Chapter 170 - 169: The Man In The Greenhouse

The greenhouse was quiet at this hour of the late afternoon light filtering gold and soft through the glass panels overhead, catching on the rows of blooms that lined the walkways. Eleanore hadn’t come here with any particular purpose in mind. She’d simply found herself walking in this direction after breakfast, feet carrying her along a path she hadn’t consciously chosen.

It wasn’t until she stepped inside, the familiar smell of soil and greenery settling over her, that she understood why.

Godmother used to bring me here.

The memory rose unbidden, soft and a little bittersweet, small hands buried in the dirt beside her godmother’s, the two of them planting rows of flowers neither of them had any real skill for, laughing every time something wilted within the week despite their best efforts. Her godmother had always said the greenhouse didn’t care how good you were at gardening, only that you kept showing up to try. Eleanore hadn’t thought about that in years.

She wandered further in, drawn toward a small alcove tucked along the side wall, a quiet, half-forgotten corner with a stone bench worn smooth by years of use, half-shaded by an overgrown trellis of climbing roses. It felt, somehow, like a place that had been waiting for her, though she couldn’t have said why. She sat, letting the quiet settle over her, the ache of the memory softening into something more peaceful the longer she stayed.

It was the flicker of movement at the edge of her vision that broke the stillness.

She turned sharply, catching only the barest glimpse of a figure disappearing between two rows of tall greenery, tall, unhurried, moving with that same unsettling quiet she remembered from months ago. Her breath caught.

It’s him.

She was on her feet before she’d fully decided to move, the memory of Victor’s warning from days earlier flooding back all at once ’he’s not just wandering by accident’ propelling her forward before caution could catch up with instinct. She followed the direction the figure had gone, weaving quickly between the rows, catching only fleeting glimpses of movement ahead of her, always just out of reach.

"Wait!" she called, though the figure gave no indication of slowing.

She pushed forward faster, heart hammering now, the greenhouse suddenly feeling far larger and more disorienting than it had moments ago, rows of foliage blurring past her as she chased the shape weaving steadily ahead. She was close — close enough now to make out the edge of a dark coat, the outline of broad shoulders, when her foot caught on an uneven paving stone and the ground rushed up to meet her.

She didn’t hit it.

A hand closed firmly around her arm, catching her mid-fall with enough force to steady her but not enough to hurt, and she found herself staring up, breathless and startled, into a face that was decidedly not the one she’d expected.

"Careful," Azriel said, one eyebrow raised, releasing her arm once he was certain she’d found her footing again. "You’ll break something running through here like that. Madam."

Eleanore stared at him, chest still heaving from the chase, her mind scrambling to catch up with what her eyes were telling her. "Sir Azriel?"

"In the flesh." He glanced briefly over his shoulder in the direction she’d been running, then back at her, something faintly curious in his expression now. "Who exactly were you chasing? Because it certainly wasn’t me, I only just walked in."

"There was someone," Eleanore said, still slightly breathless, glancing past him at the now-empty row of greenery where the figure had vanished. "Tall. Moving strangely. I thought—" she stopped herself, the adrenaline slowly draining out and leaving something colder and more unsettled in its place. "It doesn’t matter. I must have imagined it."

"You don’t seem like someone who imagines things," Azriel said, watching her more closely now, whatever easy humor had been in his expression a moment ago fading into something sharper. "What did he look like?"

"Tall. Pale. Quiet in a way that felt deliberate." She hesitated, the words feeling strange even as she said them aloud. "I’ve seen him before. Months ago, in this same garden."

Something shifted in Azriel’s expression, brief, controlled, but unmistakable. "You should tell Victor about this. Immediately."

"He already knows. There’ve been sightings recently, apparently, in other regions." Eleanore studied him carefully, some of her earlier alarm settling into a quieter unease. "You look like that name means something to you."

"It means several things," Azriel said, carefully neutral, though his eyes had drifted briefly toward the row of greenery where the figure had disappeared, as though half-expecting it to still be there. "None of which I’m inclined to discuss standing in the middle of a greenhouse." He glanced back at her, some of his usual composure sliding back into place. "Come. I’ll walk you back to the house. It’s not a good idea to be wandering around alone right now, chasing shadows or otherwise."

Eleanore hesitated a moment longer, glancing back once at the quiet, empty rows behind them, before finally allowing herself to be steered back toward the main house — the peaceful ache of nostalgia she’d come here chasing now thoroughly replaced by something far colder, and the distinct, unshakable feeling that whoever that man was, he had no intention of staying a stranger for much longer.

|| Mission 1, Phase 1: Change Caelestis Destiny. Has been successfully completed.

Phase 2: The Rebels

The Kingdom of Seraphine has been plagued by this organisation called Rebel. They are after the crown and want to kill the royal family, so that they can attain a complete dictatorship. These rebel groups also involve some of the nobles of the empire, who harbour hatred against the royal family of Seraphine.

In their madness for the throne, many innocents die, including you. Your death triggers Caelestis’ fate falling into darkness again and Hael turning against his dear friend again.

Chapter 1: The Woman Named Barbra

Barbra was known to be a very gentle and kind woman of the kingdom. She was always quiet and had no enemy. Until she fell for the wrong person and tried to win him over only to be trampled on completely by the queen of the social circle, Eleanore Sinclair (You)

Quest 1: Death Case Of Lady Barbra Fein

Task 1: Collect information on the relationship between Eleanore Sinclair (you) and Lady Barbra Fein

Do you accept the task?

Yes/No

Note: Reward: + 100,000 reputation

Penalty: -200,000 coins

Total Reputation: -100,000

Total Coins: +90,100||