Chapter 7: First Episode: Chapter 7 (2/2)

Paul didn’t think he was a sad person. He had asked his conscience countless times, but he had never regretted, he’s proud to have a friend like Thirteen, and the truth was that this friend had never forgotten about him. His friend had given him a chance to return to the sunlight. Oscar is definitely a good choice, no one would suspect a bodyguard of an upper class teenager to be Snowstorm, the only other assassin whose name rivalled Thirteen in the whole of Westland.

For two whole days, Annie made the kind-hearted assassin run multiple errands; Paul who had never met a noblewoman had fallen for the countess. Annie was Oscar’s lover, he knew that, but that didn’t dispel his determination to court the countess. Snowstorm had always been like that, quick and direct, in whatever he’s trying to achieve.

Oscar could finally get out of bed, so Annie finally loosened up against Paul, who spent a whole night being exhilarated. To that, Oscar stifled his imagination of Paul utilizing nepotistic relationship for his ascension to King of Assassins.

The whole procession of knights continued their mission escorting Oscar. Because of their two-day delay, Oscar was slightly shocked when they arrived at the Heathertown between the province of Damorel and the Capital district; a whole division of army was welcoming them. Dulin had confirmed the news about the massacre of the investigation group, including the Marquis. Even though Damorga Prison had confirmed Oscar had left before the incident, the King was worried when the two-days delay happened, and sent his cavalrymen out to investigate before Oscar met up with them.

What came next was pretty easy to sort out. O’neil Andrew Morisette who was almost assassinated declined visitors in his sickbed, everything that needs to be done was passed to his trusted minister, Baron Erbe in his name, the impostering baron tied up all loose ends of the story, even pointed cryptically at a minister in Dulin to be responsible for the attempted assassination. The lieutenant thought for a moment before leaving alone to report to the King while Oscar’s procession marched slowly toward Dulin.

Dulin, the capital city of the Titan Empire; its history was even older than the Church’s calendar. Since Morisette Dynasty’s first King settled in Dulin as its capital city, the long-running peace and the centralization of authority sped up the development of Dulin. In over 400 years, all of Titan’s wisdom and glory was concentrated in the city.

Dulin is famed for its status of being the ‘Museum of Architectures’, iconic Weslandic buildings of all styles could be found here; it’s the western end of the well-known Far Eastern Road, all of the Westland’s royals and noblepeople would purchase luxury items from the far East; it is also the divine city that the God of Light shed his blessings upon, the Pope His Grad Eminence would hold a Sacrament at the Dulin Scott Cathedral each year; it is also artists’ congregation place, the most celebrated of scholars, poets, painters, and musicians of Westland all treat Dulin as their second home.

Someone described Morisette Dynasty as such: The Narcissus Knights are his shields, the cavalrymen are his spears, the Church of Light is his regalia, and Dulin is his crown.

Oscar’s procession was attention-grabbing, to say the least. It’s true, a parade of horsemen and carriages would have instant spotlight wherever they go. The citizens of the capital city take their turns at guessing the owner of the carriage while news-savvy people had already spread the news about O’neil Andrew Morisette’s arrival. In the upper class society, it had caused an uproar, the boy who created the biggest scandal in imperial court 10 years ago had returned!

The cavalrymen accompanied Oscar to a relay point about 20 miles away from the city gate before returning to their station while Oscar and the Narcissus Knights freshened up. Oscar met one of his cousin brothers from the province of Qurel.

Cousin Tich was older than him by eight years. He was tasked by Oscar’s father to take care of his cousin Oscar. Viscount Tich Nedgabel Andrew Golbagd was dressed smart, even though he was slightly unnerved by Oscar’s lack of grace, he still taught his younger cousin earnestly.

Viscount Golbagd brought three new carriages, one of which was so exquisite, Oscar sighed in admiration. Oscar wasn’t too familiar with horses, but he knew the four which were pulling the carriages were definitely not normal horses, what he didn’t know was all four of them were pure-bred Raytheon stallions, each one of them was as rare as a diamond on top of the King’s crown.

Oscar was obsessed with the beautiful creatures. Their extraordinary intrepidity, their developed limbs, their hair as dark as night, completed with the uniquely white hooves. Oscar thought of the mythical unicorns, these horses do look like the imaginary mythical creatures! Oscar finally understood what ‘love at first sight’ meant.

Stallions can only be saddled with equally matched saddles! The valiant stallions were dragging a carriage as magnificent as a palace! According to the imperial laws, the House of Andrew can have carriages as large as 3.4 meters by 2.7 meters. The one right in front of him was a carriage of the highest standard.

The carriage was also painted black, its edges were lined with a circle of silver narcissuses, Oscar tried counting and felt stupid, fortunately Tich told him that it’s 572 flowers, a representation of the House of Andrew’s glorious years. Oscar nodded and turned his attention back to the work of art.

The roof, the doors on both sides, as well as the posterior were decorated with emblems of Andrew. The emblem was a round, golden shield etched with a single blooming narcissus flower in the mouth of a roaring tiger. A driver’s seat was installed in front of the carriage with a crystal lamp hanging on both sides. The crystal lamps can provide light for a radius of twenty to thirty meters after being filled with gasoline.

Oscar held the handle and jumped into the carriage. As the door closed, sounds from outside was filtered out, apparently the woods and the glass the carriage were made with were chosen for that specific reason. The comfort on the interior was as expected by Oscar, the fluffy seats were like divan, the pillow and cushion from Persian satisfied the teenager’s enjoyment. Oscar even found the hidden drawer that has a bookshelf and a wine cabinet.

”Ola! Dear friends! Let’s go!”

According to the imperial laws, a direct member of the head of the nobles, House of Andrew shall not lead more than 50 soldiers into the capital, so Colonel Kamille Rayen chose exactly 50 Narcissus Knights for this procession.

As soon as the gorgeous procession and the gallant Narcissus Knights appeared on the streets of the capital city, crowds gathered to spectate the parade. The size of the carriage clearly declared the respected identity of the owner, the Narcissus Knights’ appearance also attracted excitements and squeals from the crowd, especially the ladies.

Even before they reach the gate, the procession was stalled by the crowd. Oscar’s driver Wozakad was anxious. With his understanding of horses, the front left Raytheon stallion had been on the edge of fury ever since a fearless kid patted him.

Luckily, a horn blasted just in time from the Capital defenders on the front. A cavalry squadron joined the Knights in protecting the carriage. As they do so, all the citizens automatically went beneath their houses.

Once they’ve passed the Titan Gate of Light, they’ll truly be in the city. The inhabitants of the city all gathered in excitement once they found out it was the heroes of the Narcissus county. They flocked to the streets, squeezing their way to the Victory Square in front of of the Titan Gate of Light and screaming ”Tiger of Andrew!” and ”God of Light’s Shield!”

Oscar smiled wryly. It was about 10 years ago that he was greeted like this on his way to Dulin. He had even rolled down the window to blow air kisses to the spectators.

Once again, Oscar was delighted with the city’s enthusiastic welcome. The citizens recognized the emblem of House of Andrew and knew their knights.

CItizens collected flowers to spread over the whole of Victory Square. Titan inhabitants had never been stingy when it comes to welcoming heroes. As the knights marched past the Tower of Heroes, they raised their swords to pay their respects, winning them another bout of cheers.

The procession squirmed their way out of the Victory Square. With the lead of the capital defenders, they continued north toward the Road of Kings. This road that could fit 15 carriages side-by-side is the central axis of the whole Dulin City, leading from Victory Square toward the symbol of the Imperial authority, Hamilton Palace.

Everyday, the Road of Kings were only open to the public from 2 o’clock to 6 o’clock. At other times, the citizens either take a detour or go through the several other roads behind the Hamilton Palace. Of course, this restriction only applies to the citizens who don’t have transportations, Oscar could see other carriages of different shapes and sizes on the road.

The buildings lining the road were mostly masterpieces during the first King Morisette’s time. They were tall, majestic and stately, statues decorated almost every wall. None of the buildings were lower than four stories, their thick pillars and granite reliefs announcing the verve of a capital.

The pattern on the stone tiles were still in their original colors, leaving on them a multitude of footprints of various great people. Titan’s history stretches out just as this road does. If anyone stopped and looked, they would’ve found the peak of power right in front of them.

Oscar was slightly curious, the carriage wasn’t going toward the palace anymore, the capital cavalrymen looked as if they’d just received a new order and turned into another street. Oscar glanced at the stone slab indicating the street’s name, and found the name, Penelope.

Oscar had heard of Penelope street. If the Road of Kings was the staircase to the palace, Penelope street would be the flower bed beside the staircase. The sides of the street were all mansions of the officials, more than half of the Empire’s ministers reside on this street alone, including Titan Empire’s Governor of the East Border, General Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel.

31 Penelope Street. Miss Sasha E. Nedgabel Andrew paced in front of the porch. The Young Lady was only fourteen years old, but her wittiness and beauty had already earned her the title of ‘Andrew’s Narcissus Corolla’. As if going to a ball, she wore a formal dress with a long silk skirt hemmed with tiny narcissuses. Under the tailoring of the Koch Tailor Shop, the Eastern crystal silk engraving on the skirt made Young Lady look like she was standing in an patch of narcissus flowers. The lace on the collar was an elegant design popular during Alfa I’s period, and the design on the bust and waist were the current Koch trend, popular because of its ability to accentuate a female’s beautiful curves.

Lady Sasha’s face was filled with worry, her eyes wild. She almost couldn’t contain the urge to run outside to welcome her big brother Oscar.

”Good grief Sasha! Can’t you stay still just for a while! Go sit in your seat like a Lady should! Your pacing is giving me a headache!” Beside her, a beautiful noblewoman could no longer stand the circle-walking.

”Oh, Mother Celia! You would understand my feelings! I was waiting for this day since forever! Oh, bloody hell! Ferry spoiled my carriage in Bodega! The mob in Sabartimo destroyed the main road! Bragg is flooding! Just what in the hell- It’s spring, for god’s sake! Everything is messed up! I should be able to see Brother Oscar sooner, not wait here like a fool!”

Lady Duchess Andrew’s eyes widened. ”Sasha! Language! Cursing is not what a Lady should do!”

Sasha sank into her seat, ”I just wanted to see Brother Oscar as soon as possible…”

Celia felt sad for Sasha, in the ten years, Young Lady Sasha’s catchphrase was, ”What is Brother Oscar doing now?” Celia brushed Sasha’s hair aside, ”My dear Sasha, my little princess! Just be a little more patient, can’t you see the flowers all the citizens have sent us? They are already in the city, they might even be here sooner than you think!”

Exactly that moment, Ferry with his big stature rushed onto the porch, forgetting his manners. ”Yes! Milady, Young Master Oscar is almost here! I saw their carriage!”

Squealing, Sasha charged out of the porch, not forgetting to kick Ferry aside as she left.

Lady Duchess Andrew snapped her fan close. She couldn’t believe her eyes, that wasn’t ‘Andrew’s Narcissus Corolla’, more like some wild girl from a knight’s household.

Lady Duchess stood up and arranged her dress. She pitied the boy who is finally home, her husband had already sworn not to let this child be hurt. For the sake of the child’s freedom, he even openly denounced the Secretary of State. Oh whatever! Those were the issues of men, but the minister had really overstepped his boundary, seeking trouble with a child. Celia Andrew Nedgabel thought the Secretary of State to be disgraceful, as when she heard the minister trying to plot for the boy’s death many years ago, she lost her temper despite herself. She even considered hiring ‘professionals’ to solve the issue permanently, which was turned down by her husband.

Lady Duchess loves every single descendant of the House of Andrew. Even though she only gave birth to one, that didn’t hold back her love to any one of the kids. Only Oscar, the one who was birthed by the Princess for the Duke, he was most similar to his father out of the four boys. Persistent, intense, precocious, at an age where he needed the most care from other people, he was already looking out for his little sister! Just like the two other Ladies, she felt guilty toward this youngest boy.

Oscar’s procession stopped orderly in front of 31 Penelope Street, while the defender knights drove away the crowd.

Oscar alighted the carriage, followed by Countess Antonia Horman, Baron Erbe’s impersonator, Poison Doctor who changed his name to Parker, Paul, and lastly the maids who entered a city the first time.

Oscar looked curiously at the building in front of him, having forgotten how home looks like. The main door was opened wide, with two rows of servants lined up and greeted him. They definitely didn’t expect Young Master to have so much luggage. They spread out and surrounded the carriages, not knowing which one to clear first. Oscar looked at them, entertained, and decided to let Antonia worry about that herself.

Something was happening inside the mansion, Oscar heard a feminine squeal right before he saw a cloud of whiteness charging out of the door.

The Narcissus Knights dismounted their rides and genuflected at the ‘cloud’. Tich lowered his head as Ricky/Baron Erbe, Poison Doctor, Snowstorm, and the maids following suit. The ‘cloud’ stopped in front of Oscar, whose face was a mess. For the past year, Oscar had been fantasizing reuniting with his sister, his beautiful little princess, he had prepared countless phrases to entertain her, but at that moment, he realized he couldn’t utter a single word.

Oscar saw Sasha’s tears, he wanted to cry too! However, his tear ducts had already collapsed in a treatment with the Poison Doctor. Oscar was crying, even though no one saw his tears. Oscar didn’t realize how painful it was to have a reunion that he was looking forward to so much. He missed his sister so much, it was the only thing that kept him going in the depth of the dungeon.

Sasha was crying too! She wept and sobbed and bawled! No one would miss her brother more than she did. Her brother’s eventual return was her only pillar that made her smile in front of people. Ten years ago, when her brother was taken away, she cried worse than she is now. However, she remembered her brother’s words. He said, ”Don’t be naughty anymore! Take care of yourself when I’m gone! If anyone bully you in the future, make sure to note down their names in my book, I’ll avenge you!”

His words lingered beside her ears, but Sasha felt guilty for the whole ten years. If it wasn’t for her, big brother wouldn’t be imprisoned, she needed to be stronger! She wanted to let Brother Oscar see her as someone who’s not always crying! Sasha was slightly irritated at herself. She wanted to show her Brother Oscar her beautiful smile, but her tears kept flowing out. Sasha’s sight was blurred out by her tears, but she tried very hard to not blink, she wanted to see Brother Oscar!

Oscar hugged Sasha at long last! He hugged her as soon as he saw her, but this process feels drawn-out, it’s as if forever had passed. His short arms wrapped around the girl even though he wasn’t completely sure it’s his sister, he didn’t know how her looks had changed for the past 10 years, but instinctively, he wanted to hug her! Sasha calmed down in her brother’s arms. The hug that came 10 years too late was still warm, still full of kindness.

The girl lifted her head, and with wavering voice, said something Oscar almost fainted to.

Lady Sasha E. Nedgabel Andrew said, ”Big brother! You’ve slimmed down!”