179: Interlude Corin
Corin paced in his private alchemy lab, glass vials scattered across the floor. The events at the marketplace did not go as he had planned. For over forty years, he had a grip on this city. No—this kingdom. Never had people questioned him when he requested something, let alone told him no.
Not even the king!
And yet, not only had this boy disrespected him in front of the populace, he said he would run to the king and have him barred from coming to the royal dinner. This was ridiculous, and he would not let them forget it.
“Aiden! Get in here,” he yelled.
A middle-aged man wearing a soft brown robe, with greying short dark hair, entered, carefully trying to step around the broken glass and random puddles of liquid on the ground.
“Yes, my lord?” he said, bowing.
“Why has no one taken the job yet?” Corin growled.
There was an awkward silence while Aiden took a deep gulp before responding.
“Um, well, you see, uh… well, no one will take the job. They claim the risk is far too much,” Aiden stammered out.
Again, there was a silence as Corin glared at Aiden, his arms shaking at his side, before reaching out, grabbing a jar, and throwing it at him, catching him in the shoulder. It shattered upon impact, but Aiden knew better than to move, even with the blood slowly trickling down his face from an errant piece of glass that had cut him.
“You call yourself a son of Valrith, my son! And you cannot even complete a task! This whole family is a joke. This is why we’re losing control. I set you a simple task. It’s not even to kill the boy, just to rough him up, intimidate him, and you cannot even find some lowlife in the slums willing to do it for coin. You’re pathetic!” Corin screamed.
Aiden stood still, his head bowed, blood now dripping from his nose.
“Get out of my sight!” Corin yelled.
Aiden didn’t wait to be told twice and scurried from the room, his hand in his pocket already pulling out a health potion to deal with the small cuts on his neck and face.
Looking around at his destroyed lab, Corin seethed with rage before storming out the door. Aiden was long gone, not sticking around to get another round, but standing outside was a servant, already bowing and shaking.
“Have that laboratory cleaned before I get back, or I will have you testing potions by nightfall,” Corin yelled, not even looking at the servant.
It was a mostly empty threat, as he’d never remember the faces. Why would he? They were here to serve him. His entire house was, so why couldn’t they perform a simple task?
A soft voice spoke from behind him as he stormed down the hall.
“Lord Valrith, sir, you have Lady Belwyn here to see you,” she said, her face to the floor as she held a deep bow.
“Finally, some good news. Bring her to my study, and hurry,” Corin barked.
Corin was glad to see he still had some allies in this city. Maybe she’d have people who were reliable enough to do a simple task.
Sitting behind his desk, he waited for his visitor, his leg bouncing under the table, still incredibly annoyed, but he needed to put on a show—stay calm.
There was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” he called.
The door opened, and in walked Lady Belwyn, wearing a green dress with a military symbol pinned to her chest. Corin noticed two guards of hers standing just outside the door as she shut it behind her.
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As she sat down, her expression was, as always, an impassive, stony mask. Corin was never able to truly discern Marie’s expressions in meetings like these.
“Afternoon, Corin. I heard you had a run-in with our new friend at the marketplace,” she said, and even Corin could tell there was mirth behind the tone.
“Don’t tell me you’re siding with the little shit,” Corin growled.
“Calm yourself, old man. I’m here, am I not?” she said.
“Well, what are we going to do about him? He’s throwing things out of order and breaking the status quo. It’s bad for business, though you’ve seemed to have done alright out of it,” Corin said.
“Of course. I was never foolish enough to put my name to paper when it came to Havenel’s business, and as for the boy, what is there to do? He had a dragon visit the capital, claiming it owed him a debt. My own people heard it and witnessed it. That’s no rumour,” Marie countered, sitting back in the chair as a cup of tea appeared in her hands from a storage ring.
“I’m obviously not going to beat the boy up myself,” Corin snapped back.
“Then I suppose you think the thugs you hire will keep their tongues when faced with an ancient dragon in their minds? You have read the notes regarding the last assassination attempt on the boy, right? The dragon got everything, oath or not. An entire village was found reduced to ashes. No one even had time to run; no one survived.” Marie said, waving it off.
Corin seethed in his chair, leaning back. There had to be some way he could deal with this problem.
“We go after his friend, then. That shop?” Corin proposed.
Marie just laughed, every note coming across like a dagger to Corin as he glared at her.
“Corin, you’re getting foolish in your old age, you know that, right? I was at the dinner. He only asked for a single thing: a shop for his friend,” Marie said.
Corin stared at her again. He didn’t get it.
“And?”
Marie let out a sigh. “You’re being particularly dense today. An attack on that shop may as well be an attack on the boy. I will back you in your discussion with the king, but any actions against that boy will only get everyone killed, including, and most certainly, you. That’s if his cat is not here tonight to kill your whole family for insulting him,” she said, now with a clear smile on her face.
“Fine! We’ll do things properly,” Corin snarled. “Leave me be. I need to think,” he said.
Marie didn’t say anything, the smile still on her face as she rose to leave, the smile turning to a smirk as she walked out the door.
Back in the office, Corin sat behind his desk, mulling over the words, essentially being told to drop it. He couldn’t do that, could he? This boy had insulted him.
Deciding he needed to get more allies, he drafted letters to House Greyrock, House Boltron, and House Lindberg.
***
A day had passed, and he had only received a letter back from House Greyrock stating their support for his actions. House Boltron had advised him against any action and foolishly tried to tell him he should drop it, and House Lindberg didn’t respond at all. Never had he felt so disrespected as he had this week.
A soft knock came to his laboratory door as he threw the letters onto the table.
“Enter,” he called.
“Lord Valrith, sir, you have a visitor,” the servant said quietly.
“You know not to interrupt while I am in the laboratory. Tell them to go away,” Corin hissed.
“I’m so…” The servant was gently pulled aside by three men in full plate armour.
“That’s too bad, because I’ll be interrupting you today,” Kathrine said, stepping into the laboratory. A large man in a perfectly polished suit of armour followed in behind.
If he wasn’t mistaken, it would have been Liam.
“Ah, Princess, how kind of you to visit an old man like me,” Corin said in a weary old voice.
“Drop the act. I’m not here on pleasantries,” Kathrine said coldly.
“I come bearing a message from the King. On this day, you are warned that any action taken against the individual known as Trevor, or any member of his household or business, by you, or by any associate of yours, you will be stripped of your title, your house, your business, as will all of your associates involved,” she said as she read off a parchment.
Corin stood, shocked. “I would ne—”
He didn’t even get to finish the sentence before she cut him off.
“Save the excuses, Corin. I don’t care. You will not attend the royal dinner. However, as tradition dictates, you will be able to send another member of your household. But again, I will stress this to you: any action taken by an associate of yours will result in severe punishment. Playing stupid will not work,” Kathrine delivered like ice.
Corin could not believe what he was hearing. This kingdom needed him. He was irreplaceable. They couldn’t just toss him aside like Oliver. How dare the kingdom treat him like this?
He never even got words out to express the rage that was building as Kathrine turned.
“Have a good day, and heed this warning. It will not be made twice,” she said as she left the room, Liam following behind.
As the door shut, a glass jar hit it as hard as he could throw it.