11 Too Sweet, Too Sour
A corrosive pain nearly split him apart.
Gavin was petrified as he clutched the stump where his severed limb once was, his widened eyes were red staring at the unceasing blood in horror.
It felt like a wretched dream―too unreal, too excruciating.
He was the only son of the Mistress of Pearl Manor. Not even the imperial knights were supposed to be cruel towards him. 'They could not!'
'Has he gone insane?!'
A raw resentment burned deep inside Gavin, but he could not bring himself to utter a single word, he could not move, he could barely breathe. No one has ever gone against him.
Brothel was a small word for what Pearl Manor had become.
It was the breeding ground for all sorts of darkened affairs, the patrons of Pearl Manor ranged from the most devious of mercenaries and merchants to the wealthiest of the aristocrats.
'Even the emperor would have to think through when it came to us!'
Kazmun's lips quirked in a devious smile as he walked toward the frozen man, "You must be the infamous guard."
Gavin hesitantly looked at Kazmun.
There was blood on his hands, blood on his face, and his hair was disheveled. But everything else about him was shrouded with an eerie calm.
"I have been waiting for you," Kazmun added in a low voice.
Gavin subconsciously stepped back, his voice hoarse, "What?"
Not wanting to be involved in the investigation in any way, Gavin had spent most of his time outside the manor. No one was supposed to care about his whereabouts.
"I have not done anything wrong," Gavin's voice was now weaker, the loss of blood had started to make him feel as if he was on the verge of passing out.
Kazmun slightly tilted his head as darkness shadowed his deep gaze, his voice was colder than winter storms, "Have you not?"
Confusion came over Gavin as he looked at Madame Juan.
Her face turned pale as the realization dawned upon her. She had seen the murderous intent in Kazmun's eyes that night when the physician said how Alyssane would have died from the injuries by Gavin.
They were far too severe and she could be the only person who might help solve the mystery of Lord Chancellor's death when all else failed.
Gavin clenched his bleeding wound tighter, forcing his words out as he glared at Kazmun, "You cannot do as you please here!"
"Y-yes!" Madame Juan added even as her voice broke, "First you believe an insane girl, then you torture my people, and now this!"
Kazmun's smile dimmed as he stopped. He was only a step away, his grip still closely around the sword hilt, and something about it all made Gavin break down in a cold sweat.
But he has to try something. Gavin carefully said, "We bought her, it is not against the law to teach slaves a lesson!"
Kazmun darkly stared at him.
Madame Juan watched them in apprehension, a dreadful feeling settled in her heart. Kazmun was not listening to anything Gavin had to say, he tried to make his actions sound reasonable, while Madame Juan reminded Kazmun of the power and influence they have with Pearl.
It was one thing for them to be forced to house the knights and let them investigate the murder however they seemed fit but how could they so easily raise their weapons at Gavin?
Kazmun was eerily silent, uncaring of anything they had to say.
Gavin was now cornered against the open windows, gasping for air as he struggled to stay conscious. Frustrated and dejected, he spat through gritted teeth.
"I did not kill her, did I? I could have done so much worse!" he let out a deranged laugh, "It's my damned right whether I beat my slave or―!"
Kazmun let out a measured sigh that made Gavin falter his words. His gaze was unmoving, with a glint of wintery darkness, "You have an irritating voice."
Gavin stiffened and those were the last words he heard before Kazmun shoved him out of the window.
A dull sickening crunch sounded when he met the ground.
Madame Juan fell on her knees, she was like a stone frozen in time. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her mouth slightly parted to scream but no sound came.
Kazmun flicked the blood off from his sword and finally glanced at Alyssane, "Get up."
She barely heard him, forcing her body to not tremble at the sight of crimson pooling around her feet, it was everywhere, in her hands, on her skin, and slowly staining the worn-out white of her dress.
.
.
There was a small orchard of clementines on the grounds of Pearl Manor, surrounding the large serene lake.
Johanna loved clementines, and so Alyssane loved them too. She would always sneak inside the orchard during the earliest hours of the evening to pick the most plump and round fruits.
Someone alerted Madame Juan of the little theft, they could not be sure who was stealing the fruits but all of a sudden there was a large fence around the orchard.
Alyssane tried to go past it a few times.
She was thirteen, and being deprived of clementines felt too much. How could she give up? They have such a refreshing taste, they always made Johanna's face brighten up.
But Alyssane could never go past the tall fences. They were barbed, not meant to be climbed, and so she had spent hours longing gazing at the trees that seemed so close yet too far all while hiding herself in the bushes.
The first time she met Gavin was when found her hiding. She was frightened, she was smaller for even her age and Gavin was already a man, towering over her in a way that made her shrink back in fear.
He laughed at her, saying how pitiful she looked, how adorable her eyes were, and so he told her he wouldn't tell anyone she was the one stealing from the orchard if she kept it a secret that he was going to bring her clementines every day.
Alyssane did not trust him. She knew he was the son of Madame Juan, on his way to becoming a knight, and she distrusted the knights even more.
But every evening from then on, Alyssane found a few clementines perfectly hidden behind the bushes, carefully wrapped in a red clothe.
They were sour sometimes, sometimes too sweet. Gavin never learned how to pick the right fruits, but he never forgot to leave them there for her, and somehow, that brought them closer even when they barely spent any time together.
Slowly, he was becoming an elder brother to her that Alyssane never had. He felt kind, so caring, so warm. She always smiled whenever their eyes met, and he always smiled back. Everything felt so nice for that one month.
And then one winter evening, there was nothing hidden underneath the bushes. Alyssane looked around, wondering if he had left them somewhere else. The winds were too cold, Alyssane would have left, but Johanna was sick.
Strangely there was no one guarding the orchard that evening. The fence door was also open, and Alyssane was not sure if there would be someone deeper inside the orchard.
She was scared, she really wanted to bring clementines to Johanna, the skies were growing darker and they said that spirits from the woods would enter the orchard in wintery darkness.
But then she saw Gavin, and she felt relieved, he made fun of how scared she looked and they both laughed it off. She requested him to bring her some clementines, she could face severe punishment if caught but no one would punish him.
Gavin insisted she come, and when she tried to deny it, he took her hand, 'Why are you afraid? I am here. Nothing would happen.'
Alyssane was scared but he had always been nice to her, and even as everyone around the manor was slowly cutting her off, Gavin had been kind, he smiled at her, and he humored her silly desire for clementines.
He was kind.
