Chapter 71: Little peddler

Chapter 71: Little peddler The room was lit with candles, giving it a golden look and a bit of a romantic atmosphere, but romance was the last thing felt between the individuals. The lights reflected on his gold mask sparkling with the glass close to his lips Whenever she remembered what his face looked like it reminded her he was truly the devil or a fallen angel of a sort to be this handsome on the outside but evil on the inside. The primary backstory about Cedric was that he grew up in the traitorous royal harem without a mother as his mum had died at birth. Being in such a disadvantageous position and the first son of the prince made growing up difficult as many saw him as a threat. The reason he was sent to war at an early age was to kill him because the queen knew she could not openly assassinate him in the palace. But to their surprise, not only did he not die on the front lines as a child, but he quickly rose the ranks on merits and became a hero of the kingdom. At one point, he had the makings of a hero, with his downfall being his obsessive and psychotic behaviour. The smirk that hung on Cedric’s lips gave Abrielle a sinister feeling, it felt like he was deliberately trying to get her scared of him. "You must have had a reason and knowing how annoying Alfonso is, killing him would have done the world a great favour." Abrielle answered, making Cedric’s grin turn into a smirk, "You make it seem like I was born with a vindictive heart, but I didn’t have a reason. It was an accident Alfonso would never forget because it reminds him of hell." Alfonso would never forget because Cedric had accidentally set him on fire. It was a pure accident on little Cedric’s part, but who would believe the devil spawn made a mistake? For a short, fleeting moment, she saw a strange emotion in those gold eyes, but she shook it off. She would rather not touch the untouched that was the broken villain; he was designed to be a psycho so that the male lead genuinely would shine. Beside a bright person, there must be darkness, the same for Abrielle, only that Cedric was also drawn to the female lead’s light. Cedric placed his glass on the table and got on his feet barely had he taken more than three bites of his food. "I will be out till very late, make sure to get enough rest for the journey tomorrow." He informed her and then left the room. As soon as he was gone, the strong suffocating atmosphere was gone, and Abrielle could breathe easily. She wondered what made her originally fall in love with someone so dark. Being rescued was not enough reason to be obsessed with him. The door was shut after Cedric, and his eyes turned cold after taking a few steps away; Elias, who had been guarding the doors, appeared. "Are the preparations complete?" Cedric inquired. "Yes, your Highness," the head of his elite shadow knights answered. ****** An hour later, a mysterious figure wearing a long black hood made her way through the busy streets of Swamp Creek that were ever-vibrating in the night. The marketplace was filled with traders from different locations. Abrielle’s eyes darted around, trying to find something; after she was done with dinner, she informed Evelyn she would love to visit the town, and for her safety, she was accompanied by Evelyn and two other knights who followed them in the shadows so as not to attract much attention on the streets. "Is there anything that has caught your attention, your highness?" Evelyn asked Abrielle, seeing a lot of exciting items on display. "Not yet," Abrielle answered; she wasn’t out to shop but to find information on the hermit witch as the system described. "Maybe you should get the prince a wedding present; you are yet to return him," Evelyn mentioned, talking about one of Darconia traditions where married couples are meant to gift themselves. Normally, the man would give the lady binding rings, and then the lady would return the favour by giving something of value to him. This has been on Abrielle’s mind, but she had no idea of a gift a prince like Cedric would appreciate, and she didn’t even bother herself to think about it. "A street market like this will not have something of the prince’s taste," Abrielle answered. Her eyes spotted an alley that seemed to have gathered a good number of crowds that aroused her attention. She made her way there while Evelyn quickly followed behind her. It was a peddler not older than 12 selling what he claimed to be magical items. At first glance, they seemed to be items of no quality; this made Abrielle a bit disappointed because she was hoping to run into the hermit witch by chance. "Get your magical mask for protection," the boy beckoned at an outrageous price, it was a paper mask no one seemed to be interested in. The thing about peddlers is that they might possess gold in their garbage, and that’s why some people bother buying them. Abrielle lost interest and turned away to continue her investigation when she heard the boy call out to her. "Fair lady in the hood, I urge you to buy one of my goods in exchange for very valuable information that will please you." The boy’s voice rang. Abrielle stopped wondering what information a street peddler might have to give her. "My lady don’t pay any attention to him; his kind only knows how to trick people out of their money," Evelyn warned her. It was true, but the money was Cedric’s, so her conscience would not be hurt by throwing it away, and she was genuinely curious about what he had to say. Abrielle turned back, walking in front of the crowd to meet the boy. On closer inspection, she realized she had foreign features to Darconia. "What information do you have for me?" . "You will have to buy an item, my lady. I know you are searching for something and my foresight might be of advantage for your impossible quest against death." The boy whispered leaving her stunned. .