BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 159's

Jacob doesn't like this. When he came home and found people with the emblem of Clearwater standing guard quietly inside the house, he had guessed that Jose must have been planning something considering Clearwater was one of Jose's friends. Marco widens the network by making everyone work for him in a professional and cold relationship, but Jose prefers to move on by making everyone his friend.

From George, he knows that Jose went to the South to bring fifty workers to pick up Marco.

Fifty workers are taken away and Clearwater's men are prepared inside the house, Jacob can guess what Jose's plan is. His sister had clearly deliberately announced his disappearance blatantly to lure the traitors out.

It's clear that since Marco's disappearance, things have changed. Many people guessed Marco fared just as the other lost men in Bjork would never return, therefore the trade flow changed and all the opportunist nobles soon jumped like fleas looking for prey. The people who wanted them to fall would definitely not waste this opportunity. They will come and look for problems—like now.

Dozens of people lined up in front of the gates of Argent's house, they shouted and exclaimed, some already carrying stones to throw.

"They asked Mr. Marco to come" reported George who had just come out to listen to what was being called upon them. "There are reports that Mr. Marco was involved in the disappearance of people in Bjork, but most who came outside were people from outside Bjork. I don't recognize the other half of it."

Jacob swearing.

Rats dance when a cat is not at home. Thinking there was not a single person in Argent's house, their enemies would definitely attack right away. Jose obviously knew that, and deliberately threw the burden of responsibility on Jacob. Jacob's existence is an element of surprise that can certainly make the troublemakers misbehave, as well as dismantle who the provocateur. Jose was originally intended to comb Bjork, find out who would betray. Jacob doesn't like it. He doesn't like being used in other people's games, even if it's his own younger brother.

I'll teach him to come home, he promised, watching how the fainted Xavier was dragged into the basement.

He was still wondering what Sir William had to do with this, but the matter with Xavier could be dealt with without hurry. Now he had to go outside the house, facing the mobs who were shouting noisily outside the gate.

"George," he called. "Begging Clearwater's men to get ready. Looking at those killers, the rats would have been quiet."

***

"The giant's still there?" Rolan walked up to Jose who was standing quietly in front of the hall pillar, observing around while waiting for the workers to finish tying everyone up.

Jose shook his head without looking at him. "I didn't see anything. Maybe we were just hallucinating? Eve's so cold, this forest's dark, and we're all too uptight."

"It could be, though I'm not too sure." Rolan walked to the right, approaching the collection of oil lamps they had brought earlier placed on the steps of the hall. They only brought 5 lamps, one for each worker, because they did not want to alert the people in the castle. The lighting is lacking, thought Rolan, getting the idea to bring along all the torches in this castle. He did not want to pass through the protected forest again with illumination after seeing the strange giant earlier. "Torfin told you anything?" the question is so back to Jose's side.

"Uncle will know if it doesn't kill him."

Rolan smiled wryly, knowing that Jose was annoyed at him. "You did say that we shouldn't kill anyone" he said. "But he was about to attack Marco, so my hand moved automatically." He sighed. "I thought Marco was just a pretty cocky nobleman who loved mystery. It is usual to just ask here and there and go around without a purpose. But as soon as he was gone, things fell apart, and I realized that he was very important. You're exhausted without it, too, right? Believe me, I don't want days like this to last much longer. Bjork needs him. And if I have to kill a lot of people to keep him safe, I will. I'll do it too if you're in danger. I hope you understand."

Jose understood what Rolan meant. He also saw for himself how Torfin lunged with murderous lust, but inwardly he still disagreed. Life is a precious thing.

Away from them, in front of the stone altar in the hall, Lady Chantall was taking out her collection of talismans from the secret sacs behind the dress and arranging everything on the altar. There was a crystal necklace, two bags of pure salt, two glass bottles filled with holy water, a two-meter long thin iron chain that rolled neatly, as well as a dried dandelion of evil spirit exorcists. There is also incense from the trout liver that is ready to be lit.

"Greyland accompanied Edgar to Aston" he said, rearranging and reinserting all his amulets into a handbag he had snatched from one of the women guests. "And Stuart seems to have told Jose everything he knows."

"He was quick to respond" Marco commented. "And know who to look for when I'm not around."

Lady Chantall's two cheeks heated up hearing the innuendo. He turned his legs to face Marco, who leaned half of his body on the side of the altar. "I didn't come to Jose because I wasn't called by him. And I don't know who to meet either. Doctor Rolan didn't call me either. I don't know what to tell them anyway. You don't think I should run to your house to tell you that I've seduced Hastings and think this castle is suspicious?"

"Actually, you should have done that."

"I have no obligation to do that." Lady Chantall looked at Marco angrily. "I work for you, not for anyone else. And you never told me to call Jose. So you can't criticize me." He raised his chin, grateful to be able to feel angry enough to cover up his pain. Anger is better than sadness.

"You came prepared."

"Then? Am I guilty of that?"

Marco shakes. "I'm just surprised the woman who is usually careful and standing still behind the scenes like you would intervene directly to conduct a personal investigation without saying anything, without even contacting Rolan first. You know he's my right hand."

"You suspect I have something to do with Scholomance?" Lady Chantall gaped. His heart rate's choked. "You think I'm a traitor? Me?"

"You know who put me in prison and tied me up in this place?" marco asked, as if ignoring anything but his own thoughts. "Roberts. Robert did it. He worked with the Hastings brothers, creating golems that attacked me."

Now Lady Chantall understands why Marco feels more alert and distant. "I'm not Robert!" hisses. "I really have nothing to do with this! Hastings looking for a patron. You know why there are so many civilian idiots here? They only served as two things to Hastings: as idiot soldiers, or as idiotic patrons. They need money! You know what I have? The money! And that's why I can be here."

Marco was silent, so Lady Chantall continued, "I myself realized that this was not like me. I'm not usually this rash. You want to know why I'm not acting like the usual me?" His long black eyelashes gnashed, trying to hold back the tears of anger that were about to come out. "I'm panicking!" hisses. "Frightening and anxious feeling overwhelmed me, I couldn't think properly during these two days! And you want to know why?"

Marco raises one eyebrow, guessing the reason has to do with a conspiracy of trade alliances, ghosts, or the mystery of Bjork. But he was wrong.

Lady Chantall tightly gripped her handbag with both hands. He shrugged his shoulders and shrugged his chin a little higher, looking at Marco right in the bead of his eyes as he said, "Because I'm in love with you."

Lady Chantall said it so haughtily as if she was the queen who allowed commoners to kiss the tip of her shoe, making Marco take a few seconds longer to process what he had just heard. "What?"

"I love you, Argent" repeated Lady Chantall, for the first time in her entire life to understand what it's like to be free. His heart was beating so fast that he could hear it so noisily in the ears. He didn't even care if others heard what he said. Right now, he just wants to be free. "You don't have to answer, I know you decided to be single for life for whatever purpose. I'm not demanding anything. I'm just answering your suspicions just now .. And so you know that there'll be some sadness if you get hurt."

Their age difference is almost twenty years. In his eyes, Lady Chantall was only a young partner. It makes more sense to him that the woman he likes is Jose or Rolan. But just like the mystery of ghosts and monsters in Bjork, women are always acting unreasonable. So while still astonished, Marco decided not to argue.

"No longer suspicious?" Lady Chantall smiled, recognizing the man's expression just now.

Marco did not respond. Rolan ran towards them with a pale face. "Marc!" shouts rush.

Rolan did not even greet or say excuses when he arrived, making Marco know what a man would say must be something important. "Why? You're like you've seen the devil!"

Rolan gripped tightly onto Marco's arm, as if asking for support. Her face is tense. "Jose ran into the woods! I wanted to chase him, but I lost track! It's running fast!"

"Run? Meanin? Why did he run? Who's after him?"

"Say he saw Dave passing by, I mean Lord Dominic." Rolan's face was so pale white. His voice trembled. "I wanted to ask him for your permission first or at least bring Gerald, but he's already darting away before I can open my mouth! That fucking deer! It could still be there, oh my God!"

"What monster?" Marco glares.

***