BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 169's

While Marco is preoccupied with the dark affairs he had left behind, Jose grabs a coat in his room and intends to meet Maria. He has to make sure of something.

But Rolan held him at the front door. "Don't go anywhere first" the doctor said. "I haven't heard the full story from you and there's a lot we need to discuss."

"Later, Uncle. I have to go now." Jose feels like too much time has been wasted all night. He should have gone straight to Mary once he knew that there was something strange about the girl, he should have met her as soon as possible after crossing over to another world for the first time. But yesterday his priority was to pick up Marco, then his body was exhausted and he collapsed in bed for hours a night.

Rolan shifted his legs, using his body as a barrier to the main door. "You can't go anywhere."

"My task is done" Jose reminded. "Uncle doesn't need me anymore, things are back in Uncle Marco's hands. Now move. I have to go to Garnet's house now."

"You can use the phone if you want to talk." Rolan stretched out one hand to hold Jose. "Technology is advanced and your house has a phone."

Jose shifts Rolan's arm easily and opens the door, only to be confronted by Gerald and Hans.

"Surge," Jose ordered. But none of them shifted. He tried to push them, but they were both like stone statues. "Hans, Gerald, I'm going through. Move away."

"They won't get out of the way, even if you beat them."

"Now I'm a prisoner in my own house?" Jose looked over, not understanding what was wrong. "Uncle has no right to do this."

Rolan turned his body towards Jose. Her lips expand in a witty smile. "I? Of course I have no right. I'm not Argent. But I didn't tell them to arrest you."

Jose knows who. Both hands clenched at the sides of the body. "Uncle Marco ..."

"Yes. Like you said, he's back in control of all the workers, everything in this house, and everything in Bjork." Rolan approached, patting Jose's shoulder gently twice as if sympathetic. "And you will obey as always."

Jose hardens the jaw, holds back the swearing. He knew his leadership of the workers was only temporary. It's just a replacement. Once Marco returns, he will again be the fourth child without power. He thought he was ready, but it turned out to be normal again it still hurt. This morning he was reminded that he was a nobody, just a little doll in the hands of his uncle.

Jose observed Hans and Gerald, who yesterday so obeyed and relied on him. The two men were still looking at him with the same respect, but in their eyes he was definitely no longer the number one person. Jose can see it.

Maybe this is also what our enemies feel, he thought, when Uncle Marco is not around, they can be in power. Uncle's safety obviously took a lot from them. Sense of power.

"Why am I under arrest?" he asked Rolan after closing the door, removing the faces of the two working giants from his sight. "I didn't make a mistake!"

"Why do you think you're under arrest?" reply the doctor, inevitably smile at the obedience of his nephew. "You're just gonna have to ask Marco for permission. I suggest doing it after breakfast. Renata's waiting in the dining room."

"Who's in the dining room? Jake?"

"Jacob and his wife, Lady Chantall, Renata. Me and you. Marco ate above. Hastings just starve."

Jose laughs. "He's my guest. At least have the waiter bring the dry bread to his room."

"I'm just kidding. Renata took care of it." Rolan taught Jose steps, relieved because the young man did not insist on going out of the house and making trouble. "Everything is well taken care of here. Without him, we'd have fallen apart."

Jose agreed. "What about Nolan? She had breakfast in her room?"

"No. He's eating with Marco." Rolan laughed looking at the shocked expression beside him. "You promised him you'd be the last. He's charging. And since breakfast time had come, he had a meal with Marco. It's strange to see them like that, sometimes I feel like Marco wants to stick to them."

"Uncle will not do that" Jose said calmly.

He walked back to the dining room without saying anything. Marco is back. The situation returned to how it used to be where he had no power or great power. Therefore he will also use the way he used to do: escape.

***

"Who taught you?" ask Marco wonder. "Remissed?"

Nolan chuckles. He rubbed his lips with a feeding cloth. "I told you, I can be polite if I wanted to."

"Yes, you said your father taught." Marco sipped his hot black coffee. "He's a Northman?"

Nolan nodded. "He works here. In the North, I mean. Not at your house."

"It's still here?"

"Had died. I didn't come home very long. At Bjork, that only means one thing." Nolan raised his face. The tip of his lips lifted up a little. "You didn't say you were sorry?"

"should? You don't look sad."

Nolan laughs. He got up from his chair and roamed the room. The tip of his finger he rubbed on the bookshelf, and he giggled to see that there was indeed a glass jar filled with candy on the table. "I'm not grieving. Dad always said I shouldn't grieve when I remember."

"The hard guy." Marco nodded his head full of approval. "Most Northerners are so cold and hard, from the nobility to the people. It's our nature." He tidied up the location of his eating equipment that had been used. George will come clean for a few more minutes, but he feels the need to make all his angles look balanced. "The green-eyed woman on the outside, her name is Jeanne de Chantall. He's not a Northman. Not the people of Bjork. But he's just as hard. He can make a whole Bjork antagonize you overnight."

Nolan frowned, turning full on Marco. All he could see from where he was standing was the back of the man's silvery hair. "Then?" exacting. "You're threatening me?"

"I warn you" Marco corrected. Sharp nada. "You think I didn't know you were making her angry on purpose?"

Nolan grunts. He returned to his seat opposite Marco with a step snapped as he walked. "I'm not the one who started! I woke up this morning and went for a walk because my body was all sick, and then Mrs Argent came and asked me to talk, saying you were home and healed. I'm happy, I told him what happened in that tower. Mrs Argent also listened happily. Then your girl suddenly came scolding me! He said I was not polite! So darn him!"

Lady Chantall thinks Nolan is a waitress, Marco guesses. "Therefore you put on a nice dress and put on makeup? To show your status and take a little revenge?"

"Well, it worked to piss him off. So wearing a dress like this doesn't matter to me."

That's not what Marco wants to pursue. "Renata helped you with this, huh?" tanyakanya.

Nolan didn't even blink when he said, "Yes. She said that she likes you, so she was shocked to hear me say your name. What is the use of a name if it is not called? Your name is Marco!"

Marco laughing. "Basic random. You clearly know what the first name in the North means. If your father was smart enough to teach you how to curtsy, he'd have told you about names, too."

"Indeed, but I'm not a Northman. So that kind of thing doesn't matter to me." Nolan grimaces. He brushed his blonde hair back with his fingertips. "At the same time we're comrades in arms."

This is definitely not Nolan's plan. Marco can guess Renata was behind the mess this morning. Nolan was under her protection as Lady Argent, so when Lady Chantall insulted Nolan it was the same she had insulted Renata. And an Argent never takes humiliation for granted without avenging it more heavily. Renata could be even more dangerous than Edgar if he wanted to. This morning was just a joke to the woman, likely because considering Lady Chantall was not bad. He wondered in his heart when Renata knew Lady Chantall liked him, and if only he himself was unconscious. Judging from the reaction of Rolan who always chuckled and held back laughter, the man must have known for a long time.

"Oh yes, the talk is serious," Nolan said after lightly patting his forehead. "I don't know if this is important to you or not. I told you that I slept in the woods, right? Well, I had a weird dream. The dream is not scary, but there is one that is very important. I don't know why I forgot and just remembered this morning. I should've told Jose this yesterday."

"What's that?"

"I dream there's a pretty girl who walks down the river" said Nolan lightly. "He kept asking me to tell Argent. Repeatedly continues. But I don't know what to say. Not very clear."

"Your serious talk is about dreams?" Marco raised his eyebrows.

"I think dreams are important. Anyway there's your name. Your names are." Nolan tilted his head, recalling again. "The girl's name is Arabella. Strange yes, I remember such details but don't remember what he asked for."

***