"I don't know." The Electal Lord, Eustace Silverman shook his head. "I don't how much of an impact luck had in your life. But to me it is everything. If not for luck, I would have still remained in that godforsaken slum, if I was still alive that is."

"Luck is everything." Eulene interrupted, putting the empty teacup down on the table. "But not everyone can grasp the opportunities- like you did."

Xavier stayed silent and applauded Eulene in his mind. She was an expert at being an extrovert.

The Electal Lord laughed. "Well, thank you. I always considered myself a lucky man. It all started when I was a 10 year old boy, still hankering in the slums. I rescued a young girl from wolves and she happened to be the daughter of the then Electal Count. Prior to the event, I had plucked a four leaved clover that day. Coincidence? I don't think so.

"Sir Willis took me under his wings as a servant. I spent a whole two decades serving him and learning the craft of politics, advancing from a mere errand boy to a full-fledged Secretary. Those years were not without its own fair share of lucky opportunities- like accidentally hearing of a plot against Sir Willis, winning a grand lottery, the previous secretary retiring, Sir Willis arranging Martha's marriage to me and so on. And in every one of those cases, I either had something known to bring luck with me or witnessed signs that would bring great luck.

"And once I discovered the enigmatic field of mysticism- things unexplainable by science- I had no reason not to delve into it. When I stood for the elections, despite being opposed by many due to my humble origins, I won. It was all thanks to the arrangements I made, stopping at nothing to gather as much bringers of luck I could find. Even a couple of days ago, a meteor fell next to Derbury, but not a single casualty was reported."

"See?" Eulene said, "you used every one of the opportunities fate brought to you. If anyone else had this much luck, he might have not reached where you are today."

The man laughed again. The little scorn he had left for Eulene disappeared. "You flatter me. I am nothing but a superstitious old man in this advancing world."

"Have you ever tried your hands at gambling?" Eulene asked. "After all, you have the highest collections of lucky charms in the country."

"I may be superstitious," the man replied, "but I am no fool. I have better things to do in life."

Xavier finished a whole plate of sweets and moved to the next. "If my observations are not wrong, I believe your seemingly endless luck is beginning to run out."

The man's eyes twitched. Both Xavier and Eulene caught the sudden irregularities in the Electal Lord's breaths and heartbeats.

[Ohho. Looks like you hit the spot.]

Xavier decided to strike the iron while it was still hot. "Your term is coming to an end. Though in the last nine years, your public image improved, you made a lot of political enemies. The best attraction spot in the town- The Southern Art Gallery- was shut down five years ago, with no signs of opening anytime soon. And the meteor itself should be a sign- that bad days are coming to Derbury."

The chubby politician gulped. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead despite the weather being far from hot. He admitted the allegations with a sigh. "The astrologers, palmists, tarot readers- everyone I invited said the same. My good days are coming to an end." He bowed down to Xavier. "And that's why I am grateful for providing me the tintinnabulum. I was searching one for years, but to no avail."

"I just happened to have an extra," Xavier said. "And the reason I delve into mysticism is not luck. So, it's not a big deal." He waved his hand. "I just want to know what steps are you taking to improve your luck? Doing good deeds, or perhaps- rituals?"

The same irregularities hit Xavier and Eulene's senses again.

"I am doing nothing of that sort." The Electal Lord shook his head. "All I am thinking of is removing that curse?"

"Curse?" Xavier raised a brow.

"Those bastards at the Aramon Museum tricked me!" Lord Silverman cursed, smashing his fist on the table. "They transferred an artefact to the gallery five years saying it would bring luck. But all it brought was disaster. In just a month of the transfer, several accidents happened. And a kid almost died. We were forced to close the gallery after facing several lawsuits.

"Not only did that cursed item bring bad luck to the gallery, but all of Derbury as a whole. It must have been a conspiracy by those bastards!" The man proceeded to punch the table again, but held himself back at the last moment. "I apologise for the poor show." He bowed.

"Interesting." Xavier rubbed his chin. "Is the item still in the gallery?"

The politician composed himself and shook his head. "It disappeared a week after the gallery closed. It's probably stolen. But with the bad luck surrounding Derbury, I am sure it is still somewhere in the town."

"Looks like I will have a fun time here in Derbury." Xavier devoured another biscuit.

The man turned to Eulene. "What is your field of expertise, madam? I am sure your kind has a lot to offer in the study of mysticism."

"I can see things what the others cannot," Eulene flexed. "For example.."

"For example?" Lord Silverman raised a brow.

"The worry in your face.. the worry of a parent?" She did not require her Celestial Eye to see that. After all, her parents were still alive and her own age exceeded a couple centuries.

The man opened his eyes wide agape. "You are absolutely right. It is my youngest son who's studying to enter into Kingsfield Academy. And he's.. well.. not the brightest of students."

"That's difficult," Xavier said, "even Electal Lords can't sway their decisions. But there's still a quota for Derbury."

The man forced a smile. "Derbury might be small. But it's filled with geniuses." He turned to Eulene. "And I have to say, I have never seen anything like this. All you did was look at my face. Can you say anything else?"

Eulene frowned. "You are doing things that you should not be doing."

The Electal Lord's breathing and heartbeat disrupted again. He abruptly stood up and brought out his pocket watch.

"It's a shame I have an appointment. I really apologise for not accompanying you any longer. Please stay as long as you want before departing." He bowed towards the duo before scurrying out of the room.

Eulene stood up after the man left, but Xavier still remained seated.

"Let's go," she said.

"Wait." Xavier pointed at the remaining sweets and cookies on the table. "Let me finish them first."

******

A grand carriage drove through the afternoon streets of Derbury, attracting attention from the scarce number of pedestrians. Wilbur had a bright smile on his face, one that emanated pride along with his usual jolliness.

Inside the coach, sat Xavier and Eulene facing each other- silent, or at least that was what it seemed from the outside.

[That Electal Lord- he's definitely sus.] Eulene transmitted.

[Sus?] Xavier raised a brow.

[Suspi.. suspicious. I don't know why do you Avarese people have to make words so hard. How many words can you think of that starts with 'sus'?]

[73- sustentative, susurration, suspiration, sus-]

[Stop! Stop. Stop. I get it. Anyways, I am too lazy to pronounce such hard words. So, use that smart brain of yours to understand what I say.] Eulene snorted.

[So, why do you think he is sus?] Xavier coughed, recognising his blunder. [I mean suspicious.]

Eulene raised her chin up and took a proud posture. [He has the motives. Firstly- he is highly superstitious with a great obsession for luck. And he believes that his great luck is in danger. He's definitely looking into rituals. Secondly- all of the victims are smart children, enough to fight for a spot in that academy. And most important of all- my intuition is saying that he's up to no good.]

[Valid] Xavier nodded.

[And he definitely has the means. Being the most powerful mortal in the town means he has others to do the dirty work.] Eulene raised his chin even higher.

[Looks like you did not just skim through the Winston Barlowe books.] Xavier smirked.

The carriage slowed down, before coming to a stop. A shout came from the outside.

"We are here!"historical