Chapter 59 - Under the table

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 - Under the table PoV: Levinna "Do you think it’s her?" "I don’t know what you’re talking about." "Don’t come with that, Boss. Of course you know what I’m talking about." Levinna sighs while she pours a bit more wine into her cup. She’s a black-haired, middle-aged woman with toned muscles and the gait of a seasoned warrior. "Listen here, Kipper. I never ratted on anyone who’s under my care, and I don’t plan to start today. That girl’s under my care for as long as she stays here and doesn’t break the rules." The man Levinna called Kipper has a thin frame that hides his true skills. He’s able to enter and exit anywhere unnoticed, as long as there is a physical opening. Or so he claimed. "Bah, you’re losing money with that. The Duke was paying in gold for any news of her whereabouts." With a smooth move of her legs, she kicks his chair from below him before he could react. The man is now sprawled on the floor, while Levinna takes another sip of her wine. "Don’t get any funny ideas, Kipper. That is, if you want to continue being a keeper of your own skin." "Damn it, woman! Would it kill you to be polite to people?" But before he can get back up, she’s already standing, with one foot over his chest, pinning him to the ground. "I didn’t get to live this much in this kind of trade by being polite. I did it by not putting my nose into business that doesn’t concern me." She lets go of him and returns to her chair and her cup of wine. "You should learn from your seniors, Kipper." "You’re more a witch than a senior, Boss." "Oh, that’s a nice idea. Maybe I should turn you into a rat, then?" "Tsk." Kipper got up, picked his chair back, and sat on it. Then, he got his mug from the table, which was still half filled with mead. "That Duke was waiting for that girl to return to save her mother. He even paid a very pricey mercenary band to guard his place for years." "And? What does that have to do with me?" "He dismissed the band last month because the price was too high." "You know that it wasn’t the only reason. "He was convinced that if she had never come back to rescue her mother, then she had finally died in the wasteland." "Exactly. There’s no way any child could survive alone out there. That girl is dead, so let’s keep her like that and mind our own business." "But the gold he’s put on her head would pay those debts of yours." "That’s not how I conduct business here, and you know it." "But think about it. If those guys come next month and you still don’t have the money..." ::: PoV: ??? "Are you sure about that?" "I would never bring this up if I wasn’t sure, Master." "So you’re saying that a girl who looks exactly like princess Lillian was walking in the street. In this city, of all places." "Yes, Master." "I’ll ask again. Are you sure about that?" "Yes, Master." The man sighs, putting a hand on his forehead. The elf ’maid’ in front of him is a trustworthy undercover agent who’s been serving his family for a long time. The man is crown prince Jyllian, heir of the kingdom of Wesgoth and older half-brother of Lillian Annes. "Tell me everything you saw, then." "She seems to be around ten years old, and she’s accompanied by a fox beastkin warrior. They were using some sort of illusion on their clothes, but I didn’t manage to see through to what they were hiding." "Oh? An illusion strong enough to resist you?" "Yes. I followed them as they entered a clothing shop. When they came back to the street, they were wearing normal clothes, with no illusions on them." "And then?" "Then they went straight north and looked for an inn. They avoided the ones on the main street and went to one with ties to the underworld of this city." "Did they look like they knew where they were going?" "No, they seemed to just be trying to maintain a low profile." "And I suppose you’ve already sent someone to keep an eye on them." "Of course, Master." "Good. You did well, Shalia. Even if she has no connection whatsoever, it’s better to keep tabs just in case." The elf Shalia just nods, then goes to prepare some tea for the prince. "Ten years... The princess disappeared twelve years ago. So, the age matches." Shalia just keeps brewing the tea. She knows better than to interrupt her master when he is talking to himself. "The Duke saved us all, back then. The attempt at a Coup D’Etat against my father almost succeeded, and in the end it was the Duke who swept the conspirators away." He isn’t looking at Shalia as he talks, nor at any proper direction. His gaze was lost in his distant memories. "The last reports about her came from the Duke’s subordinates, and they swore that they had seen her dead, floating on the river." Shalia finishes preparing the tea and brings a cup to the table in front of him. "But I always felt like there was more to that story; I just never managed to wrap my fingers around it. What are your thoughts on the matter, Shalia?" Being directly asked, Shalia didn’t hold back on her judgment. "I stand by what I said back then. The Duke was the one behind the coup to begin with." "Yeah, I remember that. But we didn’t have, nor do we have now, any proof." "If that kid is her child, she might still be alive. It would be the proof we need." "That’s a big if. Why would he keep a liability like that alive?" "With all due respect, Master. You don’t know what the gaze of a lecherous man feels like. And that man always had that kind of eyes towards her." Prince Jyllian sighs, taking the cup in his hands and sipping the tea. "You’re right on that; I don’t know how to notice that kind of look. So, you’re saying that he might be holding sis for..." He doesn’t finish the phrase, as a cloud has taken over his expression.