r18novel 028. Drunken Gordon
028. Drunken Gordon
The Marquis of Tanstin froze as if struck by lightning the moment his gaze fell on the purple seal on the envelope.
"You... what is this...?"
He recognized the seal, a mark unique to the direct line of the Tanstin family.
But how could that be? The collateral branches of the family have long since sided with the Golden Glory Royal Family and are now at odds with him. There is absolutely no way they could stage any spy thriller.
So...
This letter could only have come from the direct line of the Tansting family.
"Where did you get this?"
Marquis Tanstin's voice softened involuntarily, but the wariness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
It's just a sealant; a few strokes of magic can easily forge it, proving nothing.
"Want to see?"
Xinlai did not answer his question, but simply asked calmly.
Marquis Tansten's breathing became heavy, his gaze shifting back and forth between Sinley and the letter.
Xin Lai smiled slightly, bent down to pick up the overturned stool, sat down again, and crossed her legs.
"Think it over carefully... What if it's your daughter's suicide note? Or perhaps, it's news about Lady Tansten's whereabouts?"
"..."
Marquis Tanstin stared silently at the letter, as if trying to find traces of forgery.
But Xinlai's confident demeanor seemed to already tell him whether the letter was genuine or not.
He was struggling and hesitating, because once he accepted the letter, regardless of whether its contents were useful or not, he would owe Xinlai a favor.
But then I thought, I'm already a dying man, why should I care about human relationships?
"Open."
Her voice was hoarse, yet it concealed a barely perceptible tremor and anticipation.
Xinlai smiled and casually tossed the letter into the arms of the Marquis of Tanstin.
"You have hands and feet, why are you making me drive?"
Marquis Tansteen took the envelope, glanced up at Sinlai, and made one last check to see if there was any sly smile of triumph on her face.
"Sizzle—"
The sealant was peeled off.
When that familiar magical energy touched his rough, calloused fingers, Marquis Tanstin felt as if he had finally found some kind of relief, and his whole body instantly slumped down, aging many years in the process.
"Eve..."
He murmured to himself, and before he could even read the contents of the letter, two streams of turbid tears were already flowing down his deeply lined face.
"Father, I'm so sorry..."
Those dark, thick hands gently stroked the envelope, as if caressing the soft top of his daughter's hair.
Xinlai sat opposite her, silently watching her hunched-over old father.
After a long while, Marquis Tanstin wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, trembling as he opened the envelope, took out the letter, and leaned close to the only light in the cell. He tilted his head back, squinted, and began to read it carefully.
Her handwriting is small and delicate, with a graceful yet strong character.
He recognized it; it was his daughter Eve's handwriting!
He looked up at Xinlai again, incredulously.
Xinlai simply gazed at him indifferently, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her index finger rhythmically tapping lightly.
At this moment, the Marquis of Tansten had no time to think about where Sinley had gotten the letter from; he only wanted to read every single word his daughter had written to him.
"..."
"..."
In a brief moment, a myriad of complex emotions flashed across Marquis Tanstin's face:
Trembling anger, uncontrollable grief, and...
A hint of joy, buried deep in my heart, that I had never dared to hope for.
The way he looked at Xinlai had completely changed.
Doubt, guilt, and shock were intertwined.
Finally, he slowly put down the letter, his trembling body gradually straightening up.
Two pairs of eyes met in the dimly lit cell, silently announcing the outcome of this game.
"She...she's really still alive?"
Marquis Tanstin's voice grew softer and softer, as if even he himself could not believe the possibility.
"Who knows..."
Xinlai's answer was vague.
Marquis Tanstin was silent for a moment, then understood what he meant.
"Then...then she is now—"
"Marquis Tanstin," Sinley interrupted him promptly, her tone turning somber, "you seem to have forgotten your own identity, and also hers."
Marquis Tanstin was taken aback, then slowly came to his senses. His face darkened, he rested his elbows on his knees, and fell into deep thought.
"Marquis Tanstin, your execution is in two weeks," Xinlai said solemnly, taking a gold-plated fountain pen from her bag and tossing it silently over.
"So before that, I would like to ask Marquis Tanstin to think carefully about what he remembers."
Marquis Tansteen took the pen, his fingers trembling slightly, and quickly wrote a few words on the back of the envelope before crumpling it into a ball and tossing it back.
Xinlai took the crumpled paper, discreetly clutched it in her hand, stood up, straightened her clothes, and turned to walk towards the cell door.
"In that case, the next time we meet will be at the execution ground."
squeak-
The cell door closed, as if nothing had happened in the last few breaths, telling the soldiers guarding the cell door that Xinlai, like his two brothers, had been turned away by the Marquis of Tanstin.
Marquis Tanstin watched the figure disappear outside the door, a beam of light leaking through the crack and illuminating his left cheek.
Suddenly, a sharpness and ferocity, like a drawn blade, flashed in those green eyes—a glint only found in those who resisted the Stilwells at the border.
……
……
Xinlai clutched the crumpled letter and walked out of the dungeon with a calm expression.
A figure suddenly emerged unsteadily from around the corner.
"Hiccup~"
Xin Lai paused, and the soldiers behind her stopped in unison.
He instinctively gripped the sword hilt, staring at the staggering figure in the darkness.
That punch from the Fallen Spirit had already left him with psychological trauma...
Moreover, he was holding a message between himself and the Marquis of Tanstin, and if it were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Those who plotted to frame Eve and the Marquis of Tansten would consider Sinley an enemy on their side, and even the prince would likely show no mercy.
Therefore, Sin Lai's nerves were on edge from the moment she was released from prison.
Seeing Xin Lai's alarmed demeanor, the soldiers behind him also drew their weapons, ready to protect Xin Lai at any moment.
"belch."
The moment the firelight illuminated the figure, Xinlai's right hand even twitched.
But upon seeing who it was...
"Who...who are you? What are you doing wandering around the dungeon?"
"belch."
The man in front of me was carrying a wine jug, reeking of alcohol, his face flushed, and he was swaying unsteadily.
Xinlai felt that the face looked somewhat familiar.
Upon seeing this, one of the soldiers immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The dungeon soldiers who failed to protect Xinlai have now been exiled to the border...
The soldier quickly stepped forward, saluted, and then respectfully explained, "Your Excellency Gordon, this is His Highness the Third Prince, who has been ordered to interrogate Marquis Tansteen."
"belch."
Gordon let out another hiccup, as if he hadn't seen Xinlai clearly, and insisted on getting closer to get a better look.
"Mr. Gordon, please mind your appearance."
Sin Lai took two steps back and looked Gordon up and down. Gordon was an old man with white hair and beard and three bright stars hanging above his head.
He vaguely remembered that his father had sent someone to inform him that a man named Gordon would come to protect him for free...
Could this be the person standing right in front of me?
Gordon, slightly drunk, stood in front of Sinley, his eyes glancing around unconsciously before a regretful smile suddenly appearing on his face.
"Such delicate skin... hiccup, no wonder she needed me to protect her, hiccup."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind him shrank back and took two steps back imperceptibly.
Xin Lai frowned and turned to ask, "It's still working hours, how come he's drunk like this?"
The soldier shook his head and reported in a low voice:
"Your Highness, Lord Gordon has been dismissed by the King for failing to protect you in the dungeon last time. He is now unemployed, and it is said that... before going to your castle, he must finish all the wine hidden here."
"..."
Xinlai was speechless.
Good heavens, he's a drunkard?
He also remembered that it was this old man who came to his rescue when he was fighting the fallen spirits in the dungeon last time.
He was actually dismissed because of this?
Xinlai smacked her lips, suddenly feeling a little sorry for Gordon.
Fine, let's not pursue his rudeness any further.
"Guards, take him to the castle!"
It just so happens that the old man who used to earn five copper coins a day ran away the day Simien stormed the castle.
Letting this old man fill in the vacancy will save us some money.