The Earl approached the gardens at a slow pace. Normally such a trip was for leisure thought or maybe a small escapade with his partner of choice. But today the air was tense, the guards stood at the ready. The garden was being guarded, for there was someone within the Earl wished to speak with, without any interruptions.

Captain Deneva remained out of the gardens as he’d asked her. Her complaints had already been spoken in the privacy of his room. But there was nothing to be feared in regards to this particularly troublesome guest.

Or so he would have thought under normal circumstances.

He found Rick sitting on one of the benches that observed the small fountain. The man was weaker than the average person, that the Earl knew very well. A pureblooded human, devoid of both intense training as well as the gifts that maiden ancestry could have provided. Even the Earl himself had some minor boons from some unspoken predecessor several generations back.

And yet, he could only look at Rick with apprehension.

The man had changed in some imperceptible way.

He remembered when Rick had come to his city the first time. A man that was of quick wit and cautious steps. A man that understood, at least in some way, the dangers of the noble game. There had been fire in those eyes.

Now it seemed as if he were more feral than man.

He clothed like a human, he moved like a human, he talked like a human. But there was something wild within him now. Something sharp that lay right behind that fire. It reminded the Earl of the stories he’d been told as a child, of the monsters that hid within the darkness of the forests.

Of things worse still even than the ferals.

“Sorry for making you put up all this hassle, Lord.” Rick stood and bowed in respect to him. Yet it did not feel like an expected behavior but a deliberate decision.

As if bowing were something he had to ponder upon.

“I was told your condition was stable, and it felt important.” The Earl returned the gesture, following the standard protocol and not allowing himself to be perturbed by what he thought he was seeing.

Rick’s gaze turned towards the fountain, his whole body tensed, as if he were ready to pounce at the clear liquid.

“I was the one who killed the Baron of Astunes.”

The Earl realized Rick’s eyes were boring into him the instant he’d spoken the words. There was little room for doubt, but the struggle was in trying to keep a straight face, to avoid showing any signs of shock or any other emotion.

“So it wasn’t you.” Rick stated.

That caught the noble off guard, he frowned at Rick as the man turned to look at the fountain once more.

“You suspected I sent those maidens after you?”

“Would you blame me for suspecting the possibility?”

No, he couldn’t. He knew too many who would have done exactly that to others. “What makes you sure it wasn’t me, then?”

“The surprise is genuine.”

“I could be shocked you dared to reveal it so plainly.”

“True.” Rick shrugged, relaxing. “It’s a gut feeling.”

That was it, just… nothing, so casual, so… The Earl scowled at this, he did not enjoy being toyed with, much less tested. “To kill a noble is a serious crime. Even if done in self-defense. I’ve sentenced people to hang for less.”

Rick stared to look at him once more. There was something in his eyes, something… blue. A flicker of it that gave the Earl pause.

“Will you?”

The question was simple, and it was something worth considering given the circumstances. He’d have expected Rick to make claims he would not, but it felt more like the man was prepared to deal with the consequences of either option.

“Was it legitimate?”

Rick turned to look at the fountain. “I was bonded to Monica well before even knowing the Baron existed. And the prick was trying to break that bond so he could make her into his toy. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

Simple and direct.

“During the fight, the Baron tried to destroy my brain with the cursed coin. Dia didn’t let it come to completion, but it still took something. And…” His lips thinned. “... nevermind.”

The Earl didn’t quite gasp, but his brows did shoot up in horror. To put the curse of the five upon a human was a punishment that only the truly heinous would undergo. It was a tool only used in the most extreme cases regarding maidens.

There was little else he could say about the subject, especially when Rick was clearly leading the conversation. To where?

“You intend to leave, I take it?”

Rick nodded. “This doesn’t feel like home.” He gestured at the garden. “No disrespect, but though the luxuries are nice, I don’t think they’re worth the risk. Whoever sent the attack clearly had an agenda of some kind. It wasn’t just random happenstance.” His brows furrowed. “I don’t want to be a part of it.”

“And you’re sure it was revenge for the Baron?”

“I can’t think of any other legitimate reason someone would go through that trouble.” He gazed at the Earl with a weary look. “Unless you happen to know of one.”

This time it was the Earl’s turn to frown. “The only other reason I could think of would be Monica. But even that does not appear to fit. Deneva confirmed the attacker hadn’t tried to kill her. Your maiden certainly would not have been able to avoid such a fate at the time.”

“She only sought to capture.” Rick looked weary as his shoulders slumped. “I plan to head south. The kingdom is less developed there, far from… everything, especially politics.”

There was something else about his destination that Rick was not saying, but the Earl did not pry either. Instead he moved to sit on the bench next to him, crossing his arms and turning to look at the fountain.

“And the Succubus?”

“That’s something I’ll have to figure out if I ever meet her again.”

The Earl scowled. “She needs to die, Rick. Charmers are threats that have brought ruin to kingdoms. Some on purpose, others on accident, but always the case. They prey on the hearts of humans and maidens.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Rick shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not like I can do anything about it if I never see her again.”

“I have a feeling you will meet her.”

“Probably.” This time he laughed. “In the meantime, does the kingdom recognize bounties? I’d like to report a slayed Vampire. I’m going to need some funds for the trip.”