3 Chapter 3: The Reader(3)

When I finally reached the ground floor, I saw the carriage waiting for me at the front gate.

Unfortunately, I had to wait a little longer before I rode the carriage. The reason was that there would be a slight incident that took place before Marinette's first meeting with her fiance.

The imperial family set the date of the meeting one week after the announcement of their engagement to the public.

"Have they found Diana yet?"

The servant shook their heads in worry. I sighed and sat on the sofa in the living room waiting for someone.

I had two choices, and the choice will affect the story a bit. I wanted to pick a path that would be a little helpful for me later on.

As a reader of this novel, I knew exactly where Diana ran off after she heard the engagement between Marinette and her childhood sweetheart.

Should I tell the location to that someone or not?

After a while, the man dressed in black with the sword hanging on his waist walked past me like a shadow of the assassin. To me, I was only a shadow under the shade of the umbrella.

He who was the devourer on the battlefield, the one and only heir to the Mortel dukedom will never notice the presence of a lowly person like Marinette. In his eyes, Marinette was just a homeless kid who got a basement because of her blood with the noble family.

Marinette was a stain on the white rose of this elegant family.

"Servant, is the young lord always this mannerless? The fiance of the future ruler of Anastasia is sitting in front of him, and yet, I haven't heard any greeting."

The servant got down in fear, not because of the question I asked them but because of the figure stood behind me.

I could see his shadow on the tea table. I kept my pose, sitting crosslegged, and continued sipping the cinnamon tea while the demon started opening its lip.

"Blood of a murderer will never deserve to mix with the imperial family."

"Ohh? Then the blood of a commoner does?"

I could finally see the face of a special character when he walked into my view. The man who stood across my tea table had the colour of the snow in December as his hair, and the lavender of the spring as his eyes.

The hand that took many lives almost landed on my cheek, but it stopped.

"I dare you.", I said staring into his soul through those murderous eyes. I lost count of how many times Marinette's big brother tried to kill Marinette.

"You're right. Why should I bother with an arrogant fool like you?"

"This is a warning, young lord. Your words will work against you in the imperial court for slandering the fiance of the crown prince."

He smirked as he tried to mock my pride.

"Without that title, what even are you? You wasted my time. Finding Diana is more important than you."

There was also one more thing that happened on the day of the meeting. Tristan, Diana's beloved brother got into an accident trying to find her.

He made me question my kindness.

"Avoid going to a quiet valley."

He probably won't take my word to his mind. But I had to say it in case I might regret it in the future.

After his accident, I could say the words "I already warned you." to his face.

But if he listened to me, I might save a person from an accident. There was no loss for me.

After the conversation, Tristan made it clear that I should choose the other path. It looked like Diana had to wait a little longer.

Pitiful Diana, it must have been cold for her.

I shall waste no more time.

After the tea in the cup was gone, I made my way to the carriage. There stood a man in front of the carriage, with the white pants and the black jacket with many golden strings from one side of his chest to another. He had an ornament of the rose with the colour of the red on his left chest.

The colour of the rose matched his hair.

He put out his hands for me to hold to make it easier for me to get myself onto the carriage.

His glove was clean, opposite of the work the owner did.

The glove covered the hands of the assassin who killed countless men and women under the word 'Order and Mission'.

The latest mission he received from his master was to protect Diana and to find a way to execute Marinette.

His name was Flynn.

I sat on the carriage with Marinette's assassin. His eyes kept looking down, but without making eye contact, he was able to make my back sweat from the anxiety and panic he caused me.

He could kill me on the way to the meeting at that moment. He could kill me in my sleep. He could kill me at any moment as long as his master ordered him to.

He was a walking time bomb to Marinette. He was a parasite at the corner of Marinette's eyes.

He never caused harm to Marinette and always performed his duty well. But every plan, every scheme, everything Marinette crafted always leaked to the third party. He was the one Marinette trusted to the end of her life.

Marinette never doubted him even on the brink of her death because, to her, he was her knight, the one who swore an oath to her that he would protect her. But sadly, her oath wasn't enough to make him loyal because he needed to pay the favour the master did to him when he was young.

His master raised him and fed him after the death of his family.

"Flynn, what is your family like?"

I already knew the answer. But seeing that expression was worth the risk.

I knew what the question felt like. I once got asked the same question. While other kids would brag about dad being the superhero, and their mom being a master chef.

I didn't have anything to say except lying.

"My mother is a baker. She baked delicious bread. My father is a craftsman, he used to make a wooden sword for me when I was young."

"You have a nice family, Flynn. I hope you cherish them well."

I put up a smile to hide my envy because Flynn proved me wrong. Although he no longer had parents, he already experienced the love from his family.

It must have been so hard for him. I wouldn't want to experience the feeling of love just for it to be taken away in an hour.

"I will." he held onto his sword as he replied. Under the radiant light coming from the carriage's window, his red eyes full of hope glowed like a ruby in front of me.

It would be nice if he was really Marinette's knight and not his master's slave.

To be continued...!