Reincarnated in the Astral World

Chapter 113: Pawns Before the Queen

"Are the Wymanes leaving Lakeview?" Oliver can't believe what he just heard. "Why? Anthony Wymane was supposed to take the Viscount's place, right?"

"That was supposed to be decided at the public assembly among the major families," the captain comments while looking at the letter in his hands and then at the one in Josephine's hand. "Does your letter say the same as mine, I presume?"

Josephine nods. "It just says they are leaving the city, see for yourself," she extends her arm with the letter.

"No need, I believe you," the captain smiles amicably while tucking his letter into his pocket.

Josephine nods and also puts away her letter. Outwardly, she appears normal, but inwardly she breathes a sigh of relief because her letter likely doesn't match the captain's.

In his letter, Anthony Wymane simply states that he is leaving the city because he prefers to stay away from all the chaos, but in the letter he wrote to Josephine, he says that his family poses no threat to hers and her allies. He also pleads that she and specifically her new allies do not follow them and do not harm them.

Josephine can't help but glance at Arthur and Aria. 'Anthony, you made a wise choice... it remains to be seen if you will manage to escape with your life or be hunted down like the rest...'

"So?" Josephine turns her focus back to the captain. "Can we move to a private room so I can answer your questions calmly?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible now, madam," he responds politely. "I'd like to speak with all the families, and since the Wymanes are leaving, I need to speak with them first. Plus, this seems like..."

"Suspicious?" Oliver comments sarcastically. "The Viscount's family is murdered, and while we are here with open doors and no secrets, the Wymanes are fleeing as if they want to hide something…"

"Why would the Wymanes attack the Whittlees?" The lieutenant voices out loud. "They were the main supporters of the Viscount." His speculation hangs in the air, creating a palpable tension among those present.

"I don't want to tell you how to do your job," Oliver speaks in a polite tone. "But think about it: who benefits most from the Viscount's death? As the main supporters of the Whittlees, of course, Anthony Wymane would end up leading Lakeview..."

"Only until the Count appoints a successor for his son," the lieutenant quickly responds. "Also, Anthony Wymane is leaving the city right now; why would he do that if he wasn't afraid of ending up like the Viscount?"

"Besides, no Wymane would dare attack a major family like the Whittlees; that would be..." The lieutenant clearly becomes uneasy. "Madness!"

"Enough of this talk," the Captain interjects, drawing the attention of the lieutenant and bowing respectfully to Josephine and Oliver. "I apologize for this, but this situation is really tense..."

"No problem, Captain," Josephine smiles warmly and nods towards Oliver. "Also, sorry about my son; these young ones think they know everything, don't they?"

"Hmm…" The captain nods slowly while his gaze drifts over Arthur again. "Well, we are leaving now; I need to speak with Anthony Wymane before he leaves the town."

"Sure, we won't take any more of your time," Josephine begins walking towards the gate of the house. "I'll accompany you to the exit."

"Thank you, madam," the captain nods to Arthur and the other nobles around before following Josephine.

The other two guards follow him, but before leaving, the lieutenant casts a curious glance back at Aria. Yet, what he finds are the cold, staring eyes of Arthur.

"Ah!" He feels a cold aura surround his body as if he had fallen into a frozen lake, which frightens him and almost causes him to stumble.

Arthur smiles, but his expression is not friendly; rather, it's mocking and clearly threatening, causing the lieutenant to become so frightened that he quickly runs after the captain.

'Dammit! What the hell was that?! What's the problem with that kid?!?'

The lieutenant dashes past Josephine, who watches his retreat with a curious and amused expression.

"Captain! Captain!" The poor man pants heavily in front of the captain outside the walls of Josephine's mansion.

"Pull yourself together, lieutenant!" the captain commands in a stern tone, yet he gently pats the young lieutenant on the shoulder.

"Captain..." The lieutenant looks at him with a confused and scared expression. "Aren't you going to do something about those mysterious people? They're clearly odd, and that boy… damn, he's freaking creepy!"

"Keep your voice down!" The Captain pulls the lieutenant by the arm as they move away from the mansion. "What do you expect me to do? I don't even remember seeing them yesterday... It's obvious they're intriguing individuals, but my hands are tied."

"At least interrogate them," the lieutenant pleads. "I'm sure they're involved in this."

"Maybe…" The captain muses thoughtfully. "But the Drummond family has a lot of influence in other areas, and they might just be long-distance friends visiting Josephine, as she mentioned, yet…"

"Huh?" The lieutenant grows curious. "Do you have a plan, captain?"

"I can't start a war between two powerful families without evidence, nor can I extract anything from these people now, but someone else…" The captain looks at the lieutenant expectantly. "Make a report of everything that just happened and take it to her."

"Her? That woman from the Nobles' Tavern?"

"Yes, she has the resources to investigate these people... also, be discreet."

"Yes, sir!"

From one of the second-floor windows, Josephine watches the lieutenant running down the street while the captain heads towards the city where the Wymane house is located.

She's so deep in thought that some of her ideas slip through her lips in a nearly inaudible whisper. "What are you all up to?"

"Seeking help from an unlikely ally," Aria's voice comes from behind Josephine, startling her.

"Oh," the old lady smiles warmly at Aria, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Were you listening to them? And why do you say it's an unlikely ally?"

"The lieutenant seemed surprised when the captain sent him to report to a woman in a sort of luxurious tavern," Aria explains.

"Woman? Luxurious tavern..." Josephine muses aloud. "That must be the main tavern on the square, and as for the woman... aside from spoiled noble ladies drinking with their secret boyfriends, there's only one person there who could help them, but..."

Now, it's Aria who becomes curious. "What's the problem?"

"She's part of a rather dangerous organization," Josephine quickly explains. "The captain would have to sell his own soul to get help from them."

"The Assassin's League?" Aria asks.

"You know them?"

"A little bit."

"It makes sense, hehe…" Josephine's eyes sparkle more with admiration than curiosity. "You must know a lot about the world, don't you?"

"A little bit," Aria smiles.

"Well, if you know about the league, you must understand that…"

"They're dangerous?"

"To me and my family, they certainly are," Josephine speaks frankly.

"Don't worry," Aria makes a friendly expression. "The league certainly has the resources to bring down anyone, anywhere. But they are reasonable and well… to accept a contract for my head, the payment would have to be extremely high."

"How high?" Josephine can't help but ask.

"I can't say exactly," Aria smiles proudly. "But let's just say that half of this continent wouldn't be enough."

'Half the continent?!?!' Josephine exclaims in her mind as she is physically left speechless. 'Who are you really???'

Seeing the shocked expression on Josephine's face, Aria tries to sound more friendly. "Don't think too much about it, my friend. Just let that league member investigate me; they won't take long to realize that it makes no sense to target me. Well, unless your enemies can pay the price…"

"No, certainly not!" Josephine quickly exclaims. "The most influential member of my family is just a Count, and they don't care about us here, so I doubt that Emilio's father would look at us either. And even he is just a Count of Lumindell, after all."

"I see," Aria nods. "So, what happens here if this Count comes?"

"Well," Josephine looks out the window with a thoughtful expression. "The Wymanes should take the lead, but as they are leaving the city, it will probably fall to the Winfred family, another less important branch of the Whittlees."

"Winfred? I suppose they are just servants with noble titles, right?" Aria asks.

"Yeah, something like that—" Josephine stops and looks at Aria with a curious and even concerned expression. "You are going to... kill them, are you?"

"I don't care about such insignificant lives," Aria speaks coldly, but then a warm glint appears in her blue eyes. "But if Arthur wants to kill them, I will support him, naturally."

"Why?" Josephine can't help but ask. "Why is he doing this?"

Aria smiles warmly. "It's his way of showing appreciation for your and Oliver's friendship because you were kind to Margaret."

Josephine still seems puzzled by Arthur's reasons. "He's killing all my enemies because I was kind to his wife?"

"Do you think that's bad?" Aria raises an eyebrow while her expression turns less friendly and more cold. "I bet any intelligent person would see it as the best kind of gratitude possible."

"Sure, of course!" Josephine quickly nods. "Who wouldn't want a friend like that?"

"Then why do you still seem so confused?" Aria asks.

"It's just that..." Josephine can't stop her inquisitive mind from wondering about Arthur as some kind of fantastical creature. "There must be something more... his actions are so... detailed."

Aria can't help but smile. "Alright, maybe he enjoys it more than most people would..." She looks at Josephine, and her expression becomes cold again. "But isn't that how things are among nobles?"

"In a way—" Josephine begins to respond.

But Aria interrupts her. "Come on; I know you're kind well; you nobles can act as politely as civilized creatures, but look at what happened last night: you played a dangerous game with your own son's life, and your 'counterparts' tried to brutally kill him!"

Josephine feels the pressure of Aria's aura on her body, just a fraction of it, of course. "Aria, I didn't mean to—"

"Cut the crap," Aria contained her aura and shook her head in disappointment. "You nobles are the most hypocritical type there is, doing terrible things, and when you meet someone like Arthur... you call him a monster?"

"I don't think that way, you know that!" Josephine quickly exclaims.

"It doesn't matter, you're already judging him... fearing him?" Aria sighs. "He may be more brutal than most, and yes, he has a deep thirst for blood. But he's trying to help you, to protect your family."

"I really am sorry," Josephine bows respectfully, with a sincere expression on her face. "I never doubted his intentions; I was just a bit overwhelmed by his determination... and to be honest, I envy your relationship."

"What?" Aria looks puzzled, and a slight blush appears on her cheek. "What do you mean???"

"Well..." Josephine also seems embarrassed. "I've always tried to be a good mother to my Oliver and he grew up to be a healthy boy, but when I see how close you and Arthur are... I think I missed out on something."

"Oh?" Aria becomes calm, and her lips curve into a proud smile again. "My Arthur is very much like me; we are... intense, I would say."

'Intense? Huh...' Josephine can't help feeling like a foolish sheep in the presence of a formidable Mommy wolf.

"Hehehe..." She giggles amicably.