BLOODY LOVE'S
Extra 7: The Curtain Rises

Nolan ran over to Jeanne when he saw the woman in front of the Discussion Building, leaning against a stone wall in the shade of the sun.

"Why are you walking alone?" the tanyanya so up. He now quite often wanders the North due to working part-time at the Archive Center. His blue eyes looked around in wonder. "Don't bring a ladyboy?"

"I don't like it, I'm not free. Marco and Rolan are inside." Jeanne turned her head to the arch opening that led to the meeting room. "Should I go home from work?"

Nolan nodded. "You yourself? Why wait outside?"

"I just had a chat with the Daily Bjork guy somewhere else. I wanted to see Marco so I could go home together." Jeanne fixed the coat. She wore a cut-off dress just below her chest, covered in a thin coat that made her look slender. "Unfortunately here the smell of cigarettes. I wanted to go home, but after seeing it again it turned out the stairs were steep. The climb is easy, but the descent is a bit scary."

"You should have brought a ladyboy," Nolan sneered. He thrust his arm with courage. "Here, I'm guiding you down!"

Jeanne laughing. He was about to wrap his arms around Nolan when a group of people came out chatting loudly from the building. One of the men turned to them, then broke away and walked over.

The man was wearing an expensive suit and coat. Perlente. His face was square, with fine sideburns adorning the jaws. The eel is narrow and the eyebrows are almost non-existent. Nolan had never seen the man before, but he was wary of being able to feel Jeanne stiffening beside him. The woman stood upright, one hand was placed in front of the abdomen protectively, and the aura around them turned colder even though the sun was shining quite warm this morning.

"Good morning, Lady Chantall," greeted the man with a sweet smile. The crowd was still waiting at the back, leaning against the ledge of the stone steps. "We haven't seen each other in a long time, huh."

"Lady Argent," corrects Nolan's ketus, watching the man in front of her suspiciously. "He's not Chantall anymore."

"Thank you for the correction, Nolan," Jeanne smiled at him. "Good morning to Eastwood too. It's been a long time since we met, actually I hope it will be so next."

Eastwood looked at Nolan and Jeanne alternately, like weighing what to respond to. He ignored Nolan. "I want it to be like that too. But Marco invited me today. Funny, huh? You know why he suddenly invited me when he hadn't considered a baron like me?"

"You'll know when it comes, Eastwood. It's just a matter of asking." Jeanne still maintained her cold expression.

"Come?" Eastwood laughed mockingly. He looked back, at his friends. "Hey, he asked me why I didn't come to his house! He thinks I'm stupid like Spencer!"

The horde waiting on the stairs only smiled and chuckled, but their faces were a bit anxious. "Alright, Guy!" one of them said. "Let's go."

"You guys should hear this! It's funny!" exclaim Eastwood's angry. He turned back to the front and moved closer. "I've been quiet all this time being insulted by you guys, but how does it feel when the situation turns around like this, Chantall?"

Nolan quickly stood in their midst and threw a sharp glare. "Retreat! Where's your manners? Lady Argent hasn't let you near!"

"Where's your manners?" reply Eastwood sharp. He looked at Nolan with a naked gaze, snorting as he reached the flat chest of the girl. "It's weird that the Argent family. Paying the waitress to wear a skirt."

Nolan rarely wears pants. She wore a blue truss skirt and her long hair was one-painted, hidden under a worn hat. He laughed in response to the reproach just now. "I look like a man, different from you."

"Nolan is not a servant, he's my friend" Jeanne said quickly before Eastwood realized he was being insulted. His heart was pounding watching the metal stick in Eastwood's hands. People gathered around them, but just watched from afar while whispering. "I don't know what your problem is, Eastwood. Why are you suddenly going berserk?"

"Well, acting like a victim now?" reply Eastwood while clapping. His cane was narrowed in the armpit. "You're telling me you don't know what your new family did to Hastings?"

"What the hell is your business?" Nolan was confused for what reason the man was looking for. "If there's a problem with Marco, you talk to him! How dare you go with a pregnant woman!"

Eastwood. "Pregnant son of the devil? Married no half a year know already bunting. Everyone knows it's not Marco's son."

Nolan glares. He was just about to rebuke, but his shoulder was shifted to the side. The fingers that gripped his shoulders felt cold until he had goosebumps. The sweet fragrance of the flower spread, smelling at a glance as Jeanne passed by it. Nolan did not prevent it. No one could react. Just know the sound of the palm slapping the cheek had already erupted in the air.

Eastwood was not as calm as Jeanne. Once he realized that he had just been slapped in front of many people— who were now laughing secretly, Eastwood immediately roared back. His wand was swung hard towards the head. Nolan screeched, but not fast enough to get in the way.

***

"I can't be trusted! You shouldn't have left him alone!" Nolan was still protesting, chasing after Rolan who walked briskly across the long hallway of the Discussion Building. "I'm guessing you guys must know that crazy guy is here too! Don't tell me you guys were fishing for him on purpose?"

Randy stopped suddenly. He circulated his gaze around with lightning to ascertain the situation. There were only the two of them in that corridor. "You're right, we did know Eastwood was in the Discussion Building, so we're here." He stepped closer to Nolan, who hurriedly retreated warily until his back hit the wall of the passageway.

If there's one thing that scares Nolan, it's Rolan. The doctor once suffocated and shook him in the air as easily as if he was just a doll of cloth— and Rolan did so with a terrible grin on the face.

"You're also right that we were fishing for Eastwood just now" Rolan said in a soft voice. His hand rubbed his face. "The invitation to Argent's house was just a tool to get him to come to the Discussion Building. Marco knew from the start he wouldn't be here and boasted. We fished so he was paranoid and intended to drive him out of control in public. But we didn't know Jeanne was outside. Marco does not know. You think he's gonna endanger his family? His wife?"

Nolan dropped his gaze. "You're right," he murmured as he rubbed his arm. "Marco isn't that kind of person."

"good. So don't blame him, okay? Even though he looked calm, he was actually very sorry." Rolan sighed, inevitably so remember Yvone. He could understand how Marco was feeling now. "Well, thank God he's okay. Just scratched a little."

Nolan nodded. He followed Rolan towards the end of the corridor, still imagining what had happened just a moment ago. Everything happened too fast. Jeanne slapped Eastwood, then the man swung the metal stick he was carrying to hit. Jeanne would have been badly hurt had Marco not come into their midst in time, to be a shield.

After confirming that Jeanne was fine, Marco deftly and politely informed Eastwood that the reason for inviting the man had to do with the rumors.

"Many people call your name when I find out who the source of the intelligence is, therefore I invite you to talk; to straighten out any misunderstandings that may exist between us," Marco said it calmly without being disturbed by his bloody temples. "Sadly, you did not come .. and instead attacked my wife in broad daylight. At least I was finally convinced that the lowly rumors did come from the lowly ones."

Eastwood tried to defend himself and justify himself, but the more he spoke, he looked worse as all his accusations were cleverly countered. He instead gave Marco the opportunity to clarify and appear as the right person. Throughout the event, Jeanne's eyes were glued to worry about staring at Marco, making all who watched could see for themselves clearly that the relationship between the two was not based on political reasons.

Eastwood could not win speaking before the man who pioneered the construction of the Discussion Building and never lose arguing in the forum there.

Before everyone was embarrassed by Eastwood's behavior, Rolan dragged him into the building while police were called in.

Rolan's face looked very creepy earlier, as if the one who was almost hurt was his own wife.

Now it's still creepy, Nolan's mind while following the doctor who walked quickly to the end of the room.

"Where are you going to follow me?"

"I want to see what you're gonna do to that guy."

"Not to." Rolan turned his head, giving him an odd smile. "You're a good, honest kid, so you're not gonna like to see what I do."

The sentence was spoken in a friendly tone, but Rolan's eyes pierced sharply, making Nolan's legs petrified. Something in the doctor's view made Nolan understand that the warning just now must have been serious.

A single point of cold sweat flowed down his back. As soon as Rolan's back disappeared at the bend of the corridor, Nolan realized that he had been holding his breath.

Honest and kind? Nolan scratched the temple. His heart soared to hear the praise, but there was a little bit of resentment because Rolan still called him a child even though he was eighteen this year.

***