The Kind of Evil

‎Ayla arrived outside the capital city in the morning and noticed the gate had been reinforced by more guards. She could hear the sound of hammers and the sight of wagons filled with wood and cloth. She immediately removed her cloak and burned it with fire magic before she threw it into one of the wagons.

‎"Fire! There's a fire!" Ayla shouted with a panicked expression as she pointed at the wagon.

‎The guards immediately looked toward the screams and saw one of the wagons caught on fire. They hurriedly ran toward the wagon since it was one of the wagons that transported materials for the upcoming ceremony. People tried to put out the fire by slapping the flames with their clothes.

‎Ayla immediately blended in with the crowd before she moved further away where people couldn't see her in the corner of their eyes. She walked past the gate and saw a few guards that stayed at their posts. She looked down at the pebbles on the ground and immediately kicked a pebble into the wall next to her. The moment it bounced against the wall, she caught it and threw it at the horse's eye from her back.

‎The horse panicked and began to run past the gate with the wagon attached to its body. The coachman couldn't stop the horse from panicking since the fire and the commotion were enough to make the horse on the edge. The guards had no choice but to catch the horse while Ayla walked into the capital city unnoticed.

‎Ayla took a deep breath as she watched people set up wooden poles on the sides of the street. People were busy decorating the city for Princess Amarylis's coming-of-age ceremony. Everyone seemed to be in a high-spirit because they loved the Princess for her beauty and personality.

‎Ayla scanned every corner, face, and item that her eyes could see in front of her without moving her head around. She was sure that nobody was paying attention to her and began to act like the townspeople. She admired the decorations and the hardworking people, greeting them with a smile.

‎The moment she could move her head around without attracting attention or being seen so suspiciously, she began to memorize everything. She listened and watched the guards talk, planning to block the alleys to prevent intruders from moving freely during the ceremony. She then looked at the royal knights being instructed by their captain on which streets they were going to patrol.

‎Ayla gathered so much valuable information while acting like an ordinary woman taking a stroll in the city. She then glanced at a woman with her little girl, cheering her father, who was busy setting up the pole. She looked at the empty wicker basket on top of a barrel that belonged to the woman, and immediately took it away.

‎She pretended to buy fruits and vegetables so she could stay there without looking like a suspicious person. She kept listening to the guards and the royal knights as she ate the apple she bought and walked around the street.

‎"It's so lively right now. I mean, this city is already lively, but with the upcoming ceremony, this city won't be sleeping in the next few weeks," the merchant said to Ayla when she was busy looking at the vegetables that the merchant sold.

‎"Yes, everyone is happy to see our Princess become an adult and become someone that can change the world into a better place," Ayla answered with a soft smile as she focused her hearing on the guards and the royal knights still.

‎"You're not from here, aren't you? I have never seen your face before," the merchant asked as he looked at Ayla's face.

‎"No, I came here two days ago with my father. He's a merchant and he's supplying woods for the ceremony, and we decided to stay here for a few more days to see everyone decorate the city," Ayla answered as she looked around, pretending to be amazed and in awe by the people who were busy working.

‎"Ah, you did the right thing, missy. This place is going to be more lively the closer we are from the ceremony," the merchant grinned as he nodded in agreement.

‎Ayla hummed in agreement with a smile on her face.

‎"Oh, do you know anything about that weird and creepy man wearing jester attire? I saw him when I came here with my father two days ago," Ayla asked with her brows furrowed.

‎The merchant's face immediately turned into disgust when Ayla mentioned the Jester. He crossed his arms as he looked down at the street, hoping that the Jester wasn't around before he spoke about him.

‎"Don't bother about him, missy. He has a screw loose in his head, and he does nothing but to piss people off. The worst part, he enjoys getting beaten, a freak even among the freaks," the merchant answered, feeling a chill down his spine when he talked about the Jester.

‎"But why is he still here? Why don't the guards just kick him out of the city?" Ayla tilted her head.

‎"That's the problem, missy. That Jester didn't do anything wrong or broke any laws. And I hate to admit, all his poems are beautiful, but when he's not in his right mind? He begins to spout nonsense," the merchant answered with a deep sigh. "And the craziest part is the fact guards couldn't catch him when they tried to arrest him. He moved like an eel, so slippery and disappeared into some dark holes," he continued as he checked his goods, making sure no flies laid eggs on his vegetables and fruits.

‎Ayla raised her brows, finding that information to be valuable.

‎"If he knows the city really well, does that mean he's a local?" Ayla asked as she took a bite of the apple.

‎"I don't know about that, missy. We are all curious about that as well, because he's been roaming around here as long as we all remember," the merchant answered, shaking his head. "He could be a local, but we don't even know who that man is," he continued with a shrug.

Ayla found the Jester to be an intriguing person, and the fact her Lord, Rasmus seen the Jester as an asset, it explained everything. She was amazed by Rasmus's ability to see in people, and always took an interest in any individual that people might have tried to avoid.

"Where can I find him?" Ayla asked as she looked down the street, checking if the Jester was around.

"Miss, are you really that interested in that Jester?" The merchant looked at Ayla with a slight frown on his face. "Well, I have to admit that he's an interesting guy. If you want to find him, he's usually at the town square in the morning, and if you can't find him there, he should be on the east side of the city. Ask the people there and they will know where to find that Jester since a lot of people there like him," he informed as he pointed at the town square in the far distance and to the east.

"Thank you, I'll go and find him now," Ayla smiled at the merchant. "Oh, the apple tastes really sweet and juicy. You have a high-quality fruits here," she complimented as she looked at the merchant's goods.

"Of course! Please come again if you want the best fruit in the city. You know where to find me," the merchant grinned as he smacked his chest proudly.

Ayla chuckled softly as she nodded and then left.

After Ayla walked quite far, she spotted a beggar who seemed to have lost his place because of the upcoming ceremony. She approached the beggar and dropped the basket, loud enough for the beggar to hear. When the beggar turned around, he saw fruits and vegetables in the basket, and when he looked around, he didn't find anyone. He immediately picked it up and hurriedly ate the fruits and the vegetables with tears in his eyes.

Ayla walked in a dark alley, changing her attire before she burned her previous attire, leaving no trace of smoke or even the remains of her attire. As soon as she walked out on the other side of the street, she acted like a completely different person, not the daughter of a merchant, but just a random pedestrian.

The moment she reached the town square, it was crowded with people who were busy setting up the tents. She knew that the Jester wouldn't be there because of how hectic it was, and as a Jester, he would love attention, but this place wouldn't give him that. She immediately went to the east side of the city, as the merchant had said, as she counted the number of guards and royal knights that were roaming around the city.

When Ayla set foot on the east side of the city, she found it oddly peaceful. It wasn't as crowded and lively as the previous places she had passed. The people seemed to be less energetic about the upcoming ceremony. She immediately acted similarly to those that she saw, walking at a slow pace and with a stoic expression. However, when she was about to wonder where the Jester might be, she saw him, standing still in the middle of the street, singing and playing a lute in his hands.

Ayla slowly closed the distance as she listened to the melody and the beautiful voice of a man whom people call a madman. She listened, and even chanted by the melody, however, the Jester strung the string quite harshly so that it snapped her back to reality. She was confused until she saw the Jester slowly turning his head toward her, staring right into her eyes as if he knew who she was.

"Who are you..." The Jester giggled mischievously, grinning so widely as he kept staring into Ayla's eyes.