A traveler

A few weeks after the attempt, the news of the emperor's supposed assassination spread far and wide-reaching even a small uneventful March on the southwest border of the Merun empire

And at that time, to the small and desolate city in its center also arrived a figure hiding under a tettered dark green cloak, with a cane in hand.

As they slowly limp toward a board next to a tavern to read the news they get startled by a sudden crush at the tavern, echoing through the city streets

They turn around just to see a crowd forming around the tavern's entrance, and as they slowly limp closer they overhear the crowd gossip

"It's her again isn't it"

"What a trouble maker"

"Can't she just stay out of trouble, that good for nothing"

As the cloaked figure comes closer to the source of the gossip they see a large muscular man standing at the tavern door wearing an apron, shouting at a young woman sitting childishly on the ground in front of him, the woman is of strong but slim stature with red hair, amber eyes, and pale smooth skin with reddish tint from alcohol, wearing a worn out simple wool and leather top and baggy wool pant held up by a leather belt and heavy leather boots, one could almost think she is a hunter.

"Don't ya dare show yourself here again ya good fa nothin brat"

To which she replies with a fierce expression and a smug grin on her face

"Well if I am a good-for-nothing brat then I am pretty sure you're all screwd, and by the

way, that guy totally deserved it but whatever"

"Yeah, sure he did," the man remarks with irony in his tone as he walks back into the tavern

"Ahh, what the hell am I supposed to do now" the woman sighs as she looks around at the crowd that has formed around her, but then something interesting steals her attention

"Hey you, come here, help a lady get home save, would you" the woman says as she points at the hooded figure standing among the crowd, then as she reaches her hand towards them, the figure replies in a deep yet soft voice

"Why should I?"

As the woman stares into their eyes, she grins saying

"Cause I know what you're trying to hide, so come here and help me get up"

The figure sighs as they come closer and offer a hand "Let us talk somewhere a bit more private shall we" The figure whispers to the woman

"Fine" the woman whispers back in a condescending tone

As the figure helps her stand up, the crowd around them slowly disperses, and the two silently walk towards a castle up on a hill which was out of sight before, but now towers before them, an unkept yet gorgeous and lavish, like it oversees the whole territory and as they slowly approach the castle the figure asks with a hint of confusion pointing at it

"Is that the destination to where we're headed?"

"Yes, nervous?"

The figure sighs and with a hint of desperation and disgust in their voice they finally ask

"Is it really necessary to speak there, cannot we speak here, or anywhere else?"

"What do you mean, of course, we have to, there is a better atmosphere for this sorta thing you know" she answers with an amused expression

"All right then, lead the way"

After walking up a long snake-like staircase leading up the hill, the two finally arrived at the castle entrance, a huge wooden door with metal reinforcements and a gold-like knocker in its center

The woman approaches the door and then with a loud and echoing smash of the knocker she announces her presence, and at that moment an old, dry voice on the other side of the door asks

"Who comes here?"

To which the woman responds "It's me, so open the door" At that moment the voice falls silent

And followed by a screeching sound the door slowly opens to reveal an old man holding an ornamented wooden cane with a metal handle in one hand and a thin wooden clipboard in the other, wearing an expensive-looking dark blue suit and glasses, with a thin face and gray hair, and with worried yet angry expression they ask

"Where have you been this time young lady..." And while the woman was being scolded by the butler the cloaked figure was looking around almost in disbelief, as some unkept castle at the border, in some unimportant territory was almost as lavishly decorated as the imperial palace itself

Then as the woman turns around to the figure she says "The scolding will have to wait as it seems we have an important guest, so we will head to the office now"