The Best of Times 3

As she neared home, a light rain began to fall. Crecyda regretted her decision to go out in that dress. As soon as she entered, she bypassed the living room and headed straight for the kitchen, where she found Reston and instructed him on how to handle the ingredients.

"...Alright, finish this up," she wiped her hands with a dry towel, "I'll go keep him company. I'll be back in an hour."

Reston said, "Madam, do you think..."

"What?"

"Why would Lord Durado come at this time?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, I've heard some rumors that you might find interesting."

Crecyda, about to leave the kitchen, turned around, folding her arms. "You drag your feet with everything you do. Speak plainly."

Reston gestured with the kitchen knife. "It's about Master Renner's brother. Didn't he inherit Lord Durado's estate?"

"Yes, so what?"

"A few days ago at the tavern, I heard... just rumors, really, and they came from an adventurer, so I can't vouch for their credibility. But apparently, the Marvin family heir is in big trouble, and now MI7 is after him. If they say 'heir,' it must be Master Renner's brother, right?"

"What kind of trouble?"

"He took advantage of trade opportunities, acting as a double agent between the Alliance and the Horde, making a lot of profit. But now it's been exposed. Not only has he been caught, but the whole Marvin family business could be investigated."

"That's it?"

"That's all."

"This has nothing to do with his visit to my home."

"How could it not? You see, Lord Durado only has two sons. Master Renner gave up the inheritance, and he's put everything on his younger son. But now that son has fallen..."

"Shut up."

"Huh?"

"Say one more word, and I'll fire you. Renner is Renner. He is my husband, your employer. He is not Durado's accessory, nor something that can be discarded and picked up again. Understand?"

"...I'm sorry, Madam."

"Get on with what I told you to do."

If Crecyda claimed Reston's words had no effect on her, it would be a lie. Before returning to the living room, she unconsciously slowed her steps. Deep down, if she were forced to use one word to describe her feelings towards Durado, it could only be "hate." She would never forgive what Durado had done to the two of them. In the life and love she and Renner had fought so hard to maintain, Durado had once been an unrelenting storm of ice. But that was many years ago. Whether due to the ravages of time or the decay of his spirit, Durado was no longer the cold man he once was. After years of effort, she and Renner had finally stabilized their lives, while Durado had been steadily declining. If Reston's rumor was true, Crecyda couldn't think of anything more devastating for the old man than losing both his heir and the family's business.

Durado didn't have the courage to face his son directly in the Western Plaguelands, nor did he have the courage to read his letters. If he was merely visiting his son's home for some form of solace—fine, I can afford to show him some leniency.

Crecyda returned to the living room, intending to ask Durado if he wanted to take a look at Renner's study, but she found he had left the sofa and was now standing by the window, gazing at a small tree in the yard that Renner and Crecyda had planted together. The two of them had made a bet on how far the tree's shade would grow by the time Renner returned home.

She didn't like that bet.