Thief of Twilight

Part One: Chapter 22

At the Cherry Blossom Inn, located in the upper district, Lord Baldwin and Dahi were able to reserve a room before sundown. Before leaving Jincheon, Lord Baldwin thought it would be best to evaluate the situation before him. He thought he had a firm handle on things. But seeing Zurine's act of rebellion infuriated him. Dahi sat at the table facing Lord Baldwin who was busy tapping his finger next to a plate of cookies. Dahi poured tea into the two cups before him.

"Did you see it?" Lord Baldwin spoke through tight lips.

Dahi smirked before looking out the window to his left. "Yes, I did."

"How dare she. That filthy whore." Lord Baldwin slammed his fists on the table. "It would seem she has forgotten her place."

Dahi steadied the cups so they would not fall over.

"How dare she disrespect me!" Lord Baldwin got to his feet. "I gave her everything and she dares to do that! To me!" walking to the bed, he cursed under his breath. "Of all people, me! That bitch!" he sat on the edge of the bed with his hands on his face.

Dahi slowly shook his head. "I told you this would happen. Even when we were young. You didn't believe me when I said that one day-."

"Stay here." Lord Baldwin spoke through his hands. "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on her. I already have someone from inside the palace that will be keeping tabs on her."

"Who?"

"A servant. She has green eyes and black hair."

"Oh..." Dahi thought for a moment. "I might have seen her. Why would she be so willing to help us?"

"Apparently, she had an intimate relationship with the emperor. It would appear that Zurine's presence has interrupted that and now she has been tossed aside. But it's only natural for that to happen. But it's not to say that the emperor won't go crawling back to her."

"And how long am I to stay here? Don't get me wrong. I'll find something to do. I'll make sure to get some business going."

"I want you to stay for about another month or two. That should be enough time for me to come up with a plan. When I return to Khurut, I'll find someone from Shadowbane to watch Zurine. I don't want them to hurt her. At least not yet."

"Are you sure that you just want to keep an eye on her?"

"Yes. Even though she has disrespected me, I believe that this may work in my favor. I know she was not able to persuade the emperor to sign a contract with me. But I believe her presence at the palace will be more beneficial in the future. Perhaps another opportunity will arise." Lord Baldwin dropped his hands to his lap. "But until then, I want you to make frequent visits to the palace as well. Try to befriend that man, Lord Baek. I feel like he will be an even bigger obstacle to overcome. He might be very close with the emperor. It would be smart to befriend him."

Dahi smirked. "I understand. I can do that."

"I will bring Zurine back to Khurut. Even if I have to drag her back by her hair." Lord Baldwin smiled darkly. "She has forgotten her place but I can happily remind her."

"I don't see why you wouldn't remind her."

Lord Baldwin thought for a moment. "Yes...perhaps...she needs to be reminded of the situation that she has fallen into."

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"This is exactly what I needed." my body sank into the warm water. I still think the bath is rather big. It was more like a shallow pool. Leaning back against the icy tile, I peered up at the wooden beams that lined the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling was a single opening that somehow perfectly revealed the moon no matter where it was in the sky. I combed my hair with my fingers, following the strands up to the bun on top of my head.