THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

54  Chapter 54: WHO SENT THE FINGERS AFTER YOURS TRULY

"I hope the breakfast was to your liking," the waitress inquired as she collected the empty dishes from the round table.

"Most certainly," Seraphina replied. "I believe my companions and I thoroughly enjoyed the food," Seraphina replied smoothly, her smile unwavering despite the rapidly lightening weight of her coin purse. She watched Luna, who was licking her razor-like fingers.

Luna had already devoured her sixth plate, leaving Seraphina to silently lament the dent in her coffers, though she regained her composure, remembering she had offered to pay.

The waitress lingered for a moment, her gaze flickering between Seraphina and David. "Perhaps you need something else?" she offered, a hint of suspicion lacing her voice.

"No, thank you, dear," Seraphina said, her voice firm but laced with a hint of honeyed charm. "We're just... catching up."

The waitress hesitated, her eyes lingering on David for a beat too long. Finally, with a curt nod, she retreated back to the bustling floor below.

As soon as her footsteps faded, a mischievous glint flickered in David's eyes. "Quite the spread, wouldn't you say?" he nudged Seraphina, his voice dripping with mock sincerity."I would help, you know, but... I don't have any money on me," David teased, watching Seraphina's mixed expressions.

Seraphina, with a sigh that held a hint of amusement. Feigning annoyance, she hushed David with a playful glare. "Not a word from you," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. Then, with a flick of her wrist and a whispered incantation, Seraphina wove a shimmering veil around them. "Silent thee, snuff the voices that resonate in the air. Wistalia," she murmured, the air crackling with arcane energy.

David's playful smirk vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow. "What was that?" he asked, his voice hushed in response to Seraphina's conspiratorial tone.

Leaning closer, Seraphina explained, her voice a mere thread. "A privacy charm. Nothing we say within ten paces can be overheard."

The embers of curiosity David felt towards Seraphina's spell fanned into a roaring fire. Here he was, a man with a strange system humming within him, yet devoid of spells or the intricate dances of magic. He remembered, gleaning from the novel, the mention of mana circles – the more one possessed, the greater the power wielded. For now, he pushed that fascination aside, his gaze drawn to the depths of Seraphina's obsidian eyes.

"First things first," David declared, his voice calm yet laced with a tremor of his own trepidation. "I know everything about you. About your past. About... Thalassa."

Seraphina's breath hitched. Shock rendered her mind a frozen tableau, the weight of his words pinning her thoughts down. Before a torrent of questions could erupt, David silenced her with a gesture.

"As I said, I am a seer of sorts," David explained, setting the record straight. "I won't be telling you how my abilities work since we are not on equal footing. All you need to know is that I am all-seeing," he continued, obviously bluffing but knowing he needed to mix truth with fiction to capture her attention.

"What do you mean, all-seeing?" Seraphina couldn't contain her curiosity.

David huffed, a theatrical sigh. "Didn't I tell you? Questioning is off-limits... for now," he added, his voice softening ever so slightly. "Trust will come. Answers too. But for now, focus on what matters - you and I."

Seraphina, caught between scepticism and a sliver of belief, nodded slowly. The questions gnawed at her, but David's words, laced with veiled promises, held her back from unleashing them just yet. This strange game of information, this dance on the precipice of revelation, had just begun.

The embers of curiosity flickered brightly in David's eyes. "How exactly does this seer business work?" he pressed, his voice laced with a disarming curiosity that clashed with his usual air of indifference.

Seraphina let out a humourless chuckle, its sound echoing in the sudden silence between them. "Isn't that rich, coming from you, Lord David?" she replied, a hint of amusement battling the wariness in her tone.

David shrugged with a nonchalant air. "Shameless, perhaps," he admitted with a playful grin. "But right now, I hold the cards, wouldn't you agree? Especially when it comes to your future."

His words struck a chord, sending a cold shiver down Seraphina's spine. "And yet, you possess your own abilities," she countered, her voice regaining its edge. "Yours seem more potent, dare I say. Why the sudden thirst for mine?"

David's lips curved into a knowing smirk. "Oh, I know about your little trick with the visions, Seraphina. The one that lets you dance a step ahead of death, earning you the moniker 'Cunning Witch.' It's why you were so quick to accept my little proposition, wasn't it?"

Seraphina felt a fresh wave of shock wash over her. Was this man playing some elaborate game, or was he truly omniscient? "Sovereign, perhaps?" she blurted out, though doubt gnawed at the back of her mind. He wouldn't answer that, she knew.

David's surprise was genuine. "A god? Me?" he scoffed, amusement colouring his voice. "Is that the image I project? A celestial being reading your every thought?"

Seraphina met his gaze, her expression resolute. "You practically decipher my soul like a worn tome. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Look," David said, his tone shifting, ushering in a new tactic. "I understand you have a past shrouded in shadows. But if you're to serve any purpose in my ranks, I need specifics. The finer points of this seer ability – how it works, its limitations."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Seraphina's face. Sensing her discomfort, David offered a concession. "Fine, take your time. But when this conversation resumes," he added, his voice firm yet not unkind, "I expect an answer."

"Thank you," she said, surprised by the unexpected courtesy. Time to think, time to gather her bearings – that was a small victory in the face of this enigmatic man who seemed to hold all the cards. The game had begun, and Seraphina, the Cunning Witch, was determined to learn the rules before becoming a pawn on David's ever-shifting chessboard.

A spark of ambition ignited in David's eyes. "I plan to forge a business from the ground up," he declared, his voice brimming with a fervour that could set even damp tinder ablaze. "And with my ... somewhat knowledge about you," he corrected himself with a sly grin, "I believe you're the perfect partner for this venture." He paused, letting the weight of his words hang heavy in the air. "But before we embark on this journey," he continued, his gaze turning serious, "tell me, who sent the Finger after yours truly?"

Seraphina, a glint of amusement dancing in her eyes, saw an opportunity to turn the tables. "Perhaps," she countered with a sly smirk, "it wasn't meant for you at all. Maybe it was a little game... for our benefit."

David groaned, dropping his head in mock exasperation. "Seraphina," he began, his voice laced with a playful weariness, "Seraphina."

A hint of disappointment flickered across Seraphina's features, ''Tsk''. Denied the chance to needle him further, she relented with a sigh. "Fine," she conceded, her voice tinged with defeat. "Truth be told, I haven't the foggiest notion."

David's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I wish I could shed some light," she said quickly, preempting any further outbursts, "but I'm utterly in the dark. However," she continued, her voice taking on a more thoughtful tone, "based on Draven's conversation with that enigmatic envoy, it seems like the lord of this part of the county put a price on your head."

David burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the room. "This part?" he wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "You don't happen to know where we are, Seraphina?"

Seraphina stared at him, her face a mask of incredulity. How could he be so oblivious? The question hung in the air, a silent testament to the vast gulf separating their knowledge of the world.

In David's defence, a sliver of knowledge flickered within him. This county, his life, was technically under the dominion of his father, the esteemed Earl. The land itself bore the weight of a grand name – Aethelwarin. But beyond that grand title, David's grasp of the intricate web of power was as flimsy as a spiderweb caught in a storm.

He lacked knowledge about the various towns within the county, each ruled by lesser lords known as Le Gors. These lords formed the minor branches of the noble De Gors family.

Seraphina's question hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the chasm between his birthright and his actual knowledge. A bitter amusement twisted on her lips. Here he was, a man who claimed ambition, who spoke of forging a business empire, yet he couldn't name the very towns the lesser lords controlled who nibbled at the edges of his father's domain.

She could only sigh as she began to educate the young De Gor lord.

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