Chapter Twelve: Spade Kingdom

If it weren't for the Land of Dusk, Shawn would never marry an ugly orc. But that was the only way to save their kingdom from those monsters.

He knew it could ruin his relationship with Ava, but he could do nothing—he was forced to do it after all, even if it was against his will. Besides, he didn't know what could have happened to him if he refused King Orc's offer.

Shawn hurriedly got inside the adventurer's guild. He wasn't thinking about the hundred gold coins anymore; all he wanted was to explain everything to Ava, but she wasn't there.

The adventurers were drinking as he arrived. Most of them were unaware of the whole story. All they knew was that they won, not the reason why the monsters retreated, especially the orcs.

"What did you do to my apprentice, Shawn?" the old man asked as he walked towards him.

"I,I,I," Shawn stuttered, seeing the old man's glare at him. "Please let me explain everything."

"No," the old man replied. His fierce stare gradually turned into calm, amazement, or gratitude. "You don't have to explain. I already know everything."

"How? I mean, how about Ava?" Shawn asked. "I know she hates me for marrying the orcs' princess."

"No, she's not. Perhaps she's jealous, but she's also grateful for what you did. You're a hero who saved our kingdom," the old man replied. "I already told Leo about this; don't worry, he'll reward you."

Shawn sighed deeply when everyone gazed at him. The smile on their faces was inexplicable. He couldn't identify if they were happy for what he did or if they were just jealous of him.

Well, he didn't only save their kingdom; he also received a charm from King Orc and a hundred gold coins from the adventurer's guild.

"Here's your reward, boy," Leo said as he gave Shawn a pouch full of coins. "I thought we had no chance to win, but thanks to you, you managed to negotiate with the orcs' king, bwahahahaha!"

Shawn accepted the money and said, "Thank you, Guild Master. I can finally live in luxury!"

Leo saw a ring on Shawn's finger. That looked familiar to him, as if he had already seen it before. He just smiled, thinking that one of the adventurers had married an orc just to save their kingdom.

"Old Man, have you seen Ava?" Shawn asked.

"She already left with her brother a while ago. They went back home," the old man replied.

"I think I have to go back now," Shawn said. He was about to step outside the door when one of the adventurers grabbed his arm and gave him a cup of beer.

"You should stay here for a while, lad. They won't let go of you unless you beat them in booze. Bwahahaha!" Leo said sarcastically. "Come on, let's celebrate our victory!"

Shawn wasn't let go easily by the adventurers, who forced him to drink more booze, saying that they were celebrating their victory against the monsters.

He tried his best not to get drunk too much because he knew that Ava would be mad at him. He didn't want to add his mistakes too.

He eventually managed to escape his co-adventurers. He headed back home, eager to see Ava after everything. As he opened the main door, a strong slap met his face.

"What's that for?" Shawn asked curiously, seeing Ava in front of him—her face was all red, showing her embarrassment.

He never thought that Ava would always hurt him. Love hurts, but he was always willing to face that pain if it could please the woman he loved.

"What kind of question is that?" Ava replied. "What do you think you are? Haven't you ever thought about what I would feel if you died?" She hadn't finished her words when Shawn suddenly hugged her, leaving her surprised and speechless.

She could hear his heartbeat—her heartbeats are isochronized with him. He sighed deeply, telling her not to worry about him and that it was over.

"I'm sorry; I will never do that again," Shawn promised. He smiled, knowing how much Ava cared for him. Everything became clearer to him.

She felt the same way about him. Although they both couldn't express their feelings properly, they could see a spark of hope in each other's eyes.

After five seconds, and without saying anything, Ava pushed Shawn back. She turned back, as she didn't want him to see her crying, even though all this time she was so worried about him.

She had fought those orcs just to see him, but after all those sweats, she didn't expect to see him kissing that—gross—she couldn't even explain it.

"You stink! Don't you ever talk to me again!" Ava said in her annoyed manner before she walked away. But the more she would hide her feelings, the more they would show up.

Knowing the reason why Shawn married that Orc just irritates her more. Her feelings were complicated; she didn't know how to treat him anymore.

"That Orc, that Orc!" Ava screamed in her mind as she walked through the hallway. "I could kill that orc for snatching the man I love!"

Ava had never been this jealous before. The old man noticed this too; his apprentice was acting weird lately. Love could really make someone crazy.

"Are you alright, Shawn?" the old man asked. "You don't have to overthink it. She's just as stubborn as always. Remember that day when you first met?"

Shawn smiled and replied, "I know, she's always making me feel like I'm a typical nobody, that she doesn't care about me, but the truth is, she's actually worried when I'm in danger."

"I'm glad you understand. So, what are you planning to do now?" the old man asked.

"I think I should take a long rest. I feel so tired after everything that happened today," Shawn replied, then he continued inside his room.

"Don't forget to eat your dinner before going to bed!" the old man reminded.

What about those forged identities? Shawn had to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible. He couldn't let someone destroy things. He was so foolish to believe something as easy as that.

"An orc is an orc; they don't have any power to change their appearance; that's their nature. Then who could that lady be?" Shawn wondered while looking at the ring on his finger.

What if that was an enemy? A spy sent by another kingdom who could shapeshift? It would be a big trouble if that happened.

"Well, I can't be sure unless I do something. I need more evidence to prove my assumption." Shawn closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Shawn woke up as the sunlight entered through the window of his room. He jumped out of bed and continued inside the kitchen to prepare his breakfast.

He was thinking about the mystery of the lost landlady, the delicious foods, and the woman who introduced herself as Shriek.

He wasn't sure yet, but he had a hunch that she had bad intentions towards them. Those eyes that glinted like stolen gold—he thought they were genuine, but it seemed like he was fooled again.

"Good morning, brother," Ash greeted as he suddenly appeared inside the kitchen.

"Uh, hi!" Shawn replied, surprised by this little boy again. His thoughts shattered around. "Where's Ava and Old Man?"

"They went somewhere last night, and they weren't back yet until now. I don't really know where they went," Ash replied as he sat down on the chair, behaving himself.

Perhaps they were doing something important, Shawn thought while picking a mug from the cupboard.

"Want some coffee?" Shawn asked while pouring some boiled water into the mug. The boiling water came splashing down.

"Nope. I don't drink coffee. My sister told me so; she said that it can cause nervosity and won't make me sleep at night," Ash replied. "By the way, what are your plans for today, brother?"

Shawn sat down on the chair opposite Ash. "I have something important to do. How about you? Are you going back to the boarding house?"

"My sister doesn't want me to go back there," Ash said. "I really want to go with you, but I know that she wouldn't allow me."

"Well, I have a plan." Shawn smiled as if he were planning something ridiculous. "Your sister and grandpa aren't here, so you're free to do whatever you want."

"Don't tell me; you'll bring me without her permission," Ash asked loudly. "You'll anger her again!"

Last night, Ava asked for help from the old man. She wanted to know if her hunch was right. If Lynx needed her help, she wouldn't hesitate to rescue her.

The old man was quite doubtful about this. He knew that Ava and Lynx were close friends when they were young, but it was almost ten years ago.

"Are you sure you'll do this?" the old man asked again. He didn't want Ava to go to the enemies' base since it was like committing suicide.

Spade Kingdom was home to witches and wizards. They were all powerful and evil, making them one of the Diamond Kingdom's greatest rivals, next to the Fire Kingdom.

"I won't be long. I just need your help to send me there. I will be back as soon as I find out something," Ava replied. "Please take care of my brother."

"Don't worry. You should take care of yourself instead. Remember what I taught if you find yourself in danger. Just escape if things won't go smoothly," the old man reminded.

"Alright. Let's go!" Ava said before they suddenly disappeared from where they were standing.

The old man teleported right in front of the gate of the Spade Kingdom. He had already reminded Ava almost seven times to be careful and that she didn't really have to do this, but it seemed like his words didn't convince her at all.

Ava was always like that when she didn't want others to mind her own business. She acts like she didn't hear anything. She was only thinking about her own objective.

The gate was made of ebony iron. A spade sign was engraved on it. Ava entered the gate without knowing what fate was waiting for her there.