The Forest of Glass — Chapter 8

THAT WAS GOING TOO FAR...!

YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST HELD THE CREAM CUP FOR HER.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN KIND AND PUT HER AT EASE, BUT INSTEAD...!

SHE PROBABLY THINKS I'M A FRAUD.

STILL, DON'T WORRY. I'LL MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH THE MARRIAGE.

YOUNG MASTER...!

MORE IMPORTANTLY, LET'S FOCUS ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TODAY.

NOTHING TAKES PRIORITY OVER THIS.

ARE YOU LEAVING ALREADY?

SHE WAS QUITE EASY TO TALK TO.

I'M SIMPLY DELIGHTED THE YOUNG LADY ACCEPTED MY PROPOSAL.

WELL THEN, I'LL LEAVE LADY EMILHEIM IN YOUR CARE UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN.

IT WOULD BE A DISASTER IF SHE TRIPPED AND HURT HERSELF BEFORE THE CEREMONY.

PLEASE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT. MY LADY HAS MEMORIZED THE ENTIRE LAYOUT OF THE MANSION.

THAT IS A RELIEF, THEN.

WILL YOU BE ALL RIGHT?

YOU SHOULD LEAVE TODAY'S OPERATION TO KENNETH.

NO.

COUNT SAWYER'S WINE WAREHOUSE MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO THE FARM.

BESIDES, I'M ONLY GOING TO PROVOKE THEM LIGHTLY TODAY, SO DON'T WORRY.

...EVEN SO, YOU WEREN'T GIVEN ORDERS TO ACT THIS TIME EITHER, YOUNG MASTER.

R MIGHT WANT YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE FRONT LINES.

SHAWN.

IF I, THE LEADER, DO NOT STAND AT THE FRONT,

WHO WOULD TRUST AND FOLLOW ME?

THE MOMENT I REALIZED I WASN’T THE ONLY ONE TRYING TO BENEFIT FROM THIS MARRIAGE PROPOSAL,

AN INEXPLICABLE SENSE OF DEFEAT SURGED FROM DEEP WITHIN.

SHE WAS BLUNT.

IS IT BECAUSE SHE SPENT SO MUCH TIME ALONE WITHOUT EVEN HAVING A DEBUTANTE BALL?

SHE WAS A WOMAN WHO DIDN’T SEEM LIKE A NOBLE, YET WAS MORE NOBLE THAN ANYONE.

HER LIPS TASTED LIKE CREAM.

TREMBLING LIKE A BEAST CAUGHT IN A SNARE...

YET SHE HAD THE AUDACITY TO DEMAND A KISS FIRST.

THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF PLAYING THE NOBLE WHILE SECRETLY DESPISING HIGH SOCIETY.

THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH OF A DISTRACTION TO FORGET THAT DISILLUSIONMENT FOR A WHILE.

YES, JUST THAT MUCH...

HE REALLY HAS NO MANNERS AT ALL!

NOT ONLY DID HE REFUSE TO PICK UP THE CREAM CUP,

BUT HE ALSO INSULTED YOU, MY LADY!

...HE WAS UNEXPECTEDLY HONEST.

MY LADY...! TELL MARQUIS EMILHEIM.

TELL HIM YOU'RE CALLING OFF THE ENGAGEMENT.

IF YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS MARRIAGE,

IT'S OBVIOUS YOU'LL SUFFER!

“call Off The Engagement,” She Says...

WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE?

MY LADY, DON'T TELL ME...!

DANNY, YOU MUST HAVE SEEN HIS FACE.

WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE?

W-WELL, THAT'S...

HE WAS CERTAINLY A HANDSOME MAN, THE KIND WHO'D TURN ANYONE'S HEAD...!

HE WAS VERY TALL,

HIS HAIR WAS PITCH-BLACK, AND HIS EYES WERE AS BLUE AS THE SEA...

THEY HAD SUCH DEPTH, YOU FELT LIKE YOU'D BE DRAWN RIGHT INTO THEM! IT WAS BREATHTAKING...!

T-THE OTHER MAIDS...

THE OTHER MAIDS ALL SAID SO!

HAHAHA...

I SEE.

BUT YOU KNOW...

THAT VOICE KEEPS BOTHERING ME. I FEEL LIKE I'VE HEARD IT SOMEWHERE BEFORE.

WHAT? NO WAY!

HE HASN'T DEBUTED IN SOCIAL CIRCLES EITHER, JUST LIKE YOU, MY LADY.

ALTHOUGH HE SEEMS TO BE FOCUSED SOLELY ON HIS BUSINESS...

IS THAT SO...? WAS IT JUST MY IMAGINATION?

HIS VOICE HAD BEEN BOTHERING ME SINCE WE FIRST EXCHANGED GREETINGS.

BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH I THINK ABOUT IT, I CAN'T QUITE REMEMBER.

THAT VOICE, WHERE ON EARTH HAVE I HEARD IT?

IT'S FRUSTRATING.

MY LADY,

IF YOUR MIND IS TROUBLED, SHALL WE GO OUT TOGETHER TODAY?

I'D LOVE TO, BUT WON'T IT BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU?

THERE'S SO MUCH TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN WE GO TO CROWDED PLACES.

IT'S FINE ONCE IN A WHILE.

I HEARD A CONCERT IS BEING HELD IN FRONT OF THE NEWLY BUILT HOTEL.

THEY SAY IT RUNS UNTIL LATE, SO LET'S GO TOGETHER.

LET'S JUST FORGET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TODAY!

ALL RIGHT, SOUNDS GOOD.

ALTHOUGH I DON’T THINK...

I’LL EVER BE ABLE TO FORGET THIS DAY.

COUNT SAWYER'S WINE WAREHOUSE

PHEW...

I THINK WE MANAGED TO SNEAK IN WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT.

NOW, YOU TWO GUARD THE DOOR,

AND THE REST OF YOU SCATTER TO FIND CLUES RELATED TO THE FARM.

YES, CAPTAIN.

...BUT CAPTAIN,

WILL WE REALLY FIND ANY CLUES?

DAWSON << VIRGIN SHELL MEMBER >> · LIAISON ·

COUNT SAWYER HAS A GOOD REPUTATION.

HE EVEN DID RELIEF WORK FOR COMMONERS RECENTLY...

QUESTION EVERYTHING, BUT DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS.

IF R IS TRULY ON OUR SIDE...

WE'LL DEFINITELY FIND WHAT WE NEED.

T-THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!

TO THINK THERE WAS A DOOR HIDDEN IN THE BASEMENT FLOOR...!

THIS PLACE ISN'T ON THE BASEMENT WAREHOUSE BLUEPRINTS THEO FOUND.

WHAT IS THIS LATCH?

COULD IT BE... IT WAS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED SO IT CAN'T BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE?

LET'S GO IN.

I-ISN'T THE ATMOSPHERE A BIT TOO EERIE?

IT FEELS LIKE A GHOST COULD POP OUT AT ANY MOMENT.

SHH, QUIET.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE.

...!

THIS IS...!

SLAVES...?

SAWYER, YOU SON OF A BITCH...!

THIS IS... A SLAVE WAREHOUSE.

Dammit,

HE CUT THEIR TONGUES SO THEY COULDN'T SPEAK!

AND HE SLASHED THE ANKLES OF THOSE WHO COULDN'T SPEAK TO BEGIN WITH...

A FARM THAT USES ILLEGAL SLAVES.

R'S PREDICTION THAT THE OWNER OF THAT FARM WAS COUNT SAWYER WAS CORRECT.

YES.

AND THEY MUST BE HOLDING ILLEGAL AUCTIONS WITH THESE SLAVES AS WELL.

FIRST,

WE'RE HEADING BACK FOR TODAY.

CAPTAIN?

LEHAN!

YOU'RE SAYING WE SHOULD JUST LEAVE? THEN WHAT ABOUT THESE PEOPLE?!

EVEN IF WE RELEASE THEM NOW, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY'RE CAUGHT AGAIN.

AN OPERATION OF THIS SCALE MUST HAVE A LEDGER.

WE NEED TO FIND THAT LEDGER AND SECURE HARD EVIDENCE.

ONLY THEN WILL COUNT SAWYER RECEIVE THE PUNISHMENT HE DESERVES.

DAMMIT...!

H-HURRY!

THE GUARDS ARE ON THE MOVE!

I'LL GO UP FIRST AND DRAW THE GUARDS' ATTENTION,

SO USE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SCATTER AND DISTRACT THEM!

YES, SIR!

STAY ALIVE, AND I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN.

IT'S VIRGIN SHELL...!

IT'S VIRGIN SHELL...!

OVER THERE!

CATCH THEM!