ckthorn turned to Cordelia as soon as her husband had stepped away, his expression cold. "I''d love to have a small chat with you Cordelia."


    Cordelia straightened in her chair, meeting his gaze with what she hoped was an air of confidence, though internally, she felt a chill of unease.


    "Uhhh.... A chat you say?"


    ckthorn''s eyes narrowed slightly as he pushed his te to the side.


    "Yes, a chat. I noticed your unease the moment Fairfax mentioned Matilda''s name." He leaned forward, his hands sped on the table. "You know something, don''t you?"


    Cordelia felt her heart pounding in her chest, but she refused to show any weakness. This was afterall her home, right? She hadn''t told Fairfax how he dragged her to a private corner thest time they met for obvious reasons. But in her own house, he dared not repeat such!


    "I... I don''t know what you''re implying," she said, her voice measured.


    "Don''t y coy with me, Cordelia," ckthorn said, his tone sharp. "I know you keep your ear to the ground. You hear the whispers, the rumors that circte around this town. You know what has happened to Matilda."


    Cordelia hesitated, then slowly nodded. "I... I have heard something. About her disappearance."


    ckthorn leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "And? What have you heard?"


    Cordelia swallowed hard, her hands gripping the edge of the table. "I... I''ve heard that she''s gone missing. That no one knows where she is." Talk about being captain obvious. Was Cordelia ying games with him? He gritted his teeth as he looked at her with discerning eyes.


    ckthorn''s eyes narrowed further. "And you have no idea where she might be?"


    Cordelia shook her head. "No, I''m afraid I don''t. I''ve only heard the rumors, nothing more." She looked at him convincingly. Part of her wanted to keep eating but the way he kept on staring at her made her do otherwise. She dropped her fork and stared back ufortably at him. She was his wife''s friend, closest even, of course she was suspect.


    ckthorn''s prating gaze never wavered as he continued to press Cordelia. "Think, my dear. Is there anyone, any family member or close friend, that Matilda might have confided in? Somewhere she frequents, a hidden property or a special ce she''s mentioned?"


    Cordelia shifted ufortably in her chair, her fingers fidgeting with the finece trim of the tablecloth. "I''m afraid I don''t know of any such ces or people. Matilda kept much of her personal life private. We were friends, but..." She trailed off, her eyes downcast.


    ckthorn''s lips thinned into a tight line, but he maintained hisposure. "I see," he said evenly. "Then perhaps you can shed some light on another matter."


    He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "What can you tell me about the boy, Zafron, that Matilda had taken under her wing?"


    Cordelia''s eyes widened slightly at the mention of Zafron. "Ah, yes. I believe Matilda mentioned he was from a vige near the mountains. That''s where she found him, if I recall correctly."


    ckthorn''s brow furrowed. "You believe? Surely you must know more than that, Cordelia. Matilda was your friend, was she not?"


    Cordelia''s expression grew more uncertain. "Well, yes, but Matilda didn''t share every detail of her life with me. The vige near the mountains is all I can say with any certainty. I''m afraid I don''t know much more about Zafron or his origins."


    ckthorn scrutinized her for a long moment, his gaze unwavering. "Are you quite sure about that?" he asked, this time his voice was deceptively soft.


    Cordelia swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his stare. "Yes, I''m quite sure. That''s all the information I have. If anything, shouldn''t you know more about your wife than I should?" She asked.The constant questioning was bing rather annoying.


    ckthorn held her gaze for a heartbeat longer before nodding slowly. "Very well. I''ll have to look into this vige near the mountains myself, then." He ignored herpletely, not answering herst statement.


    He leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "Thank you, Cordelia. You''ve been most helpful."


    Just then, Fairfax returned. He had an expression on his face that looked like someone who did a marathon. "Ah, Lord ckthorn, I see you''re still here. I trust my wife has been a gracious host?" He offered ckthorn a wry smile.


    ckthorn straightened, returning the smile. "Indeed, Lord Fairfax. Your charming wife has been most amodating." He continued. "Well, I''m afraid I must take my leave."


    "So soon?" Fairfax asked, surprised at the abrupt departure.


    "Well, you know my friend. Business requires my presence," ckthorn exined. With that he stood back up, offering Cordelia a final nce.


    As ckthorn made his way towards the door, Fairfax fell into step beside him, followed by Gustavo who had been standing by the door.


    "So, what pressing matters have pulled you away from your own mansion on this fine day?" Fairfax inquired, a mischievous glint in his eye.


    ckthorn chuckled, sping his hands behind his back. "Ah, you know how it is, my friend - the life of a businessman is never truly at rest. But tell me, how fare the political winds in these uncertain times?"


    Fairfax''s expression shifted to that of a seasoned politician "Well, the political arena is a never-ending dance, is it not? But I must say, I''ve found a certain...ir for the choreography, over the years. I will be contesting for the Governor soon enough." He offered ckthorn a wink.


    ckthorn shook his head rather out of amusement. He wasn''t interested in politics that much but his friend was a politician to the core. "Is that what your guest came to discuss about?" ckthorn asked.


    "Yes and I believe have an upper hand in the forthing elections because..."


    The two men continued their conversation, their voices fading as they made their way out of the mansion.


    As they approached the waiting cart, ckthorn motioned for Gustavo to hang back, indicating he wished to speak privately with Fairfax.


    The two men slowed their pace, allowing the distance to grow between them and Gustavo.


    As soon as Gustavo was reasonably out of earshot, ckthorn''s lips thinned into a tight line. "Fairfax," he said, his deep voice carrying a note of gravity. "I''m afraid Ie to you with some troubling news."


    Fairfax''s brow furrowed, the smile fading from his face. "Troubling news? What do you mean? Is your business not doing well?" That was the only trouble Fairfax knew would take ckthorn to leave his mansion to his. Right from the onset he knew something was amiss. Now the visit all made sense.


    And thatugh, thatugh from earlier too! ckthorn onlyughed when he was stressed. It all made sense now.


    ckthorn fixed him with a stern gaze. "My wife, Matilda, has gone missing. I''ve been searching for her, but she seems to have simply.... vanished."


    Fairfax''s eyes widened in shock. "My goodness, ckthorn, that is dreadful news indeed!" He paused, a look of concern crossing his features as he scanned the perimeter to make sure no one was close. "Do you... do you suspect foul y?"


    ckthorn shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort. We simply had a few... disagreements, and she fled. I''ve been scouring thend, but there''s been no sign of her."


    "Disagreement? Don''t tell me it has to do with the XY Virus," Fairfax asked.


    ckthorn maintained hisposed demeanor as he replied, "No, it was nothing of that nature. Just some... personal matters between Matilda and myself."


    Fairfax visibly rxed, letting out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank heavens. That''s a relief to hear." He leaned in, his voice lowered conspiratorially. "It would have been disastrous if she had known about the XY Virus. If Matilda had discovered it and told Cordelia, she might have started suspecting me as well."


    ckthorn regarded Fairfax with a measured gaze. "I see. So you''re also still struggling to find a cure for that... Curse?"


    Fairfax nodded grimly. "Yes, unfortunately. My top alchemist has been working tirelessly, but the progress has been... cial, at best. Despite all the resources spent on finding a cure, I''ve made little progress. It''s an immensely frustrating endeavor.


    It''s driving me to a wreck as we speak!!"


    ckthorn''s expression darkened. "I can empathize. I, too, have scoured the seas in search of answers, but to no avail. This thing remains an elusive and deadly puzzle,"


    Fairfax let out a heavy sigh. "Indeed. But we must persevere, ckthorn, we cannot give up. I simply must find a solution before my wife catches wind of this wretched affliction." Unknown to him however, Cordelia already knew.


    ckthorn inclined his head. "Well said, my friend. Well said." He continued, "I need to go now, I have something to attend to."


    "I sincerely hope you find Matilda, safe and sound." Fairfax said before leaving.


    ckthorn''s lips curved into the faintest of smiles. "Thank you, Fairfax. I appreciate your concern."


    With a final nod, ckthorn turned and made his way to the waiting cart, where Gustavo sat patiently. The moment he entered, he sat and told the driver to wait for sometime. He remained in the same posture for minutes before he turned to Gustavo.


    "Gustavo, change of ns. I need you to take us to the vige on the mountain side." ckthorn''s gaze was focused, a hint of determination in his voice.


    Gustavo''s brow furrowed with confusion. "The vige on the mountain side, my lord? Whatever for?"


    ckthorn settled into his seat. "I need to pay a visit to Zafron''s parents. Perhaps Matilda could be hiding there."


    "Certainly, my Lord!"


    The cart jostled along the uneven terrain as it began making its way towards the mountain vige.