Chapter 6: Chapter 6

“There is no need for that. Mother never leaves her house after father's death.”

Rinaldo's mother stopped appearing in public years ago. The last time someone saw her face was when she made a speech to congratulate the Count for succeeding her. Now, the Dowager Duchess was a recluse who never left her room.

Some said she was sick. Others said she was just old and didn't want to be seen. No one knew for sure.

If it hadn't been for her painting in the guild head's office, everyone would have forgotten how she looked like by now. Since there were no reports of her recent sightings, Rinaldo was confident nothing had changed.

His mother's reluctance to go outside wasn't the only constant in the city. The city itself hadn't changed over the years. It was a sight to behold. The same shops still lined the streets, and the same landmarks were in the same places. It was as if time had stood still in his home town.

Viennetta was a large city with canals running down in all directions. It was near the borders between the Northern, Southern, and Western Continent. The streets were flat and straight, with a lot of places to drink and eat.

The only thing that was different was the people. Olivia, too, seemed to notice this.

“There seem to be so many kinds of people here.”

“Yes, the city has become quite cosmopolitan over the years.” Rinaldo looked around. “You'll find people from all walks of life here.”

Rinaldo and Olivia walked around the city for a while, taking in the sights and sounds. The atmosphere was electric, and there was a feeling of excitement in the air. They walked past a group of people who had gathered around a street performer.

The performer was playing the violin, and the people were clapping along.

The pair stopped to listen for a while. They were both amazed by the performer's skill.

“That was incredible!”

Rinaldo agreed. “Yes, it was. I've never heard anything like it.”

The music so captivated the two of them that they didn't notice the man who had been playing it walking up to them until he was right in front of them.

“Hello. I'm glad you enjoyed the music.”

“We did. It was amazing.”

“Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.”

The man introduced himself as Giovanni, and the three of them chatted for a while about music. Rinaldo and Olivia were both surprised to find out that Giovanni was blind.

“I can't see the instrument, but I can feel the vibrations through my hands and I can hear the music,” Giovanni explained.

Olivia praised the man's skills. “That's incredible.”

After they had talked for a while, Olivia and Rinaldo said goodbye to Giovanni and went on their way.

“That was an amazing experience.”

“Yes, it was. I'm so glad we stopped to listen to the music.”

After a while, they continued walking. They walked past a few shops, and Rinaldo noticed Olivia was looking at the items in the windows. He asked her if she wanted to go inside and look around.

She said yes, and they went into the shop. Olivia started looking at some dresses in the store.

Rinaldo looked around and noticed that there were many people in the store. Some people were looking at him as well. He felt a little uncomfortable.

He asked Olivia if she was ready to go. She said she was, and they left the store. Rinaldo felt relieved to be out of the store. Eventually, they made their way to the centre of the city where the main square was located.

There was a large crowd gathered there, and Rinaldo could see that someone had set up a stage at one end.

Olivia pointed towards the crowd. “What's going on there?”

“It's the annual celebration of the city's founding. There will be speeches and performances, and then a fireworks display.”

Olivia nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd. She noticed many people wearing masks and assumed it must be a tradition. One mask looked familiar. It had the same appearance as the mask worn by Rinaldo's self-proclaimed eternal rival, Ricardo.

“Why are so many people wearing masks?”

“It's part of the tradition. People wear masks to conceal their identity during the celebration. It's said that if you wear a mask, you can be anyone you want to be.”

A smile spread across Olivia's face. “That sounds like fun.”

“It is. But it can also be dangerous.”

Olivia's smile faded. “Dangerous?”

“Yes. There have been instances of people using the anonymity of the masks to commit crimes. It's best to be careful.”

Olivia nodded, her expression serious. She knew Rinaldo was right and made a mental note to be extra careful during the celebration. Was it a coincidence that the timing of the disappearance matched with the celebration?

The pair kept walking towards their destination. Rinaldo's mother's house was in a secluded part of the city. It was a long walk from the guild, and the closer they got, the more Rinaldo felt like someone was following them.

“What's wrong?”

Rinaldo stopped and looked around. He couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone there.

“I'm not sure. I feel like we're being watched.”

Olivia also stopped and looked around. She saw nothing, but she trusted Rinaldo's instincts.

“We should hurry.”

The two of them quickened their pace, but Rinaldo still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following them. He looked over his shoulder several times, but he saw nothing.

Suddenly, he heard something behind him. He turned around and saw a figure standing in the shadows. The figure was wearing a hooded cloak and had their faces hidden in the darkness.

Their eyes met. Rinaldo felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know who this person was, but he had a feeling that they were not friendly. Drawing his sword, he prepared to defend himself—by attacking first.

The stranger threw a knife at the advancing Rinaldo. He instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. The stranger then ran towards him, drawing a second knife.

Rinaldo reacted quickly, parrying the first knife with his sword and then thrusting his sword forward, impaling the stranger. The stranger let out a cry of pain as they collapsed to the ground. What happened next shocked Rinaldo.

The body on the ground faded into nothingness, and the stranger reappeared next to Rinaldo, uninjured.

He felt a surge of energy within him, and he attacked the stranger with everything he had. But it was not enough. The stranger's continued ability to heal from lethal injuries miraculously stumped him.

Suddenly, the stranger spoke. “Are we done yet?”

Rinaldo froze. He knew that voice. “Caitlin?”

The stranger tossed her cloak to the side, and Rinaldo could see the woman underneath. The woman was about average height and had long, dark hair, a pair of matching cat ears, and black tails. She was wearing a dress made of light fabric, which billowed around the woman as she moved.

“What are you doing here, young master?”

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“I could ask you the same thing.”

Caitlin shrugged. “I live here.”

The two stared at each other for a moment before Caitlin started laughing.

“What's so funny?”

“I was just thinking what milady would say if I came home and told her I'd put her son under an illusion and he didn't notice until I told him.”

The thought made her laugh even harder, and before long, she was lying on the floor, clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her face. When she finally stopped laughing, she sat up and swiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

“I guess I needed that.”

Rinaldo looked at her. “Catilin, you seem different.”

“Do I?”

It was strange, Rinaldo thought. The Caitlin he knew had never laughed like that before. She always preferred to keep her thoughts and ideas to herself, never sharing her true feelings with anyone. He wondered what could have caused such a change in her. Maybe she was just happy to see him.

“Yes. You're laughing more.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Rinaldo shook his head. “No, it's a good thing. I just wondered what caused the change.”

Caitlin was the head maid of the Dordogne's household. When Rinaldo was in trouble, she was the first one to offer him a helping hand. She was also the one who helped him the most with his studies. She made sure that he was up to date on his lessons, even when he was behind.

Caitlin had been with the Dordogne family for as long as Rinaldo could remember. She had been the one to take care of him when his parents were too busy.

Rinaldo knew he owed a lot to Caitlin. He knew she was only doing her job, but she also cared about him. In that regard, he had a lot of respect for her. It was nice to see her happy, even if it was at his expense.

“Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just happy that you're doing well.”

“Thanks, Caitlin. I appreciate it.”

Caitlin smiled. “I should get going. I'll see you later.”

“Bye, Caitlin.”

Rinaldo watched her walk away, and then he turned and walked in the opposite direction. It wasn't until he was several blocks away that he wondered why Olivia had said nothing for a while. Then he realised the reason: Olivia was nowhere to be seen.

Where was Olivia? Where could she have gone? Why hadn't she told him she'd left? It made little sense. Rinaldo retraced his steps, but there was no sign of Olivia. He did not know where Olivia could be and didn't know how to find her.

“Olivia, where are you?”

Rinaldo kept walking, but something was wrong. He was sure he had walked on this part of the street before. Rinaldo tried to remain calm, and he thought about what his next steps should be.

He must have taken the wrong turn somewhere, but it was getting harder and harder to remember where he had come from. Rinaldo was feeling lost.

There was an unnatural stillness in the air, as if a deep fog had settled on the ground. The trees were still, and the leaves were unmoving. The only sound was the crunch of his boots on the dead leaves beneath his feet. It was unnerving, like walking through a graveyard.

He turned around and started walking back to where he had come from, but it was no use. The path went on and on and only grew more and more familiar. The feeling of someone watching him only increased.

Rinaldo could feel eyes on him, invisible eyes that were weighing and judging him. He had the sudden, overwhelming urge to leave.

It was then that Rinaldo realised Caitlin had never released him from her illusion. No matter how he had tried, no matter how much he had struggled to get free, he remained under her spell. How had that ever been possible?

“Caitlin!” There was no one there to hear him. “I know you're there!”

The woman reappeared next to Rinaldo. “You called?”

“I think you should drop the illusion. It's… unsettling.”

She considered his request for a moment. Her voice took on a teasing edge. “What if I don't want to?”

Rinaldo hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He didn't want to be under her illusion any longer, but he also didn't want to anger Caitlin.

The last time it happened, he had found himself in a dark forest, and it had taken him three days to find his way out, while he was only being held there for less than a minute. He had only just got over the nightmares.

“I'm not sure what I'll do then.”

“I see.” Caitlin's expression turned thoughtful. “Very well, I'll drop the illusion.”

As soon as she spoke the words, Rinaldo felt the weight of the spell lift from him. Rinaldo took a deep breath, feeling relieved. It was like finding a pocket of air after spending a long time underwater. He felt lighter. Freer.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Caitlin paused for a moment before adding, “But I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. I was enjoying watching you squirm.”

Olivia watched them intently, her expression unreadable. “Why don't you use your dagger?”

“What?”

“Your dagger,” she repeated. “Why don't you use it the moment you noticed the illusion? It would be a lot quicker than asking the person who trapped you to free you.”

He nodded. “You're right. It would be quicker.”

The thought crossed his mind, but his sense of self-preservation stopped him from trying any such thing.

Pain was a distressing feeling, often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. However, the pain itself wasn't coming from the stimuli: it was the nervous system telling the body that it should avoid the stimuli. Not exactly a useful function in this case.

Olivia must have seen Rinaldo fighting with empty airs, but did nothing, thinking he could break the illusion on his own. She was wrong. Just because he could didn't mean he would, especially if the method involved self-harm.

“So, why didn't you?”

“I guess I was just hoping that there might be a way out that didn't involve getting hurt.”

Caitlin laughed, pushing her shoulder out in a way that told Rinaldo she was not trying to be mean, but found his answer rather amusing.

She looked around and realised that no one else was laughing, and that they were all more than a little surprised by her reaction. With that realisation came a sudden sadness, an awareness of her own stupidity in thinking the matter was funny.

After a moment, Caitlin's expression turned solemn. “Based on the direction you're going, are you here to see milady?”

“That's right.”

“I'm sorry, but milady isn't accepting visitors right now.”