VEIL OF OBEDIENCE

ell

of E

denhall

was as though the man assumed that everyone knew who he was. And it's possible that he wo

iddle of the financial district, wasn't it? Where were the headquarters of all the biggest banks and corporations located, including the Bank of

Under that icy, flinty veneer,

ould he say? No, Once more, I automatically shook my head, attempt

d his men to do it for him. Perhaps Landon, that gigantic fellow. It seemed as though he could kick you from t

work! my personal funds that I have personally earned. Cash to spend anyway I wanted. My aunt's overt attempts

ost avaricious people on this beautiful globe, her greatest desire was to have what she was unable to have. The greatest of those demands was a need for social prestige, whi

uld have allowed her to be invited to a duchess' tea party. Unfortunately, the sale of relatives is illegal in England, so all she could do was try to marry each of us off to a wealthy and respectable groom, killing two birds with one stone. Not only would she be able to get rid

here were still six of us single, and things were definitely

t because she had the innate instinct of a born banker. She had often mentioned that we couldn't always rely on h

port myself?"I once inquir

and then she had given me a grumpy look that was presu

ow. A genuine opportunity. I looked at the card again, thoug

, it would be the street. or,

ke in such a human pigpen. In this splendid metropole of the British Empire, the lives of criminals and the impoverished were essentially the same, and their lodgings were probably similar. Naturally, if I were a poo

ately, the public was somewhat intrigued by robbers and killers since

they were hung. Conversely, those who were poor were simply uninterestin

ure I had ahead of me. Exc

y head. I blinked and covered my eyes with my hand, startled by the sudden bright glare. I was lost in my thoughts, not realizing how quickly the time had passed. I noticed a dim oran

e corner after a few more moments. Through the door's iron bars, I could see him getti

struggling to prevent nervousn

ast a furrow. What do you

ts me? In what way w

and laughed. He laughed for a little longer, his belly

pied till the arrival of the kingdom if we punished every idiot who was running about the streets. Why, I was told that we are all descended from apes by a

t. That at least warranted a little acknowledgement, didn't it? Twelve working-class men were killed and three hundred injured when the government brutally suppressed a throng of them during the Pete

e him a h

judge with this; we risk having our time

ant to spend another night on that bunk bed, but I was a practical guy at heart. Stubbornly, I got up and trailed

r, went inside, and came out with something large and black. With a firm and irksomely paternal tone, he remarked, "There you go, Miss," and gave me all

o myself too softly for him to hear, "an

e, I would succeed. I had never really agreed with my aunt, who had always placed such a high value on them, but now I r

early wanting to make sure he would get rid of her. I gave him my full cooperation and exited the brick structure into the beautiful Saturday morning. With the wind

were six of us living in the house and she was spending ninety percent of her mental energy on household savings, she occasionally forgot about one

d her that her beloved niece was, in fact, safe, albeit a little disheveled and sitting in a cell wearing men's clothes. Upon hearing that, my aunt would have m

magical realm nestled between the neat, middle-class London homes in the warm glow of the rising sun. A small pond surrounded by wildflowers had its surface rippling

my five sisters and I were forced to leave our family's rural estate. It had been an enormous palace with hundreds of servants and gold doorknobs, if you believed the tales told by my older siblings, who were able to rec

, I didn't remember it very well. As a city girl, the sparse lawns and trees of

ds singing in the trees. The countryside was pleasant, provided it was situated in the center of the town and

ke rising out of the chimney was visible to me over the wall. The flowerbeds surrounding the house were basic and strictly maintained. It was all tidy and rectangular. Not a single ornament could be seen. At times, I would

s dusty and unoccupied when we first moved into this house years ago, and my uncle had never gone inside. He had undoubtedly been worried that the

with the ancient, dusty room when we arrived at my uncle's. I had risked my life to protect my victory! My younger sis

wall using the key I had surreptitiously 'stolen' from my uncle, along with his passport and clothes. I hurried inside and found the garden shed. I took out the rickety old ladder that had been stored

ere multiple heavy lead weights strapped to my rear, dragging me down, and my muscles were hurti

at; it was just giving. Un

ore I lifted myself inside and fell quite awkwardly on the floor. Complete! No one had witnessed me breaking in when I was back at home. My sister Ella was sitting on her bed a

that I left yesterda

explosion