BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 164

The few people in front of the gate of Argent's house slowly dispersed, but there was still a stubborn wait. Even one of them shouted provokingly while the other whispered.

Jacob was experienced enough to know what a person's traits are through their eyesight and body attitude. Just one look, Jacob could understand what those people were thinking. He knew the leader of the action was not a noisy man shouting or whispering, but a man who looked straight at Argent's house, whose face was not at all drunk with any feelings.

Jacob whispered to one of Clearwater, who immediately nodded and walked back inside the house.

He patted Gus' black head. "Why stop counting?" tanyakanya. "Six. Let's count."

"Six!" jest Gus with a sullen voice. He had fallen to the ground because he was too tense.

"Five, that's hard."

Gus can't say anything. Tongue's cow.

"Five," Jacob still guided patiently. He never hastily. For him, bullying can only be effective if it is helped with the right time. He opened the revolver, put two bullets back in the cylinder, then closed and turned it. The click of a cylinder replaced the night animal music. "Five, Gus."

"Five!" Gus yelling.

Jacob turned to the Clearwater troops still on guard, winking one eye as a sign. Obediently, those people moved closer to the position of the unsheathed sword. Their clattering sounds gave their own terror, shaking the hearts of the people in front of the gate. In an instant the stones fell in a thud to the ground and wooden sticks were also dropped. The people at the front had already given up first.

"We're surrendering!" they said, his tone was wailing. In response to the call of defeat, the people who were behind the confusion and instead pushed forward. Chaos ensued.

"Four," Jacob said with great emphasis, not bothered by the commotion. He was happy to see those people talking to each other. "Four, Gus."

Gus hasn't been able to pin down the number four. The crowd in front of them suddenly calmed down and opened up neatly, like soldiers giving way to the king.

Clearwater's men changed positions to standby, preparing for the impending attack. Jacob frowned, then his smile grew wide. He raised two fingers and moved them in a pre-agreed gesture. Neatly, Clearwater's army behind Jacob lowered the tip of the sword to the ground and paved its way towards the main door of the house.

Marco stepped through the civilian crowd in front of the gate without turning his head in the slightest at them. Behind him walked in a row Rolan and Jose, Lady Chantall who had found his shoes, then fifty-four Argent workers who were watching around ferociously.

"Jacob," Marco smiled at him when he arrived. "How are you? I'm sorry I didn't get to welcome you."

"Good news, Uncle." Jacob looked down with respect. "No need to worry about welcoming business. Our family in Delton always prayed for Uncle's health." He turned to Lady Chantall and greeted him politely, "Milady."

Lady Chantall nodded politely. "Sire."

Marco lightly patted Jacob's shoulder, turning his gaze to Gus who was resting beside them with a teary face. "Why this kid?"

"The boy is innocent, sir!" exclaimed his father whose neck was still at the tip of the sword of one of the Clearwater guards. Blood dripped from his slightly scratched skin. "Give him back, we'll go home to Jorm!"

Jorm is a small town located right next to Bjork. Marco looked astonished at the man who had shouted earlier. "And" said he. "Why did you walk all the way from Jorm to here?"

"Because of the missing!" Gus finally answered hard. "Some say the poor and the peasants are lost in Bjork because the evil Marquis is hiding! A lot of people are also lost in Jorm, the culprit must be the same! And we came with good intentions!"

Smart kid, Jacob thought when he heard the word.

"Good intentions?" Marco stared at the stones and sticks on the ground. The question was uttered in a pure tone of wonder, but somehow hearing it could embarrass Gus and many people, as if Marco was critically exposing them. "The person we were carrying on a stretcher back there," he continued calmly, "was one of the people who had gone missing. We managed to find him. I did a joint investigation with Inspector Bjork to find out where they were. Most of them had met in terrible conditions, we told their families and buried them properly. Some others have not met. The person in charge of this is the one who wants to keep me from moving, the one who doesn't want their tracks sniffed. Rise up, son, and tell them all." He looked at Jacob. "Have your bodyguards draw back the sword. We're dealing with civilians here."

"They want to stone our houses and beat us with sticks, Uncle" Jacob said coldly. "Not a few carry sharp weapons. What good will be done with the movement of the masses carrying weapons? Even shamelessly the children were put at the very front as a shield."

Gus' father was silent. His face was red.

"We just want to talk to the Marquis," said Gus sniffled when helped up by Rolan.

"I am the Marquis you mean," said Marco calmly, smiling at Gus' shocked face. Clearly the child was imagining a more vile and sinister face, not an old man like this.

Marco turned to the people in front of the gate and said louder, "I'm the one you're looking for! And what do you think I'm gonna kidnap people for? I've got everything here without having to bully anyone else. Ask everyone at Bjork what Marquis Argent has been up to all this time, and you'll get the answer."

The answer that you are a crazy monster, led to Rolan in the heart. He patted the dirt dust off Gus' body because he no longer knew what he could do. He was already puffing on this family pattern. One would use violence, the other followed gently. The basic negotiation technique used by Argent. They will continue to swap roles as the hard and the soft, the evil and the good, like two sides of a coin eye; until the opponent is off guard and gives up.

"They attacked this house based on an article written by Hubbert!" Jacob said in a condescending tone. "Hubber! Huh! Fry wrapping newspaper lied!"

Marco glanced at Lady Chantall, reminding the woman of their discussion at the Krip store two days ago. Lady Chantall nodded softly with an imperceptible gesture.

"If I did kidnap those people, I certainly wouldn't be working with the cops" Marco continued. "You know that such yellow newspapers are always after sensations. Why let yourself be influenced by a bronze lettering?" He looked at Gus and smiled kindly at him. "Go back to your father, go back there to Jorm. Ask your mayor for justice there about the missing people in Jorm. Not to me."

Rolan pushed Gus' back, who immediately ran to hug his father. The crowd dispersed slowly. A Clearwater guard came from outside the gate, whispering to Jacob. Jacob continued the whisper to Marco, "The provocateurs have been taken. I'll take care of it, with Uncle's permission."

Marco shook his head, intending to have this matter taken care of in the smallest scope possible. "Give it to Rolan." He asked Gerald to come closer and give the order in a quiet voice, "make sure they actually return to Jorm either tonight or tomorrow morning. One of them moves suspiciously, follow them."

Gerald nodded. The workers were disbanded. Dave was taken to the ward, and they all went inside the manor after making sure things were safe. For a while, Clearwater's men remained alerted until morning.

"And you," Jacob turned his head fiercely to his sister who he still cheated on as soon as they were inside the house. "We need to talk!"

Jose wasn't looking at him. The young man's eyes bulged, his hands stretched forward, catching Marco staggering down. "Uncle!" yells.

Rolan gasped, feeling his heart momentarily stop beating.

***

ps: psst .. to support this novel, you can update your MangaToon application so you can vote this novel with points from MangaToon you know. You can now vote with points in MangaToon 💕