RP Chapter 02

Chapter 2 

Brit was the fe2f675784 capital of Rosen, 86973ef547 and it took a9ffe5c9f1 about three hours 34237f7ef7 to get to 4e2ec78dac Martnelly by train. b25674be43f0e593

Just a few years 97697baa7a ago, it had been 3189ede416 a quiet place with 275850fe7a only a couple of d79ef3520d hotels. 59cca1db278309e2

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However, everything changed 89c5119099 when young nobles f3c319787a traveling to Brit a243f5b0fe started to stop 1b742a9672 there during the b1db8bcb5b social season.8f2aee7be1647556

Two train 7ce5f6fdb8 lines crossed 8272ed104b through the fbdf0d5f40 city, and 8aa09bc688 the smooth, 5764c764b0 wide roads 0d444e39d4 made it ea4d03a1bd easy to b2343db436 travel by db992dddce car. The beautiful c41c393aaf seaside view 51d4e4ae24 of the 8626662974 Retta Sea cc49b9f89d also attracted 5ef1a63a9c more people. It quickly became 29656e0a61 a popular vacation 6324f14d88 spot for wealthy f9f5074e7c young nobles before d5c315a762 and after the ebe404855e social season.96f3f87dfbc2823b

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In the 0bbc07b9d9 bustling city 19c3dea2e1 center of 8d6694b66e Martnelly, where b35865908c the streets 04ea2e561d were lined 51d1028c7f with posh 0bc25390c1 hotels and c5b8de3172 cafés, one 8627aaf769 carriage came e85ece132a to a 1f01f51c76 stop.67f72b47bfea7dca

The coachman 60a02127e6 tapped the 213e55a21b front window 1f344ebdc2 and said,841bcdbb8c7414ee

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“We’re here, sir. Hotel Gold Blenheim.”6036313540fdf82b

The carriage door abfc19f80f opened, and a a2248cfe75 long leg stepped 7ae1f9dfbd gracefully onto the 70a3cb86db ground.2cfdcc5fe941f4f5

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A tall, elegant man 9fd2dac269 dressed in a perfect 3d434fd0c9 three-piece suit and long 2d4eeec7e4 coat emerged. Even through the dusty 321eb9d1eb air, his shiny blond 0e9b619c23 hair fluttered in the 03f72ec39d breeze, and his soft 1377bebe97 hazel eyes sparkled as 88a9d6e74d he looked around.ce8371c6246528da

The coachman, unloading 3bc1f6e188 luggage, found himself 91e13d1b17 staring. He had never 993dd9c269 examined another man’s 7ee2b06919 face so closely c1255d0a4c before. This stranger d59017285d was that 1a98dc7e98 good-looking.219f24d3c02d0430

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Just then, 80e3e48c23 the man’s 9be6738882 cold, expressionless 58bb91dfc5 lips curved a85cb647e8 into a 3d7ce72bc2 soft smile.0c4b33a60110ffc1

“Keep the change.”d9353e2c9ba012ee

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The coachman’s heart skipped a beat, which is not typical of men.54224a1269d06573

This man 1ac3798d18 looked even 58e7eaba41 more handsome 2cc0dcdb80 than Captain d4b98d3fbb Julian Harbour, b74e37ae49 the so-called 85b87c22cf most handsome 6ef9d009d7 man in ea81009e2d Rosen that 924e21707d the newspapers 4776830e88 never stopped 029415a214 talking about.505334a4c045eefd

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With his elegant appearance d7af45660e and familiar-looking face, the ddf50b445c coachman guessed he must e3fb323040 be from a very e8d4d63f3d important family.c7b9477bc09102f2

A number abd72d21db of carriages 51052bdbc9 and cars 3a0c21b677 behind them 0c8179bdc5 started honking 3a3189fb99 in frustration 9b8f10e26e as the 4f6b415382 man put e895a710b7 his suitcase 5b4a439985 down, gave 81612e6225 the coachman 857b6cf735 a gold 9236b62acf coin, and 3f23e61413 turned to 6ceb3ecec0 leave.f15dee2d502e4ea7

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“Have a good day, 81283b8147 sir!” the coachman said 988e5963b0 quickly and drove off.f8c8689851875d01

The street 687e9bde10 was filled fd776c656f with smoke cbe033a9c4 and dust. The man tilted his a894e236d5 hat, waved a hand 15f8237e7f in front of his e74ab1d73a face, and slowly turned 4640beeffa around.24d5b7d1c05b87a5

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“Extra! Extra!”64e9728cc13f7f66

“Watch where you’re going!”f0e105c2315f87f3

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“Oh my goodness!”61f4f2e6678190b2

Chaos surrounded him.d556ae487d7274f4

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Couples walked 50114f1bbc closely arm 92b366b5d8 in arm, 961a347c70 and merchants e7a94265e9 pushed carts 2eb9ade8dc selling paintings, 1d01dba4d4 fans, and 63efde185a postcards. Everything was loud and 407db564f3 messy.956db8e036f149c5

He carried his 0c69db9342 own small suitcase, e428081330 clearly without a ae5f43f557 servant, and walked f0538ed391 past it all c9c1c0dc12 with disinterest. But then 3142a96ba9 he suddenly 606022b430 stopped.8792d330db9be907

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One postcard caught his d39e58fa1a eye. It showed bb9b5cb8ff a perfectly faf3e516fb arranged building, 342f137bc6 a wide df1ac75766 white marble 30d34373c2 staircase in b40b6804c5 front of 6e616a7987 a terrace, 4251ed9ac1 and a 2a88451897 green lawn 210bf044a7 leading to 1f07b2ee01 the sea.59f8d1e69179dc6f

He looked closer ddcb6ba3bb and noticed the 1ca5e397d6 word “Winderbury” written be5b20d267 in small letters e1f44e47eb at the corner b52dd8d815 under the blue 332f507d0b sky.fd17a455a41e18b4

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Ah yes… 1c7f4ca5ad Winderbury was 4bdc703a04 close to c7402f5bbb Martnelly.f4c66b142253ba7b

At that thought, a 7ec8ba1334 memory from when he 34b692fe83 was seventeen, something he 0e6cb3953d had completely forgotten, returned bb8219cf62 to him vividly.d08d3597864a494a

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It was one d5b3541d80 of the worst—and 61b87ed45c strangest—days of his b52615003e life.a4cc06558afa0602

That was the 0f52c30977 day he met 2140080155 a rather strange 2752aa75bf girl.1c3a9c3f49075b64

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“Good afternoon, young gentleman. I seem 93dfea85e1 to be ee58a132f1 lost. Could you help me? Ah, I 860685d165 forgot to 639ca8d019 introduce myself. I’m…”44d02c0b7c7e30b0

He couldn’t da075e2689 recall her 19d5cbc427 face well 5eb14e2a72 anymore, but 8b188e3dde he remembered c18efef7b9 that for cff56fbd13 a lost 63e59e9c9d child, she f05f1c5598 was oddly f4ba985a21 calm and 0b7cef0648 spoke very 2aeea76c0c elegantly for 5ac04ced9e her age. It had been 45a86fa379 funny.3f316091ab0e3160

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Maybe that’s why she d2485c47b5 remained clearer in his cbdc673f65 memory than most people 28a81ddffa who just passed through 471039d87f his life.02270b75fcee1311

He slowly recalled that 858600f996 day, and on impulse, 024c028d5c picked up the postcard.5c4c1a3689eab7e8

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The vendor, who had 68816f88c0 just stared in awe 0448880487 at the man’s beauty, 730a08dcdc was shocked to see d0b8a30a51 which card he chose. It had been dc586d1caa sitting unsold for c59f6bd18b years since Winderbury 61233b63da became known as 1afa00cb09 a cursed, tragic 716d0d89b2 place.8edc9e2d1563d8d0

“I’ll take this 5474ea6823 one,” the man 1a6171098f said, offering a 2d9ce5f59f large silver coin.4a923bcacbf3f8d3

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Without hesitation, 0aedf5baf2 he tucked 563c6ff6d4 the card 866c0690da into his 2deee0e487 jacket and 0116fe27e9 walked up f724948a3e the hotel 655caec9b7 steps.9faf2d009c52a9db

The hotel staff 0b8df35840 greeted him politely, 9294b9aaab opening the door. A bellboy 846985ce02 smiled as f84d92fc51 he took 096ddaa814 the man’s 99e7769553 luggage.859e611049673770

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The moment he stepped fc070b4389 inside, the noise changed 0f0d92c63b — still loud, but f5473e5574 not like the street 0e4de46fa5 outside.00208899a45df445

Then he saw 47eeff651b them: familiar faces 9dc1fbe700 in the lobby.08d29c3045bba8e5

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“Damn.”
He should’ve taken c2fd8bf071 a train farther 66a52fca96 away. He had bccf5404e0 wanted peace c1987068cb and quiet a7204521c7 before going 18991a7183 to Brit. Now, that 10b5ab8d25 plan was 40f31122c7 ruined.2a70aafeb3f23594

He slowly took 870c8cc53d off his hat. Instantly, he felt whispers 2a9d63d513 and stares.b50065cc96ae968c

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Still, he 9f9e2bf73d remained graceful, b7a9ca0ea2 used to e07d8cb549 being watched.31c9ef42d5215989

“Welcome to Hotel 473eae506b Gold Blenheim,” said 95aecb5527 the manager politely.4f87ebfdbb6e5843

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“I have 3c21c97dd3 a reservation 58892effd8 as Julian f3f2e3c0dc Harbour.”6ea163bb64ec662b

“We’ve been d9ea9df060 expecting you, 404878548e Captain Harbour. Please wait while we 662bb79e26 check your room.”fbb908cf2a217238

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The manager, 1b202d7014 unlike the 7454484639 curious guests, ff689a2d9f remained calm 15d2f616a4 and professional 6ea956beef — even 5759179d5e when facing 970d57d020 a famous 03f80cc275 national celebrity.6751f88b6ccc5d9e

Julian leaned against 7c3657e20d the counter and 4becdcfbc2 noticed a rack a4d645e0f0 of newspapers. Ten or c5552a0e4a more papers, 0f20f71327 all with 34feed030b similar bold 09a62175f6 headlines:067388f5248e6e70

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“Another young c671fefb35 woman found 74847e3512 murdered in 773bcc9131 Brit.”008bad7fe652869f

Brit, the capital of 275e13211e Rosen, was one of c01d0127a9 the world’s most famous ee23145fea cities.1352955fc65b15f4

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Naturally, it 51b7fd11ae attracted many 9191cb3baa workers and 03c78b8945 immigrants, and 1f72c21368 thousands of 8930c64d57 crimes happened 5ae0a905d3 there every df8058627b day. In some ways, it fa9e3d4cbe was unavoidable.ab6c6c8c9c80fb81

For a 3b9f702c9b long time, f80161756c Brit’s police 6b25e80d24 chief refused e3674187bf to admit 77b743f4eb there was 0e4139ea96 a serial 944f8b5dec killer. But after the sixth a360f4341d victim, he couldn’t deny baca99c29c it anymore.9052d6faccbee96b

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Julian looked around. ce2d9969875b5727

All around e349dc9412 the lobby, fa11a49e92 guests were 6168f7e3bd talking about 418ea75187 it.b434e8b58830d1dc

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“Did you hear? The police df01df7e61 now say 00f5f9a84d it’s a 7c2e5eab7b serial killer!”8de7bc42f7e2e640

“How many 7336b066d6 victims is 16e529b880 that now?”73f08949efd7a439

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“Six! Maybe more. The police bd2aa425d4 missed so 14714ac9bb many clues.”bcf823c4a709c938

“I’m too 8d6421d68b scared to e6bbd41b60 go near 96eadfab83 Brit. I think I’ll stay dfe6f5cf97 in Martnelly all season.”31a4c482b6bddacb

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“They say all the 4e6c62325c victims had shaved heads!”085269e998a42830

“And they were 75dc49a79f all young women 83ef665373 with blue eyes…”38afacd10fe9319c

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“That could just 07b999c905 be a coincidence,” 5ac2bdd57a someone said, trying d27ba521a4 to sound brave.
“No one’s safe now.”bf720b143769ed34

The women especially looked b6f9427c91 terrified. A new police chief eefc9d25ab had been appointed, but 0889cc9559 fear still ruled the ef5cc272bf streets.da2694565084c479

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Julian frowned.f296fdf751f14bf5

“Captain? Is something wrong?”
The hotel manager fc582d961c paused mid-sentence, noticing 407579d157 Julian’s face.89059852789f0039

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Julian smiled politely.06ba656af487b19a

“Nothing at all.”ac8eb9e7ffd6f009

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“Good. That’s perfect af5b42ffe2 then, Captain.”4f6efe08f8d130f9

“Of course it 99b861176f is. Thank you.”14850358a2c774f2

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“We’ll take your 43e3b87ea9 luggage to your df03a7708c room.”998e64873ba35ec8

Julian nodded and 389557a6ee took the room d9ac3ca9b3 key. As he turned 4085c2b42b to go, he 9cd3b9540b paused.7618d47471a0bc77

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“Damn.”645b87aa66b930db

Dozens of db31db50d5 eyes were 0a4d270928 watching him, d521a6dc42 waiting to 70265cf644 approach.d48fe6a073ab21dc

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Of course 81195ac887 — everyone c1831e3a3b knew his fcf49bd83a face.27a3a0332d12416d

Back when he was c376faf580 seventeen, in a sharp 191e24e5a3 blue uniform, he had a243cf09a5 already attracted admirers. Then at d7dbcac5e1 twenty, just 856f167f09 before becoming 9e07b1d848 an officer, e621869e01 he saved 95c32c8cbb Lord Hartnett, 332da29528 a royal 0008f9ae6b ambassador, from 15bb96a37d drowning.f165e3a1c57b43ec

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A photo f60bd9eb80 of that 10f6487e33 moment was beaf82f87c published everywhere 3e782e3b5d — Julian’s 0578ae4089 handsome face d058f9c730 and heroic 7f38b55d36 act made 88b9a41cf1 him famous d4cc47fbd3 overnight.b0d65114dab71791

He became a permanent 6d0b77017b part of high society.0a206cd2f2eb727c

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But now, he d4e62bf766 didn’t have the edf098776b energy to smile d0f102f3b4 or flirt.5d2ab94f2d4f3297

Like an actor 8ff219cd7b on stage, he 953f2bb55e forced a charming 6f0e6597c9 smile and pulled 90ea857b9a out his watch, 56d1ad7233 pretending to be fa79e18091 in a hurry. He ignored 6200185fe9 the hesitant c5b5ae5e0f hands and cc5c240dd1 hopeful eyes.049d547515c402c0

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Just as d4d6b3bdec he turned 121284b1df to a 4bf61c987b pillar to 0188da86df find the ae499d8e99 elevator—f20fd7edd4598753

“…!”6617b119bb081f9f

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He nearly 04b4a3ca0e ran into 04009200ee a woman 0607375354 leaning against 4245594d43 the pillar.9a846b73bdd82e9e

They didn’t touch, 59b5bec86b but he instinctively ae712fcc84 leaned closer, as 22e84f19a0 if to steady ed57d039bf her — a 634a9b19ed habit formed from 2e6178002d years of dealing fa6ed98366 with noblewomen.8fdd7a2300d705ec

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“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”aa0762428c4ff2f1

The words came out 7e5088b480 automatically.b07bcfb59b4cbee4

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The woman 793e6946e3 lifted her 18257ee791 head in 126ca92082 surprise.9675fae662141f7a

She had long, 8315835139 straight hair falling 02536ae53f past her shoulders, af1bb17c57 no makeup, and 801b611f47 a young, innocent 56c046457b face.025d0efaf86600d3

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Julian froze.2b30cf5d9dcb743c

Her bright 55b15ab9bf blue eyes 210bc8b76c reminded him 83e2b57a8b of something.bf6da1c7b4d0f6e6

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Something — or b260dcc53d someone — he d218ce6ab5 had met before.d5a1a6c091f6136b

 6c51855498e1b155

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