The Decoder - Chapter 32

Edith

“You have a mail, Miss Edith.”

Edith halted in her steps and turned to face the guard who spoke to her, a letter in his hand.

“Oh, who is the sender?” Edith asked, approaching the guard with curiosity. It was rare for someone to leave a letter by the guards or maybe she was oblivious to such things. Letters usually arrived at the Militia and handed out via the Militia’s postman, never through the guards.

“The lady refused to provide a name. Said it was imperative that I hand the letter over to you.”

A lady? Could it be…?

Edith took the letter and thanked the guard. Letter in hand, she stepped past the iron-wrought gates and waited at the sidewalk. It was the 7th day of the week and she had decided to visit her uncle with Avery. She hadn’t anticipated Avery to join her, but his arrival back to the Militia yesterday had gave her a little surprise.

She examined the letter in her hand, flipping it back and forth, noting that there was no name of the sender. While waiting for Avery, she pried open the letter and pulled out the parchment from within. Instantly, her gaze slid to the signature. Her suspicions had been confirmed, it was indeed from Sera. Before jumping to conclusions about Sera’s intentions, Edith scanned the letter from top to bottom.

“Dear Edith,

You mentioned you did not wish for a war to break out and neither do I. You and I share a common goal and I hope we could work together to stop this war from happening. Do convey your father’s message once you have deciphered it to the following address.

Block C, unit 3, Room 201, Bren Street.

If you could trust me as your childhood friend again.

-Sera-“

Edith stared at the letter, unblinking, thoughts running wild. She hadn’t expected this, had never seen it coming. She reread the last sentence in the letter several times and looked skyward at the cloudy skies. What had inspired the change in Sera? Was it a trick?

If Edith was truthful to herself, part of her wished she could meet Sera again and convey the High Commander’s plans to her, so she could warn His Majesty, Lord Noel. Her mind reeled back to her father’s message once more, wondering how long it would take her to complete deciphering the entire message. She would need to focus on it tonight. Preventing a war from breaking out took precedence over her health. If she could trust Sera again, she would be her ally, and she will not be alone in all of this. She could count Avery in, but a small friction of her knew he was keeping some information from her. Information such as his real identity.

She folded the parchment and fitted it into the envelope when Avery called out to her. Drat! There was no time to hide the letter from him. She turned to face him with a smile as he approached her and took her hand in his, grasping it gently, the warmth enveloping her bandaged palm.

“A letter? Who is it from?” Avery asked.

Edith averted her eyes and took several steps forward, urging him to move. There was silence between them as Avery released her hand and she stopped several feet away from him before glancing back. There was no way she could lie. If she were to mention that her uncle was the sender, he would see right through the lie. Avery walked toward her, and she took another step forward, out of the guards’ sight. It will do no good for both them if they were seen holding hands.

“It’s from Sera, isn’t it?” Avery asked when he reached her side, his brows furrowed.

“Yes.” Edith admitted because lying to him would be futile.

“What does she want this time? Don’t tell me it’s about your father’s message?”

“Yes, it is.”

Avery took a deep breath and exhaled it dramatically. He gently clasped her hand in his again.

“Let’s head to your uncle’s clinic.” He said in a calm tone and began to lead her down the street. Despite his veiled frustration, Edith couldn’t help but thought how handsome he was today, dressed casually in his dark collared shirt with a grey waistcoat and black leather breeches. His double-breasted coat fitted his frame perfectly and his hair swept back from his brow.

They talked about Uncle Vern’s well-being and the clinic’s business and the success of Caden’s birthday party last night, anything but Sera’s letter which lay in the folds of her overcoat. She guessed Avery did not wish to prod her further when she had no indication to reveal its contents. Guilt gnawed her insides. Weren’t they childhood best friends? Secrets were always shared between them and they had agreed to never keep any secrets between them on the night they confessed their feelings. However, it felt as if nothing had changed. He was hiding information about ‘Operation Z’ from her and she was hiding her soon-to-be alliance with Sera from him.

They arrived at Uncle Vern’s clinic and spent the day till evening at the clinic, spending time with her uncle and passing to him the wages she’d earned as she did every two weeks, so he could pay for the rental and taxes. They spoke about happy subjects and Uncle Vern shared his stories with the patients. Caden and Merille had dropped by in the afternoon and they had celebrated Caden’s birthday again, with Uncle Vern this time.

The day passed in a blur and before Edith knew it, she was back in her dorm. She had parted ways with Avery at the dorm entrance and headed to their respective rooms. She’d wanted to ask about his betrothment to Miss Ira but decided to leave it for another time. While their feelings were reciprocated, she couldn’t just cast aside Miss Ira’s feelings for Avery.

Edith lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She needed to work on her father’s message. The New Year is coming soon, and she only had a week and a half left before the operation is officially launch. She couldn’t afford to waste time and with determination pulsing in her veins, she got to the task of deciphering the rest of her father’s message till dawn.

Her eyes were tired and heavy, and she yawned into the back of her hand. She had managed to decipher two more sentences and she compiled them with the ones she had decoded. Despite her exhaustion, her curiosity was building in her like a volcanic mountain about to erupt. Once she pieced the message together, it read:

“My Dearest Edith,

There’s a crucial information I wish to impart you with. There’s a reason I brought Avery to the Alcoft cottage and you might be surprised by this information. I’m protecting Avery from High Commander Ekker. You see, Avery is the second son of His Majesty, Lord Sykes and the second prince of Hathage Kingdom, and His Majesty has plans for Avery to rule the army as their commander.”

Edith could scarcely believe the words on the parchment as she reread the message twice. She rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and leaned back in her chair. The questions to Avery’s background had been answered, the question she’d been wondering for a long time and was never granted no matter how she tried. Despite the revelation, she wasn’t entirely surprised. She’d had her suspicions all along, but now, her suspicions were answered. Why hadn’t her father told her from the beginning? Why hid it from her all along? Was her father protecting her from information that could endanger their lives?

Edith shook her head and groaned. Those answers would not be answered because the man who held the answers was no longer here. Suddenly, she felt a deep feeling of longing and memories of her days when her father was still alive came flooding into her mind. She could not remember her mother’s face because she had died during childbirth. Her father had raised her all by himself.

A tear slid down her right cheek and she swiped them away with the back of her hand. The sun was rising, and she needed to prepare for her work. Then, she will continue deciphering the rest of the message. She needed to know why her father was protecting Avery from the High Commander. Judging from the current situation where Avery was now under the High Commander’s commands, the efforts her father had put on protecting Avery had gone to waste. Edith didn’t like to think of it that way, but…

She decided she would apply for leave from work for the day after tomorrow as it was a rule for all employees to inform their superiors a day in advance. She will spend the entire day decoding the remainder of the message. She had to give credit to her father for brilliantly creating new set of codes that was only for her eyes. At the same time, she was frustrated at her father for having to create such complex codes. Despite all that, she respected her father and saw him in a new light for his brilliant mind.

“Avery is the second son of His Majesty, Lord Sykes and the second prince of Hathage kingdom.”

The sentence replayed itself in her mind like a music jukebox. Which makes him a Hathagian, Edith thought to herself. She recalled the episode with the Hathagian refugees, and she felt ill at the thought of Avery shooting his own people. No, something must have happened eleven years ago. She had yet to discover how did Avery obtained that scar.

Edith went about with her work for the day and her request for a day off had been granted by Dr. Maia. She was grateful that Dr. Maia had easily approved her request without much questions. During lunch, she joined Caden and Merille at that usual spot and informed them of her off day.

“Why are you taking a day off?” Caden asked.

“I need to decode the rest of the message.”

“You look like ghost, Edith.” Merille said with concern and a frown.

“I don’t have much time before the operation takes place.”

“Edith, you need rest.” Caden said sternly.

“And risk a war?”

“Edith!” Merille hissed.

“What does the message say? At least the parts you have decoded.” Caden asked. It was the first time Edith had seen him this serious. Caden had never shown this side of his to her nor her uncle in the past, and it was quite frightening when he was deadly serious.

Edith was silent as she contemplated telling them the message and Avery’s identity. His family name ‘Kainz’ had been a lie all along.

“I will reveal it once I’ve finished deciphering the message. It’s hard to tell when there’s still a large part that needs to be decoded.” Edith settled. She felt guilty at the thought of revealing Avery’s identity behind his back. It doesn’t feel right, not when she did not wish to break his trust.

“Will you be in the Militia?” This came from Merille.

“I’m thinking of visiting Falborg Forest. It’s been a while. And, that place will give me a peace of mind and full concentration.”

Employees on leave were allowed to leave the Militia grounds on weekdays.

“I see. Please do not return to the Militia too late. I’m worried about your health.” Merille said.

“And you need to get the bandages changed. Your injuries are taking some time to recover.” Caden frowned.

“My palm injuries are slowly healing. The injuries especially on my left palm is deep and it may take up to two months to fully recover.” Edith slumped her shoulders. She did not like those bandages either because it slightly hurt at times when she held a pen and wrote.

“Still, you will need a proper sleep for those injuries to heal. Exhausting your body this way is going to slow down your body’s immune system.” Caden lectured.

Edith groaned inwardly, but she had to admit her friends were concerned of her well-being, and she did not blame them for it. In fact, she appreciated it, truly. But she couldn’t afford a rest now. Yes, she was stubborn, and she needed her stubbornness and determination to stop whatever the High Commander was concocting.

And to protect Avery from him.

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