The Dewland Hive was Marcus''s pub and main source of income. It was one of the top locations for a pit stop recommended by the majority of the travelers, and even from the local citizens who dwelled in the Arid Dale Town.
With the culmination of local and foreign men getting to hang out and even mingle by occasion and his reputation as an information broker, he was able to amass more fortune than he could ever think of throughout his lifetime.
But with what Jonathan did, the place was quiet and leaving them the only customer he had to entertain at the moment.
Marcus treated them like one, no specialties or the sort, and went on to do his business like no other. He went back to his work ethic despite what transpired earlier, but he broke out of his zone when Nathalie came to grab his attention in a fraction of a second.
"Oh…" Marcus snapped his head as he turned around real fast from the voice he heard; gaze present in his eyes mixed with beyond belief and in awe.
Somehow, it was as though his breath got taken away with a flush of redness spread across his cheeks.
His reaction somehow got Nathalie aback, and she then noticed how Keith got rigid and became more than alert as Jonathan narrowed his eyes.
"I''d never thought the one behind that filthy cloak would''ve been the ''Cold Damsel of the North'' then." He let out a deep chuckle as he grabbed a couple of mugs of rum.
Jonathan faced Nathalie, mumbling in disbelief, "Mystique…" Like he was rather hesitant that she had to initiate as what his eyes bore that he wanted to rile up Marcus''s ego for a while.
She knew what he was doing; for this kind of man they were about to engage, but she didn''t have much time to spare.
One after another, they took off their hood.
Undeniably, his lips parted once he faced her impeccable beauty, leaving him momentarily stunned but was able to pick up his pace.
"...I suppose wealthy enough on top of that beauty must''ve assured you without even asking what information I could''ve offered." With a clink, he lined them up for their indulgence. "Go on, take that as my thanks."
However, Keith was there to block and nudged the mug that was for Nathalie away from her, saying, "Pardon me, but she isn''t the one to drink such hard beverages."
"Indeed, such rumors were true." He nodded and smiled. "Would you like some tea?"
[Please do, if you have.]
"Well, I did have a few teabags of honeydew, guess that would''ve been enough." After which, he glanced at "It seems like the twins are at the age they could''ve drunk this with ease. Not like it''s their first either way."
However, Dusk and Dawn behaved like those students in front of their strict teacher— prim and proper, never to gaze at the man afore them. When the conversation shifted to them, the two flinched but Jonathan came at the right time, patting their backs.
"Spare them."
"What a father you are to them. Alright..." Marcus shrugged, then went to the other counter, preparing tea while facing them. "So if it''s the Lady of Blackwell that needs further assistance, then what I may be of service?"
Meanwhile, Nathalie and Jonathan glanced at each other for a minute, then nodded.
Marcus moved so quickly he finished brewing tea for the three of them.
[I''d get straight to the point.] Then, she reached for her pouch; with a piece of paper upon retrieving, she then slid it against the slab for him to read.
However, this got the information deeply rooted in his stance, jaw jutted out with eyes widened from what he read.
"I don''t have anything to say about this—"
"You can fool others, Marcus. But that won''t work on me!" Jonathan growled, slamming his fist, making the tea and mug tremble with ripples on it. "Even these two knew that there were no kids or even young adults found in this town!"
While he remained unshaken from his posture, his gaze begged to differ, like he wanted to crawl his way out of the mess he was in it.
While it was evident, she needed to hear it from his mouth.
[Were you responsible for it?]
"A worth of thousand ingots of gold, then I shall answer you—"
Without any hesitation, Nathalie reached for her pouch, and an upside-down, a gleaming light cast upon the slab as it dropped a medium-sized sack with a familiar shape etched on it. A loud thud made with a tiny crack coursed through the slab.
The eyes of Jonathan and the twins almost fell out of their sockets as they became speechless, and Keith turned out livid as he couldn''t hold himself back with a roar from her bold move.
"This is too much—"
Nathalie then had a slight prod on his lips, silencing him for good.
"Tell me the truth, like the authentic information broker that you are. Surely, you don''t back down on your word, yes?"
More than anything, Marcus went livid as his face turned beet-red from clenching his jaw for a long time now. His visage screamed of wanting to pounce at her but with strong individuals around her, he couldn''t even budge a move.
He had to clear the air and come clean on them.
"Indeed. I did that. I tricked every young and able man and woman in this town and nearby cities for a promising future that awaited in the Country of Ustreador."
Unable to hold back, Keith stood, grabbing him by the collar, and punched his face, swift and hard as he could. Leaving Marcus lurched his step backward, grunting as he covered his bruised cheek.
"What maniac! You deserve punishment beyond death!" Keith thought it wasn''t enough as he wanted to charge at him; but got stopped when Nathalie froze his feet and hips onto the floor and the bar rails, respectively.
Nathalie''s face may also appear calm, her usual facade, but even Jonathan knew well what she thought of right now.
A sudden skip on her heartbeat came from the dreadful situation that awaited her.
More than anything, the changes in the manuscript came true, and it was as though the manuscript became like those of prophecy tropes.
''This wasn''t the storyline I had to carve my path yet, how did this happen.''
Afraid, more likely the story would shift to a plot she might''ve not known, making him lose her advantage as the plot thickened into uncharted chapters.