"It wasn't a simple kidnapping, Raven," She said, her eyes wavering. "It was a mass kidnapping of around 79 people, and we had intel of the Pope of White Moon Church himself being present there."
Raven's eyes widened, "The Pope himself?"
Another heretic of his own level.
And he most likely knew his existence as the apostle.
"Did he die?" He asked, curious about the White Moon Church.
"No!" She shook her head, "They killed one of our Cardinals, we killed one of theirs, and they fled the place before the backup arrived."
'So there were going to be even more cardinals involved.' He deduced, nodding to himself.
This turned out to be quite a huge event.
Even one Cardinal is rarely ever dispatched from what he could remember.
"I see," He said, his expression sombre.
"The funeral is in 3 days, and you will be with me." She went straight to the point.
A sigh escaped Raven's mouth, "Was that supposed to be an invitation?"
She shook her head, "I was trying to be polite, every one of our family's members must attend." She emphasized the word 'must'.
Looked like he didn't have any choice in this.
"Alright." He said coolly.
But inside, he was sweating.
After that, she conversed a bit more about his health and then ordered the servants to bring some light food for him to eat.
As she was leaving the room, she halted her steps on the door and said, "Join us for dinner tomorrow."
Without waiting another second for his answer, she left the room.
'Fuck!' His body slumped.
'I gotta think of a way out of this funeral, or it will be the end of me.'
Sure, his sister, a cardinal, couldn't sense his apostle mark, but he did not doubt that a pope or another apostle could.
And he also had no doubts that they would be present at the funeral.
He had to dodge this interaction this early on.
He wasn't ready to die… again.
'I need to get into trouble with my family so I can be barred from attending the funeral.'
And luckily, getting into trouble wasn't something he was unfamiliar with.
'Tonight's going to be busy.'
…
People's chatter and laughter filled the bustling night market of Shelburg.
The seven moon lights illuminated the streets, making everyone acknowledge the presence of the seven moons in this world.
And amidst this bustle, Raven was also in search of something.
'What better place to cause trouble than the place where people aren't sane?' He thought, looking at the lines of bars to his side.
And following his memories, he went inside the most posh-looking bar in the city.
This was his ticket to safety.
The moment he entered the bar, the entire atmosphere shifted.
The slow jazz inside contradicted heavily with the chaotic hustle outside.
The music was smooth, the interior was tasteful, and the workers there welcomed him politely.
'Feels like I don't belong in the same tax bracket with people here.' He thought, but quickly remembered who he was in this life.
The son of a tycoon.
His eyes quickly scanned the room and found his target instantly.
Relatively good-looking young adult with the signature blond hair of nobility.
The target, along with two other 'friends' of his, also looked back at him.
"Raven!" He waved his hands.
"Young master Jayden." He replied, walking slowly to his table.
He had invited him promptly after he made plans to cause trouble.
Jayden Pittman.
A viscount heir with whom he was acquainted after their family had incurred a hefty debt from his father.
And the core reason he invited Jayden specifically was that his family was an active supporter of Cardinal David Moll.
The Cardinal that had just died.
"Haha! You can just call me Jayden." He said awkwardly.
'You're just saying that because your father is in debt to mine.' Raven thought, but his expressions remained the same.
Nobles in this world were the next level of elitists.
And despite the Marlowe family being extremely wealthy, they were still not officially part of the nobility.
Although it was only a matter of time now, with Eve being a cardinal of the Church of Solis.
Maybe this was why their stoic father adored the eldest so much.
She was his key to nobility.
"Alright, I will take up that offer, Jayden." Raven chuckled politely, but he could feel the atmosphere shifting for a moment there.
Jayden didn't like that.
But what can he even do?
All four of them sat together at the table and started exchanging pleasantries.
"Let me place the order," Raven stated, as the others agreed as well.
After all, he was the host for the evening.
"Randy, Pevon, do you think he called us today to discuss the debt?" Jayden asked the other two sitting around the chair.
"I honestly have no idea," Randy shrugged, "Rumors are that he just barely recovered his health. And now this."
Pevon chimed in on the conversation, "It's very much possible that his family put him up to it to pressure your family through you."
"So," Jayden contemplated, "It's best that I steer clear from topics related, right?"
Everyone nodded in affirmation.
They could tell this abrupt meeting wasn't for naught.
As Raven joined them, they went silent and back to their usual selves.
The waiters started serving them expensive booze.
It started with wine, but the pace was catching up quickly.
"Are you going to attend the funeral?" Raven raised the topic.
"You mean Cardinal David's?" Jayden responded with a slight wobble in his voice.
Raven nodded silently, taking another shot of the provided cognac.
"Ugh, that old man... Screwed all over us and now this. Of course, we are attending his funeral."
Jayden scoffed and tipped the glass over, emptying it in one go.
The waiter was already there, refilling each of their glasses with another shot.
Raven stared intently at the swirling liquid.
"Well, Cardinal David was… uncompromising." Raven said, "But that's expected from someone of his position."
Jayden snorted and snickered.
"Uncompromising?" His tone was loose. "That's one way to put it, I guess."
Pevon looked around nervously as he whispered, "Jayden, careful."
Jayden immediately raised his hand over his face, "Calm down, we're just talking."
Raven also waved at him, signalling him to pipe down.
But Pevon felt something amiss here.