Hear me

20

"It doesn't matter how he feels," Laxus said, leading them down the road towards their hotel. "This time tomorrow, it'll be over regardless."

"But still. He was acting weird. Even weirder than he already was," she said, remembering how the aging man had looked.

Laxus just shrugged
the two woke early the next morning, wasting no extra time getting ready and heading back over to the Sevoir estate.

Natsumi was confused when they walked up to the gate. Every day they'd come to see the head of the house except for the first one, the gates had been open and they'd gone straight to the door to be let in the house. Today, the large, wrought iron gates remained firmly shut, even when Natsumi called out a loud "Hey! It's us!"

Both mages were shocked when Sevoir himself emerged from the doors of his mansion, crossing the expansive courtyard while carrying an intricately carved box that undoubtedly contained the Amulet Shard. When he reached them, he waved a hand in front of the stone pillar attached to one of the gates. At his gesture, they opened lazily, and he joined them out on the grounds before they slid shut, closing with a solid clank of metal.

"Good morning, you two. Lovely day, isn't it?" he asked, as if it was completely normal for him to meet them this way.

"Is there any reason why we're out here instead of inside?" Laxus asked, quirking a golden eyebrow at the aristocrat.

Sevoir laughed, but there was an edge to it. "Well, the Baroness is a very busy woman. I didn't want to waste her time with unnecessary dalliances. Also, my wife has actually been paying her a social visit these past days, and I'm excited to see her again. I simply couldn't wait," he smiled, tugging on the lapel of yet another expensive duster.

Natsumi stared at him. As usual, he didn't have a hair out of place. His facial hair was neatly trimmed, his dark hair combed elegantly to one side. But the way he kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other definitely didn't match the ease with which he'd moved before. Both mages also didn't miss how he clutched the box he held tightly, his knuckles white.

"Your wife is friends with the collector you're selling the rock to?" Natsumi asked him, cocking her head to one side.

"It's common that those running in the same social circles would share common interests. The Baroness was very excited to have Celeste's company," he coughed, crow's feet growing more prominent at the corners of his eyes.

Natsumi didn't have time to question him further when the sound of neighing horses in the distance alerted her to the presence of an approaching carriage. Sure enough, an elaborate carriage pulled by two black stallions appeared at the foot of the private drive. From this distance, Natsumi could see two men sitting on the outside bench. The one directing the horses was a big and bulky, with long black hair pulled back severely. Beside him sat a smaller man with a head full of red curls.

She saw Sevoir stiffen out of the corner of her eye. Looking up at Laxus on her other side, they exchanged looks. He hadn't missed their employer's strange behavior, either.

To their surprise, the carriage didn't meet them at the gates to the mansion, but stopped about fifty feet short. The two men hopped off, the taller one moving to stand in front of the horses while the shorter of the two went around to the door of the carriage, helping out two women.

The first was obviously the Baroness Jia, Natsumi thought. The woman was very old, but solidly built, her gray hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate knot. Her black dress looked fancy, all lace and silk as it draped from the woman's neck to her ankles.

The second must have been Celeste Sevoir. She was younger than the Baroness, though still middle aged. Celeste was very pretty, with a large, decorative hat covering the brunette hair that was styled in a bun at the nape of her neck. If her similar age to Sevoir hadn't given away her identity, the excessively embroidered fabric of her gown definitely did. What stuck out the most to the small dragon slayer, however, wasn't how the aristocrat's wife was dressed, but the look of fear on her face as the redheaded man didn't let go of her elbow when he helped her from the carriage.