back each other!"

The niffler nodded its head, agreeing with him. Gerald again turned his head to the sky and sat in silence. Filch didn't bother him again as he fell asleep.

For the first time, Gerald didn't feel happy with money in his lap. For the first time, the weight of the bag felt too heavy for his liking.

He was still wary of Reznor's offer, especially his conditions.

His first condition was if anything went southwards and Gerald had to face a severe loss, then it would be all his responsibility. He then couldn't blame Reznor for it.

The second condition was that Reznor would not give him any direct help that may reveal his presence to anyone.

The third condition was that if Gerlad ever got caught then he was on his own. He couldn't take Reznor's name or do anything that could bring the world's attention to Reznor.

And the fourth condition was that it should always remain a secret.

And the deadline for the task was six months.

Gerald was the one with all the risk in return for the money that would be enough for him for his lifetime. But was it all worth it? Gerald kept asking that himself.

He could not discuss this with Oscar or Isabella. He knew for sure that Oscar would tie him up with his magic and would not let him go on this new mission.

Gerald was never the one to get afraid easily. He loved challenges, he enjoyed the adventures. He had done so many things in his life that one could not even imagine in their wildest dreams.

He had been to other magical worlds, other realms and had come safe from the clutches of mystical creatures. And this was only about the Longhursts. They were humans that he was sure and Reznor had confirmed.

They didn't have any powers, nor did they have any protection to stop humans from entering their mansion. Once he got an opportunity to sneak inside, it shouldn't be much difficult for him to get that chalice.

So what could go wrong in it?

Pondering over the night, Gerlad finally came to a decision. He was ready for this new mission. He met Oscar and Isabella the next morning. They had sold everything they had stolen in the fair and had brought money with them.

It took them an hour to distribute the fair share of money in them. Oscar was tired and decided to take a rest. They didn't need to overexert themselves as now they had enough money with them.

"Oscar now we can begin the construction of our new home. Right Gerald?" Isabella asked, clapping her hands in excitement.

The three of them lived in the arm of nature or any place where they could spend the night. For little convenience, they had a small hut hidden in the forest, but it couldn't be called' home'. They had decided last year that the three of them would save money and build a small house for themselves.

And now that they had got good money from Reznor and also from the fair, in addition to their savings, it was sufficient to build a small house at the same place where their hut was.

Gerald thought of telling them to wait for six more months, and they could buy a good two-storey house in the town. But then Reznor's condition stopped him from opening his mouth.

"Sure!" He smiled, nodding his head.

"For once, I can see hope for a better future for us, Gerald. I am sure the coming time will bring more prosperity and joy to our lives!" Oscar smiled, patting him on the back.

"Indeed!" Gerald agreed.

They decided to plan their house from tomorrow and today, Oscar and Isabella retired to their hut for the rest. It was a good opportunity for Gerald to get started on his mission.

He would surprise the love birds!

The first thing Gerlad did was to go into the market and order hot brewing coffee for himself from the famous local restaurant. In between the hustle and bustle of the morning, he sat quietly in a corner, sipping on his coffee.

It was his routine before any mission. First, locate sources of information. Second, gather all the information taking a good time. Third, research that information, and evaluate its authenticity. And then the fourth was planning.

What could be a better place than a restaurant which was the favourite spot for many guards and servants who worked for the Longhurst family?!

After three cups of coffee with one sandwich and wasting two hours, he saw a group of four men walking toward the table beside him.

Gerald caught the owner eyeing suspiciously at him, but he ignored the bald man and kept sipping the fourth cup of coffee that he had ordered five minutes ago.

Otherwise impatient Gerald did a commendable job when it came to gathering information for his mission. He could spend days sitting at the same place and filing his bladder with coffee if he needed to.

The group of men placed their orders before beginning their light conversations. Gerald was now thinking about other ways to get the information when he heard something he was looking for.

"Zerith seems too close to Lord Longhurst, don't you think so?" A man asked his friends.

Gerald's ears instantly perked up hearing the word, Longhurst.

"Sometimes I think Lord Longhrst would marry of his daughter to him!" And the men laughed loudly.

"But I have seen Zerith with that maid... ummm... what is her name? The one who is always with the arrogant princess."

"Oh, her name is Bertha!" The third man quipped.

"yes, Bertha! I think something is going on between her and Zerith."

"Maybe. After all, she is not only a charming woman but is also very different from her spoiled mistress. Any man would want Bertha to be his wife!" The fourth one said in a serious tone making his three friends tease him.

"Seems like someone definitely wants Bertha to be his wife!" And they again broke into another round of laughter.

Gerald listen to them carefully for the next half an hour. The things he had gathered from their conversation were that the family had only three people- Lord ralph, his wife, Lady Cordelia and their only daughter Theodora.

Bertha was Theodora's head maid and childhood friend. They were the exact opposite of each other and by the way, those men spoke, Gerald concluded that Bertha was a more approachable and kind woman than her mistress.

Everything seemed quite fine for him, but his only concern was one man- Zerith.

He was loyal to Lord Ralph and a very sharp-minded person. Nothing could miss from his alert eyes. Gerald also learned that Lord Ralph trusted Zerith so much that everything that happened in the Longhurst mansion was permitted only after the recommendation of Zerith.

It was obvious that now Gerlad had two options to enter the Longhurst mansion.

One was Bertha and another was Zerith. But before coming to any conclusion, he decided to do more research about the family.

After hours, he finally left his table and walked to pay the money.

"Looks like you loved our coffee!" The owner made a sarcastic remark giving Gerlad a hard glare.

"More than you can imagine!" Gerald smiled before leaving the restaurant.