After The Heroine Vanished

6: DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

[HER BLOOD is definitely special.]

Diether watched Sonata Florin nullify the black magic around the carriage in silence.

He was wondering about how to dig deeper into Sonata Florin's background, but now he finally got a clue.

[I haven't heard of a family who could use their blood as a weapon.]

Not in the Zerua Kingdom, at least.

[That means Lady Florin might not be from this kingdom. Or, perhaps, her birth parents belonged to a forgotten household. If I look for families that deal with blood, I'm sure I'm going to find some useful information.]

As the heir to House Hexford and the king's nephew, he had access to the most classified records in the Royal Library.

[I should visit the Royal Library later. But, for now...]

"Come out," Diether said out loud, touching the scabbard of his Holy Sword. "I am not in the mood to act merciful tonight."

The night looked dead and silent.

But he could sense the presence around them.

Whoever those people were, he could tell that they were good at hiding. Unfortunately, his senses were better than their stealth.

"Good evening, Commander Hexford."

Diether's eyes widened a bit when he recognized the person who stepped out of the dark. "What are you doing here?"

Aside from the king, the queen, and the Crown Prince, only Diether and his father would recognize that face.

It was Captain Redwood– the captain of his uncle– er, the king's Secret Order.

[Is Lady Florin working with them?]

***

"WE'LL CLEAN up this place, Lady Sonata."

Sonata, who was washing her face in the bathroom, raised her head and looked at the reflection of the man standing behind her. "Thank you, Captain Redwood."

Captain Redwood was a man in his early forties– long dark green hair tied in a man bun, bearded face, bulky build. The symbol of a silver wild dog on his all-black uniform also served as his identity as the captain of the Hounds.

The 'Hounds' was the king's Secret Order– aka the group of knights with questionable backgrounds that was in charge of doing all the dirty jobs for the king.

[And the king is none other than Grand Duke Hexford's older brother.]

When Grand Duke Daniel Hexford– Diether's slightly crazy father– found out about Sonata's real identity, His Grace didn't hesitate to bring her to the king.

In return for keeping her identity a secret from the world, she was forced to agree to help the Secret Order whenever the king demanded her to do so. Fortunately, the king had a conscience. So, she was paid handsomely for every mission she would take– whether it was a success or not.

"We will take the assassin that you caught," Captain Redwood said, then he paused as if he hesitated before he asked: "Lady Sonata, what should we do about Commander Hexford? He caught us."

"Did the commander ask you anything?"

The captain shook his head. "Commander Hexford is known for not caring about things that have nothing to do with the temple."

Right.

That was a rumor that even Sonata had heard.

[That's how Lord Diether gained the title of the Avari Temple's 'Sword.' But, for people who hate the commander, he's nothing but the 'Saintess' dog.]