Chapter 166: Mysterious Ways

Pushing the door open, I found a student sitting behind a small wooden desk near the entrance. He glanced up from the book he had been reading and greeted me with an easy smile.

"Ace."

I paused for a moment. I didn’t remember ever meeting him.

"Shower or just washing your face?"

"Face."

He nodded toward the room beyond.

"Go right ahead."

"Thanks."

I walked past the desk and stopped in front of one of the wooden wash basins lined against the wall.

Above it hung a simple wooden water reservoir with a lever attached beneath it.

I bent forward slightly, grabbed the handle, and pulled it down.

The wooden flap inside shifted open, and a steady stream of cool water poured into the basin below. Once enough had collected, I splashed the water across my face several times, letting the cold wash away the last traces of sleep.

Much better.

I dried my face with the cloth hanging beside the basin before looking at my reflection in the polished mirror mounted above it.

Cadence would be hanged today.

After everything that had happened, it still felt strangely unreal.

I took one last look at myself, turned away from the mirror, and left the washroom.

The corridor outside was even busier than before.

Following the familiar route, I made my way toward the dining hall, where Ken was probably already waiting in line with breakfast on his mind and an execution waiting later in the day.

I picked up a wooden tray from the stack near the entrance and joined the line behind Ken.

He glanced over his shoulder when he heard my footsteps. "Took you long enough."

"I wanted to make sure I looked awake first."

"I don’t think that’s possible for you this early."

The line moved at a slow pace. Students talked among themselves while the cooks worked steadily behind the counter, filling tray after tray without wasting a single movement.

Ken stretched until his back cracked, then let out a long yawn.

"I could’ve slept another five hours."

"You would’ve slept through the execution."

"I probably would have."

I turned my attention toward the windows.

A light rain had begun to fall outside, leaving a thin mist hanging over the district. The streets glistened beneath the gray morning sky, and beyond the academy gates I could see city guards carrying heavy timber into the circular street. Some hammered wooden planks together while others raised thick support beams into place.

They were building the execution platform for Cadence. Yesterday he had been smiling at guests during his wedding. Today he would stand beneath a noose.

The line moved again. Ken reached the counter first.

One of the cooks filled his tray with a bowl of warm oat and barley porridge drizzled with honey, two thick slices of rye bread, smoked pork, a wedge of aged goat cheese, and a boiled egg. Another cook poured warm herbal tea into a wooden mug before sliding everything across.

"My thanks."

"Eat well."

I stepped forward next.

The cook gave me the same breakfast before handing me the tray with a polite nod. "Don’t let it get cold."

"I won’t."

Ken and I found a table beside the windows and sat down. For a little while we simply ate, watching the rain fall outside.

Ken eventually broke the silence. "I still can’t believe it."

I looked up. "Hmm?"

"You actually brought Cadence down."

I tore off a piece of bread and shrugged. "I just wish I’d been faster."

Ken’s expression softened. "Maybe Hatche would’ve still been alive. That what you thinking?"

I nodded quietly. "Yeah."

He poked at his breakfast with his fork. "Wish." He gave a tired smile. "The worst word in existence."

"It really is."

Neither of us said anything after that. The dining hall continued buzzing around us while rain tapped softly against the windows.

Then a familiar voice called across the room. "Yo, Ace!"

I turned toward the serving line.

Monta was waiting with a tray tucked under one arm, wearing the same smug grin as always. He was the boy that gave me the idea working for Garmonna... advice of the year, I swear.

"What were you doing outside at four in the morning?"

I already knew where this was going. "Couldn’t sleep."

"Oh?" He smirked. "Couldn’t sleep with that half-Jingi girl?"

Ah... damn it.

I kept my expression completely flat. "I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk."

"And?"

"I happened to run into her."

Monta folded his arms. "So you just happened to be taking a romantic walk together before sunrise?"

"I guess she couldn’t sleep either."

"So that’s your story."

"It’s the truth."

Monta laughed. "Sure it is."

The line shuffled forward until he reached the counter.

As the cook began filling his tray, Monta looked back one last time. "Just be careful, fellah. Jingi usually mean trouble."

"I’ll remember that."

He saluted lazily with two fingers, collected his breakfast, and headed over to a table where several of his friends were already making room for him.

The moment he sat down, Ken nudged my arm with his elbow. "So..."

I didn’t even look at him. "No."

"A girlfriend?"

"No."

"A secret girlfriend?"

I sighed. "Ken."

"What?"

"It’s not like that."

He smiled innocently.

"I never thought an Ambly-blessed would get embarrassed over a girl."

I scooped another spoonful of porridge into my mouth. "Can we finish breakfast without turning this into an interrogation?"

Ken chuckled and raised both hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. I’ll stop."

He lasted all of five seconds before grinning again.

"I still think she’s cute, though."

"You don’t even know her."

"There’s only one half-Jingi in the academy, and her name is Nanda, so I know of her." The grin never left Ken’s face. "Anyway, it’s not really my place to tell you who to spend time with." ℯ

"Are Jingi really that troublesome?"

Ken tore another piece of bread and dipped it into his porridge.

"They’re not evil or anything. They just don’t think like we do. They’re... well... cats. They’re curious, stubborn, and always getting themselves into something. If something goes missing, people usually check the nearest Jingi first."

I chuckled. "How about Night Sirens? Which one’s worse?"

"That depends on what you value more." He shrugged. "A Jingi might steal your coin purse when you aren’t looking. A Night Siren might drain your life essence while making you enjoy every second of it. Pick whichever sounds less dangerous."

"Got it."

"Oh, have you finished Mr. Ji’a-wun’s homework?" He paused halfway through the question before shaking his head. "Right. You spent the last few days at the wedding."

"Yep."

As our conversation faded, my attention drifted toward the window.

A royal carriage rolled into the circular street and came to a smooth stop. I recognized it immediately. It was the same carriage the Queen had traveled in, with polished black wood, gold trim, shuttered windows, and enough room inside for several passengers. Four massive horses stood patiently at the front, their coats brushed until they practically reflected the gray morning light.

Only a few seconds later, another carriage entered the street. This one was much less elegant. An iron cage had been bolted onto the back of it.

Inside sat Cadence.

He wore little more than torn rags, and a heavy iron collar rested around his neck. His wrists were bound, his hair was a mess, and bruises covered much of his face. The proud noble who had greeted guests with a warm smile two days ago was nowhere to be seen.

"Don’t take him out yet," one of the guards instructed another. "We’re waiting for Her Majesty."

"Yeah, I know."

"When does it begin?"

"In about an hour." The guard glanced toward the cage. "The bastard dies in the same street where he murdered that poor girl."

Cadence slowly lifted his head. "I’m... innocent." His voice sounded hoarse. "I swear... I didn’t kill Jelda. I didn’t kill her mother. Please..."

One of the guards slammed his palm against the iron bars. "Save it, you murdering rapist."

Cadence flinched before lowering his forehead against the cold metal once more. "Gods... please help me."

Beside me, Ken chewed another mouthful of bread before pointing toward the cage with his fork.

"You’ve got to admit," he said after swallowing, "he’s a good actor."

"Yeah." I kept watching the cage. "He really is."

Just then, the doors to the dining hall opened.

Null, the Student Council President, stepped inside and clapped his hands loudly enough for conversations throughout the room to fade.

Everyone turned toward him.

"As many of you already know," he announced, "the execution will take place this morning. For Her Majesty’s safety, no student is permitted to leave the academy grounds for the next hour while the Royal Guard completes its security preparations."

A quiet wave of murmurs spread through the dining hall.

"Thank you for your understanding."

With that, Null gave a polite nod and headed back toward the entrance, likely to repeat the same announcement elsewhere on campus.

Ken sighed. "There goes my plan."

"What were you going to do?"

"I wanted to visit my mother instead of watching an execution."

"You don’t like watching executions?"

"It isn’t that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I’d just rather spend the day with my mother than stand around watching someone get hanged. Just a stupid execution."

He paused before giving an awkward smile.

"That sounded worse than I meant it to."

"A little."

"I know." He laughed quietly. "Considering this isn’t just any execution."

"It isn’t."

I looked back toward Cadence’s cage. "It’s Jelda’s killer."

"Yeah." Ken nodded. "I know what you meant."

One hour.

That was all that remained before everything reached its conclusion.

The strange part was how familiar all of this felt. Not because I had watched executions before, but because in another life, I would’ve been the one inside that cage. I would’ve been the one surrounded by guards, waiting for the noose instead of quietly eating breakfast.

Now I was sitting on the opposite side, helping solve murders instead of creating them.

I let out a quiet breath. "Life really does work in mysterious ways."

Ken nodded thoughtfully. "No kidding. My cousin had diarrhea two days ago, and now he’s constipated."

Well... still.

Life worked in mysterious ways.

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎