Title: To the Shop / On the Way
After Leaving the Minister's House:
Morven and Marcus were walking toward the shop, moving through the crowd together.
Marcus got tired of the silence between them and said,
"Master, isn't there anything you want to talk about?"
Morven kept walking, took a deep breath, and said,
"Like what?"
Marcus shrugged as he walked beside him and said,
"Well…"
He didn't say more and just kept walking quietly with Morven.
25 Minutes After Leaving the Minister's House:
Marcus started talking again.
"What do you think about guessing who the killer might be? I can take notes for my lessons!"
Morven sighed and said,
"You want to write while we're walking?"
Marcus replied,
"Well… who said while walking? We can sit down!"
Morven kept moving and said,
"We don't have time. We need to deliver the watch you were working on to a customer by 3 PM… so, no!"
Marcus laughed softly and said,
"Okay, how about you just talk about the killer, Master?"
Morven stopped, took a deep breath, and said with a slightly annoyed voice,
"How am I supposed to know who the killer is? I haven't done anything yet… no investigation. There was nothing in that stupid boy's room—nothing at all! What am I supposed to teach you or explain right now?"
Marcus said quietly,
"Well… I thought maybe you had a guess!"
Morven raised his cane a little and tapped it hard on the ground, turning to Marcus.
"Listen, Marcus… never nag like that. And by the way… we're in the middle of a sea war with France and its allies. The killer could even be a French or Spanish spy! So stop asking me questions… I don't know anything yet!"
He turned and started walking faster this time.
Marcus paused, watching Morven walk away, and thought to himself,
"He's right… I wasn't paying attention to the country's situation!"
When he snapped out of it, Morven was far ahead. He started running to catch up.
Once he reached Morven, he stayed quiet and just walked beside him.
Arriving at the Shop - A Surprise!?
Morven and Marcus finally reached the shop. But when Morven tried to unlock the door with his key, it was already open. He turned to Marcus and said,
"Don't tell me… you forgot to lock this damn door!"
Marcus got a little nervous, waved his hand behind him, and said,
"Well… I wasn't thinking… I was shocked about the minister's son's death!"
Morven took a deep breath and said,
"If you're the only dumb apprentice in the world, I wouldn't be surprised!"
Marcus gave a careful smile and thought to himself,
"…I really forgot to lock it. Ugh… I knew I forgot something!"
Morven slowly opened the door. But as soon as he did, his eyes met someone else's.
Morven's voice turned cold.
"Oh… it's you…"
[To be continued in Chapter Two]