"Whew —" Chixia exhaled, awe-struck, by the massive throng gathered outside the City Hall. "Never seen such a crowd here before."
Before the trio stretched a restless sea of faces, expressions ranging from irritated to outright giddy. People clustered in pockets, all flocking near the entrance.
"Why can I not have an audience with Madame Magistrate?"
"I met Lady Sanhua and she rejected me... Kya!"
Opportunists, hopefuls, rumor-chasers the entrance had become a funnel collecting all kinds of such profit minded people as the guards struggled to calm them down.
Watching this farce, Yangyang frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Why would the Magistrate make something this important public?"
"Maybe... she doesn't know who her guest is either," Rover deduced. Still, she couldn't help musing to herself, 'Is there a reason she wants a commotion like this?'
"You mean?" Yangyang asked, trying to track Rover's thought process.
Rover answered, "Nothing much, I simply believe that the Magistrate must have some way to identify who her real guest is."
"Hmm..." Yangyang mulled that over, but finally shrugged. "I can't really keep up with your thoughts, but I think a meeting with the Magistrate wouldn't hurt."
"Same here, you should at least meet her, even if its to clear doubts." Chixia added. Whatever plan the Magistrate had, she was still their best lead.
Rover gave a small nod. "I believe so."
However, looking at the masses gathered before the copper gates of the City Hall, doubt flickered through Rover's mind. Will I be rejected like them? What if I'm not the person she's looking for?
"Hey! Why did you let him in?" an indignant voice shouted at the guards as someone ahead was allowed entry.
"—!!?"
Rover turned toward the commotion, and her breath hitched, catching a glimpse of the man who had entered — it was the man from the elevator. He slipped past the gates, and her mind raced. 'Could it be that he's the one?'
But the guard explained calmly, "He's just here to meet the officials."
"How's that any different from us?" someone fired back, and the crowd roared in agreement. "Exactly! How can you be so unjust?! Is this how Jinzhou treats its visitors?"
Rover frowned at the rising tension. 'That man...' She clicked her tongue. 'Does he only know how to cause trouble?'
A while ago he'd shoved her aside, and now his arrival stirred up more chaos. Everywhere he went, the air tightened.
That's when another guard clarified, "It's because that man declared he is not the special guest."
"..."
Silence rippled through the group.
Rover felt an unease. 'This is not going to end well.'
And sure enough.
"WHAT?! THAT MAKES NO SENSE!"
"YEAH! WHAT KIND OF REASONING IS THAT?!"
The tension doubled, voices rising. Then someone in the crowd muttered aloud in a fit of rage, "Why would he be allowed in if he too—mmph!"
Immediately, another person clamped a hand over the man's mouth, eyes wide with fear. Simultaneously, the others who had been loudly opposing the guards' judgment all turned to look at him, their expressions mirroring that same flash of panic.
However, as the fear drained and clarity settled in, one shared thought flickered through every mind like a spark: 'Shit.'
They had all been so united in their complaints moments ago that when one person blurted out they 'too' weren't the special guest, the rest instinctively looked toward him.
Although it had been a reflex born from pure impulse, the damage was done. From the guards' point of view, it now looked like every one of them was an accomplice in the same lie.
The guards, already fed up with the visitors' arrogance and demands, quickly seized the moment.
"Aha!" one of the guards said with a triumphant smirk. "So none of you are the special visitor after all."
"Tch." A few clicked their tongues in frustration, which only made them look guiltier.
"Get lost," the guard barked. "Unless you want to be escorted out."
Caught red-handed, the crowd began to scatter in defeat. And despite some protest, and few insisting on staying. Under the guards' scrutinizing, admonishing gazes, they soon relented.
Within moments, the entrance was cleared, leaving only the three maidens standing there.
A guard eyed them with suspicion, but didn't shout at them to leave like the others.
He recalled what the man — the one who had entered the City Hall — had whispered to him: "These people will eat you guards alive if you keep letting do as they please. So how about this? Tell them that I'm not here to meet the Magistrate."
"What?" the guard had muttered, confused.
The man only pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh. Also, if some people choose to stay after that, odds are the special guest is among them. Pay extra attention."
"..."
As for the three maidens, they stood frozen, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Pft—" Chixia finally let out a breathy laugh. "Wow… that was a satisfying self-detonation to watch!" Chixia exclaimed, shaking her head.
"It wasn't a bang!" She added, brushing at the corner of her eyes where laughter had brought tears. "But… satisfying nonetheless."
Yangyang heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad nothing major happened," she said, then turned to Rover. "Rover, why don't you go inside?"
"..."
No response came, causing Yangyang to raise a brow in concern. "Rover?"
Rover hesitated, her mind racing. 'That man… was this his intention all along?'
From her perspective, it was clear. The chaos he had sown among the crowd was deliberate — a carefully placed fracture in an already tense environment.
The moment one person had admitted that they 'too' weren't the special guest, the reaction spread like wildfire. The fragile, crowded system of the populace — the glass cannon of their collective might — shattered entirely under its own weight.
"Haa..." Rover exhaled slowly, her gaze drifting down at the white coat emblazoned with a wolf symbol. She wondered, 'Was he a genius playing the fool, or am I overthinking this?'
The man remained a complete mystery. Even though Rover was confident in reading intentions, she found his thoughts unreadable, as if they were empty. Yet... her sharp instincts warned her otherwise — this man was anything but simple.
"Phew," she breathed, finally speaking aloud. "I… I will be going in."
With that, she loosened the coat he had given her, folding it carefully in her arms. Determined, she resolved to return it to him, and perhaps, in doing so, uncover the mystery behind the unease that clung to her whenever he was near.
The guards made no move to block Rover's path. After checking her Terminal, they confirmed that she had been cleared by the higher-ups for an evaluation to verify her status as the guest.
She moved through the procession smoothly, eventually being led to a chamber by the receptionist — and there he was.
"Fuu— sip."
He was leisurely sipping his tea when his eyes landed on her. "Pft—!" He choked on his own drink, and a thin stream of tea escaped his nostrils as shock registered across his face at her unexpected appearance.
Unsure, Rover felt an inexplicable urge to punch him. 'Is he really so self-assured that he believes I'm not the special guest?' she wondered.
She studied him a little longer, and the man, who had initially seemed surprised, blinked, then a frown briefly etched itself on his face. But soon his expression brightened as he shook his head with a smile.
Grip—
Rover's hand tightened around the coat. She could almost read his thoughts from that subtle expression: 'No, no, no, I am overthinking… she can't be the special guest.'
Swallowing the irritation bubbling up in her chest, Rover sat down in one of the empty chairs directly across from the infuriating man.
Before she could settle fully, a silver-haired woman dressed in black outfit appeared with soundless grace. Her gaze swept over Rover, and the Tacet Mark on her right eye glimmered faintly.
Surprise flickered across her features before smoothing into a composed, polite smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I apologize for the delay. My name is Sanhua, bodyguard to Madam Magistrate."
Crack—
The cup in the man's hand split slightly under his grip.
Unfazed, Sanhua turned to him and offered a bow. "And it is also a pleasure to meet you again, Sir Kurian of the Ghost Hounds."
Kurian's lips twitched, equal parts smile and suppressed nervousness. "Nice to see you too… little Sanhua." His uneasy eyes slid back toward Rover. "Would you mind giving the two of us a moment alone? Just half a minute?"
Sanhua tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "Is something wrong?"
"Just do me this favor," Kurian pressed, lowering his voice as if the walls themselves were listening. "I'll give you a whole jar of my best confits later."
Though she had her doubts, she decided to leave, not because of the confit, but because someone like Kurian had personally asked. And since it was only for half a minute, she figured, 'Nothing major would happen.'
So she nodded once and slipped out.
The moment the doors closed behind her, Kurian hurriedly set aside his teacup and teapot, straightening with an oddly formal tension. He stepped up to Rover, a small jar of cherry confit now in his hand.
Mustering what was very clearly the best smile he was capable of producing, he held it out to her like a peace offering. "Lady… would you mind forgetting what happened between us earlier?"
To be continued...