Free Web NovelChapter 49: The Villainess Propaganda Department
The city woke up to chaos.
A beautiful morning.
Birds sang.
Merchants opened shops.
Nobles prepared for another day of being nobles.
Everything was peaceful.
For approximately twelve minutes.
Then the papers appeared.
Nobody knew where they came from.
Nobody knew who distributed them.
Nobody knew who was responsible.
Actually—
One person knew.
She was currently eating breakfast.
Pretending innocence.
Poorly.
Very poorly.
A merchant unfolded the first page.
Blink.
Another merchant unfolded one.
Blink.
A noble unfolded one.
Immediate outrage.
The drawing showed a nobleman swimming through a mountain of gold.
Meanwhile peasants sat in a boat labeled:
"Please Stop Raising Taxes."
Below it:
Professional Money Enjoyer.
The noble nearly exploded.
Across the city—
Another paper appeared.
A lord stood proudly beside a sign.
The sign read:
"I Promise To Help."
Behind him:
Everything was on fire.
Below it:
Achievement Unlocked:
Doing Absolutely Nothing.
The city lost control.
People laughed.
Merchants laughed.
Workers laughed.
Even guards laughed.
The nobles did not.
The nobles were having a terrible morning.
Which made everyone else happier.
Meanwhile—
Inside the inn—
Seraphina drank tea.
Kael stared.
Rowan stared.
Daren stared.
Atlas stared because everyone else was staring.
Tax stole a biscuit.
Nobody noticed.
The crow had become too powerful.
"Aina."
"Yes?"
"Did you do this?"
"No."
"Aina."
"Allegedly."
"Aina."
"Fine."
She smiled proudly.
"Yes."
Nobody was surprised.
Not even slightly.
Daren picked up one of the papers.
Then another.
Then another.
"How many did you make?"
"Two hundred."
Silence.
Rowan blinked.
"Two hundred?"
"Two hundred and seventeen."
"Why."
Seraphina looked genuinely confused.
"Because corruption is cringe."
Daren nearly fell off his chair laughing.
Kael lowered his head.
The headache returned.
A familiar friend.
An unwanted friend.
But a friend nonetheless.
Then—
Someone knocked on the inn door.
Everybody looked up.
The innkeeper entered.
Looking nervous.
Never a good sign.
"A young man is asking for Rowan."
The room paused.
Rowan frowned.
"For me?"
The innkeeper nodded.
"He says it’s important."
The atmosphere shifted.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Because important never meant good.
Outside—
A young messenger stood waiting.
Dust-covered.
Breathing hard.
Clearly in a hurry.
The moment Rowan approached—
The messenger handed over a folded letter.
No greeting.
No introduction.
Just the letter.
Then he left.
Immediately.
Which was concerning.
Rowan opened it.
Read.
Then froze.
Daren noticed first.
"What?"
Rowan didn’t answer.
Seraphina leaned over.
Then farther.
Then even farther.
Reading privacy was apparently optional.
Kael simply took the letter.
A more efficient method.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then narrowed.
"What?"
Daren repeated.
Kael handed him the paper.
The letter contained only a few lines.
Rowan.
I found another journal.
Valemont.
Golden Nest.
Come quickly.
Tell nobody.
—Elias
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Atlas stopped chewing.
Daren looked up.
"Who’s Elias?"
"The survivor."
Rowan answered quietly.
The same survivor who had known his uncle.
The same survivor who had spoken about the estate.
The same survivor who had mentioned the hidden door.
The room became noticeably less cheerful.
Valemont again.
The mystery refused to stay dead.
Much like the mystery itself.
Rowan folded the letter slowly.
Very slowly.
Then stood.
"I’m leaving."
Nobody spoke immediately.
Not because they disagreed.
Because they expected this.
Ever since the village.
Ever since the journal.
Ever since the hidden door.
This had been coming.
Kael crossed his arms.
"When?"
"Tomorrow."
A reasonable answer. freёweɓnovel.com
A terrible answer.
Because it made everything real.
Daren looked down at the table.
Then away.
Then back again.
Something felt different.
Not fear.
Not uncertainty.
Something else.
A realization.
Everyone had a direction.
Seraphina had her shop.
Rowan had Valemont.
Kael had Seraphina.
Atlas had food.
Tax had crime.
What did he have?
The thought lingered.
Uncomfortable.
Unanswered.
Meanwhile—
Seraphina remained suspiciously quiet.
Very suspiciously.
Normally she’d already be arguing.
Complaining.
Interfering.
Threatening destiny.
Something.
Instead—
She simply sipped tea.
And said nothing.
Kael noticed immediately.
Which worried him more.
Because quiet Seraphina was rare.
And dangerous.
Like a sleeping dragon.
Or discounted fabric.
Eventually Rowan stood.
"I’m going to start preparing."
Nobody stopped him.
Because nobody could.
The moment he left—
The room felt smaller.
Daren stared at the doorway.
Atlas stared too.
The bear liked Rowan.
Rowan always brought snacks.
A valuable trait.
Several minutes passed.
Then—
Seraphina suddenly stood.
"Aina."
"No."
"You don’t know what I’m saying."
"I know enough."
She pointed dramatically.
"Rowan is my servant."
Silence.
Kael closed his eyes.
Here we go.
"You can’t just leave."
"He can."
"No."
"He absolutely can."
"No."
"That’s how free will works."
"No."
Seraphina looked offended by the existence of free will.
An impressive accomplishment.
"He has paperwork."
Rowan had no paperwork.
"He helps with business."
Rowan barely helped.
"He understands numbers."
That part was true.
A devastating argument.
Seraphina pointed accusingly toward the heavens.
"How am I supposed to build a fashion empire if my competent people keep leaving?"
Nobody had an answer.
Mostly because she accidentally had a point.
Then she folded her arms.
And muttered:
"Stupid mystery."
The room froze.
Because everyone heard it.
Not:
Stupid Rowan.
Not:
Stupid plan.
Stupid mystery.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Kael noticed too.
And unfortunately—
He knew exactly what that meant.
Because whenever Seraphina started insulting something—
She was already thinking about it.
Far away—
On a rooftop overlooking the city—
A black crow watched silently.
Not Tax.
Another one.
Golden eyes reflected the sunlight.
The bird remained motionless.
Watching.
Waiting.
Observing.
Then—
Without warning—
It flew toward the distant mountains.
Toward Golden Nest.
Toward House Valemont.
Toward something waiting beneath both.
Something that had been sleeping for a very long time.
And was beginning—
Very slowly—
To wake.
The next morning—
Rowan left before sunrise.
Or at least—
That was the plan.
Unfortunately.
Seraphina was awake.
This immediately reduced the plan’s survival chances.
Rowan carefully packed supplies.
Maps.
Food.
Rope.
Journal notes.
The key.
Everything needed for a sensible expedition.
A sensible expedition was important.
Because nobody else in the group specialized in sensible.
Atlas watched curiously.
Tax watched suspiciously.
The crow looked like he was considering theft.
Again.
Always again.
Rowan adjusted his pack.
Then turned toward the door.
And nearly had a heart attack.
Seraphina sat in a chair.
Directly beside the exit. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Waiting.
Watching.
Judging.
Like an evil tax collector.
"Aina."
"Servant."
Rowan sighed.
"We talked about this."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Aina."
She pointed dramatically.
"You are abandoning your duties."
"I am investigating my missing uncle."
"A likely excuse."
"A likely excuse?"
"Very suspicious."
Rowan stared.
Then stared harder.
Then gave up.
Because arguing with Seraphina before breakfast violated several international treaties.
Kael entered.
One glance.
Immediate understanding.
Unfortunately.
"Aina."
"No."
"You aren’t coming."
"I didn’t say I was."
"You were thinking it."
"I think many things."
"Dangerous things."
"Correct."
Kael sighed.
The sigh of a man who had aged twenty years in six months.
Daren wandered downstairs next.
Hair messy.
Half asleep.
Holding bread.
A powerful strategy.
Then he noticed the atmosphere.
Immediately.
"Oh."
He sat down.
"This looks expensive."
Nobody disagreed.
Rowan rubbed his forehead.
"I’m just investigating."
"A mysterious estate."
"Yes."
"A hidden door."
"Yes."
"An erased noble family."
"Yes."
"A place where people disappear."
"Yes."
Seraphina folded her arms.
"See."
"See what?"
"Bad decision."
Rowan pointed.
"You wanted to investigate first."
"I have matured."
Nobody believed that.
Not even Atlas.
The bear looked skeptical.
A remarkable achievement.
Then—
Something unexpected happened.
Daren stood.
The room quieted.
Because Daren rarely stood dramatically.
Mostly because he tripped when attempting it.
But this time—
He looked serious.
A rare sight.
A very rare sight.
"I’m going too."
Silence.
Everyone looked at him.
Including Daren.
Apparently even he hadn’t expected those words.
"What?"
Kael asked.
Daren hesitated.
For once.
Not joking.
Not laughing.
Thinking.
"I don’t know."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Because that sounded honest.
"I just..."
He glanced toward the window.
Toward the city.
Toward the future.
Toward something nobody else could see.
"I don’t want to keep following forever."
The room became quiet.
A different kind of quiet.
Not awkward.
Real.
Daren laughed weakly.
"I don’t even know what I want."
There it was.
The problem.
Not monsters.
Not mysteries.
Direction.
Everyone else had one.
Rowan had Valemont.
Seraphina had fashion.
Kael had protecting idiots.
Atlas had eating.
Tax had crime.
Daren?
Nothing.
For the first time—
The realization hit him.
And it wasn’t funny.
Kael studied him silently.
Then nodded.
Small.
Simple.
But genuine.
"I understand."
Daren smiled.
Just slightly.
Meanwhile—
Seraphina was watching.
Closely.
Dangerously closely.
Then—
A realization struck her.
A terrible realization.
The worst kind.
The emotional kind.
If Rowan left.
And Daren left.
Then who would help with her business?
Disaster.
Absolute disaster.
Her empire was collapsing before construction even began.
"This is discrimination."
Nobody knew what she meant.
Including her.
But it felt appropriate.
The door suddenly opened.
The innkeeper entered.
Holding something.
Specifically—
A newspaper.
A very popular newspaper.
A newspaper containing today’s biggest story.
The front page.
Displayed prominently.
For everyone to see.
A drawing.
A very familiar drawing.
A nobleman.
A pig.
A mountain of taxes.
Below it:
Public Enemy Number Fun.
Silence.
The innkeeper looked at Seraphina.
Seraphina looked at the ceiling.
The ceiling betrayed nobody.
"The city is looking for the artist."
Silence.
"Why?"
Asked Seraphina.
The innkeeper stared.
The room stared.
Atlas stared.
Even Tax looked disappointed.
"They’re angry."
"Oh."
A pause.
"Skill issue."
Kael lowered his head onto the table.
A completely reasonable response.
Meanwhile—
Far away.
Deep within the mountains.
Golden Nest remained silent.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
Waiting.
The golden structure stood between cliffs like a monument from another age.
Nobody visited.
Nobody approached.
Nobody remembered.
Yet deep beneath it—
Something moved.
Not fully.
Not awake.
Just enough.
A distant sound echoed through darkness.
Metal scraping against stone.
Ancient chains trembling.
A sealed door.
Far older than House Valemont.
Far older than the kingdom itself.
For a brief moment—
A symbol glowed.
The same symbol.
The one from the estate.
The one from the missing caravans.
The one that kept appearing.
Then darkness returned.
And silence followed.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
Back in the city—
Tax suddenly froze.
The crow lifted his head.
Golden eyes narrowing.
Atlas noticed immediately.
The bear rumbled softly.
Seraphina paused.
Tax rarely looked afraid.
Actually—
Tax never looked afraid.
Yet for one second—
The crow seemed disturbed.
Then it vanished.
Gone.
Like it never happened.
Which was somehow worse.
Because Kael noticed.
And Kael trusted instincts.
Especially animal instincts.
His gaze shifted toward the mountains.
Toward Golden Nest.
Toward the mystery.
Toward the disaster slowly approaching.
Then he looked back at Seraphina.
She was currently arguing with a newspaper.
Somehow.
The contrast was painful.
One day.
One day he would have peace.
Unfortunately.
Today was not that day.
And tomorrow looked even worse.
Because Rowan was leaving.
Daren was changing.
Golden Nest was stirring.
The mystery was moving.
And fate had made one catastrophic mistake.
It had assumed Seraphina would stay out of it.
Fate clearly hadn’t met Seraphina.
Yet.
