BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 250 [end]

There was nothing happier for Renata than to see Jose coming with Maria.

Eventually she would not be able to resist calling me 'mother', she thought triumphantly, watching over how the two chatted with Nolan, Clearwater, and Marsh.

Ten minutes before dinner, Marco and Lady Chantall finally went down. The two walked into the dining room while chatting softly. No physical touch is shown, but both look so intimate. The smile never escaped Lady Chantall's lips, even when Marco broke away to talk to Greyland.

Renata paid close attention to the woman's style of dress. This time Lady Chantall was wearing a dress that was more covered than usual, but still her choice of clothes was too bold. But he did not comment because Marco did not seem to mind.

Renata initially becomes suspicious of Lady Chantall's goal of approaching her brother. Many women come with a purpose that is far from good. Lady Chantall is young. Even in his thirties, he looked like he was still in his mid-twenties. Holding one or two young, rich and high-status men is definitely not a difficult thing for the woman. There are many shameless women who consider conquering a man as a game, Renata worries Lady Chantall is one of them. Although the Chantall Family had helped them a long time ago, he still suspected that the woman was just playing games and would make his brother disappointed. But seeing how the woman looked at Marco this morning, Renata changed her mind. It was not the gaze of a person who had ulterior motives or was playing around. That's the look of a love drunk. Judging from Marco's reaction, it was clear his love was welcome.

Feeling noticed, Lady Chantall turned her head and approached Renata. The woman's eyes did not wink at the setting of the dining table. No dishes have been prepared yet, but each chair has been named. "What's this?" he was surprised to see his chair next to the head of the table, on Marco's right side. In Bjork there is a tradition that only the main family sits around the host while at the dining table. The Argent family couldn't possibly have forgotten that rule, so this was obviously intentional. "You're planning a new game, Renata? Not satisfied with my yesterday?"

"No game, milady," Renata said, listening to the tense tone. Even with a smile, Lady Chantall could not hide her anxiety. "I'm so grateful for your help last night. If there's no you, I don't know what's going to happen to Marco and Jose." His eyes glanced at Marco. "Again from my brother's messy clothes, soon we'll be family."

The pink color creeps across Lady Chantall's cheekbones, making the woman look like a display doll. He looked at Marco and whispered very softly, "Does he look like a mess? Is something tangled? I still want to make sure the neatness was .. But Marco said it was enough."

Ice woman who can make someone hostile to the whole city overnight, Renata wonder how this expressive woman can have such a nickname. "Calm down, I'm just kidding. Nothing is messy."

"You can't talk about her clothes if they're neat, right?" Lady Chantall is suspicious. "Tell me, I don't know what's wrong. Don't let me embarrass him."

"Nothing's messy" Renata repeated. "I know his clothes were re-wetted by others because George and Marco never tied a tie in Murrel's style."

"Oh."

"Newly aware?" Renata recalls how a few nights ago Lady Chantall accidentally opened the door just by wearing a loose sleeping kimono. "You think you like doing that? Sort of flaunting a sign of ownership, like a cat clawing at a wall."

Lady Chantall smiled wryly at the insinuation. "Your tongue is sharp. Didn't Edgar get hurt while you were kissing?"

Before Renata could respond, the clock was ringing and Marco invited everyone to sit down for breakfast.

Marco sat at the head of the table while Albert was at the other end. Then on the right row sits Lady Chantall, Greyland, Clearwater, Marsh, Mr. Stuart, Winona Garnet; while on the left row there are Edgar, Renata, Jose, Maria, Rolan, and Nolan.

As long as the food is served, the story begins. It all started with mysterious deaths and dried corpses found washed up in the Bjork river. Then Higgins' death and Nolan's arrival with the necklace get Jose involved. Maria also told how she was always haunted by a sense of gripping and fear as if being watched by someone.

"If you think about it, maybe Nolan found the necklace was also not a coincidence" said Rolan. "Maybe it was his father who guided him—may he rest in peace."

"Amin," Nolan murmured, still unable to forget the transparent form he saw last night. He glanced at Lady Chantall who was sipping hot tea. The woman had also said the same thing with Rolan, that this had all been outlined by fate. Or maybe Bjork mountain did help protect them, giving them a way. He also remembered Jose had fallen into a hole that never existed, a hole that then protected the man from golems through—golem who must have been looking for Solomon's necklace.

Story by story is told in turn. One person completes the other. This time they were outspoken as everyone present was the one involved.

"Why didn't you ever say anything to us?" Winona asked gently to her daughter. She did not know that Mary was suffering alone.

"I don't know what happened to me, Mom, myself" Mary replied regretfully. "When I finally came to my senses, everything happened so quickly. I don't have time to explain anything to anyone. All events happen after."

"Wine," Renata began slowly, "I'm sorry I couldn't explain to you what happened in the first place. But that time was little we knew, while all the problems continued to arise. At first Marco disappeared, and then Edgar was lured away to Aston by Hastings, and when I thought everything was done, Sir William came with his demons. We can't breathe."

Edgar touched his wife's hand, squeezing it gently on the table. "No, it's my fault for being incompetent. When Marco disappeared, I couldn't straighten things out right away. I'm sorry it's too late to call you, Albert."

Plagued with apologies from Argent's husband and wife, Albert and Winona became clumsy. Both of them quickly apologized.

Marco mendehem slowly, stopping the rain of guilt that makes the dining table shaded by bad weather. "Actually, there's nothing wrong here," he said in a heavy voice. Edgar and Renata had already taken a position to lower their heads humbly. His part was to lift back their faces. "Sir William—and especially his demons, and plus Baron Hastings and Spencer, they are not enemies of one-two people or families. They want to destroy Bjork. We're not all involved in hiding information intentionally, everything has a purpose." He stopped to let every word settle in everyone's head. "And that goal is to save our homes, our brothers, our families, our loved ones. We are here now, able to come together and tell stories, because that goal has been fulfilled. Because the carefully crafted plans ended successfully. So no guilt. Instead, I want to thank everyone who is here, who helped us succeed together. Thank you to all of you."

Edgar agreed. He lifted his glass in salute, followed by everyone. "Jose?" the door while smiling.

Jose raised next to an eyebrow. He turned to Marco, who gave a small nod.

Along with everyone, Maria grabbed a glass, looking at Jose who got up from his seat. The man raised the glass in hand, leading the salute. "Thank you to everyone—living and dead. A toast to our victory!"

The glasses are lifted, clashed at each other in a sweet clink according to old traditions to ward off evil spirits. The atmosphere is warm again and the tension loosens. When everyone started smiling again, Marco grabbed Lady Chantall's hand on the table, then still, holding it, announced their wedding plans in the spring of this year.

There was a sudden silence, then the commotion exploded. Everyone congratulated and applauded, including the servants. Jose whistled loudly with his friends. Lady Chantall was still stunned, but not for long. He immediately replied to every welcome that came. The hue of his face is so bright. Lady Chantall looked happy, timid, moved, but also shocked. The woman definitely did not expect Marco to make a declaration at breakfast.

Jose was a little envious. He glanced, stealing a glance at Mary who was congratulating him. He also wanted to make Mary look as happy as Lady Chantall is today.

***

Mr and Mrs Garnet were still living in the Argent manor that night. Albert's in the lounge with Mr. Stuart and Rolan. The man was still curious as to what had happened.

"You're facing the devil!" he said he was no longer angry but enthusiastic. "Why not seek help from the church people?"

"Asking the Vatican for help will take time. This town's gone." Rolan poured his cognac for Albert. "Again Jose was ineffective."

"He used the analogy of an irrigation sluice" said Mr. Stuart, still vividly recalling how the explanation he had heard from Marco. "If we open everything, it will actually cause damage. The floodgates were religion, belief, and such. Because in older Bjork is an old religion on the mountain, we should focus on it. Arguably, it is the sluice with the strongest foundation in Bjork. That's what's used."

"That's funny" Albert said in surprise. "For he himself prayed in a Catholic way. I heard his voice. I heard his prayer."

Rolan laughed out loud. "The problem with speaking to the laity, in this case most Diocesan priests are: they will have difficulty understanding what happened yesterday. At best, we could be accused of blasphemy. Worst possibility: all the plans will go awry. You could say, what the whole of Bjork did last night was a war of faith. A little doubt will ruin everything. But Jose has no doubts, he never doubts, that's why he's different. Mr. Garnet, you saw for yourself how we came out of the river and how the river glittered like lightning and was colored by lightning." He sipped his cognac. "Secte Scholomance wants to open a portal to Eden to be like God, but Jose can achieve what they want without sacrificing anyone's blood. Without even wanting it. Ironic, right? As it is written in the scriptures, Sir: it is not you who choose Me, but I who choose you!"

***

Lady Chantall meets Nolan in a foyer. The girl had just stepped down from the second floor, finished bidding farewell to Renata. George followed behind him.

"You helped me this morning." Lady Chantall approached the girl and held her hands warmly.

"I didn't do anything" Nolan denied.

Lady Chantall shook her head slowly. "I still remember clearly, Nolan. At that time I was still shocked and confused because I lost Marco. Stuart asked for my help, but to be honest at the time I didn't care. I don't even care what the public knows and doesn't know, no matter what our original plan was. I die too I don't care. I really gave up." His smile was thin. He leaned forward, hugging Nolan who was twenty inches shorter than him, gently dipping the girl's cheek gratefully. Nolan smells like dried flowers. "Your voice saved me this morning. You can keep thinking clearly, explaining things, dribbling the public around our scenario without losing your way. And thanks to your dexterity, when things return to how they are now, I can perform without disappointing Marco. I'm grateful to you, Nolan."

Nolan was not used to being praised and adored like that. The softness of Lady Chantall actually makes him careless. He preferred to see the woman staring coldly. "I'm just following your lead" he said with a blushing face. She was also female, but being hugged and kissed by a woman as beautiful as Lady Chantall still made her blush and misbehave. He pushed the woman's body carefully and shifted a few steps so as not to be hugged again. "I'm going to learn to write and read" he said, patting his bag. Renata gave the gift of one bag as well as read-write books. "If it's good, I'll write you a letter. Whatever you want to know."

Lady Chantall smiled at it. That meant Nolan agreed to work with him in place of Titus. "good. I can put you in school too."

"Where can! That's expensive!" Nolan said in shock.

"No expensive words. You are my investment" said Lady Chantall, embracing Nolan, accompanying him to walk out of the manor. The sound of their steps twitching on the marble floor. "If you don't want formal school, there's Sunday school. Church sisters taught people to read and write there as well. And, oh.. They're your bodyguards?" she asked when George opened the door for them, revealing Marsh and Clearwater waiting in the porch.

"Jose forced," Nolan replied wryly. "I told you I could take care of myself. There is no fog anymore. But still he had a lot of his workers escort me, I don't want to. He just gave up when these two men volunteered to drive."

"You should be thankful" said Marsh fiercely, but his eyes shone wittyly. "Now there must be a lot of people. If you're alone, your little body will be trampled to a pulp."

"I'm not small!" Nolan gave a whimper, then rushed away with long strides after saying his greetings to Lady Chantall.

Marsh hurriedly gave his greetings and ran a small chase after Nolan. Clearwater was more polite, the man was still making small talk for a moment.

"Nolan will be under your wing?" tanyakanya. "I'm sorry, I happened to hear when you guys were talking. I just want to make sure."

"He's talented." Lady Chantall puts her shoulders down. "Just stay emotional."

"I hope his talent doesn't bring him into dangerous positions."

Lady Chantall raised both eyebrows in astonishment. "I know the Count of Clearwater is known to be very talkative."

Clearwater smiled faintly in response to that innuendo. "That's because it hurts, m'lady. But as soon as I swam out of the river this morning, the pain in my jaw was gone. Nothing will prevent me from speaking at will, especially when it comes to the safety of my friends" he concluded sharply.

Lady Chantall laughed crisply. He was so happy today that nothing could make him angry. "I'm not going to put him in danger. Nolan is my favorite too. You don't have to worry."

Clearwater nodded, looking even more relieved after hearing the statement. He immediately withdrew politely, to which Lady Chantall nodded.

"Welcome to fight, Lucas," he whispered amusedly as he looked at the shadow of Clearwater who was drifting away following his two companions.

***

When the waiter comes to deliver a message that he is asked to come to Marco's workroom, Jose thinks he will only meet his uncle and father. But there were four others there. One was Greyland, while the other three introduced themselves as palace secretaries. All three were in their mid-thirty to forty. They were Earl White, Viscount Clifford, and Earl Frankland. Jose knew those names only in whispers. They are a dangerous family.

Jose thought the three men were coming for Marco. But Earl Frankland came to him and handed him a 'love letter' from the palace.

If there were no seal, if not ushered directly by the palace secretary, Jose would have considered the contents of the letter a mere joke. He folded the letter and put it in an envelope. "I have to give you the answer now?" tanyakanya.

Earl White nodded firmly. "The Queen is waiting, so the sooner the better. If you reject it, we will take the letter back to Aston. Let's just say you never read it."

"However, if you accept," continued Viscount Clifford, "You can come with Marquis Argent next month when you give your official information to Your Majesty. The ceremony will be held at that time. Please destroy the letter if you receive."

"That's the tradition" Earl Frankland concluded, "every love letter from the palace must be burned."

Love letter? This is a warrant. Jose put both hands in his lap. Neither Marco nor Edgar commented, it could have been a bad sign. Or they believe me, he thought. But he did not want to rush to decide. The contents of the letter sounded sweet, but the burden it carried was terrible.

"What about Duke Ashington?" Suddenly Jose remembered. He looked at the three messengers in front of him in turn. "Duke Ashington is also involved with this."

"The Duke will be a dynastic affair" Earl White said. "We found his palace a mess. Corpses were everywhere, Duke Ashington himself was not there, but it was an internal affair of the dynasty. You don't have to worry about it."

"We're involved here" Jose refused to back down.

Earl White was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "To be honest, we suspect Duke Ashington is gone. But this is still under investigation. You're right that the Argent Family was involved, because it's entitled to know. You'll be told the results."

Jose was satisfied.

Viscount Clifford cleared his throat softly. "Now what matters is your answer, Mr. Argent."

"It's an important issue" Jose said. "I need to speak privately with my family."

Is that allowed? Jose stared straight at Earl Frankland, who twitched as he smiled.

"Of course, Mr. Argent," said the man with a heavy voice. He got up, followed by his two friends. Jose and Edgar got up, but Marco sat looking at them. The man's position was indeed the highest here.

"We'll wait outside" added Viscount Clifford. "If you're done discussing, please call us."

Greyland moved without being told to escort and accompany the three men outside. As soon as the door of the study room closed, Jose flopped onto the sofa and scratched hard. "What the fuck?" tanyanya. Letter wagged. "I? Become Marquis? Is that possible?!"

Marco watched Jose for a long time. "Maybe, if he wants to. Which area was given to you? Let me guess ... Redstone?"

Jose nodded weakly while Edgar groaned softly.

"I remember you had a farm there?" ask the father.

"I turned into a horse race."

"You must know how Redstone is, then" Edgar said bitterly. "It was the same with Bjork when Marco and I first came. It's even worse, I guess. Her Majesty the Queen heard about the miracle you performed last night. She must have thought you could do the same thing there—do miracles."

"But I can't do that anymore!" said Jose. "I traded it for all of you."

"He doesn't care" Marco said. "He won't even want to know what your miracle is. All he knows is that you can do wonders here, so he expects a second miracle: fix Redstone. If you feel inadequate, you have the right to reject it. That woman is always so happy."

"Sir .. who you're talking about is our queen" said Edgar amusedly. His eyes turned to Jose. "If you accept it, you'll be a noble under— just like Marco, just like your grandfather and your great-grandfather and so on our ancestors. But the difference with Marco, your mission is not a derivative mission. Your children will not be pawns of the palace. Just you."

"Wait ..." Jose frowned, only realizing something. "I thought Uncle deliberately did not marry or raise a child because he wanted to stop the derivative obligation. Why is Uncle married to Lady Chantall?"

"He loves me" said Marco.

Edgar laughing. "Are you going to marry everyone who loves you?"

"It's just him" Marco replied calmly. He loved Lady Chantall's stubbornness and unwavering loyalty, but it would not be reckless. "And after I consider, my marriage will free Jose from the family curse. I'm freeing you from the burden of taking care of the rest of Argent's work that might bounce back. Let it be my son's business later. Maybe this seems irresponsible, considering that I trained you hard to be the living fence of this family once I was gone. You're free to choose how to live your life."

That sounds pretty irresponsible and unbearable. But Jose knew his uncle had no regrets at all. He did not blame his uncle. It was thanks to all the training of the man that he became the current Jose and was able to survive until this very second.

"Dad didn't want to say anything?" ask Edgar.

"You've made a decision, I can see that" said his father softly. His big hand patted Jose on the back, rubbing him affectionately. "Whatever you decide, we support you. Your mother knows this, she's one voice with me."

Jose looked at the letter in his hand thoughtfully. He knows Redstone. That place is dangerous. In the letter, the Queen invited him to jointly make Greater Albion a modern and educated and populous kingdom-state. Jose knew he would be required to develop the place just as Marco was required to develop Bjork.

His family bore promises to the palace since the beginning of this kingdom was built. As long as the kingdom was still standing, Argent would always be a shadowy nobleman, living the brunt of tidying things up in Albion and serving the orders of the ruling dynasty. However, the burden will only be borne by the first child in the first child, therefore Marco intends to end what he calls a curse by not having children. Jose is prepared only as a fortress guard to clean up any remnants Marco might have left behind that would harm the family. Jose has understood his duty for a long time.

Now he is relieved of his duty, but instead gets the option to bear the same burden, only it will not be lowered. The burden will be his.

In practice, of course, it will not be that easy to complete the task. He could not have fulfilled the Queen's wishes. At that time, would his family bear severe consequences?

But it was not written about the consequences on the contract letter he held. He has read it repeatedly. His family will not be burdened. The queen seems to be just doing her luck, maybe the news of the miracle that she did made the queen curious and wanted to do an experiment.

This is a good opportunity. If he accepted the queen's offer, he could extend a hand to Maria without making the Garnet family feel ashamed of only getting a common man. He was no longer the fourth son, not an earl, not a viscount, not a baron, but a marquis. It was one level below the duke.

Jose closed his eyes, recalling the events of this morning, when Maria deliberately handed over her body to Arabella. It was Maria's doing to buy time for Jose to recover, even if the stakes were life.

He could not let only Mary risk everything for their relationship.

These are the things we do for love. Jose got up from his seat and walked out of the study, allowing the four men chatting in the next room to re-enter.

For family. Jose looked at his uncle and father.

For lover's sake. He recalled Sir William, who until the end of his life still insisted on returning Arabella.

For friends. Now Nolan was passing through his mind. Brave girl with a sassy mouth but so easy to cry. The girl who helped them many times. He also remembered all his friends who did not abandon him even after knowing that their enemies were demons.

To protect everything we love, anything we do. Here's human.

He understood now why Marco remained as the lower nobleman of Albion. By being close to danger, the man knew what could hurt his family—and then so could protect him. All this time, that's what Marco did.

Jose stared at the three palace secretaries before him in turn, wondering for himself what the three people were protecting. Is it the queen? This state? Or something else? Jose didn't want to ask. He lifted the letter from the queen in front of the three of them, then tore it into four pieces, and threw it into a burning fireplace.

Edgar looked at his son with teary eyes while Marco only smiled faintly.

As soon as the fire devoured the envelope, Earl Greyland, Earl Frankland, Earl White, and Viscount Clifford simultaneously, without command, put one of their hands on the chest and bend the knee in a respectful greeting to Jose— on the figure who deigns to plunge into the mud of the lower Albion.

The new marquis has been born tonight.

The Marquis of Redstone.

***

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~ends

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⠀Note: the story about Jose is in a new novel under the title Avarice. It's on the web karyakarsa. There is a bonus chapter here as well. Please check the next chapter yes~ if you like this story, maybe you will like my other novel with the title Red Light District. Info about the novel can be checked on IG @narazwei ya.

Note:

¬Diosan priest: projo priest/diocesan priest. They are outside the order. Simply put, they are 'common' pastors who serve as romans in Catholic churches.