The woman reportedly left Urs Stellarum; her whereabouts are currently unknown.
Description of the Individual:
Age: 18-25
Hair: Red
Eyes: Grey
Height: 5'8"
In closing, there is a sealed confidential document from the Royal Family of Stellarum. The document indicates, with utmost confidence, that this individual is in possession of the Jester's Guise.
Her motives remain unclear; for now, we can only ascertain that she targets young men approximately aged 20-25. The frequency of these encounters appears to depend on her mood or other unknown factors.
The last eyewitness account reported a beautiful red-haired woman boarding a carriage headed north towards the Highlands.
As Asher finished reading the document, he felt more lost than when he started.
Why did the detective have a photo of Renee Duval atop this document? Was she a person of interest? A mere coincidence? Or was he simply suspicious, relying on intuition? He resolved to ask him later.
Asher couldn't help but sympathize with the investigators from Stellarum; he, too, knew what it felt like to be ensnared by charm.
At the café yesterday, he experienced the true meaning of attraction. It was magnetic, entirely irresistible; his thoughts had been clouded.
Given his uncharacteristic blunder, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect he had been drugged. There was almost certainly a connection between Renee and the owner of the Guise.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
He didn't believe it was coincidental that he felt so befuddled after catching Renee's scent. Additionally, she had told him herself that she had just arrived in Menthil, stating it hadn’t been more than a month. The canary in the coal mine was her admission that she had come from Urs Stellarum.
He would be a fool not to connect these facts after assessing the information provided by the consultancy firm.
Asher wasn't particularly attached to Renee; they were strangers, after all. They had only met briefly, even if he had agreed to a friendship. He even knew exactly where she resided.
"Wait a second," he thought. "She also knows exactly where I reside. Is that by design?"
Had she manipulated him into sharing his information while agreeing to her request? Was it a safety measure she decided on to prevent complications?
It was very strange for a woman to invite a stranger, especially a man, over for tea. Wouldn't it make more sense for her to request a rendezvous somewhere public?
In fact, it seemed extremely suspicious. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who received an invitation for tea. Asher dared to think that the tea might just be poisoned.
His assignment was to research the mask from a historical perspective. Was it really necessary for him to join the operation? If he reported Renee, the chances of danger to him would be very high.
Even if Renee were apprehended, he still had to be wary of the red-haired woman. For the time being, he decided to maintain the status quo. There was danger in seeking involvement. If he abstained, nothing would change. Hands-off seemed to be the correct approach.
Asher looked back at the documents again, his eyes falling on the painting of Antoine. He was about to pack up when he read the title of the painting again.
It had almost entirely escaped his notice during his review: Florence Hesparee 1627, A Simple Self Portrait.
Asher felt something forming in his mind that he couldn't quite grasp. He then checked the rest of the paintings. Each and every one of the two dozen paintings bore the same title, the only difference being the year in which they were completed.
Asher remembered the poem Florence Hesparee had left:"
Discard your inhibitions,
Embrace your desires.
Attone with blood,
Tear them apart.
Have no fear, for all are silent in her embrace."
If he thought this poem was morbid before, he could scarcely describe it now. This was no different from a thief openly parading his spoils in front of the establishment he had liberated them from.
Asher felt grim apprehension towards the red-haired woman. What had she said?
"Do you think you're better? You would do the same. Perhaps he was right to seek solace in sin. How foolish I was to drink so deeply from this poison chalice."
Was the poison chalice she referred to the Jester's Guise? If so, what did that mean for him? He, too, possessed a relic from the illustrious Knights Stella.