Chapter 77: Ninth Episode: Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 77: Ninth Episode: Chapter 4
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
What kind of a person was Zoera? This question has been bothering Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette from the moment he headed to the concealed side hall, located next to the recreation room on the second floor of Kenshin Palace.
Perhaps one would agree that she was a rather young lady with a lovely figure, Oscar concluded as he entered the room silently. The proprietress of Dog Biting Club had her back faced toward him, and it appeared that she was quietly admiring an oil painting hung on the wall. This lady wore a royal blue velvet cloak, and on the corners of the dress that lay underneath was soaked in rain. On her head was a top hat, which concealed part of her long and straight reddish-brown hair that rested just a little above her waist. Something shiny seemed to be blinking near her earlobe, Oscar thought those might be her earrings.
”Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, this is an authentic work of master Furlowe, um… it should be one of his early works entitled ‘The Second Hell’.”
Oscar was astonished, he had no idea the lady realised his presence.
”About half a century ago, this painting was stolen from Flouvre Museum in Faran Kingdom. It is such an honor, really, as I have never imagined encountering artwork of master Furlowe ever in my life.” Lady Zoera finally turned her head around.
The prince nodded lightly, surprisingly he was not attracted by this unusually beautiful face.
”Lady, you know, this might be the last chance you get to admire this piece of art.”
”Your Highness, are you kidding? I believe you would not agree to meet me if you intended to take my life. Moreover, you’re the son of a commander. I don’t see the need for you to do so in Dulin.” Zoera’s eyes showed hints of slyness.
”Does that mean… that you are that pure breed, highland dog?” by this time Oscar already positioned himself on the large sofa.
The cautious lady remained in her place. Zoera did not display any displeasure regarding the prince’s scornful remark.
”Yes, that’s me.”
Oscar still did not ask the lady to take to her seat. Casually, he poured himself half a glass of red wine.
”Why should I believe you? What if you’re not who you claim to be?”
A gentle smile spread across Zoera’s face as she slowly removed her cloak, and Oscar could not help but pop his eyes. He was not astonished by her perfect slender figure, but was surprised to see that well-pressed military uniform hidden underneath the cloak earlier.
”Your Highness Prince, Adjutant Zoera Brogan of Military Investigation Bureau Dulin Region, report for duty!” the lady said while performing a military salute, ”Are you satisfied now?”
Oscar declined to comment. He looked over to the corner for a brief moment before finally nodding at the lady.
Zoera was stupefied at the prince’s action, hence she casted a sidelong glance toward the direction the prince had looked earlier. In a blink of an eye, this lady discovered the little secret hidden at the corner of the room. There was a tiny peephole on the portrait-painting that hung behind the light stand.
”Your Highness, am I not allowed to pay Viscount Golbagd a visit?”
Again, Oscar carefully examined this lady in disbelief. She was incredibly smart!
”That is not necessary, it’s still not convenient for my Cousin Tich to get out of the bed. I was only doing this for safety reasons.” Oscar thought about it for a moment, and decided to raise his question finally, ”Lady, how did you find out about the peephole?”
”Haha, it was you who told me, Your Highness. Moreover, this must be the room you use specifically to handle unusual affairs. Look, there must be a crossbow or other weapon hidden underneath the sofa you are resting against, and that knight armor decoration stood at the door holding a spear? My guess is that there is an actual knight beneath the cover. Oh yeah! And I’m suspicious of your red wine, the drinks in this room are not made for leisure drinking, it might take your life at any minute.”
”Is that so?” Oscar clenched his fist around the wine glass. He did not like that she acted wise in her own conceit, and he disliked even more the way she spoke to himself.
”Lady, take your seat!” the prince pointed at the high-back sofa opposite himself, his expression extremely stern.
”Thank you!” Zoera walked over to the knight armor and hung her cloak on its arm casually. When she was finally seated, she noticed an unusual smile spread across the young prince’s face, it was even malicious, in fact.
She could not see if the young man moved a bit, but on the armrest and also beneath the sofa she was seated, iron hoops sprung out of the blue, and locked her down tightly even before she had time to react.
”Is this necessary, Your Highness?” the young lady could only force out a bitter smile. This young fella was as petty as he had described himself.
”Of course!” he moved away from his seat and walked toward the lady, thoroughly inspecting her from head to toe, ”As I mentioned, it is all for safety reasons.”
Zoera returned the prince’s gaze calmly, not displaying a tiny bit of nervosity. He was only her master, after all, not her enemy.
The young man was rather disappointed by the lady’s calm composure. Soon he lost his patience, and began to grope the lady brazenly.
”Ola!” Oscar said softly, the lady’s body was indeed worth exploring!
”One dirk, two daggers, three flying daggers, four needles, five hashish pills, Ola! And a total of six gems on your earrings. Hmm… if I guess correctly, inside each gem should be filled with six different kind of potions! Lady Zoera, Adjutant of Military Investigation Bureau Dulin Region, you have spent loads of effort in dressing up for me huh?” Oscar said while holding the lady’s chin and tilted it slightly backward, forcing her to look into his eyes.
”Your Highness, they are required as part of my job,” the young lady glowed with enthusiasm, her immensely attractive face shone gloriously. She revealed her tongue in a flirty manner, and began teasing at the young man’s wrist like a dog.
Oscar took in a deep breath as Zoera’s moist tongue sent waves of electric current throughout his whole body, sending his pulse into a frenzy of activity. However, almost immediately, this feeling of excitement was replaced with a metallic cold sensation on his wrist.
Out of the blue, a small blade was attached to the lady’s tongue, its sharp edge resting firmly on the young man’s aorta.
The prince was confused and did not dare to move, he was not sure if Zoera would actually slit his wrist open.
Then, just like magic, Zoera appeared to have swallow the tiny piece of blade to the back of her throat. Her expression still as calm and relaxed as before.
”Your Highness, just a gentle reminder, kill me in this instant if that’s your intention. If not, I’m not sure when will you ever have the chance to completely disarm me.”
Oscar moved abruptly near Zoera. Their eyes reflected each other’s, feeling each other’s breath. This extremely close-up exchange lasted only for a couple of seconds, before the young prince pressed on the button on the arm chair which unlocked the iron hooks on Zoera’s wrists and ankles. Then, the young man returned casually to his seat.
”Tell me! Why are you here?” Oscar was a little dejected, he hoped to end this meeting as soon as possible.
”Your Highness, please save those poor girls,” Zoera demanded, rubbing her wrists.
”Those poor girls?” Oscar raised his eyebrows, infuriated in the mentioning of this incident, ”I have seen one poor girl, and she is now well under my protection.”
”Your Highness, there are more girls who need your protection. Do you know that Baron Thomas Aulet mobilized all the hatchet men and the local riff-raff of the lair in the middle of last night? They closed down the entire Red Light Street area early this morning, and it seemed as if they are going to conduct a massacre.”
Oscar laughed coldly, ”Lady, what does this has to do with me? Why don’t you go to the baron, isn’t he head over heels for you? Perhaps he would change his mind immediately if you perform on him that little trick of yours, the one you did with your tongue earlier.”
Zoera could not hold it in anymore. What was wrong with this young man!
”Your Highness, the women in Red Light Street have so much on their shoulders, do you really have the heart to watch them being tortured to death by those beasts of the lairs?”
”Beasts?” Oscar casted aside the wine glass angrily, ”Lady Zoera, you might have misused the term incorrectly. Who was the one who turned the girls in your Dog Biting Club into beasts? Oh… that’s right! They are even more inferior to beasts, at least beasts have their dignity, but the girls? They have become some creatures even more degrading than the beasts under your coaching!”
Zoera opened her mouth to argue, but was halted by the prince.
”Lady, I have to tell you the truth.” Oscar lowered his voice, ”I am unaware of the baron’s action, but I do agree that Red Light Street needs some change.”
”Change?” Zoera forced out yet another wry smile, ”How is change possible? By teaching men how to respect women? Educating them to not treat women as their play toys? Am I the one who created the suffering of Red Light Street? No! It was the men! It was them who forced the women to sell their bodies. It was them who forced the women into animals that fawn obsequiously. It was them who forced women into the cold-blooded creatures with no wish of living!”
Zoera took in a long breath, ”I’m the big boss of Red Light Street, I gathered the poor girls and taught them how to live, how to please men, and how to protect themselves. What have I done wrong?”
Oscar turned his head aside, ”You should not have push the girl into hell!”
Zoera laughed sarcastically, ”Your Highness, you only care for that one girl, but every day more than ten girls like her are reduced into Red Light Street. And that finance minister whom you met with yesterday, you don’t even need to apologise to him, but what about us women? Yes, you saved a poor girl out of hell last night, but to ensure he would not shed his fury in the club, in Red Light Street, and on more of my girls, I… I had no choice but to send in another innocent girl to his residence as a compensation gift! You…”
”That’s enough!” Oscar’s roar echoed within the four walls.
Zoera bit her lips tightly, she wanted to continue speaking.
”Your Highness, the sufferings in Red Light Street should be put to an end, we…”
”I said that’s enough!” Oscar stood up suddenly, he had had enough of the stories of misfortunes in Red Light Street. The young man forced his way out of the door while shouting loudly at his butler, ”Baron Erbe, see her out, the meeting is over!”
”Your Highness… Your Highness!” Lady Zoera’s screams lingered in the hallway, but the young man did not even look back once.
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The night has fallen, but the rain continued on, especially within the periphery of the lair. The cold and humidity in the air forced people to shelter themselves under the roof of their house.
In the rain, faces of men could not be distinguished clearly, only strange laughter and occasional coughs could be heard. Red Light Street was completely covered in darkness. If it had been any other usual day, the lights along the street would still be lit up despite the rain. However, today was not the same, and the women in Red Light Street were well aware of that. Some were praying silently in their tiny rooms, and some were guarding at the window cautiously with bow and arrows.
They knew that men in the lair were not planning to let them see another day of light. The women dreaded to think about what a scene it would be if those rascals loitering at the side of the streets were to force their way through into the building.
Baron was sitting in his carriage while his staff informed him about Zoera’s return, and inquired if they should they let her carriage through.
Through the tiny window, Thomas glanced over to the horse carriage that paused at a stone throw’s away, ”Zoera…” Baron recited the name in a low voice, lost in his own thought for a brief moment. He had to admit that God of Light praised the beauty of love, but it always ended so quickly. Memories of Zoera came flooding into his mind, but they were soon replaced by thoughts of the miserable night.
Didn’t Zoera want to meet the Prince? Baron withdrew his gaze, by the silence of the lady, Thomas guessed that the Prince had explicitly expressed his stance on the situation.
”Let her through!” Baron said softly. ”Also, inform our contact in Ministry of Justice, tell their men to avoid this area and come by tomorrow to collect the corpses.”
”Your Excellency, do you mean that we can commence now?”
Baron drew the window without answering.
A shrill sound of whistle rang across the raining night. Women in the surrounding streets poked their heads out of the window, and discovered that bonfires were ignited along both sides of the streets. It appeared that the logs were covered with tung oil, as crisp burning noises were heard when the raindrops fell and met with the burning flames. Dark grey smoke that evaporated into the air produced a strong pungent odor.
Suddenly, a couple of the men who guarded at the end of the streets turned and rushed into the gathering darkness. ”Something is certainly wrong!” Mirandez said while leaning against one of the window ledge nearest to the end of the street. Right at that moment she thought of ending her own life. Her worst nightmare was going to happen!
”I shouldn’t have envied the girl’s innocence and beauty. I shouldn’t have tried to destroy her pride. I shouldn’t have brought her downstairs behind Lady’s back. I shouldn’t have insisted to keep her in the club! What was I thinking? It is this damned jealousy that has led the whole street into a crushing blow.” Mirandez pulled at her own hair in frustration. She was the one to blame! She was the person to blame for the extermination of Red Light Street. Perhaps things would have turned out for the better if it wasn’t for her arrogant evil mind.
”I wonder how many sisters would escape from this fate?” Mirandez curled herself up at a corner of the window ledge.
”Look!” one lady shouted, and Mirandez glanced over to the end of the street. She was completely in shock at the sight she witnessed in the inner side of the lair.
Numerous dark, tall silhouettes came rushing out from a building located on the end of the street. Burning flames swayed in the midst of cold wind and rain as the steps of boots came together to produce a surging torrent. The men who carried a mysterious smile on their faces soon gathered at the street. Several large wine sacks were passed among them, and each gulped down a couple of mouthful. They were the raptors of the lair, on the mission to prey on the ladies of Red Light Street, and they were to tear the ladies apart and suck on their succulent and bloody flesh. If the baron was the most respectable man in the lair, then this decision of his was undoubtedly fully supported by many of his men. The simple order has been passed down to each and every hatchet men: no fire, no noise, just do whatever you wish in silence. This decision was perfect to satisfy the men who were all burning with desires for killing and for sex.
Finally, someone stood up for the ladies in Red Light Street. The leader of the ladies, Lady Zoera, stepped forward all by herself! The burning fires illuminated her beautiful face, but at the same time the fire also brought up the snickers of the men.
”Zoera! Where’s your tail?” one men shouted from the crowd.
”That’s right Zoera! Why didn’t you bring along your dogs this time?” another man teased.
”Come at me! Zoera!” one rude man removed his pants and fondled his male organ as a challenge to the lady.
Zoera removed her cloak, and the men whistled out a disrespectful call. Only a few men who stood at the front realised what they were seeing, the lady was wearing an armor, and on her hand swung a gleaming sabre.
Women walked out of the filthy prostitute houses on Red Light Street. Some of them old, some of them young, but they had one thing in common – on their hands, which have fondled countless of male organs, were now holding all sorts of weaponries. This was Red Light Street, and there were rules to be abided by. Anyone who wished to take away anything from this area had to pay a price, be it their body, money, or even their own life.
The fires were still burning as raindrops fell lightly on the huge rock that engraved the name of the street. On one side of the street gathered dirty minded beasts who aimed to rape and kill, while on the other hand stood fiercely a group of strong women, fighting for their dignity and their last chance at survival.
A sudden commotion disturbed the gathered men. The ones in the front could not help but backed out of curiosity, and soon discovered a path was cleared for the man coming from behind.
Baron was holding a letter, and a relieved smile spread across his face as he moved his way through the hatchet men to the front of the ladies.
”Good evening, Lady Zoera.” Baron removed his hat, and bowed politely to the fully-armed lady.
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His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette was ready to call it a day and wished his bodyguard goodnight. The King of Assassins guarded outside the door of prince’s bedroom, not budging an inch. It was rumoured that this guy could sleep with his eyes opened.
Although the wife of Captain Vick’s took charge over all the attendants in the palace, she would personally tend the prince to sleep every night. Lady Keegan lighted some incense to create a more relaxed sleeping environment, and added more firewood to the fireplace, not forgetting to perform a final check on its opening for ventilation. She had given extra attention to the final task as there have been many cases where people died in their sleep due to over inhalation of flue gas in cold nights.
The lady sorted out the prince’s bed and bedding. The delicately made pillow stuffed with camel’s hair was placed on his favorite side of the bed, and the tiny hand warmer placed beneath the feather quilt was retreated from its hidden place. Even though the hand warmer could help maintain the temperature underneath the quilt, the young prince preferred it otherwise.