"How huge?" Emlyn asked again. She was interested to know more. She knew Lyla loved money and when she said 'huge' it must an really a lot of money. Lyla had seen wealth and had served rich lords and rchants throughout her long career.
So, if it's only 100 gold coins, she wouldn't call it huge.? Just maybe, a lot of money.
"Well, one is 1000 gold coins," Lyla said. "Many bounty hunters were talking about this when they pass by Twig. They drank wine and bought my girls and discussed the hot new job. Everyone seed to be very excited."
Emlyn suddenly lost her appetite when she heard the 1000 gold coins. Mrs. Adler was feeling the sa unease. They had also heard about this bounty for weeks during their travel.
They could kind of guess what Lyla wanted to say. It must be the bounty set up by Mars to catch Emlyn.
They were right.
"So, our new king is after a criminal. It was a woman who was accused of murder. And her victim is none other than our beloved queen," Lyla explained. "It should be an easy job, right? They only need to catch a woman. How difficult can it be?"
Emlyn pretended to nod in agreent. "Yeah."
"I am sure you can do it too," said Lyla. "I have got so information about the target and where people think she is going."
"Really? Then, please, do tell, Lyla dear," said Emlyn. She kept up her acting and pretended to look interested. "I want to know how I can catch her."
At that mont, Emlyn felt so heartbroken. She really wanted to cry when she heard about the bounty that her husband set up for her. Fortunately, she had her cup of wine to distract Lyla's attention from her.
Emlyn just kept sipping her wine nonchalantly, while Lyla excitedly shared with her all the information she had collected from her brothel visitors.
"They found out that she is a forr princess from Winterre, before the kingdom was conquered by our army," Lyla spoke in a very gossipy tone. "She ca to the capital to seduce the crown prince, now our king, so she could get closer to the late queen."
Emlyn secretly clenched her fist under the table. She really wanted to rip anyone's mouth who talked about her that way. However, she couldn't do it to Lyla, because she knew Lyla only talked based on what she had heard.
It was not her fault if Lyla was fed with lies from the royal family. It was all the Strongmoors' fault. Emlyn shouldn't bla other people who didn't know the real story.
"She wanted to get closer to the queen because...?" Emlyn asked the question, pretending she was following Lyla's story. "She wanted to get revenge for the fall of Winterre?"
Lyla nodded affirmatively. "Exactly. She succeeded. I heard that the queen really liked her and let her stay with her in the palace. That's when she took the opportunity to kill Her Majesty."
She wiped tears from her eyes as she continued her story. "Our beloved queen is now dead. So, of course, the king wants her head for killing his mother."
"I see," said Emlyn. "Where do you think she is going? Do you have any physical description or other details?"
"I do, yeah," Lyla chuckled. "I heard that she is going to Atlantea. That's the land of the free."
Emlyn furrowed her brows. This was the first ti she heard soone talked about Atlantea that way. The land of the free?
"I have been to Atlantea but I don't know people call it the land of the free. Can you explain to what do you an by that?" she asked Lyla with interest.
"Well, that's how all criminals and people fleeing wars in Terren call Atlantea. They usually go there to escape punishnt or prison here in Draec," said Lyla. "So, it's known among the people of the underworld that Atlantea is the land of the free."
"Oh, now that makes sense." Emlyn nodded in understanding. Then, she asked again. "How do you know so much, Lyla?"
Lyla laughed. "Oh, I have to know such a thing. My job here is to absorb information and sell it to the highest bidder. You have no idea how many people ca to my brothel and speak loosely after one cup of wine and half-naked girls."
"I can tell," said Emlyn.
She had seen what Lyla ant. Her won would serve wine to their male clients, wearing almost nothing. In the beginning, Emlyn was sick to her stomach when she witnessed that.
However, after two days, she beca numb and got used to it. She thought woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do to make a living.
Here, at least they kept so of the money to themselves, unlike in many other brothels owned by n where the girls were sold to prostitution by their parents or family mbers to pay debts.
Those won would be trapped in such a profession for at least ten years before they could earn a little bit of money after their parents' debt was paid.
It was different with Lyla. As a forr prostitute sold to a brothel by her wicked aunt, she understood the pain experienced by her girls.
She made a good agreent with her sex workers. They could keep thirty percent of their inco, while the rest would be paid toward their lodging, family debts, and Lyla's cut.
It was a much better deal than anywhere else in Terren or even in Atlantea. That's why her workers were loyal and they did their work well.
When they got wind of the bounties, they also took the initiative to tell her about this new secret bounty that only people in the underground knew about.
Lyla had been pondering for days how she could get so of the money from the bounty, but she had not decided on which bounty hunter she would cooperate with.
She had so much information about the target and she was certain that she could at least point the bounty hunter in the right direction to earn that money.
Lyla thought it must be fate, when suddenly Anna told her that Lestat Sovie ca.
"I know a lot, dear Lestat," Lyla said with a big smile. "And I want to work together with you to get the money. We can get 51,000 gold coins in total if we collaborate. I will be your eyes and you will be my feet. You can even buy a kingdom with it and rule like a king."
"Eh?" Emlyn thought she misheard. "You an 1,000 gold coins."
"Well, that is the first bounty," Lyla chuckled. "There is another one. The reward is 50,000 gold coins. Much better than what the king offered."
"There is another one?" Emlyn and Mrs. Adler exchanged glances. "I have never heard of this."
"Yeah, because it's a secret only people in the underworld know." Lyla poured more wine into their cups. She was happy to see Emlyn looking dumbfounded.
Fifty thousand gold coin reward was no joke.
"Is this for the sa woman?" Emlyn asked.
"Yes," said Lyla. "We just need to catch this woman and collect both rewards."
"Who is the second reward from?" Emlyn asked. Now, she beca curious.
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