What in the world...

"When was the last time anyone saw him?"

The man set the knife down on the table beside the platter of geese.

"The last time anyone heard anything about him was the night he had snuck into the little lady’s room. The stable boys say that he never returned to his room."

Claire leaned against the table to support herself.

It was her fault. It was all her fault.

She must have scared the boy when she spoke so harshly to him.

Aurora would not forgive her for what she had done, she thought. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Shall I make you some fresh cakes?" He said quickly.

Claire shook her head vigorously and turned to leave the kitchen.

She still hadn’t written the letter that was to be taken to the surveyor. She needed to estimate what the land was worth if she actually planned to sell it.

As she returned to the study, she could hear Aurora and Zach’s voices coming from above.

She could already see Rory’s smile fading the moment she would tell her of Arlan’s disappearance.

Was it for the better? She couldn’t help wondering.

Her guard showed up at the door as she began to write the letter.

"Where were you?" She asked without looking up.

He said nothing.

Then she dropped the quill in the inkwell and glanced up at him.

"Where were you?" She repeated the question with a firmer voice.

He kept staring ahead, as if no one had spoken.

"I sent my squire on an errand." He finally said.

Claire had long since lost any hope that he would reply to her.

What kind of errand? This wasn’t the first time his squire was sent away on such ’errands’.

"May I know what kind of errand it was?"

He said nothing. From the way his jaw tensed, she knew he had no intention of answering her question, no matter how she asked it.

"I will be going out with Mr. Zachary. You don’t have to come along."

He finally looked down at her, though briefly.

"My orders are to never let you out of my sight."

Of course. But since he suggested that they part ways, why was he still sending his men to watch over her.

It clearly didn’t matter to him if she was dead or alive - he never sent any letters, or cared enough to.

"Having the King’s guard watch over me is ecstatic, but I can afford my own guards now. Choose where your loyalty lies."

She picked up her quill and resumed writing her letter.

Once she was satisfied with it, she sealed it and stamped it.

She needed to get a seal of her own - she couldn’t keep using the seal of the house if the red wolf.

She belonged to the house of the black wolf. And she was finally the head of her house officially.

Her father would have been proud.

But were people wrong in thinking that the King had favoured her?

After all, he had wronged her in the first place.

Claire had been avoiding thinking much about him lest she lose confidence in the plan she was scheming.

Everything about him warned her to stay away, but she just couldn’t.

She took the letter with her after letting the wax of the seal dry and went to find Mr. Perlwick.

Her guard followed closely behind her as she entered the receiving room.

Mr. Perlwick was perched over a stool, holding a pair of spectacles to read through the contents of the parchment he held.

"My lady." He said, his face as stiff as always.

Claire handed him the letter. "Have this sent to the address written there."

Perlwick turned the letter in his hands and read the address.

"How soon do you want this sent?"

She tilted her head. "As soon as possible. You can even send it right away." He nodded and rose from his perch on the stool.

Perlwick bowed and left the room, his tail coat swinging behind him.

He was older than her father had been when he died, but he never disrespected her, she thought.

She would keep him as her steward when she moved to Loodswood.

Zach and Aurora came down to meet her. Rory had tied her hair in a ponytail and had changed into a much lighter dress.

They were both looking at her with mischievous smiles on their faces.

Didn’t he feel the shift between them? Couldn’t he see that she wasn’t the same girl he used to tease and steal pecks from?

"What?" Curiosity overcrowded her better judgement.

They both burst into laughter. She blinked, a sheepish smile clouding her features.

This was the third time she was lost as to why he was laughing.

"What exactly is funny?"

Zach stepped closer. "You looked like you didn’t recognize either of us - it must be all the work and responsibility you have to cater to." He squeezed her arm.

Work and responsibility? The only thing she did was to sit down and think of a thousand ways things could have happened differently since met the woe of her dreams.

Or attend funerals of men she hardly knew.

"Come." He slipped her hand in his.

She followed him without hesitation, letting him lead her out of the house.

The first thing she noticed was the new carriage in the driveway.

The freshly lacquered wood and polished iron beams, coupled with the expensive gold and silver designs...

It looked refreshing.

Honestly, she had expected him to be riding a horse or something.

How did he get the money to afford such an elegant carriage? His vehicle could put that of some Peers of the Realm to shame.

"Shall we?" He asked her, grinning with satisfaction at the shocked look she knew was on her face.

Why did she have a feeling that he had a surprise planned... and she wouldn’t like what it was?

But she let him lead her along despite her reservations.