[BL] Alpha, You've Got the Wrong Mate!

Chapter 13: 13 — His Name

”Why am I always selected for an early morning inspection?” A young woman yawned, walking through the hallways.

Her short dark hair reached up to her shoulders. She wore a short black dress to the length of her knees, and long socks covering her legs.

”Stop complaining, Subha,” a man, looking no older than her, with pointed ears, said, frowning at her. He wore a white shirt on which he wore a short-sleeved black suit. His long brown hair was braided and placed on his left shoulder.

”Yeah, yeah, Mister Jack,” she grumbled.

”You should learn to respect your seniors!... Anyway, we’re done with the mansion, right?” Jack asked after carefully examining the kitchen. Nothing unusual. Everything was in its place.

”Yes. Nothing in the hallways, the windows were all closed, nothing broken. The main entrance was closed when I woke up.” Subha confirmed with a bright smile ”Now... Let’s go back to sleep, alright? The sun is still not out.”

Jack fixed his round glasses that had slightly slid from his nose.

”Wait. Not yet. Recently, the General instructed us to verify the area near the mansion. Let’s go.”

”The General has funny ideas sometimes. Keeping guards disguised as servants,” Subha mumbled, her eyes narrowed, her cheeks puffing as she pouted.

Jack opened the door of the mansion, careful not to wake anyone. With slow and low steps, he exited the building, followed by Subha.

As they stood in the woods, Jack noticed Subha still pouting.

”You’re not a child,” he sighed.

”I’m only a hundred-year-old vampire!” She grumbled, looking down not to miss anything.

”A human would have a heart attack if they heard you,” he said.

”What—” Subha stopped midway. ”S-Sir... what is this?” Her voice low, she looked at a dead man’s corpse.

Jack walked towards her. He looked on the ground—a man lay, his limbs motionless and a small knife on his chest. He approached his fingers below the body’s nose.

”He’s not breathing.”

”Who could have?—”

”I will go and report to the general,” Jack stood up. ”Stay here and make sure the body doesn’t vanish like last time.”

Subha opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it again, frowning.

”It’s not my fault they use magic spells... I’m only a vampire...”

***

Zayden sat on a chair, staring at the body of the man. His black shirt was slightly unbuttoned, his skin exposed, and his dark blue hair still damp. He had just begun taking a bath when Jack reported the incident.

Looking closely...

Zayden knew this man.

He was Aarson’s personal attendant, whose name he didn’t remember. It was never important to him to begin with. The servant followed his master everywhere. Apart from the quests, just like any other attendees.

Why was his dead body laying near his mansion?

With crossed legs, he looked at his servants. Under the shades of the large trees, all of them stood in a circle around the dead body. Some trembled in fear, some anxiously bit their lips, and some stood still without any movement. Not even sympathy.

”Search him,” Zayden ordered.

”Should we?—” Jack stopped once he felt the general’s cold gaze on him. He bowed swiftly, obeying the order.

Jack bent down, running his hands over the body. Every time he felt something, he pulled it out of the body’s clothes. A small dragger, a bottle containing a suspicious substance, and a piece of paper, ripped.

The guard placed the objects in front of his master.

”These are all he carried.”

”Give me the paper,” Zayden ordered.

Jack handed it over to him.

Zayden read the text carefully. The letters weren’t rushed, with ink smudging all over. The person who wrote this was literate—possibly a noble.

[Find the documents of the mine in the west.]

A long silence.

Zayden didn’t speak, causing the servants to grow anxious. What was written on this mysterious letter? What if it had their name on it, for the sole purpose of framing them for treason? Everyone knew how General Zayden dealt with traitors.

With a low thud in the dried soil, Zayden rose from his chair.

”The person who killed this man...” his eyes sharpened, making eye contact with every servant.

The servant’s heartbeats increased. Their eyes glued to their master.

”Will receive a raise!” He exclaimed, his gaze softening.

Every staff member looked around at the other, perplexed. No one dared to claim such a tempting offer. The possibility of it being a trap remained.

But in the crowd, a man stood. Brave enough to raise his hand.

Zayden raised an eyebrow, looking at the person who raised his hand.

”Then, will I get my thousand shirings?” Ren asked, stepping forward, his gaze locked into the general’s.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. What was he talking about? A thousand shirings? That was enough to spend a total of three months in the city of Jewels, the capital of Revahara. And in General Zayden’s territory, everything was much cheaper. It was enough to survive for at least five months!

But more than this servant’s words, they were stunned by the general’s laughter. It echoed through the forest. Almost as if an evil ghost had been summoned.

”You are truly a good one,” he said, trying to suppress his laugh.

”But didn’t you know this person?” He stopped laughing almost abruptly, shifting the atmosphere into something more serious.

Ren looked at the body—Cael. The person who kept pestering him to find out information about Zayden’s previous servant.

Even so, he nodded.

The general must have seen me with him.

He told himself.

”So why did you kill him?”

Ren lowered his gaze, as if guilty. But he was not.

”He...” his gaze fell on the small bottle of substance. He knew that strange liquid all too well to not recognize it at first glance—poison. ”Carried poison. He snuck into my room too... I believed he was dangerous for the mansion so I stabbed him with the knife he wanted to stab me with.”

Zayden inhaled deeply before parting his lips.

”Everyone else can leave, and Jack, bring me the objects he carried. And you,” Zayden pointed at Ren. ”Follow Jack.”

Jack bent down and picked up the dead body’s belongings, heading towards the general’s study room.

Ren looked at the dead body one last time.

So the paper he carried was an order from someone...

He shifted his gaze ahead, following Jack quietly throughout the twenty-minute walk. The path always seemed long but he liked the silence. At least there was no unnecessary noise from the servants or anything else.

The door opened, and Jack placed the objects of the corpse on a large table in the right corner of the room. In the middle was the general’s usual spot where he worked on his official documents. And the larger table was meant to be used for cases like these.

Zayden began examining the evidence.

”Attendant,” he said, his voice low. ”Are you saying he didn’t use his dragger, but another one?”

”He took the one used to cut fruit from my room,” he explained.

”Call the headmaid, Jack.”

Jack nodded, bowing before leaving the room.

”Why don’t you take a seat?” Zayden smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Ren sat on the chair nearby. The general wasn’t being kind. He was simply making sure he didn’t scare the culprit. And Ren was the culprit in his eyes. He had killed an innocent man. But was he truly innocent if he carried poison with him?

Of course not.

The room fell quiet for a moment. Jack hadn’t returned with Hannah yet.

”Attendant.”

Zayden finally broke the silence.

Ren looked up at him instead of the object placed before him.

”I hope you know you are a suspect. You might have saved me, but I need the truth.”

Ren nodded.

He didn’t know he was viewed as a suspect. A suspect of what? It didn’t matter.

He could always escape. Like he did from that place. The place where even the dead wouldn’t want their body to rot.

”Alright! So, you said he snuck into your room. Did he tell you anything?”

”Every time I went to the training grounds with you, he would approach me. He would ask me about your previous attendant... James”

Zayden didn’t say anything. Nor did he smile, laugh as he usually did.

The door finally opened and Hannah entered the study room, followed by Jack.

They both bowed before their master.

”I apologize. I should have verified his background thoroughly,” Hannah did not lift her head, keeping her gaze on the floor.

”What is his name?” Zayden asked.

And everyone blinked, perplexed by his sudden question. It had been a while Ren began working under him, doing almost all the chores related to him, yet he didn’t know his name all this time?

”General, I hate to say this to you but...” Jack began.

”Ren,” covering her face with her palm, Hannah interrupted. ”I know it takes you time to remember names but My Lord...”

”I believe we should close the matter here. Ren, you can return to your duties,” Zayden looked at his attendant.

After receiving Hannah’s approval with a hand gesture, Ren bowed and exited the room.

”My Lord—”

”I want you both to keep an eye on him.”

Hannah and Jack exchanged a glance with each other.

”But you said—”

”Do you believe I am foolish enough to trust the words of someone who just arrived after being betrayed by someone who attended me for years? He might be right. No, let’s assume he is speaking the truth. It still does not make him less suspicious. He killed a man. And no normal human beta should be able to kill someone merely from a knife that small.”

He stepped towards the door, turning the lock slowly.

”I want a proper report within three days.”

The door closed behind him, leaving the two servants in a state of confusion, doubt regarding Ren.

The general’s words could not be entirely dismissed. How could a normal human, and a beta murder a man as easily as he made it seem?