Venus Rouge

INTERLUDE: Hide nor Hair

May 16, 515IE, Main road, Viennes, Northern Verne Fief, Gestalt Kingdom

Hylton Smith is most certainly not having a good time of it at all.

Here he was wringing his hands in the back of a carriage hurtling through the capital town of Verne fief.

His master shall have his head! So displeased his master will be that he has failed what should have been a simple task that Hylton can already feel himself getting stabbed silently in the night and tossed into some inky dark river with no one the wiser.

Collecting His Royal Highness, Prince Leon, should not have been something he would trip over in this manner.

'Blast them all! What a bloody inconvenient time to be on a trip of all things!' The thought of having only that to bring before his Lord and Master made is moustache bristle in anxiety and his hands shake harder.

His Lord's plan simply could not go forward without having Prince Leon finally step forward to claim his birth right!

And Blast those servants most of all!

Hylton's own reception into Onyx manor had been put off in favour of speaking with those ruffians from the Order of the Lone Sword, of all people!

He got shuffled off into a guest room for a day until he could finally meat with not the Duchess but the house's steward and be informed that said lady of the house was still deathly infirm. The man then proceeded to all but stifle Hylton in pleasantries and ceremony.

It was only when he managed, at last, to ask after the whereabouts of Prince Leon did the obtuse fool offhandedly mention that the Prince had gone into town days ago.

Hylton barely managed to escape even more pleasantry by the skin of his teeth and head for Viennes at top speed.

Good luck didn't seem like it was in the cards for him however, as the staff of the townhouse insisted that their master had long since head out from there on a trip, and when asked where, they insisted that only the servants in the Big-house would know things like that.

He was helpless.

His Majesty the King had not decreed that Prince Leon may return to the capital, so he couldn't very well go back to the Manor and demand that they hand over the young prince to him, and damned if he'd go back just to have that steward talk circles around him again!

He need only tell the Prince that it is an order from his Queen Mother and get him to leave on his own, but he first needed to find him.

With a sudden Idea in mind, Hylton bade his driver to stop at the nearest inn. Someone of the people on the streets must have heard of a Lord's entourage travelling around.

With certainty, he strode quickly into a reasonably well-off establishment and placed a handful of gold coins on the counter before the rather plump bar-maid.

"Miss, I should be quite delighted if you would tell me what you've heard of the whereabouts of young Lord Onyx and his little friends," He gave the woman what he hoped was a winning smile despite all the stress of the past few days. The greying blonde woman's eyes widen almost comically at the glittering gold coins on the polished wooded surface before hurrying to respond.

"The young lord left town little more than two weeks ago sir! I saw the party with my own eyes!" Said the woman breathily. "My brother 'erd from one of 'em guards 'oldin' the banners that they'll be 'eadin off to Alexander fief, sir!"

'Thank the god of Light!'

Hylton only just stopped himself from grinning in sheer relief.

"Thank you, miss! You've done me a great service." He tipped his hat to her and spun on his heels as she scrambled to gather up the coins.

This was spectacular!

He now knew for certain where the two boys had gone off to!

His joy was only tempered by knowing that it was a full two weeks since they had left! But no matter; he's now regained some confidence in catching up to them.

Gaining a second wind, he hurries back to his carriage shouting to his driver to head to Alexander fief as quickly as possible. He was barely settled before the carriage took off, this time to the west and Alexander fief.

May 19, 515IE, Main road, Alexander Fief, Gestalt Kingdom

Papers.

The escorted carriages that Hylton caught up to were filled with nothing but trade documents and clerks to do business with Marquis Alexander.

Seeing the heavily armed group coming their way along the main road was like a ray of light delivered in the hands of the god of light himself after a bleak winter night, and Hylton's heart sored at the sight of them.

He was ecstatic as he flagged them down and presented his Lord's house crest... only for his face to sink upon being told and shown that those carriages contained naught but chest upon chest of official documents and clerk hopefuls going to apprentice in Verne fief with Marquis Alexander's faith.

His Royal Highness, Prince Leon, nephew of his Lord Master and vital component to the future of Gestalt Kingdom was still nowhere to be found.

The fellow in the leading carriage told him, when he enquired about the Prince's whereabouts, that Kaoru Onyx had apparently taken the Prince along on a pilgrimage to Orphea at said royal's behest.

ORPHEA!

Leagues away in the opposite direction!

Hylton wasn't a man usually given to swearing, but this situation got his goat!

The only consolation for these shenanigans was the look on the faces of the Men from the OLS as they too stumbled upon this reversal.

What could he do now?

He wasn't anywhere near equipped to chase them down at this time. He'd never catch up!

He could only return to his Lord with what he knows, tail between his legs and hope for Mercy. Hope that his job, and more importantly his neck, stay intact long enough for him to see another sunrise.

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Just a short interlude.
I am uploading this from my phone (thank good I had this saved here) because my laptop is once again only turning on when it feels like it and abruptly overheating and crashing all the goddamn time. AGAIN.

I was typing up the next chapter to put on patreaon and the teaser for here when it dipped and erased half my progress, so I'm too angry for words right now.

Thanks again Benjen Tenorsaxophony, Maggie Davis, cjcamero, Jenny and Ariana.

P.S. Bunny rules you!