Daytime - Afternoon

First Summer, 1126

Another dream again. This always happens to investigator Jeanne. Whenever she sleeps, even if it's a good dream or a bad dream, she will always dream of her past life.

Jeanne has been dreaming more than usual since she was locked up in jail. The murder case, the Palace Killer, she just wants to find a clear answer to solve this entire case. She wants to find the clues through the murder cases she used to be involved in the past. Even if they're unsolved or solved cases, it doesn't matter, as long as they help her to solve this current case.

This leads her to dream of her past time back in Leafspear Kingdom, a very long time ago. Before her daughter was born, before she became an experienced investigator like she is at this time.

The time she is dreaming about is 26 years ago. When she was 18. Back in the year 1126 when she was still a young investigator who just had two years of job experience, a very different person from her current self.

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In this period of time, Jeanne was a militia guard working at her guard post. Located in Tavezki capital city of Leafspear Kingdom. Her unit was deployed in the Commoner Zone, led by her guard chief - Commander Urven.

Jeanne was at the peak of her investigator job during that period. She accidentally got herself into four big cases at the same time. Three of them were serial murders, separated from each other, committed by the three different serial killers. Meanwhile, the last case was about a cannibal network within Leafspear.

In the end, in the next two years, she had solved two cases. However, the last two cases, one she considered unsolved since the killer was dead. Meanwhile, the other one was considered unsolved because the killer was never arrested, she's still looking for him. She doesn't hope to see him again, but she still somewhat wants to know how is he doing.

That unsolved case is what she is now dreaming about...

It's Jeanne who is standing outside of the guard post. She just finished a maximum five-hour shift in the post just to receive some money. She is waiting for her boyfriend to come to pick her up. She will have a little date with her boyfriend before coming to a Messenger Guild to send a letter with money contained inside for her family.

Back then, the female investigator was quite poor. She had a mother and two little sisters to take care of just all by herself when her father passed away when she was 13. This action was a common thing in her life every week when she was living in Leafspear. She lived apart from her family despite living in the city just like them, most of her income when used for family was to support her little sisters. Her mother could take care of herself properly through her home stitcher job. The most important thing was about her two little sisters' well-being in education.

Jeanne is reading, or to be more right to say, she is re-reading a letter sent by a repeat murderer. The letter itself contains many words she and her co-workers know nothing about. About Jeanne, she is pretty curious about this murderer, especially about the way he plans his murders, he murders his victims, he disposes of them.

The most interesting parts of this letter are about two things. Firstly, it's about the murderer's explanation of the term "serial killer". At that time, in Leafspear Kingdom and all other kingdoms, this term did not exist. There was a term "repeat murderer" which appears similar to "serial killer", but both of them still had some differences. The term "serial killer" appeared to be a better explanation for the term "repeat murderer", which Jeanne considered unclear at some points.

Secondly, the killer's explanation and guides to make an investigative technique, it's called "fingerprint analysis". Jeanne knows nothing about it, her co-workers either, they even dumped the letter after they read it. However, out of curiosity, she kept the letter and it resulted in her discovery of three other victims of the killer after following the riddles in the letter. They were all found abandoned in a dirty sewer.

After re-reading the letter, Jeanne puts it back inside her handbag. This leather handbag is a gift from her boyfriend, she felt very appreciated when he gave it to her. This handbag gave her a lot of convenience in her work.

Jeanne wants to check on another document in her handbag. But she decides to stand there looking around to check on her boyfriend to see if he has arrived. "He has been busy lately, I should be more understanding", she thinks to herself while looking around.

The young investigator starts thinking about what she should do in case her boyfriend can't come to pick her up. Firstly, she'd have to see him to cancel the date first. After that, the other hours of the rest of her day would be about work, study or rest. She may either come to a tavern near where she lives to do a waitress part-time job for more income, or she will visit the church in the town to study. That's where her study grew since her childhood. She was taught to write and read there when her parents moved from her hometown - Tamuk village to the capital city.

Or she just needs to return to the inn where she is living at the time when dinner is still available. Otherwise, some more coins will be wasted. During dinner, she can comfortably sit there while hearing the stories of other tenants. Sometimes she will meet the courtesans working in the inn to hear their stories, they're her friends by the way.

At that time, Jeanne was living in a cheap inn named Telina. In that area, prostitution work was legal. Telina's Inn was one of many places in Leafspear that had a decent number of prostitute activities. Jeanne began her personal life when she was 14 by living apart from her family. Throughout those years, she had been living in that inn and making a few friends with those girls.

Jeanne has been waiting for her boyfriend for a while. She doesn't see him anywhere but still decides to wait for him a little bit longer. This time, she brings out another document. It's about another case. She assumed this case was about human trafficking, about an underground slave market network within the Leafspear Kingdom. This also led her to assume the case has some connection to another case she used to be involved in and now is trying to solve it in silence without help.

It's a case she used to involve nearly two years ago. About a mysterious disappearance of a noblewoman, the wife of a duke. Her parents who lived apart from their daughter had requested Jeanne to investigate since they had a connection with her commander Urven who spoke highly of her. She wasn't able to solve the case alone and had to ask for the government's help.

The case was solved but Jeanne suspected the culprit - a maid, was blamed to be the killer. She lost trust in her kingdom after that. Jeanne assumed this case was about a cannibal network within Leafspear Kingdom. Somehow, it has something to do with this mysterious case as well.

All of a sudden, Jeanne sees her boyfriend coming out from an alley when she was about to re-read the case. She immediately puts it back into her handbag and runs towards him with both of her hands widening for her boyfriend.

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"Alan...". - Jeanne hugs him tightly

Alan, Jeanne's boyfriend. He's a mailman for a Messenger Guild facility in the town, they haven't met each other for two weeks. Both Jeanne and Alan were busy with their work at that time. This is one of the few free moments for them both to spend their time together.

"Ummm... sorry". - Jeanne blushes a bit, she pulls herself away a little

The young girl sighs in relief when she sees not many people are on the street and it appears that no one noticed her earlier behavior. Leafspear Kingdom citizens and its tradition view women to be submissive and obedient. Jeanne's earlier action of being intimate with her boyfriend was something considered bold and disrespectful.

Jeanne knows she should be mindful but she doesn't want to feel like she is a distant person. She is indeed a distant person at some point, but she wants to be completely genuine and honest with her loved ones. Alan is a non-native of Leafspear, so she thinks he will misunderstand her to be a cold and gold digger woman. She is truly a money-hunger but she doesn't want to mention money when it comes to her loved ones.

There are two reasons for this cautiousness of Jeanne. It was a month ago, she saw her boyfriend staring at the courtesans in her inn when he arrived there to visit her. During this time, Alan also mentioned Jeanne about bringing him home to introduce him to her mother and little sisters. However, she suspected her boyfriend having some kind of personal intention with her mother, she is at her 30.

These two incidents ignited a fire of jealousy in Jeanne. She didn't know what made her that way. Everything she knows is that she should become an ideal woman in her boyfriend's eyes. However, Jeanne doesn't know much about him, she is doing her best.

"Hmmm... should I order a pair of stilts for myself? It'll be extremely hard to kiss you, you know...". - Jeanne looks up to see her boyfriend, he is too tall and huge for her to reach. "Is that a yes?". - She pokes the muscular parts of Alan's chest. "Still not so talkative".

"Well... let's have our night together in a normal tavern, what do you say, Alan? You don't have to treat me, I'll do it instead... I'll be useful".

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Jeanne and Alan are now inside a tavern in the town. This is where she used to take her part-time jobs. She chose this place because she used to be an employee here, at least her to have some discount to save money. This place is also decent enough to have her personal space with her boyfriend.

At the table of Jeanne and Alan, it looks like she is a guard sitting with a peasant. Alan is wearing a simple black tunic, nothing else special. Meanwhile, Jeanne is wearing her Leafspearian militia brown leather armor which is a combat uniform for her job. Jeanne is also armed with a short spear, an issue weapon for every guard, It's now placed on the right corner of the wall and on her careful watch.

Jeanne wanted to wear something cuter for her boyfriend but there weren't many choices. She had to cease her money for new clothes to be used to support her family. Also, she would be criticized by the people if she walked into the tavern with women's casual clothes. Putting herself on a guard's combat uniform would help her face less intentional assault of men.

Jeanne sighs a little. She smirks in her mind, knowing the goons wouldn't come to her this time.

"How have you been...?". - Alan questions

"Oh, me?". - Jeanne blushes, she loves to see Alan be more talkative than a silent man. "Not so well with my job but... everything is fine. I hope everything is alright on your side too...".

Alan shakes his head.

"No...?". - Jeanne lowers her face. "Hey... I'm sorry to hear that. Do you need anything...? I'll try to help". - She holds her boyfriend's hand tighter

Alan suddenly puts Jeanne's hand away from him. She thinks it's a common thing in life for couples to have arguments with each other. However, deep in her thoughts, a relationship that experienced an argument means there's a problem within it that needs to be solved.

"What's the matter?".

"You love me because of my money, don't you?".

"What, Alan? No!". - Jeanne was very shocked, she also didn't realize she just heightened her tone. "Hey... I know we haven't seen each other for a while. But you can't just accuse me like that, I appreciate what you gave me but you gave it to me because you wanted it...", - She wants her boyfriend to stop his misunderstanding. "I didn't ask you to give me anything, you did this. Maybe... maybe it's because I care more about my family than you so you... but please don't misunderstand". - She wants to hug her boyfriend but she is scared that he will push her away. "Maybe... maybe you're too tired from work, I'm here with you. I'm right here, we can talk this through to fix our relationship".

Alan just stays quiet. He stares into Jeanne's eyes without blinking.

"If you're thinking I'm a gold digger, then you're wrong. Alan, my chief used to ask me to drink with him, I knew what he was thinking about so I refused went back home". - Jeanne hopes her boyfriend will understand. "That was before I met you, alright? You're my first. And also, if I'm a girl who runs for money, I wouldn't get myself into this relationship from the beginning. You're just a normal man, I will find the better choices".

Alan still stays quiet. Jeanne knows she might have provoked the anger inside her boyfriend. However, she just wants to end the misunderstanding. She doesn't dare to meet his gaze, she wonders if she was too blunt with her earlier honest words, she just wants to express her love genuinely.

"I'm sorry...". - Jeanne apologizes. "It's my fault... maybe... maybe I will end my job more early so that I can spend time with you more. We can work this through... please, Alan". - She tries to hold her boyfriend's hand much tighter but she decides to withdraw

Alan still stares into Jeanne's eyes. She lowers her gaze, she wonders what she can do to make up with her boyfriend. She only knows to use her entire body to ease Alan. She's seen a lot of women in her inn pleasing men. She is willing to do anything to fix her relationship with her boyfriend, she can't forget the first time she met Alan

Jeanne and Alan knew each other months before they got into a relationship. Alan is a mailman in the town, he mostly goes around to deliver letters, he met Jeanne several times at the guard post when he arrived to deliver letters while Jeanne guarded outside. Their relationship started nearly a month ago when Alan helped Jeanne get away from a stranger stalking her when she was walking home at night. Meanwhile, the young investigator hadn't been in a relationship with a man until she met Alan, the one now she loves.

Jeanne doesn't dare to see her boyfriend right now. She wonders how to solve their relationship.

"How cute...". - All of a sudden, Alan starts patting Jeanne's head

"That's enough! You were teasing me earlier, weren't you?!!!!!". - Jeanne couldn't catch the oddness of her boyfriend's behavior, now she has learned something

A thud sounds out. Jeanne notices there is a money bag on the table. She knows that brown bag came from her boyfriend. He always expresses himself by using actions instead of words, she knows what he means by this sudden action.

"Thank you, Alan...". - Jeanne takes the bag and bows towards Alan. "My mother and sisters can have a much better life thanks to you. Well... do you need anything else?". - She pokes his muscular chest, she wants to go wild but she just does it secretly when not many people in the tavern watching her

"When would you introduce me to your mother and sisters?".

"Uhhh... well...". - Jeanne looks from the right to the left, she doesn't dare to see her boyfriend's gaze. "Promise me one thing that my mom and my sisters won't be on your watch, alright?".

Alan nods.

"Please... just some words".

"Okay".

"What's that weird word?", Jeanne thinks to herself but she soon brushes it off

"You're the wolf... and I'm your prey only. You're... not allowed... to do anything... with other women...". - Jeanne smiles brightly

Jeanne wonders if her actions have been too bold. However, she no longer cares about the consequences at the moment. Right now, she just wants her boyfriend and herself to enjoy their date throughoutly. She loves it when she can experience these little happy moments after a long time burying herself in work.

All of a sudden, Alan slides a cup of ale to Jeanne. He is also holding a cup of ale, but he doesn't drink it.

"What are you gonna do...?". - Jeanne smiles a little, she is also a bit nervous because she knows what most men and women do with each other when they get drunk to the point of no return

Jeanne saw a lot of the "activities" of courtesans with their clients. However, she has never experienced a real one herself.

"Would you marry me?". - Alan pulls Jeanne closer

"Ohhh...". - Jeanne seems to be very shocked, she is speechless after hearing a proposal from her boyfriend

After a while of silence, Jeanne nods lightly.

"But... let me have time before we have kids, darling?". - Jeanne hugs Alan much much tighter, she sobs. "I don't want our kids to experience something like my sisters. Please, I hope you understand... I'm sorry".

Jeanne decides to enjoy being in her boyfriend's arms. She loves the silence between her and him despite being in a noisy place.

"Let the alcohol do the rest... we just need to enjoy...". - Alan says

Jeanne blushes on more. She decides to hold her boyfriend tighter, she now feels happiness and peacefulness at the same time when there is Alan's presence.

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