Valerian Empire

Chapter 65: The threat- Part 2

Areo jumped on the bed, swishing its tail and Katie picked it up in her arms with a smile.

“Aren’t you the cutest thing,” she said scratching its head to earn another meow, “I wish even I was a cat.”

She played with him as he tried biting her finger softly making her laugh. Areo was definitely the cutest black cat she had ever met until now.

“You’re very fond of the cat.”

Hearing the sudden voice, she jumped clutching her hand on her chest.

“Malphus!” one of these days he was going to give her a heart attack, “Didn’t you say you were going to visit someplace?”

“I did,” he said as the cat tilted its head towards him. Apparently Areo could see the dead man unlike the other people in the mansion, “But the city has been demolished to a barren land. I will have to search all over the place now.”

“This one’s always around you,” he commented looking at the cat, “It seems like its master has left it to look after you when he isn’t around.”

His words turned her neck red.

“What no. Areo just loves company,” she justified stroking the cat’s head before letting it down.

“Ah-huh. I don’t see the cat around the butler,” he observed making Katie laugh.

“I doubt that even a mouse would like to be around Martin.”

“Hmm,” he hummed lying down on the bed that was just made, “Did you know that years ago kings and queens had animals or rather pets I would say who served a certain purpose. An owl or a dog or a wolf or a cat. Even bats. It depended on what creatures they loved. These creatures were capable of hunting any possible threat. And they usually left them with their loved ones.”

Katie looked at Areo who looked harmless as a baby.

“Don’t believe everything you see dear. Looks can be deceiving,” Malphus advised her.

When she got to her room, she opened the door to find a folded note lying on the floor. It seemed like someone had passed it under the door.

Picking it up she went to sit down at the small desk. As she opened it her face went pale.

Get out of here​ witch before we stake and burn you alive. One week and that is all you have before we turn you to ash.

Holding the paper tightly in her hand she felt herself go tense. It was an empty threat and there was nothing to fear, she said to herself. To begin with she was no witch and if she was she would burn them first for making a baseless rumors. Crushing it, she threw it in the bin.

She wondered if her friend Annabelle was going to have a baby soon. Taking the paper from the desk, she began writing to her friend.

Two weeks passed and nothing happened. But another note appeared in her room with the same words. She let out a sigh thinking about it.

Lord Alexander and the others had gone out again. Katie found it lonely when Lord Alexander wasn’t around. She would bury herself with work, talk to her friends in the mansion but her mind wandered elsewhere thinking about the Lord.

Every time she passed the main door she would glance outside the mansion to see if they were there yet. If he was there yet.

One noon Katie went down to the town to pick groceries with Mrs. Hicks. She loved the market. People selling varieties of fruits, vegetables and meat. The meat was sectioned on the other side away from the vegetables.

Men and women argued on the prices with the sellers and Mrs. Hicks was no less when it came to bargaining the items.

After helping Mrs. Hicks with all the items being checked and placed in the cart, Katie excused herself asking them to go ahead as she had some work.

When she spoke to the young boy and his sibling, she found that little Fanny had forgotten to get her ragged doll.

Going to the alley where the siblings lived, she searched for it. After five minutes she spotted the a little doll with a broken arm. Bending down she pulled the doll out, dusting it with her hand. May be she could wash and stitch around the corners before giving it to Fanny.

She couldn’t wait to see the little girl smile.

Just when she was about to leave the place, she felt a sudden pain hit her stomach and she winced.

Opening her eyes she looked around to see two people who had covered the lower part of their faces with black cloth. The man right in front of her pulled her hair making her scream out in pain.

“Ahhhh!!” Katie felt her ear resound when she felt a sting on her face, “Stop it! Please!!” she screamed, trying to push and get away but moving away only hurt her more.

The other man shoved her against the barrel and her back hit something sharp.

“Consider this as your last warning you wretch. The next time you will be burned alive,” she heard the man threaten.

Hearing the footsteps leave the alley she groaned in pain with her eyes shut. She didn’t know how long she sat there, after taking deep breaths she got up holding the wall. First thing was she had to get to the mansion, staying here wasn’t safe.

Getting inside the coach, she rubbed her stomach carefully. It didn’t hurt as much as when the man had hit her. Instead her back hurt, near the spine. The man had shoved her against the barrel too hard.

A woman who was travelling in the same coach kept staring at her time to time, making her extremely uncomfortable. When she looked at her reflection of the window, she realized what was catching attention. It was the faint bump of redness that had formed on her cheek.

No doubt it was going to leave a bruise before the night started.

Reaching the mansion, she looked around to make sure no one was there. When one of the worker walked across the main entrance, Katie slowly got inside and taking a turn she found the head butler standing there at the stairs. Giving an earful to Cynthia about something.

Seeing her, the old man’s eyes widened for a spare second but returned back to his usual blank expression.

“What happened to your face?” Cynthia asked with a frown.

“Oh this,” Katie asked pointing her finger at her cheek with a smile, “I tripped over this garbage can. You know how clumsy I am,” she let out a nervous laugh and excused herself to her room.

When Lord Alexander came back to the mansion, in his room he heard a knock on the open door.

“I bought the wine you asked for, Lord Alexander,” Martin said bowing his head.

“Ah, I’m glad that you were finally able to acquire the oldest Saphen wine,” Alexander spoke pleased with Martin.

A wine that had blood mixed with it was the rarest delicacy. It was difficult to find one as it was mostly sold in the black market.

Entering the room the butler placed the lean goblet on the night stand.

“Are things running smoothly in the mansion? Any troublemakers?” The Lord smiled as he asked his butler while opening his cufflinks.

“It is as you left yesterday Sire,” the old man replied promptly and then spoke, “Milord, I would request you to go visit Ms. Welcher.”

“Hmm?” Alexander turned around with a questionable look on his face, “Did she break rules again?” He asked amused.

“I think Ms. Welcher got into trouble,” the butler answered before Alexander dismissed him.

Taking off his coat and placing it on the stand, Alexander stepped out of his room, making his way to Katie’s room which had it’s door closed.

Raising his hand he knocked the door twice.

“Who is it?” He heard her ask from the other side of the door.

“It’s Alexander.”

Katie was trying to get her hand reach towards the wound that had formed on her back when she heard the knock on the door.

She didn’t know if it was a good thing to open the door right now. Her body was in pain and she had skipped dinner. She didn’t feel good and only wanted to sleep.

“Um, what is it? I’m changing clothes,” she partially lied to him. She had pulled the above half of her dress down to apply the medicine she had, which she was unsuccessful with.

“I wanted to talk to you about something. Could you open the door?” She heard him speak to her gently, “I’ll wait here.”

“Okay, give me few minutes,” she said pulling up her dress up and buttoning it, she made sure she was dressed.

Walking towards the door, she opened it while apologizing with a bow, “I’m sorry for making you wait,” and when she lifted her face the Lord’s eyes narrowed at her cheek that was turning blue.

He lifted his hand to her cheeks, tracing the small blue bump with his finger.

“What the fuck happened when I wasn’t here?” He asked his eyes turning dark.