Chapter four: The masked Raven.

A MONTH LATER…

Yuki and Jacek sat in their shop fervently fanning themselves. It was midday, thus, there were very few people in the town square.

Occasionally, Yuki would peek at the empty streets outside and then at the clock that hanged in the shop. This routine did not escape Jacek, who rolled his eyes in vexation.

"If I didn't know better, I would have said you have fallen in love, dear sister," Jacek said caustically. Yuki looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Yuki asked, a slight fold on her sweating forehead.

"Are you not expecting that Beichan man who frequents our shop these days?"

"What! Of course not," Yuki denied.

Jacek rolled his eyes and stood from his chair. He reached for the garden hose that was closest to him then began watering some orchids. "Whatever you say. Anyway, are we going home early today?"

"I have an appointment with a client tonight in the entertainment district. You are coming with me, right?"

"The client who gives you the drugs?"

"The very same. He promised me opium on our next meeting; I am seeing him for it," Yuki replied nonchalantly.

Jacek did not look at Yuki, for he feared she would notice the frown he was wearing at that moment.

 The man she was going to escort that night was the most treacherous of all Yuki's clients, and that had nothing to do with the fact that he was a merchant who dealt with illicit drugs. In Jacek's eyes that man was too perceptive for Yuki's façade. Despite being aware of that fact herself, Yuki refused his advice time and time again to stop seeing the man with a sole excuse that she could not afford to lose him and the drugs he gifted her.

"Your silence speaks, Jacek. What is on your mind?" Yuki joined her brother and stood in a way that would allow her to look into his face.

"It will be useless to voice out my thought to you anyway; you will ignore it."

"I will hear it still. Tell me," Yuki pressed, then she cupped Jacek's face between her palms to have him look her in the eye. He sighed.

"You know I get most worried when you see that man. He is smart. And sometimes I feel your drugs may not affect him since he smokes them himself. Simply, I just find him too dangerous for us," Jacek explained as he pulled away from Yuki's grasp.

"No one can remain sober after taking in that drug, Jacek. You seem to always forget it is not so simple. Do you doubt my apothecary skills?" Yuki was evidently offended.

"I trust your concoctions. Though, I believe that since he takes in some of these drugs himself, it will be more difficult to get him intoxicated than the other men."

"I acknowledge that thought, nonetheless, no man has ever escaped the effects of my drugs from the day I took on my guise till now, that man is no exception," Yuki assured looking expectantly at her brother for his affirmation.

"I will take your word for it then." Jacek averred.

⸎⸎⸎

After sunset, Jacek was busy parking and putting the shop in order so as to close for the day. Meanwhile, Yuki paced in the inner room of the shop unable to choose from the pile of clothes which she was going to wear to see her client.

"Are you still in here?" Jacek questioned as he joined Yuki in the room when he finished packing. He picked up a long white silk dress that laid at Yuki's feet and inspected it. "What about this one?"

Yuki looked at the gown with a scowl. "White? I detest that color on me. You got that dress sewn, didn't you?

Jacek ignored her question and put the dress over Yuki's body with a serious look. "What is wrong with this dress? I imagined you in it the day I saw it on a mannequin, then ordered the exact same for you. And what was it about white on you?"

Yuki brushed Jacek's hand aside and resumed her search for a good fit. "White contradicts my guise. Candidly, I feel unconfident in that color," Yuki confessed, which provoked a laugh out of her brother.

"Then you will go blind if you ever see the image mother paints of you in her mind; you may even have a halo if you would like to imagine," Jacek laughed audibly. "Dear saint of mother's, please hurry and choose a dress," Jacek continued to tease while completely ignoring his sister's lethal glare.

⸎⸎⸎

Since the entertainment district existed not too far away from the town square, the siblings walked there.

Yuki and Jacek were both hiding under cloaks and masks just like several others in the district.

The entertainment district was a place frequented by many and all kinds of people; even some nobles from Beicheden. It was the only place anyone could go to, though normally in disguise. Afterall, this was a place of vanity, lust and transgressions.

The siblings being fairly popular, could not afford to be recognized in such a place.

As they made their way towards the casino Yuki would meet her client, the duo realized that there were more people around than usual. Thus, they found a public restroom to change attires since it would be unsafe to do so after arriving at the casino.

They both entered the male restroom and took turns waiting on the other. Jacek switched into a much humbler wear than he initially had on and topped it with a plain grey mask. He then came out to wait on his sister while she got dressed.

Yuki stripped off her plain dress. Then she wiped her neck and face with a towel soaked in milk, a process which cleared the fake tan and reverted her back to her natural complexion.

She put on a long sleeveless red gown. On top of the gown, she wore a scarlet bodice which Jacek helped her lace. Then, she put on black heels and black lace gloves. She did not put on any make up except a crimson red lipstick for several reasons.

Ultimately, Yuki put on a black lace mask that matched her gloves and took off her bonnet to let her hair down.

When she looked herself in her mirror and realized she was good to go, she knocked twice on the bathroom door.

Jacek hearing the signature knock, returned the gesture only after seeing the only man in the restroom leave. He then put on a cap, took the bag containing both their belongings and left.

Yuki sauntered towards the largest building in the district with Jacek trailing her from a distance.

At the casino's entrance, Yuki found the assistant of her client waiting for her. The assistant ushered Yuki to the elite lounge of the casino.

The lavish decoration and dazzling illumination of the room always impressed Yuki, no matter the number of times she visited this place.

Yuki strutted behind the assistant while disregarding all the murmurs and whispers when she passed by people, as well as their eyes that followed closely after her. She was unbothered, for it would have been weirder if that were not so; given her reputation.

"That is her, right? The masked raven?" asked a bystander, her companion.

"Mmh that is her. The infamous slut. The seductress that leads all men astray. Ah, how she disgusts me."

"But she is beautiful still. Even as a woman, I am led astray, I cannot blame the men. Look at her hair, her figure, look at her skin. Alby, are you sure you can feel disgust towards such a person?"

"Seriously? I bet your fiancé has laid with her. Can you really feel admiration towards such a person?"

"Lucky him, lucky him I say. If truly he has been able to lie with such a woman than he is truly lucky…"

When she finally reached the table, the assistant was leading her to, a blond middle-aged man rose and approached. He stood before Yuki, took her right hand and kissed the back of it, "I have been waiting all night for you, mistress." Yuki stared down at him but said nothing.

The man leaned much closer to Yuki, close enough for her to feel his breath against her neck. The he slowly brought his lips to her left ear and whispered, "Would you like to stay here for some entertainment or go with me immediately?"

For whatever reason, Yuki found herself staring at the shabbily dressed man who instead of hiding or getting himself busy to suit his guise, was only standing, obviously fuming, and without a doubt thinking of doing something crazy.

Yuki sighed and rolled her eyes behind the mask, stupid Jacek! This was the reason why she hated him being close by when she was escorting.

She finally gave the man her attention, "Entertainment is not why I am here, George. Or do you prefer to have your meals cold?" Yuki muttered.

"Definitely not. Come then, love. Come and serve my meal," the man smirked and led Yuki away to the room he had prepared for her.

In the suite, the man offered Yuki a glass of wine. "Did you bring what you promised," Yuki took the glass of wine and set it beside her handbag on the bedside table.

"You wound me, mistress. Are my gifts more important than my health?" he pouted and sat beside Yuki on the bed. He brushed the few strands of hair that sat on her shoulder away and then kissed the spot. He nibbled and sucked, leaving behind a reddish mark when he finally pulled away.

The man rose from the bed, retrieved a brown paper bag that was lying in a sofa and handed the bag to Yuki, "As promised, fifty grams of opium."

Yuki opened the bag and found a jug full of reddish-brown powder as well as some aiqe notes which were probably the pay for her services.

She smiled, "Thank you. So? How will you have me serve you tonight?" Yuki asked in an alluring voice.

 She reached for her purse and took her smoking pipe which the man helped her lit. Drawing in a long breath of smoke, Yuki blew out cloudlike smoke into the air.

The man sat on the bed and gently pulled Yuki into his arms. He had her straddle him. Now facing each other, the man went ahead to undo Yuki's bodice's lace with undivided attention.

Afterwards, he slowly pulled down the undone bodice along with the blouse underneath it. This action divulged the maiden's extremely fair chest along with her pink, erect nipples.

Yuki almost immediately felt his members throb against her abdomen. She gazed downwards into the man's stirred face; he briefly returned the gaze before looking back at her chest.

He pulled the garments further down before bringing his lips to her right nipple and taking it into his mouth.

Yuki did not look at him. She did not touch him. She did not make any sounds. All she did was look at the wall in front of her, and smoked.

After a while, when the slurping sounds began getting to her, she grabbed the man's hair and pulled him away from her chest.

She unhurriedly pushed the man to lay on his back and joined him with heated kisses. By the time Yuki released the man's lips from hers, it was bleeding. She licked the trail of blood that was on her lips. Then she continued by kissing his beardless chin, down to his neck and bit him there.

The man winced but let himself succumbed to the pleasure Yuki subjected him to.

Smoke from the lit pipe filled the air in the suite at some point, by which time the man's entire body was covered in bleeding love bites. Slowly and subtly, the man lost consciousness.

Yuki got off the man, took a pill from her handbag and chewed. Her vision was hazy and she had begun seeing double of everything. Meanwhile her most sensitive spot was pulsating under her dress.

She threw a sharp glare at the unconscious man. Damned animal, she scowled.

He had drugged her again. Clearly the drug was in his mouth this time. She had a fair idea why he always wanted to get her intoxicated. Afterall, all her clients wanted to know her identity, but she was sure for this man, there was more to his intention than knowing what she looked like under her mask.

Yuki fixed her dress and hair. Then she picked up her bag, stuffed the drug and money inside and left the room hastily.

As she hastened away with little regard to her surrounding since the corridor was empty, Yuki bumped into a solid frame she had not noticed in front of her. The force of the impact made her loose balance, thus, causing her to stumble.

Before she could fall however, a hand grabbed her waist and pulled her to themselves. When she found herself steady again, she eventually looked her helper in the face.

Yuki was stunned by the newcomer. She wished she was wrong but could she ever mistake that unparallel face with any other? Those eyes? That face? That coiffure? Those mesmerizing twin moles? Surely, he was one and the same. It was Sir Kaithenn Valthanae.