The Act

Chapter-9

'I didn't get any sleep last night, and my dark circles are so bad I look like a panda, but it's troubling me that Mr. Paul would lie to his masters. There must be some ulterior motive as to why he would do something like this, I need to keep my gaurd around him, but right now I need some cold damp cloth to cover my eyes.'

*Sigh*

'I feel like all this thinking and stress is going to make me age early. Though I have already made arrangements to go there again today, so whining isn't going to do me any good. If I'd know it was going to be this difficult I wouldn't have... no I would have taken this job even then but I wonder why I'm even going through so much trouble for this book I could just write whatever they'd tell me and leave but then there's just something about Katherine's story that I feel like I should investigate.'

*Sigh*

'I don't understand myself anymore. But I should probably start working my gears already I've got a very hectic day waiting for me.'

~At the gates of the mansion~

"Good Morning Miss Navia, are you sure you're feeling well today? I heard you couldn't sleep well last night, fatigue can deteriorate your health, it also causes one to collapse. I hope you are rested enough to pull through the day."

"I'm perfectly fine Sir Paul you don't have to worry so much."

"Very well then I will trust you but if you feel dizzy let me know instantaneously."

"Yes I will, so please don't worry."

Navia said with a cheerful smile but Paul still seemed very concerned.
On their way to the bazaar Paul seemed to have had calmed down while Navia was...

'Am I really going to collapse? What would I do if I really collapsed? Especially when I was thinking of getting rid of Sir Paul, if I did then who will take care of me? Should I just let him tail me I mean he wouldn't tell on me would he? He didn't tell on me yesterday then why would he today... Wait.A.Minute. Why didn't he rat me out, yesterday my movements were quite fishy if I say so myself. Not, that I am proud of them or anything but still.'

"Um, Mr. Paul if you don't mind me asking why did you not tell Madam Celina the truth."

Paul sat there dazed at Navia's sudden question but soon regained his composure and smiled back at her.

"We are here Miss Navia. Let me help you."

"Oh, Thank you Mr. Paul it was very kind of you."

'...Wait a minute, did he just dodge my question. Why does he always do this?'

Navia followed Paul while being lost in her own thoughts when Paul suddenly stopped, making Navia bump into him.

"Would you please follow me Miss Navia?"

Paul's voice was so deep and serious that Navia was suddenly caught off gaurd.

"Ye-yes."

Navia silently followed Paul in a deserted corner and stood there silently with a very constipated look on her face.

"I did not cover for you out the kindness within me I had a motive behind it."

'I knew it, this man can't be trusted. I...'

Navia noticed Paul's subtle expressions, they were very soft and warm, not the kind of expression a calculative man would wear.

"There is a part of Katherine's life that people who knew her are unaware of and even so they loved her unconditionally, but now there is someone who could see through her and not be fooled by her deceptive personality. It's the only wish of this old man that those people could have just one last reason to love her and know of the legacy she had left behind."

"I-I..."

Navia felt so guilty that she couldn't say anything to the poor man. She could feel the lump in her throat as she tried to keep herself from being eaten by her guilt.

"Very well then, since you now know my intension let's keep this between you and me. It's our little secret, given that I know you have been investigating Katherine's background so don't worry I will keep this to me if you keep my secret."

Paul said with a teasingly confident smile on his face.
Navia was taken aback for a moment thinking weather she had been too hasty in judging this man but soon gave in and with a smug face she nodded her head.

"Alright then, it's settled I shall leave you alone to continue investigating that shop. I'll meet you at the market square by 6:00p.m, you've got three hours, make the most of them."

"I will, thank you very much Sir Paul."

"Alright Miss Navia shall we head out then."

Navia nodded and the both separated ways at the crossroads.

'Now that I know that Sir Paul is on my side I feel a little at ease though I don't fully trust him yet.'

~At It's Herbalicious~

'Today I asked a worker to remove the sealed door so I could go in.
Thankfully the man worked very swiftly and didn't ask many questions, he was only concerned about getting the work done and getting his money.
I entered the room carefully since the floor board could break with the slightest of pressure, but when I entered the room what I saw was something I wasn't prepared for. There was a skeleton sitting in a rocking chair with a bundle of letters in it's hand. I'm definitely not getting any sleep tonight either. I went around the room to find evidences but all I could find was a picture of a man and a very young girl. I took the picture out of the frame to take a better look at it. While I studied the picture I noticed something written behind it. "MY DEAR LITTLE KATHERINE", so the girl in the photograph was indeed Katherine and the skeleton must be the man in the photograph since they are both wearing the same clothes. I carefully placed that photograph in my notebook and decided to study the skeleton next. There was nothing special about the skeleton, the clothes were ordinary there were no accessories or precious items on it, just the letters. I wonder who would be so cruel to seal a man inside a room with nothing but just a rocking chair and some letters. This is equivalent to a murder, but I'm not here to play cop so I'll stop thinking about the corpse. I carefully took the bundle of letters out of it's hands and tried to read who they were addressed to but the ink had seemed to have faded away over the years so I couldn't figure it out. I decided to open the top most letter of the pile.'

Navia's eyes broadened as she read the letter, after a few minutes her hands dropped down as if they had lost all power. Navia stood in silence for a few seconds, then looked at the sealing expressionlessly and suddenly started laughing.

*Deep breathes*

"So this is Katherine, huh?"

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A/N

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