After a long day of work, Kardin Ravillet put all of the papers on his desk in one neat pile, moved it to the left side of the desk, and left his office, putting off the light on his way out. He closed the door and turned the key twice before he put it back into his pocket.
As he climbed the stairs to his quarters, that same gnawing feeling from before returned. Did he truly make the right decision by hiring that odd bounty hunter? Being able to keep a secret mattered nothing if he couldn't finish the job and bring Kasena back.
All the confidence that he had throughout the day dissipated when he stopped in front of Kasena's room. His hand hovered over the door, like he was too scared to knock. Just for a moment, he wanted to pretend that his sister was on the other side of the door. That she was sitting on her bed, polishing her sword before going to sleep. That she was safe and sound. Happy.
With a sigh, he finally turned the doorknob and entered. He did the same thing every day since she left, and every time he felt the same tinge of disappointment when he'd find the room completely empty.
But something was wrong.
Perhaps he wouldn't have noticed anything had he not seen the translucent purple curtain slightly sway. It was a small movement, but a glaring one in the complete stillness of the room.
He approached the window, only to find it ever so slightly ajar. It looked almost innocent, as if one of the servants opened the window to let some air in, and then forgot to close it completely. But they weren't allowed to do that.
In fact, they weren't allowed to touch anything in the room. He knew exactly how everything was left, so it was painfully obvious to him that the chair had been moved slightly to the left, the covers on the bed were a bit more wrinkled than before, and even the jewelry box was only a centimeter crooked from its position on the makeup table.
Once he confirmed that there was no one else in the room, he started noticing more details—a slightly tilted rug, moved clothes in the closet, a drawer that wasn't completely closed.
One thing was for sure—something must've been stolen from this room.
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In Search of Kasena (ONC 2024) | ✓
FantasyTorn between following a family tradition of being a bounty hunter-one that he's not particularly fond of-and following his dreams of being a private detective, Niel has always struggled to land himself a job and put the food on his table. Few peopl...
