"Dad, I don't want to read this book. You know I love fantasy and fiction." Calvin whined, as he held the 'Unlocking the face: A silent speaker' They had came to the book fair held near their home and his dad had insisted he read it. 

"It will come in useful, Calvin, believe me." 

Calvin snorted, "Why? What are you? A secret mafia boss?" 

"Calvin, trust me, read it for your own good." Calvin didn't know why his dad was being so mysterious and stubborn, but relented. He had eventually found the book interesting, and found some videos on YouTube about reading facial expressions too.

Little did he know that the knowledge was going to come in useful.

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The effect of Lord Finney, in all his ridiculous frilly clothed self, appearing in the crowded market was so immediate, Calvin would've thought it was choreographed had it not been for the fact that it obviously wasn't. 

When he had flew into the middle of the market, with his huge vulture wings spread around him, all the people pushed away from him, as far back into the walls as possible. They all formed a circle around him. Calvin and his companions also got pushed into the crowd. Mathew wanted to march into the circle, but his dad held Mathew's closed fist into his hand and discreetly shook his head. 

Calvin could see the drama unfolding.

 Suddenly, all the research he had done on facial and body reading months ago came flashing back to him. He looked at Mathew. His fists were clenched, and the area between his eyebrows were furrowed. His shoulders were pulled up and his feet were unnaturally still on the road. Clearly, he was agitated. 

Heather looked concerned, but both his parents were blank. The skin on their faces was smooth and relaxed, eyebrows relaxed, feet planted sturdily but not stilly on the road. They were looking at Finney with no emotions on their face. 

It was then Calvin realized, his parents were experts in facial and body readings. 

He looked over at Finney. His eyebrows were slightly elevated on his forehead. The middle part of his face was downturned and the corners were upturned. His shoulders were squared and eyes sweeping over everyone in the crowd. All the signs of arrogance. 

Yet, there was something off in his posture. Something he couldn't quiet put his finger on. 

"People of the air kingdom. I am here to announce the starting of the schools in a week. Your kids will be going to the noble areas for studying, and like always, you are required to pay three Kinners per child to whoever's kid is attending school." 

A scurrying sound was heard from the side of the circle. All heads turned to see a six-seven year old kid walk out of the circle to catch a mouse running rampart on the ground. There was a clotting wound on her head that was clearly the shape of a claw. Probably from a demon. 

Finney's looked uncertain for a second, the flesh of his lips wobbling a little bit to show that he was biting the inside of his lips uncertainly, before being replaced by his arrogant look, "And for gods sake, bathe your kids." 

Susan muttered from beside him, "Can give him a piece of my mind." 

Heather, who was holding both Calvin and Susan's hands to prevent them from 'giving him a piece of their mind', said slowly, "Let the adults handle it. Believe me, it will be more fun that way." Her face was relaxed and promised fun.

"And don't just look at me like that. Submit the money on time or your kids won't be allowed in the school."

Finney's eyes flitted to the girl's head quickly, so fast that no one would notice if they hadn't been looking closely like Calvin. Maybe he was a thick piece of split toenail, but he still had good in him. 

Just as Finney was getting ready to fly away, Mathew's loud and clear voice rang out in the clearance, "And who's going to stop them? Your private army that you are paying from the royal treasury?"

Finney's eyes widened and his right feet went an inch back. It was just a flicker but it was enough for Calvin to realise that he was not expecting Mathew to be here.

"Oh, and a so called noble, who doesn't even have enough money to shop from the noble market will question me? It were the king's orders that this tax be taken, before he went...missing." Finney said, his face going to back to the arrogant mask, but the slight tilt of his neck (that shows one is comfortable) was not there and his feet were too still and straight to be considered normal.

His dad muttered, "Bullshit." 

Mathew went to the centre of the circle, stepping into Finney's personal space, "You think I don't have enough money to buy from the noble market?"

His mother sighed, so only he and his dad could hear, "He's picking the wrong topic."

"Oh no! What I think, is that you are stealing. Probably,  you've fooled the McKays and stolen their wealth, you sly, jackal." His said, smirking. Heather's grip on his hand tightened.

"You seem to care about them too much." Mathew commented casually. Calvin saw where the conversation was going. Perfect.

"Well yeah, I would care about them. Poor people, if they were here, they would've found out about your crook and would've handled these stupid people with much more strictness than me. God knows, I am sick of dealing with these locals. If only they were here, I could get a break." He sighed like an overdramatic nineties heroine.  

His dad opened his mouth to speak and get the situation in control, but a woman, either very brave or very stupid spoke up, "If Lord and Lady mcKay were here, we wouldn't have to suffer this tyranny." 

"Tyranny? This is not my choice. It is the king's order, I am just following it through. And you, woman, have to work at the palace as a slave for three days for you impertinence." He said.

The woman's eyes widened, and Mathew said, "Which policy exactly are you talking about?"

"Oh, you, little officer wouldn't know."

"Actually," his dad said, and a smile reached onto Calvin's face, "I am not aware of any such policy either." 

The smile on Finney's face was wiped off, and his eyes widened. There was a crease on his forehead, and his blinking rate increased tenfold. It didn't take one to read a book on facial expressions to realised he was unpleasantly surprised. 

"Lor-Lord McKay!" He went into a hasty bow and didn't looked pleased about it.

"Yep. That's me. Can you tell me just which policy were you talking about? I don't happen to know any such policy either." He said. 

"Uh...Lord McKay, it-it was issued when you were in the human world." He said, but he was stuttering. Even the crowd (who looked pleasantly surprised by the intervention) knew he was lying.

"Okay." His dad said. His face betrayed no emotion, and he said, "Can I see the policy?" 

"Of-of course." 

"Good. Oh, and what you said about dealing with these unruly locals, don't worry Lord Finney, I'll take the responsibility off your shoulders. Mathew told me all about how how amazing work you have done this past years. Fon't worry, though, I'll manage everything now."

"No need for that Lord McKay, I can...I can handle. You needn't worry yourself over..."  

"Oh I needn't. But I want to. It would so ungrateful of us to reward your work with more work, right? I'll sign your early retirement forms tomorrow itself. Don't worry." 

By now, all of Lord Finney's facade was blown. "Lord McKay...you can't...Mathew has been lying. You. can't..." but his claims were completely blown, because he was shoved aside and his parents were swarmed with people. 

Heather sighed happily, "And here ends Lord Finney's chapter and restarts the golden age." It sounded like the starting of a religious book, especially, in Heather's tinkling voice.

Calvin wanted to believe her, but something in his gut told him that it wasn't the end of the drama. But it can't be true. He wasn't an angel after all, for his sixth sense to be true.

Right?

Hiyo there!

What do you think, Lord Finney is the end, or is he going to make a comeback? 

I have plans, little people, which may or may not involve lots of demons😈😈😈

So, I wrote this author's note, specifically because I wanted to ask you if you like this story so far, or want to change something? Because I am feeling that this story isn't so good...

Disclaimer: all the use of facial and body reading was based of my purely amateur study of it, and not an expert's point and I hope it is not treated as such.