Conquering His Cold Heart

Although he didn’t need to rent a carriage to get back to the mansion, Regulus felt like using one because he would get to enjoy some more time alone before he got dragged back into the drama in the mansion.

Regulus walked slowly while examining the carriages, the horses, as well as the coachmen so that he could decide which carriage to take. And one particular carriage caught his attention, or to be more precise, one particular coachman.

‘Why isn’t he calling me like everyone else?’ Regulus thought to himself. ‘Is he already booked by someone else or he just doesn’t care if he gets the customers or not?’

‘Well, let’s ask him.’ Regulus quickly made his way towards that particular coachman. And when he was near, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you not looking for any business today?”

“Of course I am, Sir,” that coachman replied while giving a subtle bow to Regulus.

Regulus looked inside the window of the carriage that was parked right beside him. He didn’t see anyone inside so he asked, “Then why weren’t you calling me like everyone else? Isn’t that bad for your business?”

“And yet here you are, Sir,” the coachman replied politely in response. “People who don’t like the coachmen shouting at them for their attention approach me. You can call it my business tactic.”

Regulus smiled because he was quite impressed. “That’s pretty smart. You were trying to differentiate yourself from the others huh? And it worked like a charm on someone like me.”

.....

“Indeed, Sir.” The coachmen then swiftly opened the door of his carriage for Regulus and then gestured at him to get inside the carriage. “Where may I take you, Sir?”

Regulus grabbed the handle at the door and then asked, “Have you ever heard of the Atkinson Mansion?”

“Of course, I have.” The coachman gave a wide smile, and said somewhat proudly, “I gave a ride to someone just about a week ago.”

“Oh, Really?” Regulus had already placed his foot on the carriage to get inside. However, he suddenly placed his foot back on the ground and then turned to properly face that coachman.

“And who was that, if I may ask?” He was curious to know since everyone who had business in the mansion had their own carriages. And those who didn’t own the carriages were good at running.

The proud smile from that coachman’s face suddenly faded away when Regulus asked him that question. He widened his eyes a little as if he was horrified to have spilled the information.

Then he awkwardly waved his hand and answered, “Oh, I didn’t mean to say that I gave a ride to him to the Atkinson Mansion. I just left him close by. I was simply trying to say that I know where the Atkinson Mansion is since I had been there… near the mansion just this last week I think.”

Regulus was now even surer that something about that particular traveler was off. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and then asked again, this time in a cold manner, “I wish to know who that man was anyway. Will you tell me or should I… make you tell me?”

The coachman suddenly began to sweat even though it was winter.

Not just that, Regulus also noticed how that coachman’s heartbeat suddenly began to escalate, that too at a faster rate.

When the coachman saw that cold glare that Regulus was giving him, he scratched his head and laughed nervously. Then he answered, “Umm… I don’t know who that man was. I don’t ask their names, and they don’t tell me theirs. I just happened to remember the destination, that’s all.”

The coachman then cleared his throat and then gestured inside the carriage again. “Why don’t you climb inside? I will take you to your destination in no time.”

Regulus wanted to insist that the coachman answered him. However, he refrained from it since he could feel the eyes and ears focused on the two of them.

“Sure.” Regulus forced a smile and then got inside the carriage.

The coachman let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly shut the door of the carriage. He then got on his own seat and grabbed the reins of the horses. And soon enough, the carriage was making its way down the road.

Inside the carriage, Regulus was clenching his jaw and fidgeting his hands and legs nonstop. He was getting impatient by the second because he had a hunch that the traveler who the coachman dropped near the mansion could have something to do with his brother’s assassination.

He kept on glancing out of the window every now and then to see if they were out of the Silkbay town yet.

‘I shall stop the carriage in the middle of nowhere and then threaten him to spill the name. I am sure he knows who that man was. It looked like the coachman was deliberately hiding that man’s identity earlier.’

Soon, Regulus noticed the board that thanked the visitors. The carriage was out of town.

Regulus had to force himself to stay quiet for a little while longer. And when he was sure that the carriage was out of sight from the town, he loudly banged on the carriage door and shouted, “Stop the carriage.”

The carriage came to a halt within seconds.

“Is there a problem, Sir?” the coachman asked from outside, without getting down from his seat.

And before he knew it, something came at him like a dark storm and pushed him down to the ground.

“Argh!” he screamed in agony because he hit his back hard. And before he could make sense of what was happening to him, he saw Regulus straddling and hovering over him while grabbing him by his collar.

“S-Sir?” He looked confused as well as scared.

Regulus flashed a smile very innocently and then asked in a chilling tone, “You will tell me who that man was.”