"Play me a tune. I'm bored. This silence is deafening," complained Marquess Dalles.

"I only know one song on the piano," whispered Mavislin, in reluctance.

"Then play me that one. Sing it if you can."

"For such a childish man, you sure know how to boss people around," murmured Mavislin.

"What's that, darling?" asked Minwoo.

"Nothing. I'll start playing, Marquess Dalles," replied Mavislin, stretching out her fingers.

With a deep breath, she began to play a simple tune. And the Valkyrie started to sing. It was a simple tune, yet the singing in every verse had various meanings. The room seemed to liven up slightly as the Valkyrie played her childhood song based on what she could remember.

When Valokia was still there. When her family had been broken. When the War had not come.

"Oh, I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,

I'm goin' to Lousianna, for my true love to see.

Oh, Sus-anna! Now, don't you cry for me.

For I come from Alabama.

With a banjo on my knee," sang Mavislin as she continued playing.

The Marquess gave a smile as he read through more reports on the recent Umbra cases. The reports were mostly grotesque, descriptions of how the victims were terrorized by the rogue shadows. Reports of people's shadow 'bringing them to the dark side'.

Both Viscountess Ling, Earl Yan, and d.u.c.h.ess Midford had been notified by the recent Umbra attacks. The only one out of the Five Kings that had not been alerted was Gab, a baron that was a skilled poison master, posing as a barista. He was currently somewhere else, so getting to him would be a problem.

"It rained all night, the day I left.

The weather, it was dry.

The sun so hot, I froze to death.

Susanna, don't you cry..."

Minwoo stifled a laugh as he stamped another approval. He found it amusing, how could the weather be dry and the area was raining? Or the fact someone could freeze by the sheer force of sun's rays?

"I had a dream, the other night.

Where everything was still.

I thought I saw, Susanndear,

coming down the hill.

A buckwheat cake was in her mouth,

a tear was in her eye.

I said 'I come from Pixieland',

Susanna, don't you cry."

Minwoo continued reading as he listened to the Valkyrie's playing. Though he had found the lyrics to be quite confusing at times, it was the upbeat yet slow melodious playing that pleased him.

"I soon will be in New Orleans,

And then I'll look all 'round.

And when I find Susanndear,

I'll fall upon the ground.

But if I do not find her,

this dark'll surely die.

And when I'm dead and buried,

Susanna, don't you cry!"

At this rate, the Marquess had completely halted his work and was gazing at the Valkyrie for questions. And answers. Mavislin felt eyes penetrating to the back of her head and stopped playing.

"Is that not to your liking, Marquess Dalles?" asked Mavislin, turning to look at him.

"No, it is fine. I quite like it. But the lyrics are quite confusing, to say. Who is Susanna?"

"Not sure. It was an old song back from where I grew up. Mother used to sing it to us when we were little. We asked who the person was but she never seemed to tell. But some of the moments in the song are mildly depressing."

"Mildly? I'd say mostly."

"Are you done? I'm feeling a bit peckish," said the Valkyrie.

The Marquess gave a hefty sigh as he placed the report on the desk. He was glad that the Valkyrie was not facing him since he had crammed ma.s.sive amounts of depressing news in his head. The body count from the Umbra had skyrocketed during the past few weeks, alarming most of the Kings of the underworld.

If this continues, the Arks might be fully activated, along with the Kings of the underworld. If the above-world society is unable to hand this, dwellers of the underworld will take over. Things could be messy since policies within the underworld are not the same as the above-world ones.

Minwoo shook his head. What was he thinking? Mavislin was one of the founders of the Arks. She was the founder of the Barren Pillars, the attacking ace of the Arks. She was used to these things, right? If anything, she deserved to know what is going on. She shouldn't be kept in the dark about something so important.

But...

"Marquess? Mind if I head to the kitchen to grab something?"

Minwoo stared blankly at the last report of the stack. It wasn't even a report, it was a personal letter towards the Marquess himself. From Gabriel. Not only it was to confirm his whereabouts but to notify that the Umbras has reached the Asian continents.