♚♚♚
THE day after the postman delivered Rock’s letter, Ebel arrived at her shop before his reply. He likely saw the poster hanging outside the shop, since his expression was harder than usual when he set foot inside.
“He went missing?” Ebel asked Rock as she helped him into the basted court uniform in the fitting room.
“It seems that way,” Rock confirmed, then continued, “I haven’t seen him once since that night he appeared in front of my apartment. From what I gather, no one else has seen him since that following afternoon either.”
“Hrm… What’s the reason for his disappearance?”
“No one knows…” Rock held the tailcoat out to Ebel while shaking her head.
He slid his arms through the sleeves with practiced ease, then frowned.
“No one knows? He just up and disappeared then?”
“Yes. It’s not even clear if he left of his own will, got involved in some bad business, or is just hiding somewhere nearby.”
As she spoke, Rock circled behind Ebel and gently straightened his collar. His court uniform seemed perfectly tailored to his exact measurements. Now she just had to do the final stitching. But she wanted to resolve her concerns before that.
“It’s just that Nisha—Krister’s lover—seems really miserable.”
Ebel looked at her over his shoulder at the mention of that name. “Nisha…that’s the signature on the posters, right?”
“Yes. She’s been putting posters up all over the slums.”
—to find her lover.
Or at least that’s what Rock believed without a doubt. Phoebe, on the other hand, had a different opinion.
“So far, it’s just Nisha calling herself his lover,” his annoyed voice grumbled outside the fitting room. “There’s a chance he ran for it when talks of marriage came up.”
“That’s too cruel, Phoebe. Why would he run from marriage?” Rock argued from inside the fitting room, getting an exaggerated sigh in return.
“Not everyone willingly wants to get married. You’re still too naïve in that department, Rock.”
He had a point there. Rock was only twenty years old, an age where many still have fanciful dreams and high hopes about marriage.
Neither of them knew what Krister and Nisha’s relationship was actually like. But was it really so unreasonable for Rock to take Nisha’s side after seeing her cry?
“What do you think, Ebel?” Rock drew him into the conversation. Ebel quietly smiled in his full court uniform.
“When it comes to marriage, I swear I won’t dash your hopes and dreams.” Rock blinked up at him. His expression turned serious as he continued, “As for Krister, I can’t comment without more information.”
“I suppose so…”
“But we need to find out more.” Ebel’s golden eyes narrowed warily. “If there’s foul play involved, the danger needs to be removed. This is where you live, after all.”
Rock gazed up at his handsome face as relief quietly washed over her.
There is no greater blessing than having people you can rely on in life. In that respect, Rock was truly blessed.
Rock served Ebel tea after he removed his court uniform and exited the fitting room.
“It’s cheap tea, so I hope it doesn’t offend your tastes,” she warned in advance.
The count didn’t hesitate to take a sip and savor it before flashing her a bright smile.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it. Phoebe made it for you,” Rock added, relieved he liked it. Ebel, however, gagged.
Phoebe’s scarlet lips curled up at the corners.
“Oh dear, you don’t like it if I made it, Your Excellency?”
“…I would never…think that way.” Ebel elegantly wiped his lips with a handkerchief. Then he faced Rock with a more serious air about him. “In your letter, you asked if I remember where Krister lives, yes?”
“Yes. To tell you the truth, not even Nisha knows where he lives.”
Since no one knew where Krister lived, no one could visit his home to confirm his safety.
Perhaps he was still burning the midnight oil working at home. Or it was equally possible he was passed out on the floor. Rock had no trouble imagining him unconscious and unable to call for help.
“It might be hard for you to remember since you followed him over two weeks ago…” Rock continued, uncertain if she was asking too much. Ebel did indeed furrow his brows.
“Honestly, I can’t confidently say I do remember…”
It didn’t help that Ebel was only tailing Krister and not trying to remember the way there. Plus, this was the slums: a shantytown where shacks were built upon shacks, and the alleyways changed shape by the day. Even if he remembered the path he took that day, there was no guarantee following it would get him to the same place today.
“But I don’t want to say ‘I can’t’ in front of you.” Ebel winked at Rock, deciding to do it. “Let’s search for his house, relying on what I can remember.”
“Thank you very much, Ebel.” Rock bowed to convey her gratitude.
“I’ll come too then,” Phoebe immediately added his name to the search party.
“It never hurts to have more people.”
“That’s true. We don’t know what’s waiting for us, after all,” Ebel agreed, seemingly expecting the worse.
It wasn’t farfetched to assume Krister got himself caught up in some kind of trouble here, where crime was more common than three meals a day. Rock’s slender arms weren’t much good in a fight, so it was reassuring to have Phoebe come along.
“I don’t give a damn about that bastard’s wellbeing,” Phoebe stressed. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less if Krister ran for it or got whisked away by some evil fae. I’m interested in one thing and one thing only: the big job he got.”
Now that he mentioned it, Phoebe had only asked Nisha questions about the job Krister received.
“Do you think that’s the reason Krister went missing?” Rock asked.
“I’m thinking it very possibly is.” Phoebe stroked his smooth chin. “It pays so well he was willing to sacrifice all his other work for it. And this is that greedy bastard Krister we’re talking about. Work like that is about as common in the slums as finding gold on the streets.”
Rock was curious about who’d hired Krister for this high-paying job as well. She thought it came from a factory or the like because he was making clothes with the same exact shape and design, but there hadn’t been any news of such a facility opening up in these parts. Perhaps the job came from outside the slums.
“If that is the case, then we can’t pretend like it’s not our problem.” Phoebe looked closely at Rock’s face this time. “The same customer might show up at our shop next. Dangerous seeds should be squashed before they can sprout, right?”
“I can’t disagree with you there.”
Rock was all for that plan.
Something about this situation felt like it was just as much her problem as Krister’s.