Retrieve the Kingdom

The Mistress

“I am sorry, but I need to go now. I want to talk with the new member of the house, but I am in hurry. See you anytime soon, Phoebe.” 

That’s all the words she said earlier to her as Lady Naia left the house. She was really in a hurry on how she went out of the mansion. “Isn’t she supposed to be here all the time?” Phoebe asked the archduke who just sighed. 

“She’s not just a simple woman titled as ‘Lady’ because she is married to me. She has a real job in the kingdom and apparently, that job is busy these days.” The archduke decided to go upstairs. Phoebe was gonna ask another question, but Bermin seems to be down.

“How was your trip?” Andrei asked her to stop the awkward silence dominating the living room. “It’s fine, just a little chatting here and there. I got to say, Belle’s aunt is really nice.” She smiled. “That’s great.” Phoebe decided to went to her room and dress up in her home clothes. 

While the people in the mansion have their wonderful dinner, the king was taking his dinner in anger. He can almost bend the spoon on how pissed he is. “Dad, calm down,” Andres said to him as he eats his dinner. 

His father doesn’t have a choice but to calm himself. He took a deep breath and puffs it out. “What happened again?” His son asks as he just shook his head in disappointment. “I got ironically captured by the one who we are capturing.” He just laughs in embarrassment.

“The mysterious veiled lady?” He asked for confirmation, but his father raised his index finger. “Wrong, the mistress. I was caught by the mistress.” Andres raised his left eyebrow, “Another one?” 

King Dougal shook his head, “She gave her real nickname, she is the mistress. The mistress who is making our head hurt and everything falls.” The confused face of Andres turned to his normal, flat face. “Alright.” 

The king looked at him, “Don’t you care about this? You are the heir. You are the next king after me. This will be your kingdom sooner or later. And all you can say is alright?” He was a bit pissed with the indifferent attitude of his son. 

“I mean, how will I react? Should I cry? Be angry? Rage? Be dramatic about it? It’s just a new nickname for someone who you are chasing, it’s just a small piece of the puzzle that you guys are solving, or even, just a rename of it.” His dad looks at him confused about his attitude. 

“You should be angry about what happened to me, you should be angered that your dad was fooled by the mistress, and be angry at his guards who foolish on their job! Do you even have a heart?”

Andrei just secretly snickers while he shook his head in mere disappointment. “Dad, first of all, you should be thankful to her that she knocks you off to your comfort to make it clear that she’s not a joke to begin with, that you need to move and be prepared since even you were heavily guarded you still got caught.” 

He glared at his son, he doesn’t like any words he said. His son looks back and continued as if he didn’t understand any of the gestures. “And second, yes, I was a bit angry that you were on the verge of your death and feel just mere disappointed of your guards even there are a dozen of them guarding you in that place.” 

The king sighed as Andres was too fed up and continued to speak, “Third, to be frankly honest with you, even as your son, I am laughing at your stupid decisions. Get your priorities straight.” Dougal glared at him, “Are you now degrading me? Your father?” 

“Dad, you will not be degraded if you just do the right things, well, right things that you know. And, the last thing, I have a heart, metaphorically and literally, don’t use that against me.” After a minute, he finished his dinner and decided to leave him alone.

“Where are you going?” His dad asked as he turns to him. “Getting some fresh air, I recommend that to you also.” He continued as the door opens again, revealing Queen Laila. She looked concerned as she approached her husband. “What happened my dear?” She asked. 

“Your son, he is talking back at me again.” The king just sighed as Laila caresses his shoulder. “You didn’t get already used to it. It’s been years since he is like that.” He looks at her, “His dad just wants a gentle pat at the back, not a harsh punch.” 

The lady just giggled and shook her head, laughing as it will never come true. “You know he will never be gentle, I’ll die if he will be one.” The two royal couple shared laughter as the queen took her dinner with her husband.

The next day, it was a lovely day. The sun is shining brightly and the clouds weren’t rude today. People are walking here and there, with different intentions and plans for the day. A particular man was walking around with his pen and hand in his pocket. He was wearing clothes that can hide him, but not too mysterious to call attention. 

He was at the town of Itzhoff. Every step of him was overlaid by the sound of grinding, metal screeching, the clanging of steel, and other metallic sounds. He was at the armory and blacksmithy center of the town. Itzhoff was in the Dorsite anyway, the Mining Capital of the kingdom. 

What was his intention? No one knows. But surely, he was following a woman transporting some bronze around to one particular blacksmith stand. As the woman placed some wooden box of bronze near the stand, he approached her. The lady jumped a bit in fear as he suddenly appeared behind her as she turns. 

“Don’t fear, lady. I am not a bad guy, I just need a private conversation with you.” She looked at him from the top of his head down to the tip of his boots. “Why would I have a private conversation with a stranger?”

“I am a former official investigator. Got fired because of some anomalies within the group. I am just here to ask you questions, and I don’t want anyone to overhear it.” The lady looked at the ground, biting her lips in fear. “Where do you want it?” 

“Maybe just at the back of this blacksmith stand, is this your husband’s?” The lady nods, “Yes, of course.” She wipes the dirt on her hand on her skirt. “Okay, we will talk behind there. At least you will feel a lot safe and we will not get overheard. You can notify your husband if this isn’t enough for you.” 

“No, no! Don’t mind about it, we shall get started, you seem a busy man.” They went behind the stand as the screech of grinding and the clank of hammering the steel covers the sound of their talking. 

“You are Alena of Dorsite, right?” The lady nods, “Yes, I am Alena. What do you need from me, Mr. Investigator?” He gets a piece of paper and read it. “Do you know the mistress?” 

The lady froze as she tried to answer but she stutters. “W-well… I know her from the newspaper…” The investigator looked at her suspiciously. “Is that so? My job will be a lot easier if you tell the truth.”

“Are you one of the king’s investigators?” He shook his head, “I have not affiliated with any of the monarchs anymore. I am a mere independent investigator who does things on my own. So tell me, are you one of the mistress’ clients?” The lady was still a bit hesitant. 

“Well, I can’t really say that I am a client… I don’t even know how I got to meet her.” She was still nervous and stuttering. She was also unsure of her words. “One day, a veiled lady approached me while I was setting up the stand of my husband while he transports some of his goods. She said that the king’s military commanders have been making a bad business with the weapons and armor we are selling.” 

“That’s strange…” The investigator commented as the lady nods. “Yeah… And, I guess you know that we are getting a little poorer here because of the king.” She looks around and starts whispering, “Are you really sure about this?” 

“Just go, your husband’s work is keeping the noise of our talk private.” She gulps as she nervously looked around again before continuing. “She wants to help us. She knows there’s emerging hate within us to the king. I’ve got to admit, but he is literally being a scumbag. I don’t really know if it’s the commanders, but for me, it’s the king.”

“What she did next?” He questioned her as she continues. “She said that she wants to recruit me, or I don’t really know if it’s recruiting or not. But she certainly wants me to rebel to the king, and I need to wait for her signal.” 

“Huh, she is making a rebellion group?” The lady shrugged, “I don’t really know. I am not even taken away on a camp or anything. She just said wait, so I just wait until she approaches me again. But the news said that she is already in Enoch, so I doubt that she will come back to me again, or whatever.” 

“What does she look like?” The lady thinks for a while to remember how does the mistress looks. “Well, she is certainly taller than me. She has good curves. I am really thinking she is one of the nobles since her body is so majestic when near. She was like a goddess in veil coming to me.” 

The detective just nods and lets the lady continued. “She had that black veil and her black tight gown. She also has her wide-brimmed summer hat. She met me in a dark place, that’s why I didn’t saw what is the shape of her face.” 

“You definitely have a bit different one. The others said that she has a small black hat, aren’t you mistaking something?” She shook her head, “Maybe she just has a new hat, or whatever, but I am certainly right about it.” 

“Your husband is a member of one who creates weapons and armors special for the castle army, right?” She nods, “How did you know that?” “Sources, don’t you mind if I bother your husband?” She nods, “Let me just notify him, he might s***h you with a machete.” 

Alena went to the stand and notified her husband about the investigator. “Let him come in.” And he did, he quickly approached the waiting blacksmith. “Greetings, I am an investigator and I just want to ask a question you.” He looks at him. “What is it?”

“Would you mind if you lead me to your guild’s leader?” The blacksmith was a bit suspicious about him as his wife explained everything. He sighed and lead him to the bigger blacksmith stand, it wasn’t even a stand, it was like a factory of weapons. 

“Demetri!” A man of a tall height with some noticeable long but buffed arms approached him. “Yeah, Lian?” He looks at Alena’s husband. “Some investigator wants to talk with you.” 

“Woah, did I made some crappy armors and the generals doesn’t like it?” The investigator approached him. “Not really, just gonna ask you some questions.” Demetri looked at him, “Are you gonna investigate this blacksmith center? I am not prepared so expect some jerk workers here.” 

“I am not here for that. Let’s have some private talk.” Alena and Demetri left as they went to his office. “What do you want?” They took a seat. “I just want to talk about the mistress.”

The investigator went home after that investigation for the day. He grabbed some notes and compared them. He nods in satisfaction. 

“I am near to solve your mystery, the mistress.”