Chapter 379: Finding The Records
Even before the first light of day rose, Rohan left his wife’s room to carry on with his plan. Belle had not slept a wink that night, as they had talked away through the hours. He had gone to fetch more charcoal and parchment papers to draw her and their sleeping son from different angles.
She had watched him draw and had also told him different stories, one of which had so captured his interest that he forgot about drawing and instead laid his head in her lap while she stroked his hair, massaged his scalp, and continued speaking in a soft, soothing voice.
It was a story about a cursed prince who had loved a woman who didn’t belong in his time, and their tale had been filled with so many ups and downs that Rohan couldn’t help but grow more invested in it. She said it was something that had happened many years ago in another land, and the stories had been carried on by people down the generations. It had been told by so many that the words had changed with each telling.
"Many books have been written about it," she told him as she resumed the tale.
"She went back to her time and left him behind?" he asked curiously, and his wife nodded.
"Yes, she did, even though she didn’t want to. She went back not remembering him or their life together. However, her powers made her keep something that was a part of him with her in that different time." She ran her fingers through his thick blue hair as she looked down at him when he asked.
"Then what happened to him? Did he destroy the person who cursed him to have her back?"
Belle laughed softly, shaking her head. "No, he didn’t destroy the person because she was unreachable. To be more precise, he almost destroyed himself and went into hiding, for he couldn’t cope with the grief."
Rohan let out a small laugh. "He’s a coward then. I would never do that. I will turn the world upside down if I have to to get back my wife," he said, taking her hand and pressing kisses to her slender fingers. "I wasn’t joking when I said I love my wife." He grinned mischievously and gave her finger a playful nip with his teeth, which made her pull her hand away.
Belle pinched the top of his nose at those words and pursed her lips. "He loved his wife as well, and he tried his best, you know. He got her back in the end, even though it had been hard to do."
"How did he get her back?" he asked, and his wife went on and told him.
Their night had gone on like that, with him listening to her stories in a hushed whisper, as it was late and their son was sleeping. They had not let themselves worry about the next day, not after he had made her practice her lines to say to the king when she would report.
When dawn arrived, he kissed her and then took Angel with him to keep the boy with Evenly on his way. He couldn’t wait for the days where he wouldn’t have to bother himself about leaving her in the mornings or about them sleeping separately, which was why he had to make haste to find out everything about Isabelle, to clear their path toward a worry-free future.
After leaving Angel with Evenly, Rohan made his way into the deep side of the Dawson’s mansion. From his knowledge, records were always kept in underground storage rooms. Some were built like libraries, because wealthy families kept important documents along with records. His prediction was right, the Dawsons had an underground storage built like a library.
The space was dark, as there were no windows there. The walls were built with stone. He took an unlit torch from the wall and lit it with his bare hands before walking down the long narrow passage that led him into the place, where shelves were built along the walls and books and records were stacked there.
Rohan walked around the shelves, opening dust-covered folders and rolled parchments until he found the records from a hundred years ago. They were coated in thick dust, and the ink on them was already fading.
He brought them down to the ground, using one hand to hold the light and the other to go through the names and time records until he found the exact time he was searching for.
The Dawson’s Staff Records from 1670 to 1680.
Rohan scanned through the names. There were so many workers listed, and two of them were named Claire, but with different surnames.
One was Claire Foster. The other was Claire Bigger.
Rohan’s eyes narrowed on the second name, feeling like he had heard that surname before. However, he didn’t even have to search his memories for long before he remembered where he had heard the name from.
’...That elderly woman over there, bent over her stall with a cloth in her hand, she’s been here since I was a little girl. She’s the kindest soul. She always tells me I remind her of someone from her youthful days, so she gives me fruit for free, even when I don’t buy anything...
...Mrs. Bigger, that’s what everyone calls her...’
So that was her, Rohan thought, his dark eyes glimmering with the reflection of the torchlight as he stared at the name. If she still bore the name Bigger, did that mean she had never changed her name to whoever she married? She must have recognized Belle, to be kind to her in the market and to even give her fruits for free.
Rohan was glad she hadn’t changed her name, for it would have been much harder to find her now if not for that surname.
Now that he knew where to find the woman, Rohan did not want to waste any more time before he could speak to her. He rose to his feet, swiftly putting back the papers where he had taken them from.
He had been invited to the Aragonia ball, but unfortunately, he would be attending late because he couldn’t let go of the chance to know the truth behind Isabelle’s anger toward the man she was supposed to marry, an anger she was now passing on to his own wife.
Belle’s true lineage was the reason he had come to Aragonia, to investigate the truth about what was happening to her, and knowing that Isabelle was connected to it, he wouldn’t let the chance to find out more slip away. Furthermore, Rohan was not fond of crowded places and big events like the ball they were invited to.
Seeing Mrs. Bigger first seemed far more appealing than going to the ball.
He had already prepared his wife for what she would say and report to the king, and he believed the humans would not let any harm befall someone who spied for them.
Nonetheless, before leaving the Dawson’s mansion, Rohan made a stop in her room to let her know he wouldn’t be going to the ball with them and that he might come later.