Chapter 16: Meeting the Frightened Man.
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Afternoon.
Wyfshade Inn, Wyfwood.
Boundary Wyfellon, Wyfn-Garde.
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"Where did you say he was found?" Alaric asked as he walked alongside Richard, exiting the royal building. Richard had just briefed him on the situation, and now they were heading out to address it. In Wyfn-Garde, you couldn’t just be a prince; everyone had responsibilities, including the royal family, and that often meant handling disputes or threats directly.
"At Wyfshade Inn," Richard replied. "He had two missing fingers and kept spouting nonsense. He could have seen the killer."
Wyfshade Inn was a secluded place for travelers, tucked at the edge of Wyfwood Forest. The forest itself served as a boundary between Wyfellon, the capital where the castle stood, and Wyfmoor, the Village of Shadows. It fell under Alaric’s jurisdiction. This inn has been reported to have dumped dead bodies by the door and the closest households.
"Why isn’t Spencer handling this?" Alaric muttered the question. "I just got married; they could at least give me a break."
Richard cleared his throat. "I hate to point out my deficiency, but I have only one eye—do you really expect me to do ’this’?" His impression of Prince Spencer, the second prince, was spot on, mimicking his lazy drawl and dismissive tone perfectly. It was so accurate that Alaric had to suppress a smile.
The second prince was a procrastinating fool, always avoiding responsibilities. Alaric was constantly called to deal with small issues before they grew bigger, mostly to keep the kingdom from blaming him for things that spiraled out of control. He had grown accustomed to the constant finger-pointing. The head councilman often tried to put Alaric in a good light, which meant sending him on tasks instead of his brothers.