Really, it was just so convenient that 'Ni Yang' had disappeared. So technically, the glory was all hers.

"That is quite the tale. . ." he muttered; "But isn't it possible that it may have all been greatly exaggerated?"

A different voice- more mature, more assertive, answered him from above;

"Then you clearly don't know Monica. . ."

Nexus' head jerked up. 

As he elevated his gaze, his tense jaw rose upwards, raising his line of sight above the dozen stony steps, bringing them to rest on the Lady of the estate. 

At the top, Mrs. Russell stood there- glowing like she had just swallowed a star. Her golden hair shimmered under the reddish orange glare of the evening sun. She was wearing a yellow colored dress that hugged her bosom neatly.

Looking every inch like an aristocrat, her arms were clasped together in front of her, and her legs were parted evenly at the base- in a perfect regal poise.

As she spoke, Her perfect confident shoulders remained in place, while her blue eyes gleamed;

"Glad to have you join us doctor. You had us worried for a minute there."

The sound of her voice invoked a stream of hot steamy memories flashing through his mind.

"Lady Russell," he bowed his head slightly; "I was just getting my fill of the gist. It appears Monica has been busy these past few days."

The hem of her dress tightened on her thigh as she put her foot forward;

"Seeing that you'll be with us for the time being, you'll be sure to find out that she's just that kind of girl. . ." 

The lady seemed to glide as she made her way down the steps.

The sun above, and the wind below- they all seemed to collude to flatter her descent. The breeze swept through the courtyard, flattering her waist long hair, and bringing the familiar scent of lavender to Nexus' nose.

"I must admit though," she was still speaking; "This time, she's really outdone herself. I mean, I'm no hunter myself, but just about everyone has heard about just how dreadfully terrifying those creatures are. . ."

Nexus nodded; "I've heard tales."

Crystal chipped in eagerly; "So have I."

Nora said nothing.

"So you do get it?" as she got closer, Nexus noted that she was not just glowing, she was beaming; "The stories are consistent with intermissions of explosions. That fire and brimstone approach is typical Monica- just like her father."

Her voice rang with overt notes of pride.

Nexus watched her furtively- and more importantly, he listened.

A thousand wind wolves? Fiery comets? A hundred B-rank living wolves? Those things certainly didn't happen. Monica had fed these people lies!

The big vein on the right side of his temple throbbed as he quickly thought on it all.

He couldn't snitch on her. The would backfire immediately- he would be exposed. Besides, Monica had one clear motive, and that was solely to exalt the status of her family. The news of a Russell killing off a thousand wolves in one night was insane.

But it had a nice ring to it- a powerful ring.

Let her keep the fame. He would keep his secret identity, and the truth of course. Who knows, he could end up blackmailing her with it in the future. The mere thought of holding something over her was thrilling.

". . .what's wrong doctor? You look really pale. . ."

Nexus snapped back to the present.

"My bad, I kind of zoned out for a minute there."

Her eyes lit up with excitement and her rosy cheeks turned even rosier; 

"It's incredible isn't it? Who would've thought?! People will certainly be talking now. . I can assure you, before dawn tomorrow, we can be sure to expect some high profile visitors streaming through those gates. . ."

Mrs. Russell's whole body bubbled, and her eyes danced as the words rolled off her tongue in feverish bouts of excitement. The golden haired woman was pleased.

But Nora was obviously not.

"May I be excused mother?" She asked with a streak of irritation in her voice.

Lady Russell's eyes softened;

"Of course sweetheart. Do as you wish."

The words were barely out of her mouth before the younger blond tore up the steps in quick strides- taking them two at a time. Crystal shared a knowing glance with Nexus before bolting after her.

A moment of silence crept up on them as they both watched the two young women rage up the stairs, and disappear behind the massive wooden door of the great hall. In the background, the steady neighing of the horses reigned from the stables. A couple of birds screeched overhead, and the watchman in the tower looked down on them through slits in his helm.

Without turning to face him,

and with her face still peeled to the door with a saddened expression,

the lady whispered in a barely audible voice;

"I know you're only just returning. But I would really appreciate it if you could join me in my study. . ."

...…

Trudging softly behind her, he followed in wordless obedience.

The sun was still shining lazily in the horizon. The atmosphere was relatively warm with a little streak of light breeze that occasionally came wafting through. However, despite the fact it was still very much early evening, the corridors of the castle screamed with loneliness.

The walls and pillars, all grey-with some patches of faded ash, towered all around Nexus. With the flickering lights burning from the ever lit torches, their shadows danced along the walls of the passageways.

He had never been to the study before. Heck, he didn't even know there was a study at all.

After a series of twists and turns, and after journeying in silence. they came up before  another massive oak door.

Like the door to the great hall, it was almost ten feet tall. At the point of intersection between the wooden frame and the concrete wall, strong iron bars lined up its boundaries. Overhead, some cobwebs matted the arching ceiling- a clear pointer that this place was not too frequently used.

In the light of the orange flames, the Lady Russell produced a whole bunch of keys from her robes. They jingled in the dark as she strung out a single one, inserting it into the key hole.

The mechanism churned like the slow creaking of an old tractor. And the lock snapped. She stepped away slightly;

"Do you mind?" she nudged him- pointing at the door.

Nexus' feet shuffled along the floor;

"Sure."

His face grimaced as his outstretched hand came in contact with the heavy door. Realizing he might have to put in some more power, he hauled with his shoulders and pulled. The massive square door parted at the middle, and swung open.

Holding the door, he stepped back; 

"After you ma'am."

The inside of the study told Nexus he did not know a single thing about the castle.

The first thing he noticed was just how high the ceiling was. Flanked by five walls, and supported by the a pentagon shaped base, it shot up high- towering above both him and the Lady.

"As you can imagine, I've lived quite sometime on this earth. . ."

She said as she sauntered towards the desk at the end of the room. 

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