Maribel woke up and realise that Zain hasn't arrived today either.
She just woke up and cleaned herself up. A bath is only for the few and May doesn't have one on her inn.
She went downstairs, greeted everyone and started helping May. Tod was also helping her because he didn't want to play anymore.
May was in the kitchen while Tod took orders and delivered them. Maribel didn't have much to do just to help here and there. May didn't know why Maribel didn't want to help her cook but didn't force her.
Rhaelis was sitting down and eating her food in peace. Maribel decided to go to her and talk to her.
She asked Rhaelis if she could sit at her table before she was allowed to sit down.
"So, I didn't ask you last night. Was what I said helpful or not?" Maribel said towards Rhaelis
"It wasn't useless but it help me understand few things." Rhaelis said to her.
"Can I asked what were those things?"
"That I was wrong trying to kill Lucian without understanding him first but I still say he's dangerous." Rhaelis said to Maribel.
A man entered the inn and looked around. Tod noticed the man and decided to attend to him.
"Hey Mister, how can I help you?" Tod said to the man.
The man carried a sword on his weist. He was dressed in a brown pants and a layered, durable white long-sleeve tunic that looks like a Viking shirt. He wore brown boots
The man looked at Tod and said, "Hey kid, do you know a man by the name of Lucas?"
"I know Mr Lucas."
"Is he her by any chance?"
"I'm sorry to tell you this but mister Lucas hasn't been to this inn for the entire 4 days."
"What? Do you know where he is?"
"Nobody knows where he is."
"Okay kid." The man said feeling disappointed. The kid saw that he looked disappointed to himself and was about to say something when someone appeared behind him.
Maribel was talking with Rhaelis when she spotted Tod speaking with someone and decided to go to them.
"Is the something wrong..." Maribel said to Tod before he looked at the man. When she looked at the man, she was surprised and said, "Malrac." Without meaning to.
"I'm sorry but do we know each other?" Malrac said as he looked at Maribel and didn't recognise her.
Maribel felt pain on her heart, not because she had a crush on her or something, it was because she realised the person who she worked with, didn't recognise her or even try to recognise her.
She served in the castle before him and she showed Malrac the way around the castle when the king recruited him. Malrac saw her on the basement and did nothing but participanted to torture her too. She felt betrayed when he first tortured her
She composed herself and said in a dismissive tone, "No. Doesn't matter."
Malrac noticed the tone but said nothing to it.
"What can I help you with sir?" Maribel said in a friendly manner which Tod and Malrac noticed the shift of tone.
Rhaelis was sitting down looking at the scene when she noticed Maribel's expression when she saw the man and dismissed him like a person someone hate. She stood up and went to them.
"I was looking for Lucas but I was told he was not here." Malrac said to Maribel. Maribel noticed a beast woman coming to the and put his hand on a hilt of the sword unconsciously.
"Yes he hasn't been to this kingdom in 4 days." Maribel said as she looked at Malrac.
"Wait, he hasn't been in this kingdom for 4 days?" Malrac said in suprise as he heard the news.
"Yep, Lucian hasn't been in this kingdom for 4 days." Rhaelis said towards the man. Malrac looked at her and remembered that an S-Rank adventurer cane to the kingdom the other day.
"You must be the S-Rank adventurer, Rhaelis the Drake Maul." Malrac said to Rhaelis as he sized her up and continue to say "I'm.."
"I don't wanna know." Rhaelis said as she cut him off. She was disgusted by the way he put his hand on the hilt and the way he sized her up. She was not angry because he put his hand on his hilt, she was angry because he discriminated her.
He saw that she was a beastfolk and started to put his hand on the hilt of his sword before she even got to close to him. He sized her up, realised she's well known and decided to try becoming acquainted with her which is disrespectful.
"Excuse me..." Malrac said in surprise as he looked at Rhaelis. Rhaelis didn't have her sword on her.
She looked at Maribel and said with a hand gesture pointing at Malrac, "Who is this?"
"He's the Holy Knight."
"What? I didn't know he was a Holy Knight." Rhaelis said as she felt afraid when she heard the words 'Holy Knight'. She shivered when she looked at Malrac. Maribel realise that Rhaelis has a trauma about Holy Knight and decided to shield her from Malrac.
"I'm sorry but the person you're looking for is not here." Maribel said as she hid Rhaelis behind her. Malrac noticed that Rhaelis became afraid when she found out who she is but didn't know how Maribel found out he was a Holy Knight.
"I can see that." Malrac said as he began to walk back but before he could walk out through the door, he said, "If he get back, can you tell him the king request a meeting with him?"
"Okay, I'll deliver the message." Maribel said with an expressionless face. Rhaelis stopped shivering a while ago and was instantly suprised by the request.
'The King' She thought to herself.
Tod was also confused but amazed by the request.
Malrac walked out of the inn.
_______
After Zain left basement.
"Technically, yes and no. Now I realise why Lucas didn't want me to tell you." Aleric said as he kept walking forward.
"You're not going to tell me about it?" Olivia as as she looked at her husband. While they walked back.
"It's not like I'm not going to tell you. It's that the more I tell you, the more confusing it might become." Aleric said to her wife.
Malrac listened to them as they talk while walking behind them. Olivia wanted to ask more but saw that her husband doesn't feel like talking and it wasn't the right time or moment to ask for the information.
"I wish I can teleport at will like him." Olivia said as she felt frustrated by the walking. None of the men said anything because they felt the same.
They walked in silence after that as they left the basement. Their son spotted them when they were in a hallway and decided to go to them.
"Mom, Dad, where did you go?" The Prince said to them as he looked at his parents and their surrounding.
"Somewhere to check something." Aleric said to with a tone that suggest he better not ask again. The Prince did not react because he's used to that tone and he noticed that man is not with them.
"Where's that man? I don't see him with you?" The Prince said as he looked around.
"He left." Olivia said as she smiled at her son. The Prince was surprised that he left but was more suprised by her mother that she smiled. She didn't smile because Zain left, she smiled because her daughter is cured.
The Prince thought, 'I haven't seen her smile like that since Rowena fell in a deep sleep.'
Olivia passed her son and began walking towards her daughters wrong. Aleric and Malrac walked with her, the prince decided to follow them out of curiosity and wishful thinking.