“Thank you, boy.”
Nisha smiled sweetly and took Rock’s hand in hers. Her soft hands closed over Rock’s. She was probably trying to convey her gratitude, but the suddenness of it made Rock uncomfortable.
“Nisha?”
Nisha also seemed puzzled despite being the one who initiated the touch.
“Your hand…”
“What about it?”
“Nothing, I just thought it felt calloused like Krister’s.”
Nisha gently pressed down on Rock’s calloused middle finger with the pad of her fingers.
Callouses were an inevitable part of sewing, and Rock had a few on the back of her middle finger and in the palm of her hand. Her mother Vale had had them in almost the same spots, and it made Rock happy to know her hands were coming to resemble her mother’s.
“Are you also a tailor, boy?”
Rock was surprised by her question.
“You can tell just by looking at my hand? That’s incredible!”
“My job consists of looking at men’s hands,” she said, releasing Rock’s hand and standing from the table. “See you next time, Rock. Make sure to tell Krister about me if you run into him.”
She sashayed out of the hash house without ordering anything.
“Krister has a lover, huh…?” Rock muttered shortly after Nisha departed. “He’s a real jerk, leaving his lover in the dark for a fortnight.”
“If she’s actually his lover, that is,” Phoebe quietly insinuated.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think Nisha’s lying?”
“I don’t.” Phoebe softly shook his head. “I’m saying Krister might not view her that way.” Then he shrugged. “That girl hasn’t been in the capital long. I haven’t seen her around, and she knew nothing about you or me. It’s painfully common for girls from the countryside to be trapped and snared by city boys.”
Phoebe’s explanation was strangely convincing. But not wanting to accept that was true, Rock argued back.
“You don’t know that. Krister could feel the same for her too.”
“If he did, he would’ve told her where he lives, especially when he can’t see her for a while.”
“I…guess so, but—”
“Not telling her the truth shows where his feelings are at. Period,” Phoebe declared flatly, a hint of sadness edging into his features.
Even Rock knew Phoebe had a valid point. But knowing something and accepting it are two different things.
“I’d rather see things in a more positive light…” Rock mumbled, getting a look out of Phoebe like he saw right through her.
“What’s this, Rock? Do you see yourself in her? Hmm?”
“WHAT?! N-No way!”
“You just saw him a week ago, silly!”
Her father saw through her lies.
For a woman in love, a week can feel like an eternity.
Rock also had no time to go on dates. Work had been hectic lately, and she wasn’t making much progress on the court uniform Ebel had ordered from her. She couldn’t summon him to her shop until she got it to a certain stage.
Hence why Nisha’s sadness hit close to home, and Rock had vowed to tell Krister the moment she saw him.
♚♚♚
ANOTHER week had passed.
Missing person posters had been put up around the slums. Nisha had posted them.
And naturally, the missing person was Krister Gionet.
♚Chapter 2: A Pledge for the Future
ROCK and Phoebe were taken by surprise when Nisha visited Floria Clothes Shop. Nisha didn’t seem to know this was their shop either. She absently looked around before holding out a piece of paper from the pile she was clutching.
“You’re…Rock, right? Can I trouble you to put this up?”
The paper was one of the missing person posters they had seen around town.
The poster clearly read:
Missing: Krister Gionet
28-year-old male
Slender, silver hair, charcoal-black eyes
The text was accompanied by a professionally drawn portrait of Krister that perfectly captured his features. Just having that drawn must have cost a small fortune, but Nisha didn’t stop there—she’d had dozens of the posters made.
The bottom of the page was signed “NiShA” with the sloppy handwriting of a child just learning how to write their name.
These posters had already been hung up all around the slums. Rock had spotted one on her way to the shop that very morning.
Rock lifted her eyes from Krister’s portrait to look at Nisha.
Her cheeks were sunken in, her eyes red and swollen from crying, and her lips paler than when Rock had met her a week ago at Justia’s. She was clearly haggard from worry caused by Krister’s disappearance, no doubt.
“Sure. I’ll put it up outside,” Rock agreed.
Nisha forced a miserable smile and asked, “Have you seen Krister yet?”
“Sadly, no.”
After being given the runaround all week, Rock had given up looking for him. But she could easily tell he was still missing from his customers knocking at her door to this day.
“I see… I hope nothing bad happened to him…” Nisha’s lips trembled and she cast down her eyes. “I don’t even know if he’s still in the capital. And everyone says they don’t know where he lives.”
Going two whole weeks without being seen was too long by all accounts. And it was almost a month since Nisha last saw him. Rumors were even starting to spread that he’d skipped town for some reason or another.
“You have no idea what he’s gotten himself into?” Phoebe asked her, unable to just watch.
Nisha feebly shook her head. “None whatsoever. I never thought he’d disappear from my life.”
Her heartrending whisper struck a chord with Rock.
She must be in so much pain to think that way. Especially when the cause of all her heartache is the man she loves…
“Did he mention anything about that big job of his?” Phoebe asked, digging deeper.
Nisha furrowed her brow as she tried to remember anything of use, only to droop her shoulders.
“I don’t think so. Krister rarely talks about work.” Tears formed in her eyes and she sniffled. “All he said was that he’s going to make big money off it.”
“‘Big money,’ huh? Just how big is that?”
“He said once everything was over, he’d take me back to my hometown.” Tears slipped down Nisha’s cheeks, the conversation pushing her over the edge. “He promised to go south with me to meet my family and get married.”
Phoebe shot Rock a look like his case was proven then and there.
There could be more than just that to explain his disappearance. Rock could only watch Nisha cry in silence.
After Nisha left the shop, Rock penned a letter to Ebel in the aristocrat district. She’d finally finished basting the court uniform he’d ordered, so she requested he come to her shop for a fitting.
She debated whether she should bring up Krister. She preferred not to put bad news into her letter to Ebel. But he was certain to see those posters on his way there.
So, after going back and forth with herself, she finally added: “Krister Gionet hasn’t shown up since that night. If you still remember where he lives, may I ask for your help in finding him?”
♚♚♚
THE day after the postman delivered Rock’s letter, Ebel arrived at her shop before his reply. He likely saw the poster hanging outside the shop, since his expression was harder than usual when he set foot inside.
“He went missing?” Ebel asked Rock as she helped him into the basted court uniform in the fitting room.
“It seems that way,” Rock confirmed, then continued, “I haven’t seen him once since that night he appeared in front of my apartment. From what I gather, no one else has seen him since that following afternoon either.”
“Hrm… What’s the reason for his disappearance?”
“No
one knows…” Rock held the tailcoat out to Ebel while shaking her head.
He slid his arms through the sleeves with practiced ease, then frowned.
“No one knows? He just up and disappeared then?”
“Yes. It’s not even clear if he left of his own will, got involved in some bad business, or is just hiding somewhere nearby.”
As she spoke, Rock circled behind Ebel and gently straightened his collar. His court uniform seemed perfectly tailored to his exact measurements. Now she just had to do the final stitching. But she wanted to resolve her concerns before that.
“It’s just that Nisha—Krister’s lover—seems really miserable.”
Ebel looked at her over his shoulder at the mention of that name. “Nisha…that’s the signature on the posters, right?”
“Yes. She’s been putting posters up all over the slums.”
—to find her lover.
Or at least that’s what Rock believed without a doubt. Phoebe, on the other hand, had a different opinion.
“So far, it’s just Nisha calling herself his lover,” his annoyed voice grumbled outside the fitting room. “There’s a chance he ran for it when talks of marriage came up.”
“That’s too cruel, Phoebe. Why would he run from marriage?” Rock argued from inside the fitting room, getting an exaggerated sigh in return.
“Not everyone willingly wants to get married. You’re still too naïve in that department, Rock.”
He had a point there. Rock was only twenty years old, an age where many still have fanciful dreams and high hopes about marriage.
Neither of them knew what Krister and Nisha’s relationship was actually like. But was it really so unreasonable for Rock to take Nisha’s side after seeing her cry?
“What do you think, Ebel?” Rock drew him into the conversation. Ebel quietly smiled in his full court uniform.
“When it comes to marriage, I swear I won’t dash your hopes and dreams.” Rock blinked up at him. His expression turned serious as he continued, “As for Krister, I can’t comment without more information.”
“I suppose so…”
“But we need to find out more.” Ebel’s golden eyes narrowed warily. “If there’s foul play involved, the danger needs to be removed. This is where you live, after all.”
Rock gazed up at his handsome face as relief quietly washed over her.
There is no greater blessing than having people you can rely on in life. In that respect, Rock was truly blessed.
Rock served Ebel tea after he removed his court uniform and exited the fitting room.
“It’s cheap tea, so I hope it doesn’t offend your tastes,” she warned in advance.
The count didn’t hesitate to take a sip and savor it before flashing her a bright smile.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it. Phoebe made it for you,” Rock added, relieved he liked it. Ebel, however, gagged.
Phoebe’s scarlet lips curled up at the corners.
“Oh dear, you don’t like it if I made it, Your Excellency?”
“…I would never…think that way.” Ebel elegantly wiped his lips with a handkerchief. Then he faced Rock with a more serious air about him. “In your letter, you asked if I remember where Krister lives, yes?”
“Yes. To tell you the truth, not even Nisha knows where he lives.”
Since no one knew where Krister lived, no one could visit his home to confirm his safety.
Perhaps he was still burning the midnight oil working at home. Or it was equally possible he was passed out on the floor. Rock had no trouble imagining him unconscious and unable to call for help.
“It might be hard for you to remember since you followed him over two weeks ago…” Rock continued, uncertain if she was asking too much. Ebel did indeed furrow his brows.
“Honestly, I can’t confidently say I do remember…”
It didn’t help that Ebel was only tailing Krister and not trying to remember the way there. Plus, this was the slums: a shantytown where shacks were built upon shacks, and the alleyways changed shape by the day. Even if he remembered the path he took that day, there was no guarantee following it would get him to the same place today.
“But I don’t want to say ‘I can’t’ in front of you.” Ebel winked at Rock, deciding to do it. “Let’s search for his house, relying on what I can remember.”
“Thank you very much, Ebel.” Rock bowed to convey her gratitude.
“I’ll come too then,” Phoebe immediately added his name to the search party.
“It never hurts to have more people.”
“That’s true. We don’t know what’s waiting for us, after all,” Ebel agreed, seemingly expecting the worse.
It wasn’t farfetched to assume Krister got himself caught up in some kind of trouble here, where crime was more common than three meals a day. Rock’s slender arms weren’t much good in a fight, so it was reassuring to have Phoebe come along.
“I don’t give a damn about that bastard’s wellbeing,” Phoebe stressed. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less if Krister ran for it or got whisked away by some evil fae. I’m interested in one thing and one thing only: the big job he got.”
Now that he mentioned it, Phoebe had only asked Nisha questions about the job Krister received.
“Do you think that’s the reason Krister went missing?” Rock asked.
“I’m thinking it very possibly is.” Phoebe stroked his smooth chin. “It pays so well he was willing to sacrifice all his other work for it. And this is that greedy bastard Krister we’re talking about. Work like that is about as common in the slums as finding gold on the streets.”
Rock was curious about who’d hired Krister for this high-paying job as well. She thought it came from a factory or the like because he was making clothes with the same exact shape and design, but there hadn’t been any news of such a facility opening up in these parts. Perhaps the job came from outside the slums.
“If that is the case, then we can’t pretend like it’s not our problem.” Phoebe looked closely at Rock’s face this time. “The same customer might show up at our shop next. Dangerous seeds should be squashed before they can sprout, right?”
“I can’t disagree with you there.”
Rock was all for that plan.
Something about this situation felt like it was just as much her problem as Krister’s.
♚♚♚
THE three of them left the shop after sundown. The reason being that Ebel had followed Krister from the rooftops. He’d jumped from roof to roof, keeping track of Krister’s whereabouts by tracking where his silver hair went.
“It will only slow us down if the constables see me up there.”
So they set out after sunset.
They locked up the shop and headed to the front of Rock’s apartment first. And just like on that night, Ebel jumped onto the roof while Rock watched.
“You’re as light on your feet as always.”
“Let’s go,” Ebel called down from the building after leaping up there with such agility it astounded Phoebe. “I’ll go slowly, so you can keep up.”
Then he bounded from rooftop to rooftop with the quiet power and balance of a prowling cat.
Rock and Phoebe chased after his shadow through the alleys.
The alleyways were hard enough to navigate as it was without the added difficulty of following Ebel’s shadow. Ebel sensed they were struggling and kept to a pace they could keep up with. But unlike the rooftops with few obstacles, the intertwining roads were jam-packed with them. Everything from shacks jutting out into the alley to mountains of junk left lying around and randomly placed wooden fences and stakes obstructed their path.
To make matters worse, there was barely any light, with makeshift buildings sprouting up willy-nilly, blocking the few streetlights.
Rock and Phoebe ran into several dead ends along the way, and every time Ebel directed them toward an alternative route, pointlessly increasing the amount of ti
me they had to spend walking.
“Sheesh. He’s so nimble I’m starting to envy him,” Phoebe grumbled, staring up at the night sky from the narrow alleyway.
Ebel had just so happened to vault over their heads at that moment. His burnt sienna hair softly floated in the air as he easily made the jump. Watching his catlike movements was enough to make anyone stop and stare in awe.
“Can’t you do the same thing, Phoebe?” Rock asked, thinking back on the time he rescued her from Linus Manor.
“I couldn’t keep it up forever.” Phoebe smiled wryly. “His Excellency has superhuman agility.” He paused, then continued in a mystified whisper, “But it’s strange that he’s this agile in this form.”
Rock thought the same thing. Ebel had inhuman physical prowess, even in human form. It didn’t matter that he had a medium build; he could still overpower Phoebe, who was significantly more built.
Then Rock suddenly remembered the story Phoebe had told her about how the people oppressed during the age of the Ancient Empire had clung to the power of the werewolves.
At that time, Rock thought it was foolish of them to rely on a curse that would forever change their shape, even if they gained the power to fight back in return—but would she think the same if she could exert the strength of a werewolf while in human form?
Perhaps what the Werewolf Brotherhood was really after were powers they could use even in human form.
Rock contemplated those things as she followed Ebel crossing the rooftops.
Her meandering thoughts were eventually interrupted by his voice.
“…This seems to be the place,” he said, looking down from the rooftop.
They were in a cluttered alleyway that was very much a part of the slums. Ebel gestured toward a two-story hovel protruding diagonally out onto the road Rock and Phoebe had taken.
When viewed from the road, the front side was a one-story building, and the back was a two-story building. A streetlight stood right behind the one-story building, blocking out the light, so the front of the hovel was poorly lit.
“I saw Krister enter this building two weeks ago.” Ebel pointed to the one-story building.
Rock surveyed the building from the ground.
The Werewolf Count and the Trickster Tailor, Volume 2 Page 4