The grey sky was cold and lifeless, yet the city of Lorell was bustling with activities.
Life in the capital has settled down. The unrest of the populace is finally starting to fade away as stability takes its place. The new King and Queen who came into power have finally solidified their power and position.
The winter season just began settling in as a cool mist swept across the whole territory of the city. With it came powerful winds, freezing the city's populace.
Such is the life in the northern capital. Winter is harsh and unforgiving, especially for the common folk.
In the early mornings, a majority of people line up for the morning newspapers. It had become a sort of habit during times as cold and dull as these.
"Next person, please!" A person shouted.
These were stores that provided the much needed entertainment for the people. Plus other things. A smile appeared on the workers's face as he greeted his new customer.
"Which publisher?" He asked.
A charming yet delicate voice called out: "Dr. Bowen."
"Ah. This is our last copy. This must be a fateful day for you, my lady. " He handed out the newspaper.
The woman frowned at the workers's remark as he placed a 'SOLD OUT' sign for the newspaper.
The lady extended her arm, a single coin placed on top of her palm.
"A pleasure doing business with you,"he said in a warm tone and took the money from her hand.
"Next!" He continued.
No sooner did she take the piece of paper than she left.
The line had begun to get smaller, as the most popular publisher was out of stock. The disappointment of many people, especially the person that was just behind her, was immense.
Yet, that was none of her concern. She didn't even blink an eye and simply went her way.
Passersby were seemingly indifferent to the icy weather, while carriages moved out and about.
When the chilling cold grazed her face, she tightly clutched her umbrella. Both her ear and face muscles were numb.
'Wasn't there a cafe around these parts? If I don't find it, I might as well freeze to death!' She grumbled.
She quickly made her way across the cobbled streets.
As she came closer to her destination, the smell of coffee and pastries became more apparent. The warmth of a coffeehouse, on a cold and windy day like this one, was a true blessing.
She pushed the door. A chime came from above. She scanned the area, taking in the comfort as this is the moment she needed it most.
"Good to see you again, Madam ." An attendant greeted her, bowing slightly." I presume a table for one?"
"Indeed. Are there available seats near the window?" She inquired.
"Please, this way." he pointed to seat.
"You have my gratitude," she smiled. "What kinds of tea are available currently?"
"Ah...." he hesitated. "We currently have White, Black and Herbal kinds. Right now, our most popular drink is Silver Needle, also known as Baihao Yizhen. Are you interested, perhaps?"
She tilted her head.
"..."
"I'll have.... that." She said, taking off her jacket and placing her belongings on a chair right beside her.
"Thank you. I will return with the tea in just a few minutes."The server scurried quickly out of sight.
When he left, Elizabeth immediately slumped into the chair. It felt like forever when she could just lie down and enjoy herself, but that was only a week ago.
Who would've thought that things would go downhill so quickly? Well, not her. She didn't expect two of her salon members to leave the second they found out someone died right in front of the salon she ran. Everyone else was on very high alert, too.
Not only that, but three renters annulled their contracts for the apartment she rented out. Three! How could that happen to her? She wasn't even a part of it all.
If anything, she was a victim!
'My reputation! How am I supposed to recover from this mess?' Her heart filled with worry.
The person who knew how much effort was put into that salon was her and her alone. Every moment, it felt like her dreams were crumbling right before her very eyes.
She wasn't apart of any scandal, love affair or government scheme. She was just a normal woman, running a salon in the capital.
But for some reason, she's facing backlash for things that aren't even her fault! Why would a woman like her even be related to the death of such a high-profile criminal?
She massaged her temples.
"Here you are, madam." The attendant gave the tea.
Only giving a slight nod, she grabbed the newspaper.
The front cover was something of no value to her— something about the dozens of advertisements plastered on the front page just urked her. She skimmed through most of the other pages and came across the article she was looking for.
'MAN FOUND DEAD DISCOVERED TO BE INFAMOUS CRIMINAL'
The woman squinted her eyes with disdain but kept reading on.
'The police received a report for an unknown individual dead late into the night. When the police came to the scene, they were shocked to see the damage done to the nearby area where the body was found...'
She sighed internally. At least they didn't mention the odd marking on the building.
'As of today, researchers have been able to identify the corpse as Jacques, a criminal known for stealing money from the nobility. What remains to be known is how he ended up there and what his intentions were near the building....'
This little excerpt caused her so much. She wanted to throw, tear, and ruin this piece of paper.
'...'
She stared at it for a little longer.
'I'll do the crossword.' She settled.
She raised her hand, hoping to get the attention of another one of the staff.
"Hello, how may i help you?" a waitress greeted her.
"Pardon me, but do you perhaps have ink I could use?"
"Yes, madam. It is not unusual for people to ask for things here, considering its central location," the attendant clarified."I will be here shortly."
Eli smiled. "You have my thanks."
The girl came back with a small jar of blue ink, with intricate an design and peculiar colour.
'Now..' she turned to the page of the crossword, looking for word that would be a good start. On row number three, the prompt didn't seem that difficult.
'What is a word for the general state of someone's health? I starts with a 'c'..?' she read the prompt. 'Condition? No, that is too short.'
'Ah! Is it Constitution? There are twelve boxes, so it must be it!' she smiled happily.
'Next one.. son of Shannon O'Neil? That's from the opera, i believe.'
'What was his name, though? I cant believe I've forgotten the name of such a central character...'