WebNovels

Chapter 22 - The weekly visit

"A nightmare. It was just a nightmare, nothing more."

It was a dream, not a vision. Ellis would rather think he was starting to awaken as not a straight person than that being a vision of the immediate future. The last time it happened, he was fully awake, but…

Abruptly running off to the dresser mirror, the small sparrow on his shoulder was frightened, flying away from him as Ellis examined himself in the wide mirror. His hair was standing in the air as if it had been shocked.

This is caused by a buildup of static charge. When a person experiences a real electrical shock…

He clearly remembered the feeling of being electrocuted that time and even in his sleep as Alastair touched his bare body.

"I knew it. It's that devil's fault. He must've placed a curse on me too."

Ellis laughed, staring at his ruffled appearance. One encounter with the devil is enough to ruin everything. He needed to keep his distance from Duke Alastair, no matter what. The day they arrived in the Vale of Lysmere, his father received a letter from Alastair asking him about the events of that night and specifically everything about Ellis. After discussing with his father, they had decided to switch his suit and mask. According to his father's reply, Ellis wore a white suit and a white mask that night, and he wasn't with his father (confirmed by the people his father met and conversed with).

Now that should've scooped him out of Alastair's list of suspects, unless he remembered every single detail and had already realized it was Ellis… suddenly, he didn't want to get ready and go back to the capital. The title of a saint be damned, he would be walking back to the devil's lair. He had heard that Duke Alastair was staying in the capital until the coronation day of Princess Evelyne Hartmere. The kingdom must be aware of how much of a devil Alastair was; that's why Princess Evelyne was to take the crown soon.

Despite himself, Ellis opened the doors of his bedroom, only to be given a quiet scare by Mila standing right in front of the doors as silent as a decorative plant in the corner, going unnoticed by everyone.

"Good morning, young master, but it's too early for you to be awake…"

"I'm just so excited to go to the church, I couldn't wait anymore!"

Ellis responded with a smile as bright as the sun behind him.

†††

After another six hours of ride to the capital, Ellis was ready to announce to the world that he wasn't in his right mind and everyone should forget about him being a saint. He couldn't handle twelve hours of ride to the capital and back home every week. He really dug his own grave this time, and it wasn't even intentional!

Tired of sitting in the carriage for what felt like an eternity, Ellis shifted his stiff body to the other side and gazed out the window. They had just reached the capital of Hartmere and were now passing through a small village on their way to the church. Outside, the streets were alive with the bustle of daily life—vendors calling out their wares, children running barefoot through the dust, and villagers chatting as they carried baskets of produce.

Ellis watched them quietly, his mind adrift. For all his complaints, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of gratitude. At least he had been born into a family where he didn't need to struggle for money, where his greatest worry was boredom rather than hunger. He could afford to be idle, to spend his days lazing about without consequence.

His father had even come out to see him off that morning—a simple gesture that lingered in his thoughts as the carriage wheels clattered along the cobblestone road.

Lost in thought, Ellis's eyes drifted across the passing scenery until something caught his attention. A small boy stood by the side of the road, his clothes shabby and torn, his face smudged with dirt. He hugged a baguette to his chest while a burly man towered over him, shouting with hands planted solidly on his hips.

The carriage rolled past before Ellis could grasp what he had truly seen—was the boy being scolded for stealing? The uncertainty tugged at him. After a moment of hesitation, Ellis leaned toward the window and waved at the knight riding alongside.

"Stop the carriage for a moment."

He called out, his voice calm but firm.

"I need to… grab something to eat."

The knight nodded, pulling on the reins as the carriage began to slow, while Ellis reached into the small basket beside him for one of the wrapped sandwiches prepared earlier for the journey.

The carriage had stopped a fair distance from the commotion, forcing Ellis to walk back on foot. When the knight offered to accompany him, Ellis waved him off with a shake of his head—he didn't want unnecessary attention over something so small.

The cobblestone street was lively with morning chatter and the scent of freshly baked bread. As he approached the bakery he'd noticed earlier, the scene became clearer. The burly baker stood at the shop's entrance, face flushed red with anger, his voice booming loud enough to turn heads.

"Either pay for it or stop stealing from my shop, you little brat!"

The man barked, his thick arms crossed as he blocked the doorway. The boy stood frozen in front of him, clutching the baguette tightly to his chest, his knuckles white.

"Just give it back if you're not going to pay!"

The baker demanded, snatching forward. But the boy only shook his head, stepping back in fear, trembling as if the loaf in his hands was his last hope.

That's when Ellis cut in, abruptly walking in between the kid and the burly man. The baker took note of Ellis's clothes, realizing that it was the young master of a noble family; he backed away a few steps, but his anger was still visible on his face. Ellis met his gaze coolly before speaking.

"I told him to do it."

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