Martial Yellow Sister talked to a lot of women. So much so, she couldn’t stop sneezing.
They all had different types of perfume, from common to exotic. Some with scented oil and rare ingredients that made Martial Yellow Sister’s nose itch and sneeze nonstop. As much as she wanted to animate one of her cloths to create a makeshift masks, given how everyone were shedding tears to Fae Fae’s ‘death’ it would look out of place and downright rude.
However, she was able to get some good information to compensate for her losses.
For example, Fae Fae’s personal Handmaiden. There she sat on a chair in the dining hall of the brothel. Weeping as if she was the closest little sister Fae Fae had in her life.
“It’s all my fault,” the Handmaiden wept as she dabbed her kerchief to her eyes. “I should have stayed with Miss Fae Fae the whole time!”
Martial Yellow Sister recalled some notes Martial Kim taught her over time, in terms of interrogation. Every suspect, every witness, every situation requires a different approach in gathering information. Do you accuse them? Do you sympathize with them? Or do you ask them the crudest of questions to illicit the purest response?
Picking which style is one matter – committing to it to the end is another struggle to accomplish. An investigator’s emotion and belief can’t always change on a dime, or a drop of a tear. However, given how the Handmaiden looked so depressed, the investigator in training ended up going with a casual tone.
“Why don’t you tell me from the beginning,” Martial Yellow Sister said. “I know you are hurting, but I hope you do not leave out any detail. You wish to find out the truth, about Fae Fae’s tragedy right?”
The Handmaiden nodded, something she believed worth fighting for.
“The Brothel Owner had been pushing Fae Fae for another sword dance, for some kind of business idea,” the Handmaiden spoke between sniffles. “She was very nervous, stressed, as she hadn’t prepared anything brand new, and the Brothel Owner kept saying to the world she got a fresh masterpiece for everyone. It wasn’t fair for her, as he wanted to show off.”
The Handmaiden took a moment to catch her breath, “So the night she vanished, she planned to visit some temples to calm her nerves. Whenever she felt cornered, or upset, she would often visit some temples for guidance.”
Martial Yellow Sister nodded along, all the while using her cloth manipulation powers to undo one of her kerchiefs and using its threads to sew words into one of her fabric sleeves, like writing down on paper.
“You normally keep Fae Fae company right?”
“Oh yes. That is my job. I’m always by her side, to make sure she is well taken care off. H-Handmaidens like us act like assistants in everything, in and out of brothel work.”
“Yet, you mentioned you should have stayed with Fae Fae, when visiting the temples that day, “Martial Yellow Sister pointed out with a soft tone, “What happened? A falling out?”
“N-no! Never! Nothing like that! I-it just was all too sudden!” The Handmaiden gasped at the notion and shook her head.
After steadying her voice she answered, “Just as we left, I received an urgent message from my family. My mother had fallen ill and she needed me. The moment Miss Fae Fae knew about it, she permitted me to go seek her out. S-she even gave me a lot of silver for any medical bills. I couldn’t take it, I said, but she insisted... Miss Fae Fae is so generous. It was thanks to her offering, that my mother was able to afford a good doctor to heal her.”
“And you didn’t go back to your charge, not right away?”
“I-I wish I could, but my family live outside of the Capital, it would take days worth of a trip even with the fastest horse or wagon,” The Handmaiden dabbed the tears out of her eyes, “There was no way I could return in time, so Miss Fae Fae said we would meet again back in Celestial Dreams... That was what I was expecting after I returned three days later. But when I did, Mama-san said Miss Fae Fae had been missing for those three days! I-I blame myself, for leaving her alone!”
“You really shouldn’t take it upon yourself,” Martial Yellow Sister sighed, unable to help but pat the Handmaiden on her forearm to console her. “You had family to take care of.” Then she thought about something before voicing it as a question, “Does Fae Fae have any enemies, ones that the administration wouldn’t know about?”
“Oh no never!” The Handmaiden shook her head again. “Miss Fae Fae is too kind, too sweet, and helpful! Even back in the previous brothel we worked at, before arriving to the Capital, she rarely had anyone that hated her! She was always so hardworking, and cooperative!”
...So...not revenge? Martial Yellow Sister tapped her chin with an animated cloth. As Martial Kim taught her, other motives could be money or love.
She asked, “Did Fae Fae ever run into money problems? In debt or?”
“No.” The Handmaiden waved her hand, covering her red nose with her own kerchief. “In fact she has enough to be charitable to her brothel sisters in need. Sometimes she hands them money to pay off their own debts or medical bills when the Brothel Owner refuse to help them.”
“Did she have a lover? Even from her previous brothel days?”
The Handmaiden shook her head a third time.
Did she know but wasn’t telling? Confidants like her usually kept their charge’s secret with their life. Did she needed some monetary enticement? Martial Yellow Sister can think of a few servants in the past who didn’t mind spilling the beans with a silver or two.
But seeing how the Handmaiden’s eyes were red and puffy, unable to stop sobbing even when she tried to answer the question with sincerity, it was hard to tell if there were any lies or secrets laced in her responses. If Martial Yellow Sister was not careful, her next questions could cause the other party to shut down and walk away, indignant.
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“Miss Fae Fae has many admirers,” The Handmaiden continued as she pulled at her kerchief in her fingers. “Many of them respected her like a friend. I can’t think of anyone who would go this far to harm her. No one has even yelled at her, be it sober or drunk.”
“Do you know Mr. Golden?” Martial Yellow Sister wondered, “Are you aware of their relationship?”
“Re-relationship?” The Handmaiden dabbed the tears out of her eye to say, “I know Mr. Golden, everyone does. He is one of Miss Fae Fae’s regular customers. Sometimes I ask Miss Fae Fae if she was okay because...he is literally the oldest client she’s ever had in her career, but she always told me the man was soft and cuddly as a marshmallow.... What did you mean by relationship?”
“Mr. Golden proposed to Fae Fae,” answered Martial Yellow Sister, “Being a confidant, surely she would have confided in you right? Such big news.”“Proposed? You mean marriage!? Wh-why that is wonderful!” The Handmaiden smiled...but she remembered where her charge was now, ‘dead’ in the city morgue for her knowledge. It made her heart break even worse. “H-how terrible, for her to die before she could achieve happiness! I may be a Handmaiden, but it’s nearly every Courtesan’s dream to be married and free from their brothel life. Not all of them enjoy their service, if you get what I mean.”
“...True.”
“Miss Fae Fae has been through a lot in her early days when she first started. As a rookie courtesan, a lot of customers had been harsh and cruel to her, before she earned their respect with her passion over time. Honestly it is divine blessing for Miss Fae Fae to become free of brothel service, to marry someone as wealthy and friendly as Mr. Golden. If she were still alive, I would have wholeheartedly congratulated her... But...I don’t understand why she never mentioned it. When was this?”
“The proposition began a week ago,” Martial Yellow Sister replied.
The Handmaiden froze. “...A week ago? Is that why she asked me to stay in Celestial Dreams?”
“What do you mean?”
The Handmaiden added, “I am not sure if it’s related, but Miss Fae Fae had something to do a week ago. She wanted to be alone, some privacy, and I stayed in her room here in the brothel until she came back.”
Martial Yellow Sister shifted in her seat and leaned forward, “Did anything happen when she returned?”
“She looked incredibly tired, exhausted. When I asked what was wrong, she only wanted a bath and went straight to bed. Had me cancel any erm, client booking for the next day... Even now, I don’t know why she was so quiet that night. And it wasn’t my place to pry, as her assistant.”
Damn. A dead end.
Still, this one week ago seems to be a curious note in the timeline. Was this proposal a private arrangement between Fae Fae and Mr. Golden, or something else, the blonde martial artist wondered. Being married off to a rich man was the dream, but there are some factors that may have an opposite reaction.
Say: losing a brand name entirely. No doubt a major Courtesan like Fae Fae would hit business hard, even for a period of time. She didn’t know the details, but she noticed Inspector Lee having some trouble with the Brothel Owner. Perhaps, she’ll compare her notes with him and Martial Kim later.
She then asked, “The day she vanished, these temples, do you know which one?”
“Ah. She was about to tell me, but then I got the message. I don’t know which exactly, unfortunately as I was in a rush.” The Handmaiden pulled at her hair when she remembered. “Sh-she might have gone to one outside. North Wind Temple. She usually visits there once a month from her previous brothel to now. She visited it earlier this month, but not sure if she had planned to visit it again.”
“Curious. If you didn’t keep her company that day, did she take any other handmaiden? Or courtesan friend?”
The Handmaiden bowed her head. “H-Handmaiden are pretty much property of a Courtesan, so Miss Fae Fae couldn’t grab just any other girl without proper permission. Same goes for me with other Courtesans. And I don’t recall Miss Fae Fae asking any other brothel sister as I left. She went off with the regular Palanquin Bearers she always hires.”
“Always hire?”
“Yes.” The Handmaiden pointed out a window, into the streets outside of the brothel. It was full of people, but empty of any palanquin or sedan chair taxi services. Maybe they haven’t arrived or something? The Handmaiden explained, “There’s this pair of Palanquin Bearers that usually park outside of the brothel. They always seem to wait for Miss Fae Fae and she enjoys calling on them for trips. Almost always.”
Martial Yellow Sister paused on this note.
If there is one thing bearers for palanquin and sedan chairs are known for, if not their excellent transportation services, is they hear nearly everything. People always ignore the taxi bearers anyhow, came with their job – being invisible.
These Palanquin Bearers the Handmaiden mention might know something, or saw something along the way? Martial Yellow Sister would have to track them down later.
Actually...come to think of it, she cursed at herself. She completely forgot the one important question.
“Did anything strange happen to Fae Fae? Before she disappeared, before she came back tired a week ago? Anything usual?”
The Handmaiden covered her mouth with a kerchief. It seems she cried all the tears she had in her body, her glazed eyes now drying up and a hard pink colour. She concentrated hard, digging deep in her memory. Anything specific. Anything helpful.
“...The business trip,” she blurted out first. “Uh. It was a month ago. Miss Fae Fae, along with several Flower Princess of Celestial Gardens Brothel were invited to an illustrious dinner party in North Cloud City.”
“Oh? Outside the Capital?” Martial Yellow Sister raised an eyebrow. “Who invited them?”
“The Governor of North Cloud City, himself. He arranged a large gathering of rich people, government officials, and some members of the Imperial Court. It was hosted at Heavenly Gardens House of Pleasure.”
“...Isn’t that...just another brothel?”
“Er. It’s a high class entertainment establishment, much like Celestial Dreams Brothel, who cater to the upper class. Other than sexual services, these places also offer major parties and opera theatre level performances for important figures, if not having beautiful women to keep guests uh...company.”
“...Right.” Then Martial Yellow Sister mentally sneered with: typical men.
“I-it’s common within the brothel community, to invite famous Courtesans from other brothels – especially Miss Fae Fae and the Flower Sisters as they are near top ranking in terms of music, dance, and literature play. Celebrities, if you think about it.”
The Handmaiden then tugged at her hair, “The governor wanted to celebrate the occasion with Miss Fae Fae’s famous sword dance. During these special occasions, invited Courtesan are paid triple and get to stay at the host brothel as a short holiday. I-it’s a highly sought out opportunity, business wise.”
Martial Yellow Sister furiously stitched these rich details onto one of her coat sleeves. When she ran out of space for words, she pulled another hem of her outer coat to keep going! Perhaps, this was a breakthrough they all needed!
“Why specifically mention this gathering?” she asked to be sure.
“Well Miss Fae Fae,” the Handmaiden gathered her words to clearly say, “She was so excited to perform in North Cloud City, in front of such esteemed guest. Couldn’t stop talking about it, couldn’t even sleep the night before she departed. She worked hard every day to prepare but... Miss Fae Fae came back to the Capital earlier than the others. She changed, drastically, since then.”