As soon as the ladies reached the house, Fort hurried out the door to meet them at the street. He must have been anxiously awaiting their return. Lena nodded subtly at him and his shoulders relaxed.

“I am here to escort you to your appointment. Are you ready?” he asked Noble.

“I should grab my bag and maybe a bite of toast, and then I am good to go. But you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.” Noble didn’t want to be a burden.

“I was given the day off to take care of you,” Fort insisted, slightly offended that his wife thought he might stay home.

“You’re just worried about the meltdown I had earlier,” Noble cut her eyes at him.

“Can’t a man just want to go with his wife to make sure she is alright and not crying somewhere?” Fort blurted before thinking the better of it.

“He most certainly may.” Noble held out her hand. “And with you there, I am sure that I will not shed a single tear.”

Lena coughed lightly. “Let me get that purse and toast. Then I’m going to go pack up my things. I’ll be all moved out by tonight.”

“You don’t have to leave so soon…” Noble clamped her mouth shut after her mother’s withering gaze.

“You want to be needed?” Lena shot back. Then her face cracked a small smile. “As soon as I leave, trust me, they will need you plenty.”

“She’s right,” Fort agreed, not the least bit offended by the implication. He smiled warmly at Lena. “You got us through the hard time. Thanks for all your help.”

Lena hugged her son-in-law. “We got our girl back! Apparently, she wants to be put to work. If I had been through what she has, I would want to rest for a month. But to each their own. I’ll get those things so you can be on your way.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Noble sent a feeling of warmth toward her mother which was graciously received.

“Anything for you, sweetheart.” Lena slipped into the house and brought back the requested items. Soon the couple was on their way.

On the train ride, Noble watched the scenery of the city pass quietly by the window.

The silence allowed her to reflect more thoroughly on what her mother had said that morning, particularly about her father’s death.

‘Mom believed what she said or the woman would never have hinted at a government cover-up.’

Lena had even gone back and worked for the government after Lance died.

If they did cover up what had really happened, then Lena must not have held them responsible for the former Director’s death.

‘So who is?’

The answer was obvious. The Great Clans.

They had enough power and influence to make any problem disappear. Even if that problem were a person.

If one of them was responsible as Lena suspected, they were lucky to have a body to bury at all.

Noble sighed.

‘Even if what mother said is true, what can I do? It happened nearly two decades ago.’

So much had happened since then.

Would opening this Pandora’s box bring anything but heartache and possibly more death?

“What are you thinking about?” Fort interrupted her musings. “And don’t say nothing. You are never thinking about nothing.”

Staring out the window, Noble contemplated what to tell him. The train that they were on was just like the one she had thrown at the gate guardian not so long ago. Dozens of people were in earshot.

Noble could make up something, but Fort was too perceptive. He knew her games too well by now.

She pursed her lips.

“If, hypothetically, someone died a long time ago and you suspect their death might not have been an accident, would you pursue justice or let the matter rest?”

Fort looked at her strangely. “Does this come from a not-so-hypothetical source or are you just doing one of those thought experiments to keep your mind busy?”

“Does answering that question affect the outcome of your response?” Noble tilted her head as she turned to look at him.

Fort sighed. Her non-answer was all the answer he needed. But he wanted to keep her happy and her mind active, so he didn’t press further. At least for now.

“I would need more information. If the death is ancient history, then looking through the evidence would do no harm but also not have any real reward except the satisfaction of a job well done.” The man tapped his chin.

Noble kept a straight face, wondering whether to let the matter drop or if she should prod him for more advice. Thankfully he continued without her encouragement.

“On the other hand, if justice can be sought and a perpetrator brought to account for his actions, that would be a worthy goal. In this hypothetical situation, would this be true?” Fort studied his wife’s face.

Noble chewed her lip for a moment. “I’m not sure. Probably not.”

Assassins could live very short lives, so the culprit could very well be dead. And even if they were alive, the Great Clan who sent them would shield them.

Fort furrowed his brow. “Is pursuing the goal of justice going to get the one doing it into trouble?”

“Most likely.” That one was easy to answer.

Uncovering a government cover-up would make her husband’s employer look bad at best and have a Great Clan ready to murder her and her family at worst.

The Director stroked his chin. “Then, if it was long ago as you said…it may be better to let it rest. I would consider if the hypothetical person would want me to get myself in trouble for their sake when the chance of success seems so small.”

Noble frowned. Lance would want the truth to come out, but he valued the lives of his family much more than his own.

“You are probably right,” Noble sighed. “This person would not want anyone else to get hurt…hypothetically.”

Relief washed across Fort’s face. “That’s good…hypothetically.”

Fort’s communicator buzzed. He looked at it and smiled.

“What?” Noble found his sudden shift in mood.

Fort tucked his device back in his pocket. “Your interviewer is quite eager for you to arrive.”

Noble raised her eyebrows.

“You know who is going to interview me?”

The Director chuckled softly. “I do. She volunteered, and I thought you might like to have a friendly face. I hope that is alright.”

“It’s fine,” Noble pouted.

“What’s wrong?” Fort took his wife’s hand.

She sighed dramatically, “It just won’t be the same without the handsome man who interviewed me before, but I suppose he is too good for that now.”

“If you want him and only him, I will be happy to arrange that,” Fort reached for his pocket.

“No, I would rather have you by my side than interrogating me. But I am glad to know you are willing.” Noble blushed.

She was actually very thankful her interviewer wouldn’t be a stranger. Hopefully, that meant things would go more smoothly.

“Just know you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to. And if you need me to leave the room, just say the word and I’ll disappear.” Fort looked lovingly into his wife’s eyes.

He still remembered the scared girl who came out of her first Nightmare. He had started to fall for her then, though it took much longer for those feelings to develop into words. He wanted nothing more than for her to be safe and comfortable all of her days.

“Thank you, for everything,” Noble pecked her husband on the lips before the train came to a stop.

“I do like being thanked,” Fort smiled mischievously.

Noble’s ears burned, and she quickly changed the subject. “Is there anything else I need to know before I go into this?”

The Director coughed lightly. “Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me. When you speak to the interviewer, the two people who went into the Nightmare with you are Master Sarai and Master Cellio.”

“Master Cellio?” The floating woman quirked an eyebrow.

Fort held out his hand, and after a moment, Noble gave him one half of The Other’s Voice to place behind his ear. ‘Master Cellio is one of Nickel’s aliases. Any work he has done for us has been attributed to that name so it cannot be traced back to him.’

It was yet another government secret. At least this one was to keep someone she cared about alive. That was a secret that she could get behind.

‘Noted, I will be mindful.’

As they got off the platform, the two took on a professional air. They looked out at the government compound towering above them in the street.

But when Noble moved toward the front gate, Fort pulled her aside. “I’m not in the mood for one of Praised’s cryptic greetings today, are you?”

The officer had an uncanny knack for making others get ominous premonitions.

Using his credentials, Fort took his wife through a secret side entrance and then to the room for her interview.

Waiting there was an even more unexpected greeting.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep