The Head Lord and the Rat Thief {Kamisato Ayato FanFiction}

Chapter 2 ~ The Jewel and the Thief

Chapter 2 ~The Jewel and the Thief 

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       The silence of the forest was even more oppressive this time, but safer, and darkness enveloped her as Caiome followed her path among the trees that rose like phantoms before her. She waited for the moon to emerge from behind the clouds, and then Caiome decided to dress, to take everything of value she could find in Ayaka's room, and to run, jumping out of her room's window, which opened directly into the backyard.

       She sneaked past the guards like a deepened ghost in the darkness of the night, hiding from the moonlight among the flesh-colored shadows of the residence, then jumped over the huge fence and headed into the forest, towards the west, along the violet tree road. Her bag hung heavily on her hip, but Caiome could move as easily as always. She could hear the jingling of the jewelry, a very faint sound, all placed in a spacious wooden box that could contain them all.

       It hadn't been difficult to find them. In a way, she was even disgusted and dissatisfied with how the wealthy families guarded their precious belongings. It had been easy to find Ayaka's room and gather all the pairs of earrings, gold brooches, and hairpins made of gold, silver, adorned with precious stones, which, though small, were even more valuable. However, the most beautiful piece had been a silver hairpin encrusted with sapphire flowers, a wonderful combination of colors that together created lilac hues. The flower petals were twisted in a way that made you believe you were in a whirlwind of colors and hallucinations.

       It was such a beautiful piece, found in Ayaka's room, wrapped in a handkerchief made of silk, that Caiome wondered whether to keep it for herself or to sell it. She would have made a lot of money from it, and anyway, she wouldn't be able to take care of such a piece of jewelry in her travels, so yes, it might have been better to sell it on the Black Market. There, no one asked any questions about the objects bought or sold, and Caiome didn't get too involved in their affairs, she just went, did her job, and left. No questions, just transactions.

       And such a beautiful piece, so neglected. That's how these rich people were. They never looked twice, never cared more. They left the job to someone else, thinking that nothing bad could happen to them, that they had good protection... Sure. Caiome entered and exited the residence without any problem, taking all of Ayaka's jewelry with her. She didn't bother wasting time searching through more personal rooms, so she took a few trinkets made of gold from the living rooms and left.

       She walked for a few hours, getting closer to the edge of the forest, already dreaming of being surrounded by the money she would get from the jeweler when she saw a light in the distance. She hid behind the trunk of a tree, looking more carefully at the flickering light. They could be other bandits, other treasure hunters.

       But when the light approached, Caiome breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a middle-aged man climbing up the hill.

       Then Caiome froze.

       What the hell was a middle-aged man doing out at this late hour? It was freezing, and Caiome was sure she hadn't headed towards any village. She had studied the map very well before leaving the Kamisato family residence.

       "You seem puzzled," a voice sounded, and Caiome immediately jumped a few meters back, her hand on the sword's hilt at her side, ready to draw it for defense. "Let me help you find your way, what do you say?"

      In the moon-pierced sky, Caiome could see Kamisato Ayato leaning against the tree trunk where he had hidden. He held his arms over his chest and seemed quite relaxed, with a mischievous smile on his face. He looked as if he knew exactly where he was and that he was supposed to be here. He looked like he knew what he was doing and that he had a purpose, while Caiome had none of those: she didn't know exactly where she was, she didn't know what she was supposed to do at this moment, and she didn't know exactly what her purpose should be — considering whether to run away from Ayato or cut his throat on the spot. The second option was tempting, she couldn't deny it.