《Luminous》19 - Stupor
Advertisement
The setting Sun signaled Hadrian Castle to once again throw open its heavy gates. In the vast courtyard, rowdy farmers and craftsmen sat at the long tables and drank to their hearts' fill, as their wives gossiped, and their wee children ran on the grass. Young lovers danced arm-in-arm as minstrels belted out tune after tune on their various instruments.
Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, ruling lords and ladies stood conversing in groups, drinks in hand, while their teenage children and attendants paired up and whirl about on the dance floor.
Such a manor-wide celebration is a first for Meya. However, being the host, she must stay with the Baron, Baroness and Lord Zier, smiling and nodding as they made small talk with the guests. What's worse, her husband wasn't there to keep her company.
Coris hadn't put so much as a toe outside his bedroom throughout the day. Zier reported that the poor lad had fallen back onto his pillows right after he forced the last spoonful of breakfast into his mouth.
Meya had been stuck practicing embroidery with Baroness Sylvia and her attendants for the whole afternoon. By the time she had reduced her right forefinger to little more than a bleeding pincushion, the Baroness led her to the front gate to welcome the Baron and the lords back from hunting. After that, she was whisked away by the chamberlain to dress up for the feast. There wasn't one opening where she could sneak off to see Coris.
To make matters worse, whenever they turned up for a conversation, the guests kept asking where Coris was. Of course, the Baron wouldn't like telling them time and again that his son was too sick even to attend his own wedding feast.
As guest after guest repeated the same questions, Baron Kellis's mood became sourer. He would shoot dark looks at Meya once the visitors had drifted away, as if he had thought it was Meya's fault.
Meya strived to look as contrite as she could. Well, it was her fault. She knew Coris had a good reason to not be here.
At least, she thought that was the case. Because, say Beau was up to his job and the message did reach Coris, it wasn't likely that Coris would immediately make a noticeable move. After all, there was still a month of opportunity window left. They had only been in Hadrian three days. Meya didn't expect Gillian would obtain enough leads on the dowry's whereabouts to strike anytime soon.
Advertisement
Maybe Coris was actually just sick, Meya consoled herself, which makes it your fault anyway since your lady pillows excited him too much.
Meya blushed at the thought. Freda hadn't been gracious to Meya with her blessings, but she was generous when it comes to her bosom department. Coris couldn't seem to get enough of them last night, and to be honest, they were still somewhat sore.
Meya's head, hands and chest weren't the only painful parts of her body, however. Her stomach was starting its own riot as well.
Why isn't the food served yet?
It had been over half an hour since the feast started. Yet, the long table in the middle of the hall remained empty. The Baroness was surveying the guests every so often, making sure they were still content. Her husband has struck up yet another conversation with a balding, beer-bellied old nobleman, Marquess Fratengarde, and she couldn't nip away to check on the scullery.
Meya was also worried about the food, but not for the same reasons. With their measly manpower, Gillian reckoned he might have to knock everyone in the castle out when time came for the search.
Meya reckoned Gillian would use the fireplaces and torches to smoke the room with sleeping draught, but he could decide to spike the food as well. After all, every guest and most guards were gathered in the Great Hall now. It was a great opportunity to search the rest of the castle, and everyone would have to eat or drink something.
If Coris was as smart as everyone said he was, he would no doubt have realized this as well. Did he guess the food would be spiked and stopped it leaving the kitchen? Or was it Lady Arinel herself? She was working in the scullery, wasn't she?
As Meya assumed the role of Coris and Gillian to play her own version of Heist in her brain, the Baron and the Marquess's chat droned on.
"Yes, I understand you, my dear man. Though I have always been—still am—a skeptic of Uriel's interpretation, this time I fully support you." Fratengarde dabbed at his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief then waved it about to vent his frustration. "Freda's damnation aside, we couldn't possibly get a trade that has been outlawed for two hundred years back up in a month, could we?"
Advertisement
"Exactly. Our best course of action is to investigate what is happening to those ships and bring back some ores as soon as possible." Baron Kellis added, his expression solemn. Crossing his arms, he shook his head. "And in the meantime, limit the use of metals, but His Majesty would not be pleased if we touched on his reforms."
Despite having more pressing matters, Meya couldn't help her mounting curiosity. The Baron had been talking about this thing with ore ships and the king's reforms with the other lords, too. The whole thing sounded familiar...
Aha! Coinage shortage! The ore ships weren't coming back from Everglen, and Latakia was getting short on metal to make coins, tools, weapons and buildings.
Some of the lords agreed with the Baron about solving the ship problem and continuing to ship ores back from Everglen, but some were adamant about finally lifting the Mining Ban and restarting mining in Latakia, to stabilisize our ekonony, or some thingy. Unfortunately, the king was all for lifting the ban, too.
"Books and coins for the commoner, eh?" Fratengarde chuckled, as if he thought the idea was incredulous as well,
"I've known His Majesty since he was a little prince, I tell you. Far-sighted dreamer, he always is. But in times like this, we need eyes more grounded in the present. Take it one step at a time. He won't get his reforms unless he could get us enough metal to survive this year." He ended with a large swig from his mug of ale.
"Alden is young, naïve. He won't simply give up on his ideas. I've been thinking that perhaps, we might need to be discreet rather than drastic." Baron Kellis caressed his mustache, slipping an insinuating gaze at Fratengarde as he whispered. "That is where you come in, my lord."
For a moment the two men locked knowing gazes. The Baroness and Zier seemed to have no trouble getting the secret message, too. And though she had no clue on what was going on, Meya strived to seem well-informed as well.
"I take it you are talking about my niece." Fratengarde broke his gaze. He nodded with a heavy sigh and patted Kellis's shoulder.
"I will try, my good man, but I can't promise anything. Zephyr is a woman with her own mind. Very much like your fine lady here." Baroness Sylvia blushed, swaying as she waved the casual compliment away. Perhaps it had been a trick of her eyes, but Meya felt her movements were...sluggish?
"She's mostly kept her lips sealed, and Alden will listen to his queen when she does speak, so it all depends on her opinion."
It was then that the same phenomenon began with Marquess Fratengarde; he swayed on his feet, his eyelids drooping halfway down before jerking up again, as if he had little control over them. His speech became slow and slurry as he waggled his wooden mug.
"So far, she hasn't said anything, but if it turns out she backs Alden, I'm afraid there is little I can do to persuade her..."
"Sylvia!"
A split-second after Fratengarde dropped to the ground as if bludgeoned in the head, Baron Kellis dived in to catch Baroness Sylvia, who had fallen lifeless into his arms. As he tried to rouse his wife, Kellis staggered to the nearest chair, but before he could deposit her on it, he too collapsed onto the floor.
Yet, ,there were no screams from the surrounding women, nor voices of noblemen barking orders for the servants to tend to their lord. As Meya stared in horror, standing men and women teetered where they stood then crumpled to the floor.
Dancing couples had fallen onto each other. Those sitting around tables either smacked their faces into their mugs or the tabletop, or slid off to the floor. Minstrels slumped against their instruments and guards against the wall or their weapons. Maids and manservants let their drink trays crash to the ground, soaking them as they tumbled as well.
Meya felt a tug on her arm and whirled around just in time to see Lord Zier plummet to the ground by her feet, his mouth lolling open and the whites of his eyes still showing under half-shut eyelids.
In less than a minute, the lively party had been reduced to a hall strewn with passed-out, dead-drunk humans, plus one bewildered Meya Hild.
What in the three lands is going on?
Advertisement
- End357 Chapters
Child of Light
The lazy Zhang Gong decides to learn light magic, a magic often ridiculed as useless for it’s defensive nature. However, he eventually becomes the legendary Grand Magister. While trying to end the continent’s east and west separation in order to unite all of the different races, he becomes every race’s Child of Light.
8 411 - In Serial265 Chapters
A Demon’s Journey
Frascoia Continent… Various races like Celestials, Demons, Humans, Monsters, Elves, Dwarves, and so on occupied this continent.
8 352 - In Serial28 Chapters
The world traveler from the future
The world, under the guide of the System, was prospering. The Dungeons gifted untold riches to those brave enough to challenge them, and the System watched and helped those who were willing to complete its Quests. But not Charles. As soon as he appeared inside a dark cave, the system told him that he was an anomaly, that he was not worthy of its gifts. His mind was damaged. His AI companion was convinced that he was in a world of sword and magic. All around, schemers and manipulators tried to play their part in a story that was thousands of years old. Spanning entire planes and worlds. And yet, he only saw what he wanted to see. For a while, it worked. Slowly, but inevitably, it became impossible. The threat was too big to ignore, the evidence too strong. He was just a pawn in a game so large that it was impossible to comprehend. At its center, the System. The System was not what it seemed. It was a tyrant, or maybe just a tool created by someone or something so powerful that it could control entire worlds. And it had declared him its enemy. Many thanks to Damiano, who helps with the world building and the character building. Many thanks to Fuyu Dust for the cover art. One new chapter every Friday. Patreon - get early access to chapters weeks before they come out. Discord - chat with me and other creators.
8 383 - In Serial17 Chapters
Lost Memory
❝ Although he may forget me, I'll still stay with you. ❞《 CHONGYUN + XINGQIU 》
8 201 - In Serial8 Chapters
[1840s Popee x Eepop Oneshot]
An 1840's Popee x Eepop oneshot taking place in the Victorian period. Basically Eepop is a higher class lady while Popee's a middle-class inventor/scientist.. How will they meet? Is their love truly an illicit connection?Originally made this for an internet acquaintance from DA after some failed drafts. Her page - (https://www.deviantart.com/hurricanelorraine)[Initial Draft - February 25, 2020][Published - March 10, 2020][Completed - May 26, 2020]1st cover design by me and posted up on my DA: http://fav.me/ddo8jsi2nd one is the current cover, the link to the deviation is soon to be posted.Lastly have fun, it's rather cliche' and cringe
8 107 - In Serial66 Chapters
(MTL)I am the ex-wife of the cannon fodder in the chronology [80]
https://m.shubaow.net/247/247501/Author: HeduCategory: Rebirth through timeRelease time: 2022-05-12Latest: Chapter 66rebirthfinished237,000When Li Yulan realized that the world she lived in was a book, she was being dragged to a black clinic for an abortion. According to the original plot, at this moment, she should have just learned the news of her husband's death, and was about to abandon her biological son and abort the child in her womb, so that she could remarry immediately. Then ten minutes later, she would die on the cold operating table due to a miscarriage operation. After that, her son will be sold into the valley and turned into a villain with many evils. And her cousin would marry her husband, Gu Shen, who didn't die but made a lot of money. Gu Shen went all the way until he became the richest man in the country, and his cousin became the richest man's wife that everyone envied. Li Yulan: ? ? ? Is she being ghosted? Otherwise, how could you do such a stupid thing! Li Yulan immediately covered her stomach, pushed away her cousin who tried her best to persuade her to abort and remarry, and hurried home to hug her villain son tightly. No matter what the plot is or not, as long as she has her own children, her cheap husband and cousin will go wherever they fall in love with it! Gu Shen worked hard outside for half a year, and almost lost his life. He finally made a lot of money and went home with a large bag and a small bag to see his wife and son. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, he met his wife's defensive gaze. Li Yulan: "Let's get a divorce, but the child has to be mine!" Gu Shen: "???" Who can tell him what happened! Content label: Farming Wenshuang Wen Shuang Wen Shi Wen counterattack Search keywords: Protagonist: Li Yulan; Gu Shen ┃ Supporting role: Dabao Xiaobao ┃ Others:
8 119