The moment they stepped into the inn, a tense silence greeted Lucavion and Valeria, and she immediately sensed something amiss. Around them, men gathered in the shadows, their gazes flickering with a subtle hostility that made her spine stiffen. Valeria’s brow furrowed—what was this about? Had she or Lucavion done something to provoke them?
Before she could speak, the innkeeper stepped forward, her face devoid of the usual warmth, her gaze hard as she addressed them directly. “From now on, we cannot welcome you here. Your stay at this inn has been canceled.”
Valeria blinked, momentarily caught off guard. “What do you mean our stay here is canceled?” she demanded, her tone sharp as her frustration flared. “We paid for these rooms in advance. You can’t simply turn us away!”
Without hesitation, the innkeeper pulled a small pouch from her apron, tossing it toward Valeria. “Here’s the coin you paid.” She then tossed another coin to Lucavion, though this time she did it in a more condescending way. “Here is yours too. Take it and leave.”
Valeria caught the pouch, the slight jingle of the returned payment doing nothing to ease her anger. The innkeeper’s hand rose in a dismissive wave, shooing them away as though they were a nuisance. “Go on. There’s no place for you here.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The injustice of it made Valeria’s jaw clench, and she took a step forward, her voice rising with her frustration. “What gives you the right to turn us out like this?” she demanded, her furious gaze flicking to the men surrounding them as if daring them to answer.
But instead of explanations, the men shifted, forming a tighter circle, their expressions darkening as one of them sneered, “You two have brought trouble to this inn. That’s all the reason we need.”
Valeria’s eyes narrowed. “What trouble?” she shot back, her hand instinctively moving toward the hilt of her sword. “We’ve done nothing to deserve this treatment.”
Lucavion, however, remained unfazed, his eyes flickering with his usual glint of amusement. He let out a quiet chuckle, catching Valeria’s angry gaze. “Let it go,” he murmured to her, his tone soft but knowing. “This isn’t a fight worth starting.”
But Valeria’s blood boiled at the sight of the smug faces around them, the casual dismissal that came so easily to these men. “No,” she bit out. “I want to know why.”
One of the men laughed under his breath. “You want to know why? This bastard here seems to know this already,” he said, his gaze locking with Lucavion’s, a cold smirk stretching across his lips.
Lucavion’s eyes darkened, his smirk sharpening as he met the man’s sneer with a gaze that could cut through steel. He took a slow, deliberate step closer, his voice low but laced with a subtle menace. “I’d suggest you watch your mouth,” he murmured, his tone calm but dangerous. “The Cloud Heavens Sect won’t be in Andelheim forever. And when they’re gone, well… someone might just come looking for you.”
The man’s expression barely flickered. Instead, he leaned in with a mocking grin, his voice dripping with condescension. “By then, anyone who’d come for me will have been dealt with,” he said confidently. “So don’t worry about it.”
Lucavion’s smirk widened as he shook his head, a glint of disdain in his eyes. “If that’s what you wish,” he replied smoothly, his tone light and dismissive. “Far be it from me to change your mind.”
He turned to Valeria, his expression softening slightly as he reached for her arm. “Come on,” he said quietly, tugging her gently but firmly. “Let’s get out of here.”
Valeria’s mouth opened in protest, fury sparking in her eyes, but his steady grip and calm gaze silenced her. She allowed herself to be pulled from the inn, though her glare lingered on the men behind them. Once they stepped out into the cool night air, she wrenched her arm free, her voice tight with frustration. “You let them get away with that? After the way they treated us?”
Lucavion merely chuckled, glancing at her with a knowing smile. “Let’s talk after we leave.”
Valeria’s eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp as she studied Lucavion’s face. This wasn’t like him—Lucavion was reckless, a man who would mock a threat openly rather than leave quietly. Yet tonight, he was holding back, choosing restraint over his usual cavalier defiance. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that there was more to this than he was letting on.
Without a word, she followed him as he led them away from the inn, her mind racing with questions. When they were far enough down the street, she finally stopped, her eyes hard as she turned to face him. “Alright, enough,” she said firmly, her gaze locked on his. “What’s going on, Lucavion? Why did the innkeeper suddenly turn us away? And why are you… acting like this?”
Lucavion met her gaze, his expression unreadable, though a hint of resignation flickered in his eyes.
“What do you think?”
“If I knew, would I ask you about this?”
“Just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find out once you think. So, turn those gears on and think.”
“Gears? What is that?”
“Ah….I mean, turn your brain on and think.”
Valeria’s eyes narrowed, clearly unamused by his evasion. Her mind turned over the scene at the inn, her frustration mounting with each moment Lucavion dodged giving her a straight answer.
“Fine,” she muttered, crossing her arms and meeting his gaze with a steely resolve. “You want me to think? Alright, I’ll think.”
Her mind went back to the hostility in the innkeeper’s voice, the way those men had looked at Lucavion as if he were some sort of criminal. And then there was the man’s offhand comment about Lucavion already knowing the reason behind the treatment. Her thoughts quickly turned to the Cloud Heavens Sect, the only ones who had taken issue with Lucavion since they’d arrived in Andelheim.
“Is it the Cloud Heavens Sect?” she asked, her voice quieter, a dangerous edge beneath it. “Are they the ones behind this?”
Lucavion’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. “There you go,” he said, his voice carrying an approving tone. “Didn’t take that long, did it?”
Valeria’s brows furrowed, her gaze piercing as she demanded, “But how? How is the Cloud Heavens Sect tied to the innkeeper?”
Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelFire
Lucavion simply gave her an expectant look. “Think it through,” he said, his tone light but challenging.
She let out a frustrated sigh, her mind running through every detail of the innkeeper’s cold dismissal. She replayed the innkeeper’s words, her hostile demeanor, the men’s mocking gazes. But the reason behind it remained elusive.
Lucavion watched her struggle for a few moments before speaking again. “Here’s a hint: check the pouch she threw at you.”
Valeria blinked, surprised by the suggestion, but she did as he asked, retrieving the pouch from her belt and opening it. Inside was the exact amount she had paid for their stay, nothing more, nothing less.
She frowned, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. “It’s exactly what I paid,” she said, glancing up at him, puzzled. “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”
Lucavion tilted his head with a small, knowing smile. “Sure, that’s how it’s supposed to be. But tell me, Valeria, if you were running an inn and wanted to kick a customer out, what would you do?”
She paused, brow furrowing further as she considered the question. “Well, I wouldn’t kick a paying customer out,” she replied firmly. “If they’ve paid, I’d keep my end of the deal.”
Lucavion’s smile widened slightly. “Of course you would. But let’s say, hypothetically, you had a reason to kick them out. Maybe they were making too much noise or violating the inn’s rules.”
Valeria’s eyes narrowed as the pieces began to fall into place. “If that were the case… then I wouldn’t just give their money back,” she said slowly, realization dawning. “I’d charge them a fee or keep a portion for the trouble they caused.” She glanced back down at the pouch in her hand, her jaw tightening. “But she didn’t keep any of it.”
Lucavion nodded, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “Exactly. She gave you every coin back. Why would that be? A hint. What would you have done if you were not paid accordingly?”
Valeria’s brow furrowed as she processed his question. “If I hadn’t been refunded fully,” she murmured, thinking aloud, “I could have raised a complaint. I am a noble, after all—I’d have grounds to make trouble for her.”
She paused, her gaze hardening as understanding dawned. “But with the full amount returned, there’s no proof. It’s as if the transaction never happened. Any complaint I make would just look like an overreaction or a misunderstanding.”
Lucavion nodded, a faint smile of approval curving his lips. “Exactly. They’ve made sure that if you speak up, it lacks credibility. It’s neat, isn’t it?” He tilted his head, a glint of irony in his eyes. “But tell me, what did the innkeeper gain from all this? She returned every coin we paid her. So what does she get?”
Valeria’s mind turned over the facts, and the answer soon became clear. “She’s lost money,” she said slowly, frowning. “She rented us those rooms and, by refunding us, basically let us stay for free. That means… someone must have compensated her.”
Lucavion’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with approval. “There you go. If the Cloud Heavens Sect wanted her cooperation, they wouldn’t leave her empty-handed. Money talks, Valeria. They likely paid her off to make sure she’d refuse us and do so quietly.”
Valeria’s gaze grew steely as she looked down at the pouch, the weight of understanding settling over her. “So they’re using money to control everyone they can,” she murmured, anger simmering beneath her calm tone. “Not with open threats, but with subtle bribes and incentives, enough to sway anyone who isn’t willing to risk opposing them.”
Lucavion gave a slight nod, his expression turning serious. “Money becomes a form of power, and it’s more insidious than a sword at the throat. Everyone has their price.”
Hearing that she remembered how Lucavion somehow passed the line even before her at that time.