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Scomed Heir’s Second Life: The Rebirth That Made My Brothers Weep
Chapter 54 Midnight Intrusion
He faced the Francis siblings, voice dark with amusement. “Letting them go so easily leaves me dissatisfied. I should collect a souvenir.” Twirling the dagger between nimble fingers, he strolled forward, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Sadie was still wondering what he intended when the pounding of hooves exploded outside. Someone had forced their way into the residence.
She hurried to the veranda and watched soldiers flood the courtyard. They parted in disciplined rows for Zephyr, the scarlet–robed heir whose narrow blade rested against a jewel–studded belt.
“Four people disappeared from the magistrate’s residence, and their families have reported the crime. Commander Gates traced the hostages to this estate. Whoever is inside, release them and surrender at once. If you refuse…”
Clifton’s shout faltered when he realized the girl beneath the caves was none other than the Gates Estate’s young lady. “Huh?”
Sadie gave a graceful curtsey. “Greetings, Lord Zephyr.” She kept her eyes on his polished boots, embarrassment staining her cheeks.
He is endlessly busy. Military reports by day, raids by night, and now, he has to arrest his own brother.
Zephyr’s gaze slid past her into the hall. There, a snow–robed youth spun a dagger with casual grace. The slender figure was his second brother, Madison.
Zephyr lifted a hand to his brow and kneaded away the gathering ache.
Sadie and Alexander created scenes often enough, yet their mischief rarely reached beyond childish scuffles. What unsettled him was that she had now fallen in with Madison, his second brother, a man far more volatile than the fourth. Heaven only knew what scandal the pair might unleash.
He climbed the steps, each footfall deliberate.
Sadie retreated almost without thinking, inch by inch, until a crisp clang of metal reached her ears. Only then did she notice the polished steel handcuffs hanging from Zephyr’s belt, and her fingers clamped hard around the silk handkerchief.
She had known the moment Madison coaxed her out this evening that nothing good would come of it.
Her back struck the lattice screen. When she found her voice, it was barely a whisper. “L–Lord Zephyr…”
Zephyr clasped his hands behind him and looked down at her. “Miss Francis, would you care to explain why I find you in Southbank District’s alley at this hour?”
Guilt prickled beneath her skin. No explanation came.
The Francis children have vanished, and their family has already filed a report. Dwarven City’s streets are so safe that people leave doors unlocked, and we have not seen a disappearance in years.
He continued, “Miss Francis, you once told me you hoped to be of use to me. Tonight, you have indeed left a bold mark upon my record…” Zephyr’s brow furrowed. “A stain.”
A chill crept over her scalp. “I… I didn’t kidnap them…”
21.33 2, 15 Aug
Chapter 54 Midnight Intrusion
“So you would have me believe it was my brother who spirited them away?”
She bit her lower lip.
Who else could it be? He knows exactly what sort of creature his brother is. And what if he shields Madison and drags me off for interrogation alone?
She remembered the lurid tales in Alexander’s storybooks–women thrown into dank cells, stripped of dignity and hope.
“Whatever happened tonight has nothing to do with me. I only arrived a moment ago. Perhaps Madison merely wished the four siblings to visit as guests. Their relatives called it a disappearance and dragged you here unnecessarily. So… please, Lord Zephyr, do not take me into custody.”
Zephyr said nothing, his gaze fixed on her face.
By day, she looks the picture of grace, especially under Grandmother’s fond eye. But in private, she could spin a lie more deftly than any courthouse scribe.
Even so, he took comfort in the fact that she had not tried to saddle Madison with the entire crime. The girl’s heart, it seemed, was not wholly wayward.
His gaze followed the furtive flicker of her eyes toward the shackles at his waist.
Perhaps it was the novelty of her years, but the sight clearly unnerved her; her slight frame trembled, and the azure–gold hem of her gown rippled under the lantern’s glow.
Zephyr lifted an eyebrow, mischief flashing across his face. Before Sadie could retreat, he caught her wrist and snapped one end of a steel shackle around it, anchoring the other end to his own.
“Heavens, what a resourceful little fox,” Zephyr drawled. “Sharp tongue, sharper lies. Instead of sleeping at home, you wander the night stirring trouble–sounds to me like someone who needs a thorough interrogation.”
“You…” Sadie’s breath caught; she stared at him as though facing a nightmare made flesh. “I told you it wasn’t me. Why are you arresting me?”
He ignored the protest, a playful smile curving his lips as he towed her into the main hall.
Sadie had meant to struggle, yet the scene inside punched the air from her lungs.
Madison had shaved the heads of the four Francis siblings–yet only halfway. The quartet lay unconscious, each sporting a grotesque, half–bald patch that turned them into tragic clowns.
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