BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 195's

When he exited the ward and saw Hans standing guard next to the door, Jose immediately came to a conclusion. Rolan wasn't home. "Where is Uncle Rolan?" tanyakanya.

Hans watched his master closely as far as he could do within the limits of politeness. Jose looked calm, but there were tears in his eyes. And that face looks sad. "The doctor didn't say anything to me, Sir,” he replied. “But maybe to the Archive Center, Sir,” he added soon as remembered. “There were people sent there to find out what Krip read. Maybe Doctor Rolan went there to keep an eye on."

“Maybe.” Jose nodded. "I want to go back to my room. You can go back to your post."

Hans grimaced, but did not go anywhere. "I'll take you along."

"Sure, sure." Jose turned the eyeballs, knowing that the man meant escorting him tightly at Rolan's request. He let the big man follow him behind. They cross paths with George in the middle of the road, confirming that Rolan did indeed go to the Archive Center.

Jose wanted to go there too, so he changed routes and went to Marco's study to ask for permission.

Unfortunately no matter how many times Jose called and knocked, there was still no answer from within. According to George, Lady Chantall is not home yet. The horse carriage and its paddle are still waiting below. There may be serious discussions going on in there because Marco did not ask for breakfast.

Suddenly getting an idea, Jose hurriedly returned to his room. "You can go back to your post" he told Hans before closing the door.

Hans again only grimaced widely in response, making Jose know the worker was not leaving. He closed the door without saying anything. Under ordinary circumstances, he would allow anyone assigned to escort him to enter the room, but this time left Hans outside. The door of the room was not locked so that no one suspected. Jose took off his thick black coat because it would only slow his movement, then made sure his boot straps were tied tight so as not to interfere. Afterwards, almost without a sound, Jose opened his bedroom window and jumped out, skirting the walls of the house and creeping towards Marco's private room window.

He knew that the door must have been locked because the owner was in the study. The window of the room is not locked. He'll go in through there, then look for clues.

Marco never told anyone his whole plan. His uncle would only give one person a piece, then another different piece to another, never letting them know the full picture of what he was going to do. Jose knew his uncle didn't believe in anyone, so the system also served as a form of defense. If anyone betrays, the person will not be able to destroy the entire plan and Marco will be able to determine who the traitor is once he sees which secret is leaked.

There was no way there would be a neatly written list of plans in Marco's room. Jose knew such coincidences only happened in children's storybooks, and he did not intend to look for a list of plans.

Jose got to the veranda in Marco's room easily. He opened the unlocked home window, then stepped in while looking around, making sure he didn't touch anything unimportant. Marco puts all the stuff in his room in a certain position that changes every day. People would see the pen on the table as a regular item, but Marco put the pen on the table as a marker. The whole position of the objects in this room is a marker. If one were to shift, Marco would know that someone had entered his room, and the man would be able to guess who had come and what his purpose was based on the changes and shifts in the room.

The Mad Argent's. Crazy Argent. Jose felt the nickname was indeed appropriate for his uncle. He was amazed from where his uncle could find such a troublesome way and use all the pritilan items available to watch his own room while not there. Jose stepped closer to the small safe planted on the floor behind the room carpet. He knew the code, but never decided to tinker with it— to this day.

***

Maria and Nolan had breakfast together in the greenhouse, surrounded by ornamental plants and flowers. They discussed Maria's gun and commented on her strange shape and talked about many things.

"So your father was a Northman?" Mary was not surprised to hear Nolan's story. He did feel that the girl was too smart for the size of a South person, especially for the size of a woman. Education has begun to spread, but there are still many women who choose not to go to school. For most of them, academic ability is useless. Southern women prefer to stay home and learn to cook or farm while Northern women prefer to hone their social skills at tea parties or skin care. A clever Southerner like Nolan is obviously awkward for Maria. "What's your father's name? Her job?"

"Titus" answered Nolan short. He rubs strawberry jam a lot into his bread, making it look more like bread pudding.  "Name Titus. Dad said he was trading."

Dad said? Maria frowned, concluding that the caption meant Nolan did not know clearly what her father was doing. Maria watched Nolan carefully, starting to feel interested. The sons of the Northern merchants could not have been placed in the South. "Trade what?"

Nolan shrugged his shoulders. He swallowed his bread, using a washcloth prepared to wipe the corners of the lips. "Not a big thing. He said selling people's products in retail. I don't really know."

"Then why?" nolan was defensive, staring at Maria from the edge of her bread. "His job is his business. I don't have to wonder what he's doing out there. Whatever he does, it doesn't matter. What matters is that he's home."

Maria stunned. "That was your mother saying?"

Nolan finished eating. He grabbed a glass of water on the table and took a lot of it, then wiped off the trail of water on the lips with the back of his hand, feeling uneasy because it had been taken care of. "What?"

"Whatever she does, it doesn't matter" Maria repeated. He leaned forward, his hands crossed on a white round table that blocked the two. "It's important he comes home. Those your mother's words?”

Nolan's blue eyes lit up questioningly. "Yes," he said. "Kok know?"

For it is the typical speech of the wives of the Whisperers, Mary thought. His father did not trade, but worked as an informant for someone. A noble, obviously. "Just guess," he answered. Nolan obviously did not know what her father was doing, and Maria felt it impolite to continue prying, so she decided to stop.

Maria raised her gaze towards the opening of the greenhouse door. The front yard of Argent's house was visible from where they were sitting because the table and chairs in the greenhouse were indeed placed in the middle of the room, arranged in such a way that the person sitting there could watch over the east wing of the house as well as what was happening in the front yard.

"That's Jose," he said as he stood up.

"Where?" Nolan caught up with Maria who now stands on the doorstep of the greenhouse, next to the arrangement of orchids.

There were many people milling about in front of Argent's house, most of them were workers, but there were also Clearwater's people, Maria could see their distinctive robes. It's likely that the man and Adrian Marsh have come because Jose is already there. The man walked casually up to one of the workers and spoke to them.

"That, that was walking towards the group of workers in front. Well, now he's looking over here.” Maria waved and laughed.

"I didn't see it." Nolan squinted, looking for who Jose was. "There are too many people."

“You didn't see it? He's bowing now, stylishly saluting with dramatic.” Maria retorted by curtsy, deliberately exaggerating when lifting the edges of her skirt.

Nolan looked at Maria in surprise. “Your eyes must be good. And his eyes too, if he sees you doing that.”

“Jose's eye accommodation is good. He trained all his senses to be sharp.” Maria slightly tilted her body as she looked at Nolan, noticing the girl's facial expression fine. “But my eyes are not that good. If the one walking there was Clearwater, I might not know. Before, I thought I could recognize him anywhere because I've been with him for a long time, but lately I know it's not because of that. Not just because of that.” He let out a soft sigh, letting his smile float thinly on his lips. “When you like someone, you will be more aware of that person's presence. Even if that person is in the crowd, you can definitely find him easily.”

Nolan could already guess what Maria wanted to say. “You like him.”

Maria shook her head. I fell in love with her.

***