Chapter 12: Let's settle this

“This is the living room,” Myrrha said with a bright smile. “It’s almost as big as half a house. You can rest here after you finish your quest. I’ll pay you your reward then too, so don’t forget.”

Lysandros perked up as soon as he heard the word reward. His excitement was almost childlike, tail wagging if he had one.

Alexia gave him a small smack on the forehead.

“You two sure have some chemistry going on, huh?” Myrrha teased as she turned toward the next hallway.

Alexia replied flatly, “No. I just keep him on a leash when he starts acting like this.”

“Okay, moving on,” Myrrha said with a laugh. “Follow me.”

The three of them walked together through the wide hall, Myrrha leading at a calm pace.

Lysandros leaned in and whispered, “Hey, why’d you do that for?”

Alexia didn’t even glance back.

“This is the dining area,” Myrrha said. “Pretty big too, right? I like my rooms open and spacious. It makes me feel like…” She paused. “Free. Like nothing’s pressing in too close.”

“A philosopher?” Alexia guessed.

“Yes,” Myrrha smiled again. “I write. Books. And I study. It’s just a hobby. But never mind that. Here—”

She stepped aside and waved her hand toward the dining space. “This is the dining area.”

Lysandros looked around with wide eyes, admiring the polished kitchen tools and neatly arranged shelves. “Whoa, you have everything cleaned and shiny! I bet you could work that magic on my shovel too.”

Another small smack on his forehead from Alexia.

“Well, I like order and cleanliness,” Myrrha said. “That’s one thing about me.”

Alexia studied the kitchen a moment longer, then asked, “Excuse me, but do you live alone? In a house this big?”

“Yes. I do,” Myrrha answered simply. “Why do you ask?”

“I think my partner here is just jealous of your wealth,” Lysandros cut in. “We don’t even own a small hut. Let alone a big house like this.”

Myrrha tilted her head. “Is that so? Lethiane, I know you. You’ve done a lot of quests. And you served the royal bloodline, years ago—before the plague. Why did you stop?”

Lysandros’ mood changed quickly. He stood straighter beside Alexia, like he might shield her if needed.

Alexia changed the subject at once. “Second floor?”

Myrrha caught the signal and didn’t press. “Don’t want to talk about it? Alright, I respect that. Follow me.”

She led them quietly toward the stairs. None of them spoke. Myrrha stayed silent, and the sound of footsteps filled the space as they went up.

Lysandros looked at Alexia. She didn’t say anything, but he could tell her mind was full.

At the top, Myrrha spoke again. “This is my entertainment room. Over there—those two doors are guest rooms. That one’s mine. The one beside it is the toilet and bath. And that door at the end leads to the balcony.”

She looked at them. “If you want, I can guide you into the guest rooms and the toilet as well?”

Alexia shook her head. “No, that’s okay. We just wanted to understand the house’s layout. We’ll begin inspecting now and get the job done.”

“Very professional, Lethiane,” Myrrha said with a nod. “Alright then. No more talkey-talkey. I’ll be in my room, studying, writing. If you need anything, feel free to knock.”

“Got it,” both Alexia and Lysandros said together.

Myrrha walked to her bedroom, the one beside the guest room. As she reached for the doorknob, Lysandros opened his mouth for a joke—but Alexia glanced at him with warning. He still said it anyway, and whatever it was, it made her look like she felt secondhand embarrassment just hearing it.

Myrrha didn’t reply. She opened the door to her room but before stepping in, Alexia raised her voice.

“Excuse me.”

Myrrha turned back. “Hmm? What is it?”

“Do you have any maids here? Pets? Guards?”

“Awareness, really professional at doing your job,” Myrrha said, like she respected the question. “You probably asked that because of the two guest rooms, right?”

Alexia met her eyes, but Myrrha already knew.

“Then no,” she said. “I don’t have anyone here with me. I don’t like strangers sleeping under my roof.”

“Then why’d you let us in?” Lysandros said with a grin.

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This time, Alexia smacked him harder on the forehead.

Myrrha chuckled softly. “Any more questions?”

She looked at Alexia, who stayed quiet. Then her gaze shifted to Lysandros.

“What about you?”

“Me? Nope. No questions. We can start our job now… well, I’ll wait for my partner’s signal.”

Alexia nodded. “We’ll proceed now.”

“Alright,” Myrrha said, smiling one last time. “No more questions asked. Also, all the doors to each rooms are opened. That's all.”

She went into her room and closed the door quietly.

Alexia turned toward Lysandros and said, “Don’t crack jokes like that in front of a noble.”

He rubbed his forehead. “My bad, my bad. I just couldn’t resist. Something about expensive silence makes me itchy.”

Alexia sighed, clearly disappointed. She glanced toward the balcony.

Lysandros followed her gaze. “Already got a plan?”

Alexia gave him a long stare, somewhere between tired and annoyed.

“You already got a plan?” Lysandros asked, grinning like he hadn’t just embarrassed them both in front of a noble.

Alexia didn’t answer right away. Her eyes stayed fixed on the balcony door. She stepped closer to it, slowly, her fingers brushing the wood frame. The light from the setting sun pushed a faint glow through the window. From this height, she could see the tall gate and most of the yard beyond.

“That’s probably where the intruder comes from,” she said softly. “The gate’s too tall, and there’s no damage to the walls. Which means they’re either fast... or clever.”

Lysandros leaned beside her, hands on his hips. “You think they jumped up here? From the ground?”

“No,” she said, still watching. “They climbed. From the outside. They must have used something.”

He scratched his head. “So... we camp out on the balcony, wait for our mystery stalker to make a move, and then jump them?”

“Not that easy,” Alexia said. “If they’re careful enough to go do their stalking thing for weeks without being caught red-handed, they’re careful enough to spot two warriors staring off a balcony.”

Lysandros puffed out his chest. “Then we hide! I’m good at hiding. Except when I sneeze.”

She didn’t answer. Just stared out, quiet for a moment. Then she turned and started walking toward the guest rooms.

“Come on. We’ll check the yard once it’s darker. I want to see if there’s any rope marks or disturbed earth.”

He followed with a skip in his step. “See? Now this feels like a real quest. A sneaky stalker, or, well, stalkers, a strange noble, and us—two broke warriors trying to earn a living. Classic.”

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Hey?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t touch anything. And stop making noble jokes.”

He grinned. “Fine, fine. I won’t say anything about her gold bathtub or her ghost butler.”

She raised a brow. “What?”

“Nothing. I’ll be good.”

They moved quietly through the hall, the big house creaking gently around them. Behind them, the door to Myrrha’s room stayed closed. Silent.

The sun finally dipped beneath the rooftops. And the yard beyond the balcony began to darken.

Lysandros opened the first guest room, the one right beside Myrrha’s bedroom. “None,” he muttered.

He stepped over to the second guest room, just next to the first. “None.”

Then he checked the toilet and bath beside it. “None.”

Finally, he stood on the balcony, his eyes scanning the wide yard below. “Still none.”

He sighed, leaning forward on the railing. “Alexia! I’ve found no anomalies in the rooms, and nothing in the yard either! Don’t you think those stalkers— or that stalker— might float?!”

Alexia, down on the first floor, was standing in the kitchen, checking over the utensils and tools. She raised her voice, “Just keep looking! And stop shouting! It’s nighttime, remember?”

Lysandros grumbled to himself, “Alright, jeez.”

Alexia returned her attention to the kitchen. “All clean. Really clean. But that’s expected when you’ve got money. You don’t need to spend half your day just trying to earn coins—so all your time goes into yourself instead. Must be nice to be rich.”

She placed one of the tools back where it belonged. “Wait, why am I even inspecting kitchen tools? Unless the stalker’s really into cookware, I don’t think I’m gonna catch anyone here.”

She stood up and dusted off her skirt. “Anyway, no anomalies in the living room, kitchen, or dining area. Same for the second floor. I guess what’s left is the yard—maybe check for footprints, or cracks in the wall if they used equipment to climb in.”

She stepped out of the kitchen, walked through the dining area, and back to the living room. There, she noticed a few paintings—landscapes, soft colors, and handwritten quotes. “Hmm. She really is into philosophy, huh?”

With that thought, Alexia walked outside the house and made her way into the yard. She glanced up and spotted Lysandros still up on the balcony, watching carefully like a hawk.

“Hey,” she called. “See anything odd from up there?”

“None. I told you already, didn’t I?” Lysandros called back.

Alexia crouched down, her hand brushing across the grass that made up the yard. She looked closely, searching for footprints, small impressions, or signs of disturbance.

“None,” she whispered.

“No footprints. The stalker must be really cautious, clever enough to not leave anything behind.” She narrowed her eyes. “Honestly, Princess Ismene should hire this stalker as a royal spy to sneak into other kingdoms. They’d be perfect for it.” She smirked a little.

Lysandros called out, “Wait! I need to pee. Wait for me down there!”

“Okay. Just hurry up,” Alexia replied. “We need to get this done.”

“Got it!”

Alexia stood up, brushing her gloves. “Now I know why the reward’s ten, no, twenty gold coins. Not just to show off her wealth. She knows this stalker is smart. Really smart.” She paused. “Can’t say no to this job now. Twenty gold coins. That’s like—wait, I don’t even spend coins. Ha. But if I remember right, that’s worth months of living.”

Just then, a shadow moved.

A figure in a blue cloak holding a torch, leapt down from the high outer wall, landing silently inside the property.

Alexia spun around, her hand flying to the sword on her hip. She drew it fast, the metal ringing in the night air. “Huh?!”

The figure stepped forward from the shadows.

“You,” they said. “Again. Who would’ve thought, huh?”

The figure stepped forward slowly, his cloak brushing the grass. In his right hand, he held a burning torch, the flames flickering gently in the night wind.

"I guess that makes it two, huh?" he said quietly, his voice low and calm.

Alexia's heart skipped.

It’s him. The same person from before. But… wait. Shit. There was three of them. No. Five. Five total. Where’s the other four?

Her grip tightened on her sword.

“You’re that Fractureborn from the Red Keep, aren’t you?” she said, her voice firm but not loud.

The figure didn’t answer. He just stood there, holding the torch, staring at her. The flame lit his face slightly, but not enough to see anything clearly.

That torch again. He was holding one last time too. And there were torches scattered all across the Red Keep’s halls. To think that these guys would be the stalkers. They move with purpose. They leave no trace. This won’t be easy.

Alexia froze.

The figure still said nothing. Just stared.

Somewhere, not far, footsteps crunched against stone.

Alexia shifted her stance, blade ready.

The torchlight flickered harder as the wind picked up.

The figure tilted his head, just slightly.

“You always draw first,” he said.

Alexia's eyes narrowed. Her breath slowed.

Behind her, another movement just outside the property's walls.

She turned halfway, sword raised.

And then—