Chapter 3: The Regent's Shadow
Chapter 3: The Regent's Shadow
Albert quickly shoved the leather cylinder back into the safe and slammed it shut, kicking a sack of flour to cover the door just as the kitchen curtains were violently thrown aside.
Three men stepped into the room. They wore the dark grey uniforms of the Regent’s private guard, their silver badges shaped like a broken crown. The leader, a cruel-faced man named Captain Thomas, scanned the room until his eyes landed on Leo and Lily, who were trying to hide behind Albert’s large frame.
“Well, well,” Thomas sneered, tapping his wooden baton against his leather boots. “What’s this, Albert? Running an illegal orphanage now? I thought this establishment was for the high society of the district, not the filth from the outer slums.”
“They are just two hungry travelers, Captain,” Albert said, his voice forced into a calm, submissive tone. “I was simply giving them the leftover scraps before throwing them out. Surely the Regent doesn't tax charity?”
Thomas stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Leo’s ripped red shirt. “They don't look like travelers. They look like runaways. And the Regent has strict orders regarding unregistered minors in the upper district.”
Thomas reached out, his rough hand grabbing Lily by the shoulder to pull her out from behind Albert. Lily whimpered in fear, and as she moved, the silver phoenix necklace swung outward, fully exposed under the harsh kitchen lights.
Thomas’s breath hitched. He knew that symbol. Every guard in the city had been forced to memorize the Valois crest to ensure no remnants of the family ever returned.
“Where did you get this?” Thomas hissed, his grip tightening on Lily’s shoulder until she cried out.
“Let her go!” Leo shouted, lunging forward with a small kitchen knife he had grabbed from the table. He drove the point into Thomas’s leather glove, causing the captain to roar in pain and release Lily.
“You little rat!” Thomas yelled, drawing his iron baton. “Guards, seize them! Seize the old man too! This is treason!”
“Run!” Albert screamed, tackling Thomas to the ground with all the strength his elderly body could muster. “Leo, take Lily and go through the coal chute! Go to the Grand Hotel Valois! Find Marcus, the old concierge! He is loyal!”
May you like
Leo didn't hesitate. He grabbed Lily’s hand, dragging her toward the small iron door near the floor that led to the alleyway’s coal delivery chute. They threw themselves down the dark, narrow tunnel just as the sounds of shattered glass and shouting filled the bakery kitchen behind them.
They tumbled out into the cold, rainy alleyway, covered in black dust but alive. Behind them, they could hear the whistles of the city guard echoing through the streets. The hunt was on, and the two children were running through a city that used to belong to them, with nothing but a silver necklace and a name they were finally learning to carry.
