Fifteen

"Master, Lady Jeriel had sent you a letter." The head butler of the County of Nige spoke, knocking on the door.

The head of head stirred in his bed. His long silky white hair hang loosely on his face, white eyelashes fluttered against his cheekbones as his eyelids opened, revealing his golden irises that are clouded with sleep before it closes shut again.

He groaned, rolling to his side, the sunlight that peaked through the curtain of his room had hit his porcelain white skin, making it reflect when it hits him, the warmth the sunlight gave him was enough strengthen him to get up from the bed.

"Master, the letter needs urgent answer." The head butler knocked once more.

"Alright, give it here. Bring a paper and a pen as well." The Count, Wyatt Earl Nige, responded, voice heavy with sleep as he try to rub it off from his eyes.

His toned muscles screamed for relief when he stretched his arms and legs, arching his back. The satisfying sound of the bones popping back into its sockets made him groan, "Ah, that felt good."

He continued stretching, twisting his arms and hips to get himself warmed up for the day.

"Master, I'm coming in." The butler informed Count Wyatt and walked inside, "Lady Jeriel sent this letter with their raven. There's a paper attached to it saying that it should be done as soon as today."

"Wow." Count Wyatt whistled and took the letter from the butler, "I get that she's going to give her sister to me, but isn't she too demanding? That girl, she's lucky she's going to be sister in law soon— oh?"

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he read the content of the letter. The mischief and excitement is clear as day in his golden irises as he read what Jeriel wanted him to do.

"My lord, as much as you want the Countess to be your wife, forcing her to marry someone like you won't make her love you." The head butler, Jeremy, reminded him for the nth time. Not liking the way of his master to woo the unlucky woman for the County.

"Well, she wanted those gunpowders." Wyatt chirped with happiness, "I told her that everything under my name will be hers if she married me. I mean, I got the looks, the wealth, the manpower, the authority, and the reputation—"

"— Reputation of a corrupted noble, yes, which if I may be bold to say, is pretty shitty to have if she were to be wed to you, my lord." Jeremy had cut him off to berate and insult him, "I told you, this is not the right way to woo the lady you like. How many times do I have to tell you? The most efficient way to win a woman's affection is to be a gentleman!"

Wyatt may be rotten to the core according to the rumors, however, those are nothing, but rumors. He had never killed people out of fun nor smuggled weapons from neighboring kingdoms, slaved children, or have drugs under his possession— well, he does know some supplier of drugs because he was working with the third price, but he would never use that on anyone!

The only reason why I showed interest when Lady Jeriel told me that she'll drug her sister was because I could use that against her to expose her scheme to my dearest lady. Wyatt thought with a giddy grin on his, just the thought of his soon-to-be wife thanking him for his loyalty and honesty is enough to send him to heaven.

"I am a gentleman." Wyatt tutted and wrote a response to Jeriel's letter, "I'm not forcing her to marry me, right? Lady Jeriel will offer her as a gift a year from now. How lovely is that?"

"Pardon?!" Jeremy exclaimed, disbelief written all over his face. Never in his forty-three years of being alive would he ever thought of his master winning the affection of the Countess, but to offer her?! To him, of all noble?! The horror!

"Master, you must refuse her!" Jeremy trembled, his old frail heart felt like it will burst out of any moment, "This is scandalous! No woman should be an offering for something like— like whatever she asked for!"

"She asked me to send Nigel to Baron Pangasikan's territory. We have to put him inside a crate, lock it up, and have the maid that bit him sent over there, too." Wyatt smiled, fully entertained.

Okay, I take back what I said about him not killing people for fun—

"Have those two stuffed in a crate. We can't disappoint my sister-in-law now. Especially not now because it looked like Baron Pangasikan made my bride-to-be cry." The Count chuckled darkly under his breath, sealing the letter and pushing it towards the butler.

No one gets away after making my bride-to-be upset. Wyatt hummed, despite his warm and soft expression, his thoughts are much darker.

—

"He said that he will send him to the west after lunch." Jeriel said, informing her big sister at what she read in the letter, "With extra gift sent along side the bitten servant."

"He's really creepy." Jannah murmured, shuddering at the thought of whatever the gift would be.

"Agree." Stuffing the letter aside, Jeriel went back to tending to her horse, "Don't worry, sis. I won't let that wedding happen no matter what. Besides, the end of the world is approaching, I don't think any wedding would be possible."

"Nevermind that." Jannah waved her off, "I had the crates went ahead of us because the princess wanted to meet me before we leave. We might still be able to catch up with them if we leave as soon as I'm done with the meeting, have Kevin and Haile stay."

Before the sun light could come up to the sky, Jannah had received a letter of invitation from the crowned princess of Starlian Kingdom. The pigeon that was used to deliver the letter stayed, perched on her shoulder and wouldn't leave her alone.

Jeriel eyed the pigeon warily, "That bird is behaved and well-trained."

Jannah hummed, stepping inside the carriage and ushered for Lucienta to follow her, "We need to hurry, we must leave before sun down. I don't know how many nobles have an infected living in their home, I can't risk us like this "

"I got you." Jeriel sighed out, "We will be waiting by the north gate, okay? I'll have your horse ready. We'll leave as soon as you get there."

"Okay." Jannah nodded her head, "Be careful."

"Hey, Lucienta. Take good care of her, yeah?" Jeriel didn't answer her sister and looked at the maid, "She might be the Countess, but she's a human, too."

"Yes, Lady Jeriel." Lucienta answered with utmost sincerity.

"Good." Jeriel smiled and turned to her sister, "And you, be careful. Don't do anything rash and make a mess out of yourself, okay? It's just a few hours. Stay strong."

The little sister didn't say anything else and closed the carriage door. She smacked the carriage and huffed, "Move, Dreidel!"

"Hiyah!" Dreidel exclaimed, whipping the leathers attached to the horses, making the carriage move slowly that accelerates overtime.

Jeriel waited for the carriage to disappear from her view. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she tapped her boots against the stones beneath her soles momentarily, when the carriage completely disappeared from her sight, she turned to look at the remaining people that got left behind.

Kirie, Marietta, Aran, Haile, and Lilo.

"Have you guys double checked the windows, doors, and electricity?" Jeriel asked them.

"Yes, Lady Jeriel. I had checked the third and second floor, nothing in the rooms are open." Lilo answered, her bobbed grey hair bouncing as she lowered her head.

"The kitchen doesn't have anything except for the furniture." Aran playfully saluted with his frying pan, "We don't have a stove nor gas anymore so there's nothing in the kitchen that will set the mansion on fire."

"The rooms in the first floor is the same state, Lady Jeriel. We have locked the windows, doors, and barricaded them with wooden planks as per the Countess' orders." Kirie smiled, beaming with pride for getting the job done.

"Good job, everyone." Jeriel praised them for their hard work, "I know that everything has been very busy, but all of the questions you have will be answered soon—"

"Oh, no, Lady Jeriel." Aran had softly cut her off, "We do not doubt the Countess."

"We don't have any question." Lilo backed up the head chef with a small smile, the usual neutral expression on her face replaced with a warm one.

"We trust her." Haile said, agreeing with the other servants.

"We love our Countess." Marietta giggled, a happy and soft expression on her face as she refer to her master.

"We'll risk everything if it means the Countess will live." Kirie stated, a solemn look flashed in her eyes momentarily before she returned to her usual cheery self. It may be just a second, but Jeriel saw it.

Kirie looked like she knows something. She eyed the maid, she should feel uncomfortable for the maid's suspicious behavior, but no, she didn't feel any negative emotion.

Why? Jeriel thought, placing her hand on top of her chest, why do I feel like crying?