Fae Fae was the Palanquin Bearer’s favourite customer.

Even if she was a Courtesan who used her body to serve men after men without count or morality, she was the sweetest client the Palanquin Bearers could ever receive in life.

Their usual clients often yelled at them, kicked them, treated them as their slaves or servants for the duration of the trip. Many times, they get scammed by even the richest of people, of their money and dignity. And these workers can never openly complain, or else they lose their jobs. The pain under silence was that simple.

Compared to all the vile and bossy people they’ve been with, Fae Fae was a goddess. A compliment that would always made her feel embarrassed. She would never give them trouble, she loved to chat with them during the ride, listen to their own woes with heart, and most importantly – they remember their names every time.

Fae Fae wasn’t just a client. She was a friend they’ve all wanted.

Over time, the Palanquin Bearers tailored their work, to accommodate this one person. They often focus their work around Celestial Dreams Brothel, often waiting for a familiar face. Even when other brothel girls offered twice the amount, they only have their eyes on Fae Fae and wait with a diligence only a loyal hound would show upon the arrival of a caring master.

They even changed the way they operated. What was supposed to be a four man powered ride turn into two men. Work was got harder, heavier and longer, but this gave them a good excuse to reduce the taxi fare for Fae Fae’s sake.

Almost every day, every break and moment, they make sure their Palanquin was clean, tidy, and invested in aroma pouches to give the seat and riding box a beautiful scent.

A ride fit for a princess, on a budget.

Many people ask them why they bother, to go through such hardship and lengths to please one prostitute? A whore, in their eyes. The Palanquin Bearers would answer with pride:

‘She notices our efforts and thanks us for it! That is a reward no one will ever understand!’

What truly moved the Palanquin Bearers was how Fae Fae helped them to survive the rough times. If not her presence and words providing emotional support, she never hesitates to lend them large sums of money to solve their immediate problems. Sick family, in the red, in debt, or even a simple birthday gift.

“How could we betray someone as sweet as Miss Fae Fae!?” The Palanquin Bearer spoke through tears, “We both swore to treat Miss Fae Fae well out of gratitude, for all the kindness she has shared with us. We always make sure no one disturbs her during her ride, so she could even have a nap in peace in between trips. She had been so tired lately, passing out even for only a few minutes. No doubt, that mean Brothel Owner of a man has been working her to the bone!”

Martial Kim quietly listened as he tended to the two men’s wounds. A faint smile on his lips as he heard their story. “Thank you, for taking good care of Fae Fae. You say she got you through hard times, I am sure you’ve given her the same opportunity to sigh with relief whenever she bears a heavy burden on her shoulder. You were both able to make each other smile through the hardship.”

The Palanquin Bearers could not help a short bow of humility, “W-we dare not take such credit! There have been many times we should just quit the business, but after we met Miss Fae Fae she just makes our job worth fighting for! To be proud of! Even getting to see her nearly every day, taking her around town, is a blessing for both of us!”

“Your trips,” Martial Kim wondered, “Has it only been in the Capital? Do you take her anywhere else beyond the main city?”

“Oh why yes,” One of the Palanquin Bearer nodded, while his partner was nursing his dislocated jaw, “Sometimes, Miss Fae Fae hires us for a day or two, to act as her personal transport. She often asks us to take us to temples outside of the city, or visit a nearby village as a reprieve from her work.”

“Even North Cloud City?”

“Yes” The Palanquin Bearer nodded, “Miss Fae Fae had been hiring us to take her here, i-in the recent weeks prior she was reported missing.”

“Any idea where in the city, or why?”

“Miss Fae Fae always has us bring her to random parts of a single district in North Cloud City, Pearl District. Then she would disembark from our Palanquin to travel alone, she wouldn’t let us follow her. As to why, well we never asked – it’s not our place to pry into her business.”

Martial Kim thought things over before asking, “Anything happened when she returned to you?”

The Palanquin Bearer who could speak scratched the back of his head, but winced at his bruised fingers, “Nothing really, just. She often looked so sad, and tired. After wandering alone for an hour or so, she comes back so weary. The moment we take her back to the Capital, she just falls asleep... We once saw her crying in her sleep. So one could only imagine what happened whenever we visited.”

“Do you think, she has been looking for something?”

“I-if you put it like that, possibly? Whenever we came into North Cloud City, she often peeks through the curtain window. Sometimes, she asks us to stop, to let her get a better look around her, but then says move on... We don’t know exactly what she is searching for, but it seems important. We sometimes wondered if she is looking for a specific product or gift for so.”

Martial Kim paused the conversation so he can reflect on the information provided.

Searching for something? Visiting the same area over and over? Wandering alone, only to return in tears? It is common human nature to avoid things that hurt or make them sad. So these details made the young master curious as to the reason Fae Fae would put herself through such silent pain.

What was she looking for? Or could it be it’s a who was she looking for?

And why North Cloud City, of all places?

In Martial Kim’s experience, this place was not just a fancy tourist attraction – it was a castle in disguise serving the most powerful families and clans within the North Cloud City. In his adventures under the name of Moon Tavern, he had many run in with such great power, great evils, or simply the mightiest of greed.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

There have always been rumours of rich men and women playing around with fire, cozying up to those below their station. Some call it true love beyond the restraints of society, when in reality those romances are nothing more than thrills for the rich.

A lot of theories came into Martial Kim’s mind, but for now he focused on the Palanquin Bearers. They were, after all, arrested for a reason. And it seems Inspector Lee didn’t really buy their tears and moans.

Martial Kim asked, “When was the last time you saw Fae Fae?”

“Oh uh,” The Palanquin Bearer took a moment to think back, “That was when Miss Fae Fae hired us to take her and her Handmaiden to visit some temples across the Capital. Before we head out, her Handmaiden had to leave so it was just Miss Fae Fae.”

“Do you remember these temple names?”

“Ah sorry good sir. We can barely read, but we know where to go. The only name we can recall is uuuh... North Wind Temple. She specifically wanted to go there last in her trip.”

“After her visit, then what happened?”

“...Actually, that was it,” The Palanquin Bearer answered. “We were ready to take Miss Fae Fae back home, to Celestial Dreams... but she paid us to call it a day and go home. She didn’t want a ride back. She said she was going to meet someone later and they would escort her home.”

Inspector Lee’s was half dozing off from all the backstory talk, but the comment of meeting someone snapped him awake, “Who!? Did she give a name!?”

When the Palanquin Bearers shook their head in fear, Inspector Lee growled, “Come on man! You said yourself you served her hand and foot, and you just left her alone in Green Lion Valley!? What a load of bull you’ve been muttering!”

“N-no! Sir, hear us out!” The Palanquin Bearer screeched! “W-we tried to convince her, it was dangerous for a maiden like her to be alone and it was about to get dark. She insisted, even paid us double to give her some privacy... W-we didn’t wish to offend her. So we just...we left as requested.”

They then bowed their heads in shame, “I-if we had known, that would be the very last time we could ever see Miss Fae Fae alive, th-then we were willing to face fire and brimstone of her anger – so we could protect her! To stay with her! We wished we could have been there to protect her!”

“But you didn’t!” Inspector Lee stormed over. He accidentally knocked aside Martial Kim in his wake as the officer grabbed the prisoners by the collar, “Fae Fae was a divine beauty, a sex worker with experience, and she was alone without her Handmaiden. No doubt your goal the entire time was to cozy up to her, get on her good side and more, to make her lower her guard so you can find the perfect time to pounce on her and use her for your own whims!”

“NO! IT’S NOT TRUE! WE TRULY RESPECT HER!”

“Respect her!? Bah! You still left the woman alone in the woods and she wounded up dead sometime after! Not only did you knuckleheads not show up when the Capital declared her dead, you got arrested for burning your the evidence called your Palanquin! Did you use it as a shrine of your sins, drag her inside and did whatever you pleased!?”

The Palanquin Bearers screamed in panic as they try to pry Inspector Lee’s grip from them, objecting to the accusations.

They quickly reached out to grab at Martial Kim, the good cop in the situation. “Sirs! We’re framed! We told you we got knocked out and found our Palanquin burning. Our livelihood, our memories of Miss Fae Fae, up in ashes! The North Cloud City Police all kept calling us murderers as they beat and kick us – it was only then we realized Miss Fae Fae was dead! We swear!”

Martial Kim placed a hand on Inspector Lee’s shoulder, but did not intervene in forcing the officer to let go of the culprit. He asked them, “Where have you both been during the time Fae Fae was noted missing to now?”

“We had been here in the city!” The Palanquin Bearer yelped, “The moment we overheard the staff in the brothel, saying Miss Fae Fae missed her show, we were worried. S-so we took it upon ourselves to search in and out of town, as to where she could have been. Even brought our Palanquin in case we had to quickly bring her home in a hurry. We even visited all the way to North Wind Temple and they said she left already. W-we thought she ended up travelling to North Cloud City alone so we came over here...then one thing led to another and—”

“Don’t listen to them, Martial Kim!” Inspector Lee snapped. “These sorry excuse for men left a vulnerable woman alone and have gone missing since she died. They can make up whatever story they please now!”

He throttled the prisoners before shouting, “Let me tell you both what really happened. All the crap about admiring her from afar is just fluff! You both are in love with her, even smitten by her beauty and body. As mules with lower than average pay, you could never afford to spend the night with beautiful women like her. So, that night when everyone saw her last – you took her to Green Lion Valley, tried to subdue her, to rape her, but ended up culling her when she kept objecting to your advances!”

“NO! NO! NOO! WE COULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING! PLEASE DON’T FRAME US! DON’T FRAME UUUUS!”

The Palanquin Bearers broke down, sobbing outright. Perhaps, the beatings they received and the living conditions they were trapped in pushed them to beyond a corner.

Inspector Lee wanted to continue his bark, but for now he just muttered at the sigh. “Alright. You guys said you’re framed. Then tell me why do you think the North Cloud City Police believe you are the murderers!?”

“W-we don’t know!” The Palanquin Bearers shook their heads, “Barely a day we entered the city and these men in black masks jumped us, beating us until we were out cold. When we came to, we found ourselves outside of their city, our Palanquin already burning in front of us. Before we could figure out anything, the North Cloud City Police chased us out of the blue. They interrogated us, like right now, and we told them everything, like this – but they kept torturing us to admit our wrongs, our crime.”

The speaker of the two buried his face into his hand, trying to block out the wicked memories in his mind, “No one listened to us, just spread the word we were the ones who murdered Miss Fae Fae.”

“...Just like that?” Inspector Lee raised an eyebrow. After receiving a shuddering nod, he let go of the prisoners so he could pick up Martial Kim to whisper to him, “The North Cloud City Detectives gave me a different story.”

Martial Kim hummed back, “Which side of the coin do you believe?”

Inspector Lee mulled it over. One glance at the men’s wounds, their tears, he just waved a hand in their direction – begrudgingly. He then added, “Police don’t go around arresting the innocent without grounds.”

“North Cloud City has their own version of the law.”

“Still.” Inspector Lee rubbed a palm over his tired face, so much conflicting emotions, “These guys were the last people who saw Fae Fae alive. I still got some coins betting it’s them. What kind of loyal servant or whatever just leaves a women in the middle of no where?”

“What if Fae Fae was truly waiting for someone, to come for her?” Martial Kim whispered back, “An arrangement?”

“You think, this someone may be pulling the strings around here?”

Martial Kim was not 100% certain, but he gave a nod in response. “Given the situation, I cannot confirm the ‘time of death’. Meaning we can’t ask for a specific alibi during those three days she reported missing, especially for the Palanquin Bearers. They are still suspects, but they are not the only ones on the table... In saying that.”

The young master would eye the damaged prisoners, before looking to his partner, “North Cloud City Police believes they are the killers, and asked us to transport them back to the Capital for sentencing. Let us play by their script, to a certain degree of course.”

Inspector Lee glanced at the prisoners, eyeing their wounds. A tiny pang of pity filled his heart, but just that tiny prick.

Then he face palmed. “Crap! We were in a rush, I didn’t arrange the men ahead of time. If this was a clear cut case, bringing them back with us two is no problem. But if you’re thinking of someone playing games in the shadow, last thing I want to deal with are wanna be assassins!”

“I have an idea, actually,” Martial Kim grinned, “As the saying goes, fight fire with fire. If the dagger is someone of great influence in North Cloud City being involved, then let us use someone of equal renown in North Cloud City as a shield!”