“Thank you. You may go,” Nicholas tone is clipped as he dismisses the woman, Marta, apparently. It seems that she is to become their live-in servant, entertainer, and general dogsbody. Nicholas had assumed at first that Sarran had decided to employ a single member of the palace staff to meet their needs in order to reduce the spread of their secrets. Her tale, stuttering and fearful as it was, told him that it was quite another story.

  Nicholas has just spent most of the afternoon nursing cup after cup of tila with various lords and ladies, feeling out how alliances and potential alliances might have shifted after the news that he now has an heir was made public – and the rumours of where his heir had appeared from. Coming home to discover the spectacle his heir had caused in his absence was the last thing Nicholas had wanted.

  He paces back and forth before the unlit fireplace – he can only blame himself. He should have realised Markus wasn’t ready to be released upon the palace. He’d hoped that Sarran’s presence would curb Markus’ eccentricities, but, clearly, he had been too optimistic.

  It’s hard to tell how the different Houses will take such an encounter. Some will see it as a sign of Markus’ uncivil upbringing. The best he can hope for there is that they will withhold judgement until Markus has had some time to adapt, rather than immediately condemning him. But it is inevitable that a few will write Markus off as a violent barbarian. Though, most likely not many of those – the nobility of Moriax can forgive much from those with good breeding, impressive wealth, or significant influence. And Markus has two of those due to his position as Great House heir.

  Then again, perhaps it will appeal to some of the other heirs – those eager for change, regardless of how it might come about. Those who have abolitionist leanings might see it as a hope – that the heir of one of the Great Lords has protested so publicly against a noble heir using a slave. But that same message is unlikely to win Markus favour among those who actually wield power.

  Nicholas himself will admit that their current system of justice isn’t perfect, but it has worked for generations, and a great deal of power and money is tied up in it. If Markus wants to make a change, he will need significantly more power than even Titanbend alone can give him; he cannot afford to be making enemies over minor events such as this one.

  The lord is a little surprised that no message from House Fell has arrived – he would have expected the lord of the House to press his advantage. Then again, Nicholas’ lip curls, perhaps they are currently consulting a law-expert to see just how far they can push this. Or perhaps they are going to attempt to see if Flameform will represent them – she’s always eager to have something to hold against Titanbend and would be willing to compensate them for it.

  Nicholas pauses to contemplate what Flameform might demand in that case, then snarls and continues pacing. He feels a couple of his more awake Bonded stirring on his skin, alerted by his aggravation.

  There is no danger. Sleep, he commands them curtly, and they sink back into unconsciousness. Only one does not. Malaya, one of his oldest Bonded, even if she’s not one of his most powerful remains stubbornly awake. She sends him a questioning nudge, wrapped in quiet concern. The emotions help calm him down more than his pacing. He sighs. I’m fine, he sends to her, wrapping his own words in reassurance. I’ll call for you if I need you, as always.

  She responds with a sense of loving chiding, and then sinks back into a light level of sleep. Nicholas huffs. He’s never succeeded in marrying, but sometimes Malaya’s quiet nagging compensates for the lack of a wife.

  By the time Markus returns, Nicholas has paced himself back into aggravation. he reminds himself that Sarran was due to take Markus to both the bank and the competition registration office – the delay does not necessarily mean that his heir has somehow landed himself in more trouble.

  Finally, his sharp ears catch the noise of a group moving down the hall – the sound of claws on wooden floorboards is unmistakable. There is the murmur of voices – Sarran asking the guards where Nicholas is – and then the noises approach the dining hall in which Nicholas is pacing. When the door opens, only Sarran and Markus enter, his heir’s beasts having vanished somewhere else.

  Facing the door, Nicholas catches the flicker of apprehension that crosses Sarran’s face. As well he might feel apprehensive – Nicholas had tasked him with keeping Markus from disgracing the House. He clearly failed at that duty. As for the errant heir, his eyes jump directly to Nicholas, and the expression in them is wary. Nicholas is glad that the young man at least has some idea that things are not all well.

  “Greetings, my lord,” Markus greets him politely, tilting his head as Nicholas taught him to do last night. A pity he didn’t remember these manners earlier. “I hope you are well.”

  Nicholas lets the silence stretch, choosing to allow it to express his displeasure rather than words. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sarran’s features drawing tight.

  “As well as can be expected considering what I have learned of your trip to the bank and the…excitement which eventuated during it,” Nicholas answers, not hiding his displeasure. Markus eyes him warily.

  “You’ve heard about the incident with the heir of House Fell,” he concludes – correctly.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “I heard it from the palace slave Sarran decided should be sent to be our live-in servant,” Nicholas answers grimly.

  Sarran steps forward and bows more deeply than usual – not that he usually does it at all when they’re in private. They’re friends as much as they are lord and manservant, though right now their relationship falls decidedly on the latter side of the scale. Nicholas eyes him, wondering whether it is guilt or a misplaced attempt to divert the lord’s attention from Markus.

  “I believed that it was the best way to mitigate the damage which had been done, my lord,” Sarran answers, his tone polite.

  “And to protect the slave in question?” Nicholas asks shrewdly – he knows that Sarran has a soft spot for people in difficult circumstances, especially those suffering under the hand of one they cannot escape. Natural, Nicholas supposes, considering the late Mirran the Merchant.

  Sarran stands up from his bow and eyes Nicholas, relaxing when he sees that the lord isn’t actually angry with him.

  “Yes, my lord,” he answers quietly, glancing at Markus. “Considering Lord Markus had already done the damage in protecting her in the way he did, I saw it as worse than useless to expose the girl to further harm when there was an easy way to prevent it.”

  Nicholas nods his head slowly.

  “Acceptable. But it would have been even better if you’d prevented the damage in the first place,” he tells Sarran heavily.

  “That’s not his fault!” Markus exclaims, arms crossing defensively and eyes bright with indignation.

  “Then, I suppose it’s yours?” Nicholas asks, his tone deceptively lightly. He’s genuinely curious about whether his heir will take responsibility when there is a ready scapegoat available to him.

  To his credit, Markus does not hesitate to take responsibility.

  “It is,” he agrees, then he deflates. “And, Nicholas…. Lord Nicholas, I apologise for my actions.”

  “Oh?” Nicholas asks, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise. “Is your conviction so weak?” he can’t help but question. Having an heir who is determined to drag their House into scandal after scandal is no good; having an heir whose opinions change like the wind is hardly better.

  It’s with something that is a mixture of relief and resignation that Nicholas notes Markus shaking his head.

  “No – I would defend Marta again against someone trying to force her into such a position. But Sarran has made it very clear that there were a number of options open to me which would have had better outcomes – both for our House and for Marta herself.” He hesitates and then lowers his head again, shame flashing across his face. “I acted rashly, without thinking about the consequences for everyone, and for that, I’m sorry. I’ll do better, I promise.”

  His words – his promise – carry the weight of true intent. This is not an off-the-cuff declaration, but one he has been thinking about for a while. Perhaps since the event itself. Nicholas eyes Sarran and narrows his eyes in question.

  Sarran answers with a small flick of his fingers, nearly too subtle to be noticed. Nicholas nods, also almost imperceptibly. It seems Sarran is to thank for Markus’ remorse – something in their conversation clearly succeeded where Nicholas’ own teaching hadn’t.

  “Well,” Nicholas sighs as the silence begins to stretch. “What is done is done. We will simply have to live with the consequences of your actions. I am glad to hear that you intend to do better, however – acting in self-defence is one thing; being the instigator is quite something else. Given that you are likely to be in the public eye more than we initially expected, I would say that we will need to have many further lessons on ways of interacting with your peers, superiors, and subordinates.” Though Nicholas sees Markus’ mouth set itself in a hard line, the man himself doesn't argue. “Come – let us have a cup of tila. We will be expected to be at the king’s table for dinner tonight, and I believe it would be a good idea to go through what the expectations for you will be.”

  “And perhaps some contingencies for what Markus should do if things don’t go as expected,” Sarran suggests, clearly having relaxed a little based on his less formal tone. He shares a glance with Nicholas. “Given that both Lady Goldmine and Lord Softrain took advantage of the time without your supervision to approach him, Markus is clearly attracting no little attention.”

  “Clearly,” Nicholas agrees, a little apprehensive at that news. Softrain is not a concern – a House lord who’s barely more than a boy himself, in a position he’s barely been prepared for. Honestly, he and Markus are probably well-suited to each other. He will be curious to see if the lord approaches him for another meeting to discuss the alliance of their Houses now that he’s met Nicholas’ heir.

  Goldmine is a different story. He had been sure that his fellow Great Lords and Ladies would be occupied – otherwise he wouldn’t have risked leaving Markus’ side. One sleepless night of etiquette would never be enough to prepare Markus for Great House politics. There has been far too much history between them to allow for that.

  He looks between Markus and Sarran, hesitant to even ask how it went. But Sarran, with his usual ability to read Nicholas’ thoughts, answers him anyway.

  “Markus acquitted himself well with Lady Goldmine,” he reassures Nicholas. The lord sees his heir give his manservant a grateful look. Clearly, recent events have forced some connection between them. That’s just as well. “He did his best to be polite while saying as little as possible. The lady will no doubt have interpreted more than any of us would prefer-”

  “But that’s always the case with Clarissa,” Nicholas cuts in with a sigh. “That sounds like the best possible outcome, really.” Goldmine is someone Nicholas is wary of – let alone Markus who has proven to be far too naive at times. “Did you manage to accomplish the other tasks?”

  “I’ve opened a bank account with Goldman’s, and have been officially recognised as your heir there,” Markus answers obligingly, still slightly subdued. “And I’m now officially signed up for the competition.” He pulls a scroll out of his Inventory. Nicholas takes it, unrolling it to find the confirmation of entry.

  “Good,” he murmurs, satisfied. “At least something went right.” He rolls up the scroll again and looks at Markus. “Tomorrow, we’ll visit the Maps office and access the information you now are entitled to. That will allow us to begin planning for where exactly you’ll be aiming to set up the colony which in turn will give us a better idea of who should go with you.” He hands the scroll back and watches Markus tuck it back into his Inventory. He should probably warn the other man that an Inventory space is not inviolate – there are certain forbidden Classes that can allow thieves access another’s Inventory under specific conditions. “For now, though, you have a story I believe I am greatly in need of hearing if I am to best guide you on how to navigate this political sea.”

  here!

  here!

  here!

  here