As Flavia went to the Irole Palace to meet Franz, someone wearing the same hood as she was walking briskly through the busy streets of the Piazza Michele.
Even after the sun had set, the downtown area around the square was as bright as day with the lights streaming from the shops. However, as she went a little further in, into the back alleys where ordinary people’s eyes rarely reach, the bright and warm lights disappeared without a trace.
The alleys lined with suspicious bars, gambling houses, and brothels were damp and gloomy. Drunkards were yelling and fighting, and there were also scenes of men with sullen expressions looming over stores that didn't pay on time. The stench and the strong smell of perfume were mixed together haphazardly, making it dizzying.
She held the bottom of her hood tightly and stood in front of a shabby building, pulling the brass handle. She knocked on the door and soon an old man came out. There were warts around his eyes and the marks of a scrotum were stained on his chin. He was either a brothel boy or a pimp, and he spat at the visitor's feet and made a groaning sound.
"What?"
The visitor made no reply. Instead, she took out a small note and a pouch from inside her carefully folded cloak and handed it to the man. The note was soon discarded, but the silver in the pouch was valuable.
“Come in.”
She followed the man’s guidance and went inside. She passed through the dark corridor of the window and stood in front of the innermost door. The man who guided the visitor there hid his pockets in his vest as if his work was over and quickly disappeared somewhere. The creaking sound of the old wooden floor grew farther away with each step.
She stood there for a moment as if lost in thought or hesitating about something, in front of the door. But she couldn't stand there for long. When a drunken man and a woman with disheveled hair appeared at the end of the hallway, he opened the closed door and ran inside as if he were running away.
“Whoa... Who are you? Who dared to come in without permission!”
A heavy bottle of wine was flying towards the visitor. The man soaking in alcohol on the bed with obvious traces of lovemaking was none other than Count Blossett.
“What kind of arrogant guy is that...”
He tried to get up, but his legs seemed to have no strength because of the alcohol. The visitor, who had been staring blankly from under her hood as Count Blossett staggered and collapsed, finally took off her cloak. Count Blossett's eyes widened.
“Ah, no...”
The person who came to see him was none other than Margit. It was no secret that he went in and out of the brothel, but the Count was quite surprised that she had suddenly appeared in a place like this. However, the surprise was short-lived. Count Bloset soon blushed and kicked the nightstand next to the bed with his foot.
“Damn it! What the hell are you doing here! I’m already so pissed off, why are you showing me that ugly face!”
If it had been the usual Margit, she would have frozen in fear when he threw the bottle of wine a moment ago. But now it was different. Even as the table fell over with a loud noise, Margit stood there without even raising an eyebrow. The calm attitude that he had never seen before from her surprised the Count once more and made him even more angry.
“This woman has finally gone deaf! Her husband’s words are not true! Get the hell out of here!”
Count Bloset looked as if he could beat Margit at any moment if he could control his body. Margit said quietly.
“Now is not the time for this.”
The Count's eyes narrowed. He sat up, his body staggering, leaning against the headboard of the bed, and exhaled sharply.
As soon as he heard the news that the people he had sent to kidnap the Crown Princess had been captured, he tried to escape from the Count's residence and hide. However, the royal soldiers were stationed at every gate and every alley leading out of the capital, so he could not dare to escape.
In the end, the best places to avoid public attention were back-alley bars and gambling houses. After spending all his money in the gambling house until the sun went down, Count Bloset returned to the brothel he frequented.
Even while holding the woman, he was hardly in his right mind. He would scream in fits and starts, then suddenly burst into laughter. The anxiety that rose to the very tip of his throat paralyzed his reason and made him drunk.
In the midst of all this, Margit’s blank expression and unprecedented reaction irritated the Count. However, on the other hand, he also felt that there was a glimmer of hope. Perhaps Queen Gilsis had sent her to open up a way for him to survive.
“Listen carefully to what I am about to say.”
Margit took off her cloak. Count Bloset's eyes were immediately drawn to the sack she was carrying. It looked heavy at first glance.
“You must leave the capital. As soon as possible. Otherwise, the King’s soldiers will soon be here.”
“Damn it, there are already soldiers lined up at every checkpoint! You stupid woman. Where the hell do you want me to go? Are you in your right mind?”
“I have prepared a carriage at the back of this building. You must change your clothes quickly and come out with me. The Queen has provided a method, so if you just get on that carriage, everything will be resolved.”
Then that's right. Only then did a faint smile spread across Count Bloset's face. Queen Gilsis had no choice but to help him. He had already covered up the crimes of that son of a bitch, and he had not even smiled once anywhere else. Wasn't what happened today something that the Queen had planned from the beginning? It was only right to do this.
Margit took out a pair of shabby clothes from the sack and handed them to the Count. It was clothes that looked like those of a coachman or a porter. The Count showed displeasure, but he realized that the situation was becoming urgent and did not grumble for long.
“And you can use this as travel expenses for the time being.”
In addition to the clothes, a small pouch was also found inside the bag. The Count untied the string that was holding the entrance and looked inside, frowning without mercy.
“Are you kidding me? Where on earth can I go and what can I do with this little bit of money?”
“It’s thirty gold coins. That’s enough to rent a room and eat for a while...”
“Are you ignoring me right now, what the heck!”
The bag of gold coins made a loud clang as it cut through the air and hit Margit on the shoulder. Margit staggered, holding onto her shoulder for a moment before pulling out the coral bracelet that was hanging from her wrist.
“Take this too.”
“Damn it, as soon as I get back I’ll kick you out first. You useless piece of shit... Go and live a good life after being kicked out. You don’t even know how to be grateful for the stupid thing you brought in to live with me...”
The Count continued to curse, but Margit did not say a word. He regretfully put the coral bracelet in his bag, even though it was not a good idea. The Count, who had finished preparing everything, roughly swept his disheveled hair.
“Where is the carriage?”
“Follow me.”
Margit took the lead and left the room. Turning the corridor in the opposite direction from when she came in, she came across a shabby space leading to the kitchen of the window. There stood the man who had opened the door for Margit after receiving money from her. He was, of course, acquainted with Count Bloset.
“Go out through this door. Turn right at the first stone wall and you’ll see a carriage there.”
The Count of Bloset slammed open the door with his foot, still holding the sack in his hand. A crack appeared in an alley with no lights on. It was narrow, but wide enough for one person to pass through. The sack on his shoulder rattled, and the Count muttered another foul curse.
As soon as they left the road, they came to a stone wall. They passed through the arched hole and looked to the right, and indeed, they could see a carriage parked not far away. There was no decoration, and no windows. There must have been some luggage inside. He could hide in there and escape the capital. It was the moment when the Count, with his shoulders hunched as usual, started toward the carriage.
The first thing he felt was that his side was somehow hot. It was as if someone had placed a warm water bottle on him. However, the moment he turned his head in confusion at the strange warmth, a terrible pain shook his entire body. The sharp pain that surged from the hole in his side made the drunken count lose his mind.
“Ugh, ugh... aah...!”
Count Bloset, lying face down on the cold stone floor, reached out his trembling hands toward the carriage. He tried to cry out for help, but his voice was not coming out properly. Something was pressing down on his back, and the pain was even worse. The blood that was constantly flowing from his side quickly pooled deep like a puddle.
“Sa.. people, people live...”
A groan escaped. The dagger that had stabbed the Count in the back of the neck was pulled out, and no more sound was heard.
The one who had been holding down the back of the fallen Count got up. Blue lips, disheveled, dull blond hair... It was Margit.
She threw away the bloody dagger and staggered toward the carriage, leaving the fallen Count behind. Someone inside opened the door and grabbed her trembling hand. The carriage soon began to move. The man sitting across from her spoke.
“Well done, Countess. I think the matter has been settled neatly, and I am sure the Queen will be satisfied.”
Margit said nothing. There was still warm blood on her hands. Her heart pounded as she realized anew that it was her husband's blood.
"Countess."
Margaret looked up. The next moment, something pierced her chest. There was a thud, and the carriage door opened again. The man pushed Margit’s limp body out of the door, then swung her bloody stiletto. Then he laid back in the chair.
The bodies of the Count and Countess of Bloset were discovered by patrolmen at dawn, but the palace was already completely turned upside down by other events.
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