While the commotion in Lakeview and at Josephine's house grows, Arthur and his family enjoy a relaxed breakfast. It's like being in the midst of chaos yet at peace.
The guard who delivered the captain's letter to Josephine quickly became the most popular person around, with all the nobles asking him about the Lakeview Massacre, as it was swiftly dubbed.
"Did you hear what the guard said?"
"About which part?"
"The blood... there was so much blood..."
"So brutal..."
"What kind of monster would do something like that?"
"I hope the beast is far away by now..."
Arthur overhears some girls talking about 'The Beast,' the bloodthirsty monster, him in this case, which makes him feel like laughing.
'They seem so afraid and... disgusted by the killer,' Arthur muses internally to Nyx as he watches those girls talking about him.
The girls notice his gaze and smile at him with expectant expressions. He nods at them with a charming smile, while in his mind, he's truly scoffing.
'All such foolish idiots... they think my appearance reflects who I am inside... Do they not realize they are afraid of me even as they are drawn to me?'
'Imagine how their minds would break if they knew?' Nyx comments in a mocking tone.
'They wouldn't know how to handle it; their weak minds might break for good.' Arthur can't help but glance at Margaret, thinking about how those noble girls are so fragile compared to her.
Margaret notices his gaze and smiles lovingly at him, moving one of her hands to his thigh under the table, gently caressing him.
'She's not like them, don't worry,' Nyx comments in his mind again. 'Margaret is fine; she saw your dark side when you killed the noble who wanted to harm her in the village.'
'That was different... that was my reaction to protect her; this, on the other hand...'
'Was to hunt down your enemies,' Nyx finishes his thought. 'She knows you are a wolf, not a sheep. And she knew that when she went to your bed, into your arms...'
As if she could hear their conversation, Margaret smiles lovingly at Arthur and offers him a cookie from the table, tenderly bringing it to his mouth.
"Say ah~" She says cutely, and Arthur just feels like opening his mouth and biting half of the cookie.
Margaret smiles, "Good, isn't it?"
"Not as good as the ones you make," He speaks with his mouth full.
"Hehe~" She giggles and eats the other half of the cookie.
Arthur can't resist the urge to kiss Margaret, making her smile even brighter. "You are so cute, dear."
He sees a light blush appear on Margaret's cheeks, and a specific desire arises in his heart. He looks across to his mother at the other side of him; she is picking one of those cookies from the table.
The lieutenant points towards Arthur. "They are the trio that we saw yesterday."
"Ah?" The captain glances towards Arthur and is taken aback by his appearance before his gaze shifts to Aria, leaving him even more stunned. However, he doesn't remember having seen them before.
"Captain?" Josephine notices his distraction and quickly draws his attention. "Is there a problem with my guests of honor?"
"Your guests? Ah—" He quickly shakes his head. "No, I was just curious... is he the man who killed Dmitri?"
"It was self-defense, Captain. I thought that was clear..." Josephine comments in a disappointed tone.
"Sure," he feels a bit ashamed. "The report says it was a young man, but he looks just a kid..." The captain picks up the report again and reads a part of it. "Witnesses say they saw a black light on his sword... some think it was sword intent... Really? A Swordmaster so young?"
Arthur continues eating cookies, paying no mind to the captain, leaving Josephine to speak for him. "He is a Mystic Knight, as you can see, but it's not for me to question his skills or you, Captain... right?"
"Ah, yes..." The captain looks again at the reports, one of them signed by the Viscount himself, stating that neither the Drummonds nor their guests committed any crime. "It seems it was all Dmitri's fault; it's just that... well..."
"It's suspicious after what happened to the Viscount and his family, right?" Josephine asks in a friendly tone.
"I apologize; I did not mean to offend your guests, madame," the captain bows again. "I'm just doing my job. They are not suspects since no one was seen leaving your house during the night, but could you tell me more about them?"
Josephine glances at Arthur and Aria before turning her attention back to the captain. "They are friends of my family and have come from afar to visit me, that's all."
"I see," the captain continues flipping through the reports in his hand. "So the rivalry with the Isambard family started over a dress issue, right? And then there was the competition among the young and Lord Dmitri losing his temper..."
"The rivalry with the Isambard family has always been there," Josephine comments and then glances at Oliver. "My son and Elias have always been on opposite sides; everyone knows that."
"Of course," the captain nods while looking at Josephine and then at Arthur, many questions arising in his mind. 'All this seems very strange, but it appears the only ones causing trouble here were the Isambards... how could this lead to the massacre of the Viscount and his family?'
Seeing the captain's confused and thoughtful expression, Josephine grows impatient. "Captain? If you have more questions, I don't mind answering them, but can we do it in a private room?" She glances at Arthur and Aria. "I don't want to disrupt my guests' breakfast any further."
"That's understandable," the captain nods to Arthur, Aria, and Margaret, "Sorry about this," then he turns his attention back to Josephine. "Where can we talk?"
"Over here," she signals for him to follow her but then stops when she notices more servants coming from the entrance of the house, accompanying two messengers.
"Madam,"
"Captain,"
Both messengers bow and hand letters to Josephine and the captain. They notice the same seal on the letters and exchange looks before starting to open them.
Arthur and Aria maintain calm expressions and avoid looking directly at them but pay attention to everything happening.
In a minute, Josephine and the captain read the letters and look at each other with the same surprised and confused expression.
"The Wymanes are leaving Lakeview," they say simultaneously.
'Crap!' Arthur exclaims mentally with Nyx. 'The prey is escaping? What a shame...'
'You scared them; what other end could it have?'