𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺 ⟡ Espresso CRK [Book 2]

Epilogue

No'ones Pov

It was a dark, starless night. The crunching footsteps of the guards searching for the wanted cookies could be heard over the lapping waves of the sea against the cliffs. Some searched the forests while others searched the beach, unaware there was a cave inside the cliff where four cookies were hidden. They were Madeleine's immediate family, ones whose names were demolished overnight. News of the chaos at the ball spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of their family members who hadn't attended the ball. Many ranted to their friends who weren't aristocrats, to their maids and fellow knights, who told it to their associates. Less than a day later, the news of Espresso's outburst was the headline for every newspaper. The news sent a shockwave through the Republic, shaking people's opinions and breaking up friend groups as people viewed the situation differently. Speculation theories rose, the top ones being a lover's spat and Espresso never redempted and had been acting the whole time.

The four dressed in gray cloaks that cast a shadow over their masquerade masks, and they crept in silence. Well, the majority of the time anyway, but as the ground got muddier, Saphire's disdain grew.

"Why am I the one dragging all these papers or whatever is in this chest?" Saphire groaned, pulling a wagon with a cloth covering the chest on top. She trailed the rest of her family, hands blistering, last in the line.

She scowled at the muddy puddles and then at her soiled pants. She made a face, shuddering as she noticed eyeless fishes swimming in one of the streams by the edge of the cave.

"Be grateful you're not carrying bodies again," Damien snickered, lazily crossing his arms behind his head, and she glared at him.

"It's not fair! He's not carrying anything, and I have a migraine from that stupid soccer ball!" Saphire complained, "Woah-

She tripped on an uneven step and stumbled into one of the dangling stalactites, hitting her head. Tears sprung into her eyes as she stopped to rub her forehead. "Owiee..."

"Careful, don't you dare break the items," Cream Madeleine snapped, his tone sharp.

"It's your fault for teleporting in front of Damien and getting knocked out," Strawberry Vanilla Madeleine said sternly, "This is your punishment for being so careless."

Saphire opened her mouth, then closed it, swallowing her retorts.

"Yes, Mother," She mumbled, tugging the wagon despite the fresh throbbing pain on her forehead.

The walls of the cave kept getting narrower until they squeezed through the end, popping into a wide cave mouth. The moonlight poured through the opening, illuminating the dark sea-green waters where the center's sea floor wasn't visible. Some rocks sloped by the exit, like a makeshift hill.

Cream Madeleine lead the family, slinking carefully along the edge. One wrong step, and he'd fall into the water. Although the water wasn't too deep by the edge, who knew what lurked under the surface? He abruptly froze, his vision zooming in on what seemed like a crumpled corpse on top of the rocks. 

"There's a body, likely dead," Cream Madeleine said, calm but suspicious. He kept his eyes trained on the body as he moved to the motorboat.

"Check it out and make sure it's not a spy faking unconsciousness," Strawberry Vanilla said to him as he dumped what he was carrying with the other carts already at the back of the boat. Damien and Saphire caught up to their parents, quickly spotting the body. 

Saphire gasped, recognizing him, "Wait...isn't that Affogato?"

"It is!" Damien exclaimed, moving closer to the edge, "His body was never found, and he was announced dead after falling from the cliff. That's a few kilometres away...how did he end up here?!"