Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Intrigue By Mail

I live in the electronic age. Or I did. Texts, emails, video chat. I’ve know from books and movies and from my grandparents reminiscing that letters used to mean something. Getting one was a huge deal.

Now, I feel an eager anticipation I never felt from an email or text. There is just something tactile about paper. I wish I could read the letter. I can read a bit, surprisingly. I still have my beast eyes and brain, but my human senses somehow came with me, including my ability to read. Of course, I can read the System messages because that’s how the game works.

[Blaze Reading Skill Increased.]

Kaline sits down with us gathered around her, and I read along. Demos and Gussie squint, because they don’t know how to read. Maybe I can teach them. But would that be weird?

Clearing her throat, Kaline begins.

“Dear Young Miss,

You cannot imagine how humiliated I was for my family when I watched your carriage drive off in the dead of night. Honestly! This would NEVER have happened if Father were here. The servants say I shouldn’t count on a letter from him wherever he is, but I wrote him one right after you left. I was so upset that I couldn’t even look at Mother. I locked myself in my room and wrote to Father. It is his birthday, another one come and gone and him not here, so me sending him a letter would not be that unusual.

In any event, everyone can think what they like. And by ’everyone,’ I mean Mother.

She was in the wrong. All the houses know it, from what I hear. All our servants know it. Including the ones that deserted their posts that night. I don’t whip people that work for us, but I’d probably start if i saw them. They’ve disappeared along with our family’s reputation.

The morning after the ball, she didn’t say a word about what had happened, but she doesn’t control everything the way she thinks she does. Before dawn, Little Trillium, the maid who lights the fires in the rooms, was gabbing on and on about the whole thing with Elandior, the guard who saved Blaze. Then Trillium went and gossiped with the other servants. Then those servants told the many, many visiting valets and lady’s maids and coachmen, who told all the guests that they work for.

Also, if any beasts in the Beast Wing had telepathy, their masters knew the whole embarrassing tale before anyone else.

Breakfast was awkward. Mother acted as if nothing happened. Everyone asked questions. but she just said that someone scared Blaze and your other beast and the bird in the night–”

Gussie fluffs her feathers, all wounded pride. “I am NOT just a bird.”

“Of course not,” Kaline declares. “He didn’t mean anything.” She strokes Gussie’s wing. “May I continue now?”

Gussie settles down, her feathers rustling.

Kaline continues reading.

“Scared Blaze and your other beast and the bird in the night. Some of the guests believed her. I don’t think they wanted to think that someone could just come in and take their beasts at will. And there was a lot of nonsense about your house being cursed. Absolutely ridiculous. Of course your house isn’t cursed.”

Kaline stops reading the letter, wrinkling her nose. “Are we cursed?”

Vedette swats at her arm. “Bite your tongue!”

“First Memo and Judo…and now Viscount Rotten steals Blaze…” Kaline seems to be wrestling with an ugly possibility. “Maybe our house is cursed. We should visit a curse remover.”

The System provides a notice.

[Side Quest Unlocked: Visit Curse-Breaker in village.]

So, we are cursed?

Vedette scoffs. “Don’t be silly.”

Kaline is relentless. “If it’s so silly, why are you crossing your fingers? You always do that when you’re scared and trying not to let me know. And you are scared.”

In a warm, affectionate move, Vedette hugs her sister. “I am. I don’t want ANYTHING to happen to Blaze, Demos, or Gussie. I tell you what. Demos just told me that he thinks we need to find someone who breaks curses.”

Kaline’s voice drops. “There’s the Hiccuping Hermit.”

Hiccuping Hermit?

I want to roll on the ground laughing, until I remember that the Hiccuping Hermit is, in fact, part of the game. I never visited this person.

“Mama and Papa say that the Hiccuping Hermit is dodgy,” Vedette replies in a hushed voice. “But he’s supposed to be good. Or she. I’m not sure who the Hiccuping Hermit actually is, but we should go and see what it’s all about.”

Kaline hugs her sister, grateful for her support. “Thank you.”

The System provides a notice.

[Side Quest Unlocked: Visit Hiccuping Hermit with Kaline.]

Thank goodness I didn’t have to bust my tail to arrange that one!

[Now that that’s done, I wish they’d get back to the letter.] Gussie sounds impatient. [I have to know what Hans Lammermoor said!]

Demos snorts rudely. [I agree. Enough with all this hugging.]

Vedette pats her sister on the arm. “Now that that’s settled, let’s see what else Hans has to say.”

Soothed, Kaline continues reading. “Your house is not cursed. I’m sure of it. You have just had bad luck, that’s all. And I told everyone so. Even Mother said the bad luck rumor was ridiculous. But that’s not much. She could have done a lot more. And I have been after her for days now to take these beast kidnappings seriously. We need to do something about it.

And yes, we should talk face to face, with no stuffy people, no family feuds, nothing to stop us.

Funny enough, I’m going to Market Day in the village this Wednesday. I like the sausage and pepper stand. You can meet me there at noontime. Afterwards, we can have some hot spiced cider. I like that too.

I’ll be dressed simply, wearing a big straw hat, too.

And Lightning can’t wait to see Blaze as well.

Until Wednesday, I remain…

Your faithful servant, Hans Lammermoor”

Lightning wants to see me?

I may explode from shock.

And I can’t wait for Market Day on Wednesday. Not because of Lightning, no! We will finally get some answers about these horrible beast kidnappings!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep