"What's going on here?" Sienna Rain said, lifting the cover of her carriage window. Her gaze immediately fell upon the man with black hair streaked with orange.
The man stood head and shoulders above the castle guards. His face, with vigor of youthfulness, made her almost envious of his flawless skin. Despite being surrounded by glaring guards pointing spears at him, his expression remained impassive. His clothing and demeanor was not that of a common person.
Seeing him, her lips twitch, holding a smile.
'The heavens does look after me, will I complete the task so easily and quickly?' Sienna thought.
No matter who saw him, the man with orange hair wasn't from this land. Which was precisely what her father had entrusted her to investigate before she came here.
Excitement welled inside her as the stewards approached her carriage.
"My apologies for the inconvenience, my lady. Please ignore the man and let us proceed to the hall. Lord Yuri has already prepared for your arrival."
"Who's that man? Is he the rumored foreigner from beyond the violent sea?" she asked directly, her face feigning innocence
The steward's expression nearly cracked, and Sienna almost giggled at this.
"Rumors tend to spread quickly, especially about a 'unique man,'" she said. She leaned slightly out of the window to catch the man's attention. When their eyes met, she couldn't help but marvel at his eyes. They were like the sunset, so beautiful yet distant.
Sienna inwardly pouted at this. Such a beautiful man he was indeed, and she found herself envious of his looks, especially his unblemished skin. It almost seemed like he'd never struggled a day in his life. Yet, his demeanor and physique betrayed him – he was a warrior, through and through, that much she could tell living in a house full of them. For a moment, she was tempted to ask if he had any secrets.
"May I ask what this gentleman wants?" She said, voice loud enough for the man to hear, Before the man could respond the steward hurriedly said..
"My lady, he doesn't understand our words, best to not mind him and proceed forward.."
But Keagan wasn't deterred by this as he answered..."I come for my weapons..."
"Nonsense! You will answer for your words! House June will not tolerate these insults!" The steward exploded despite in the presence of a guest.
Sienna couldn't stifle a chuckle when the man simply raised his eyebrows at the steward. Whether this was because he didn't care about the threat or because he couldn't understand the steward, both possibilities struck her as funny.
Before things could escalate further and get her objective head's cut off, "What is your name?" She asked him.
"Keagan....Aizen..." He said after some time. She had a feeling he hesitated saying the last name but she brushed it off.
"Well, then Sir Keegan," she said, much to the steward's chagrin, "do you want to accompany me to the castle? We cannot very well discuss your cause without the representative of the castle present, can we?" Seeing that the man seemed to struggled to understand her, she pointed towards the castle, then at him, and then back at herself before it finally dawned on the foreigner.
With that, she closed the window. A smile of her face.
'A good day..'
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The carriage of the lady with the short bobcut and smooth black hair along with her retinues entered the castle, welcomed by the castle servants. He, however, was escorted by guards who seemed much too eager to prod him with their spears.
Briefly, he glanced back, specifically at the common folk. They all knelt on one knee, their heads bowed slightly downward. Even the most distant seemed wary of raising their heads.
An eyebrow rose. He had witnessed how commoners behaved around lords, but never with such deference.
He turned forward, the castle's front yard welcoming him. He could see it was a large, empty space. Houses were built right up to the walls and keep.
They approached a large set of double doors. Nearby, rows of servants stood with clothes cleaner than those worn by the townsfolk outside.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"We welcome Lady Sienna of House Rain!"
A chorus of welcoming voices echoed through the courtyard. Silence descended momentarily before a click sounded from the carriage door. Only then did Keagan notice everyone relaxing.
The woman with a small face and smooth black hair emerged from the carriage. She wore a white dress adorned with a bright green design that accentuated her dark hair and eyes.
A sudden poke drag his attention. He turned to see the guard who had prodded him gesturing with his head in a different direction, seemingly urging him to follow. Silent commands were carried out and apparently they meant to keep him uninvolved in what was about to unfold, yet Keagan remained rooted to the spot, even as he felt the spear tip dig into his side.
It was gonna take more than a sharp tip to penetrate his clothing though.
Before it could escalate further, the one they called Lady Sienna turned towards him and waved at him to follow her.
Ignoring the spears subtly aimed to obstruct him, he marched forward. The tips of their weapons prodded him as if commanding him to halt, or risk being skewered. Yet, he pressed on. The guards recoiled, feeling like a battering ram barreled through them, their strength proving useless. In no time, he stood beside Lady Sienna.
"Thank you, Lady Sienna," he said, his voice trailing off. He stopped himself before uttering some language he wasn't completely proficient in yet. After all, even lords had a sense of pride and wouldn't want to appear foolish.
'To think I have to remind myself of these things after all these years..' Keagan thought.
Although he had relinquished that kind of status quite some time ago, it would undoubtedly be helpful, or at least make things more convenient in these lands, if he were recognized as a lord, especially in retrieving his items. Of course, that hinged on actually being recognized as one.
Up close he could see the lady stood only about 1.65m tall making him tower over her.
They entered the keep in silence. Keegan understood it wasn't the appropriate time for conversation. The corridor they walked through had doors on either side, leading to different parts of the keep.
Soon, they passed through another set of large doors, and a grand hall greeted them. His eyes were immediately drawn to the chair at the end of the hall – more of a throne, really. A young man with his hair tied in a ponytail was standing in front of it, surrounded by elders and what appeared to be servants. Guards stood rigidly at attention near the walls, their spears held straight up.
The young man's eyes flickered towards Keagan. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, followed by a subtle darkening of his expression. The people surrounding him exchanged glances. One of them, a man with a scar on his face, held Keagan in a near-glare.
Keagan met their gazes passively, scanning the hall unfazed by the scrutiny.
"Sienna, I welcome you. Unfortunately, as you've likely heard, Uncle isn't here to greet you."
"I know, Yuri. That's precisely why I came. Your uncle is far too inquisitive," Sienna said with a chuckle, maintaining her elegance.
Lord Yuri offered a strained smile and turned towards the person beside her. "And who is this… ?"
"Must you ask, Yuri? I believe he 'visited' the castle a few days ago, though he was unconscious at the time."
"I do recognize the man," Lord Yuri admitted, irritated by his friend and future wife's playfulness. "But I believe I do not know his name"
The people looked towards the foreigner. It took a moment of gesturing, and murmuring and noticing the looks of the people that the man introduced himself.
"Keagan Aizen."
His delayed response elicited a ripple of chuckles through the hall, undoubtedly laced with mockery.
Lord Yuri joined in, not bothering to conceal his amusement. "And what brings you to my castle?" he inquired, his tone patronizing, as if addressing a child.
"I come retrieve my weapons"
This silenced the hall. Lord Yuri's face hardened. He glanced past Keagan, his gaze settling on the steward standing behind him. The steward's face darkened as he shook his head slightly and offered a brief bow.
A frown creased Lord Yuri's face as he turned back to Keegan. "We took what was ours by right and deserved," he declared. "Therefore, we do not have your weapons.
"Uh, my lord, I'm afraid he doesn't understand much of our language," Steward Rikk stammered. Lord Yuri scoffed in response.
"Then there's nothing to discuss with a barbarian who can't understand us," he declared, gesturing dismissively.
The guards who followed the steward surged forward, surrounding Keagan. Meanwhile, the steward approached his lord and said, "My lord, I believe the man here is due for an admonition..."
"Oh, and why is that?" Lord Yuri inquired, interrupting the steward.
"He has insulted—" The steward began, but Keagan cut him off.
"My weapons, where? Won't leave without it..."
Lord Yuri cleared his throat as he was about to speak, when he heard a furious snarl. One of House June's finest generals pointed a dagger at the foreigner.
"I'll cut your tongue out for your insolence, barbarian!"
Tension crackled in the air. Sienna observed the scene with amusement, but before things escalated further, she decided to intervene. As entertaining as it was, she couldn't risk her mission losing its head.
"Lord Yuri," she cut in, her words breaking the tense spell that had gripped the hall.
The immediate effect was a noticeable easing of tension, though the atmosphere remained charged.
"Is it not true that you took his items?" She said.
"I only took what was rightfully ours and deserve" Lord Yuri answered.
"Including his items?"
A scoff rippled through the hall as Lord Yuri declared, "Were it not for the castle's doctors, he wouldn't have lived. The barbarian should be grateful. In fact," His eyes flickered on the barbarians right arm, "The doctor even wanted to cut off that arm, I guess you want to hide that you're a cripple now huh"
Some chuckled at what their lord said while Sienna chuckled at her friend's repeated implication. "So, you did take his belongings without his permission?"
Lord Yuri's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wondered why his friend was advocating so strongly for a barbarian. "I am the heir of House June," he declared again, his voice firm. "I take what is rightfully ours and deserved."
Sienna was about to speak further when Keagan interrupted.
"You are..." He paused, scanning the crowd with a fearless gaze, searching for the word the steward had used moments ago. Finally, he spoke, his voice laced with accusation, "Thieves."