Victoria looked up at the Saint sheepishly as he turned around and gazed down at her. She had lost him his prey. “Stupid girl!”He bent down and grabbed her by the collar and yanked her off the floor. He shoved her against the wall, to which she grunted. “Why did you let him escape?!”

Victoria glared at him. “He can’t help what he is! I teased him into chasing me. It was my fault he preyed on me.”

“Who does that?!” He shook his head at her in disbelief. He then spotted the holy dagger. “Are you a Saint?”

“No. But my father was. Alexander Crest.”She revealed to his shock. He immediately backed away. “Y-you ave to go, now! I-it’s not safe for you here.” He warned her as he ran off into the night. 

“Wait!” She ran after him. “What do you know of my father?!”But he was soon gone into the shadows from whence he came. She cursed and panted as she stopped half way down the street. Whatever that Saint knew, he seemed panicked to learn who she really was. “Does everyone hate my family…?” She sighed as she pondered why most people couldn’t wait to get away from her.

She decided to call it a night and continue her search for Gerald the next evening. She walked home knowing that the lady back at the tavern lived to see another morning. She didn’t know how lucky she was. 
[hr]
Back at her mansion, Victoria checked in on her sleeping mother. Diana was sleeping strewn slanted across the bed, snoring loudly. Victoria smiled weakly knowing she was safe but she was living in grief and misery. The only thing keeping her going was organising her daughter’s wedding and seeing her wed to a wealthy man who would take care of her. She ventured back to her own room, draping her cloak over the dresser chair and sat on the bed. She fell back and stared at the ceiling. She knew Vail would be angry at her deception earlier, but it was never her intention to trap him and kill him. At least she stopped the Saint from killing him. 

The next morning Victoria woke and dressed and spent the majority of the day in her father’s study, reading through even more journals. But there seemed to be one missing from the previous 6 months before his death. Which was curious. She didn’t know what to make of that. Perhaps when she found Gerald, he could shed some light on this. She decided to rummage around more of his items and belongings, fishing out a long ed tailcoat with gold buttons. She put it on and looked at herself in the mirror, inspecting it. It must have been his hunter uniform. It was slightly too big for her, but she felt more connected with him wearing this. She nodded with a smile. “I’m sure the tailor can adjust this for me.” She removed it and set it aside on the desk. She then found something very interesting. A crossbow. “Woooww!” She gasped and looked it over. It wasn’t rusty. All she needed were the bolts. “Time to go shopping!”

That afternoon Victoria hit the market. As she walked past some of the ladies, adorned in their finery and parasols, they whispered as the spotted her. “I hear Lady Diana is nothing but a drunk now.”

“She used to throw such elegant garden parties.”

“It’s a shame her daughter has lost her father and has to look after a drunken mother and run a household. I pity her.”

Their judgemental comments reached Victoria’s ears as she ran a finger over some fabrics at the tailor stall. She glanced over her shoulder to the three ladies., they immediately averted her gaze The same ladies that sat by the fire in the Open Leaf tavern last night. One of them Vail’s target. She sighed and carried on her business. “Could you please take this jacket in more at the sides for me? It’s too big.” She asked the tailor, whom took her father’s jacket from her and nodded. “I’ll just take your measurements in a moment.” Victoria nodded and waited, overheard the ladies again. 

“You know…I do believe she is due to marry Lord Spencer next month.”

“Yes but I saw her in the tavern last evening and lured another man out who [i]wasn’t[/i] even Spencer.” They gasped among themselves as they thought it was scandalous. Victoria began to feel agitated. After she had practically saved one of the girl’s lives. Karma had a very strange way of working if it did indeed exist. 

“I mean…I’m not sure what Spencer sees in her, she’s not even [i]that[/i] wealthy.”The cattiness continued as Victoria bit her lower lip. She tried so hard to keep quiet and ignore them. This is what she hated about society and didn’t get along well with other Ladies. She had already made a scene at the Black Bull that she was sure people were already talking about. She did not want to make a scene at the market the very next day.  The tailor brought out a measuring rope and she lfited her arms so he could measure her bust and waist, her cloak revealing a purple dress beneath.

“Does she look…bigger to you?”


“Comfort eating perhaps?” 

Lady Victoria gritted her teeth hard. It was like they [i]wanted[/i] her to hear them talking about her behind her back. She wouldn’t consider them as even acquaintances let alone friends. She just hoped they’d go away soon and leave her alone.

“I’ll have it ready tomorrow, Miss.” The tailor told her and Victoria nodded. “Great thank you so much.” She turned around to leave the stall and the three ladies were still there staring at her across the market. “Oh, Lady Crest! I’m excited for your wedding to Lord Spencer, cannot wait to see your dress!” The girl who would have been Vail’s victim feigned a smile. Victoria feigned a smile back. “Too bad you won’t be able to see it.” Her way of saying she wasn’t invited. But really, if she could help it, there would be no wedding. She had a feeling Spencer could no be trusted. He outed a Hygrace to a Crest. She believed that was intentional. But if Spencer thought she would hate Vail and try to blame him for her father’s death, he was wrong. It would be illogical if a Hygrace had killed a Crest. Victoria took her leave from the market and headed for home.