Meeting the dragon

There was a knock at the door of the Sanders manor.

Martha, the head maid, made her way to the door and opened it to find a young lady with a boyish haircut standing outside.

Blinking repeatedly to recall if she knew the young lady, Martha pulled up a blank.

Natasha on the other hand revealed a smile. "Good morning."

"Morning," Martha replied. "Are you here to see someone?"

"Actually, yes. I would like to meet with Mr. Regulus. I wonder if he is around."

Martha narrowed her eyes.

The young lady before her, despite her boyish traits, was indeed an eye-catching beauty, and as a woman that had stayed in the manor for a very long time, she had her way of knowing about the recent happenings.

One of which was the strange wedge that had appeared in Nadia and Alex's otherwise beautiful relationship.

She couldn't help but wonder if the girl before her was the culprit.

Meanwhile, Natasha felt strange at the drilling gaze Martha gave her.

Coughing awkwardly, she asked. "Is there a problem?"

Martha pursed her lips and was about to lie about Alex's whereabouts when a familiar male voice was heard.

"Martha, who's at the door?"

Martha closed her eyes, inwardly regretful that she had acted slow.

Turning to find Alex standing at the stairs, she replied. "A young lady, Sir Regulus. She says she's here for you."

"...I see." Alex didn't miss the disdainful look in Martha's eyes but felt it unworthy of his attention.

He casually made his way over to find Natasha standing at the door.

"Oh, it's you, officer," Alex revealed a welcome smile upon seeing Natasha.

Natasha coughed awkwardly once again. "Yes… it's me."

Martha harrumphed inwardly as she turned and left, unable to stand the terrible thing happening before her eyes.

Alex raised a brow at her exit. 'Did she have a bad night?'

Shaking his head to get rid of the thought, he glanced at Natasha. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"... I am here to escort you to the precinct," Natasha replied after a moment of hesitation.

Alex furrowed his brows momentarily, pondering her statement before he finally understood what was happening. "She called for me, right?"

"Who?" Natasha was left confused.

"Lady Ana."

Natasha froze at Alex's nonchalant mention of the name.

"You…"

"Give me some time to prepare," Alex said before gesturing for her to come in. "In the meantime, you can wait in the sitting room."

Natasha was left utterly speechless.

She wasn't sure of what to expect as she got to the Sanders manor but no way had she expected things to proceed the way they were going right now.

Unsure of what to make of the situation, she could only go along with it.

Meanwhile, Alex rushed upstairs to get ready.

***

By the time he returned, Natasha was engaged in a conversation with Arthur while Nadia indulged in breakfast.

Alex wore a black suit with gloves and a top hat as he walked down the stairs.

With a silver inlaid cane in his right hand, he looked every bit a refined gentleman.

Nadia was unable to look away until Alex met her gaze before she finally looked down at her meal.

Strolling over to the sitting room, he casually exchanged a few words with Arthur before leaving with Natasha.

The moment the door closed, Nadia quickly got up from her seat and rushed to Arthur's side.

"He is meeting with the dragon lady?"

Arthur raised a brow. "Dragon lady?... That's a new title."

"..."

"Ahem, yes he is."

Nadia looked nervous as she remarked. "Will he be fine?"

She could still recall the way she felt when she met with Lady Ana that day.

Like a typhoon, Lady Ana's aura threatened to destroy everything about her.

If anything, Nadia wasn't okay with Alex meeting such a person.

Arthur also revealed a troubled expression. "I understand your worries but…"

As he trailed off, he recalled the expression Alex held.

That wasn't the face of a scared man.

"... I believe Alex will be fine."

***

Using a private coach, Natasha brought Alex to the wine store that doubled as the precinct for the D.O.D in BoneHaven.

"You aren't coming with me?" Alex asked.

Natasha shook her head. "Don't worry, someone else will lead the way once you are inside."

"I see. You have somewhere to be?"

"... There has been an incident in the western district. I'd like to go over and check it out."

"Ah." Alex nodded in enlightenment. "In that case, be careful."

"... You too."

With that, Alex got down from the coach and after another indiscernible nod in Natasha's direction, He turned and made his way into the wine store.

Meanwhile, Natasha couldn't help but wonder. "Will he be alright?"

***

Once inside the store, Alex was greeted by the sight of varying alcoholic brews.

Just as he began to survey his surroundings, a voice was heard.

"Ah, you are here."

He glanced to the origin of the voice to find a man dressed in a bartender's outfit with a monocle on his left eye and a red bowtie.

With the brightest smile, the man continued. "I have been expecting you."

"Then please, by all means…" Alex trailed off as he removed his hat. "Lead the way."

The bartender revealed a curious gaze upon seeing Alex's casual demeanor.

'Does he not know whom he is about to meet or he just doesn't care?'

In any case, he looked forward to the subsequent events.

Who knows, he might end up seeing something never seen before.

With a look filled with anticipation, he led the way to the back and entered the elevator alongside Alex.

Once they got down to the precinct, he led Alex away from the main area and after going down a narrow corridor, a door stood before them.

Knocking thrice, the bartender waited patiently with Alex by his side.

A moment later, a gentle voice was heard. "Come in."