196: Questions
I was stunned. How could the King think it was us if we were just standing in front of him? I looked to Sylverith, but I was fairly sure she couldn’t be in two places at once.
“No?” I responded.
But I felt guilty. I was happy she was dead. If she was behind the events that caused Brandon to end up in that wagon, then she deserved it, but I also believed in justice, and we can’t just kill people we don’t like.
“No, it wasn’t me. I’ll get ahead of your next question and answer for Lily as well. It wasn’t her, as she is still watching us here,” Sylverith said, and as if on cue, Lily appeared next to me, sitting down.
Crisplet let off a single ember as well, though I suspect the King wasn’t accusing Crisplet.
Marcus leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“You wouldn’t happen to know how she was killed in the cell while we just spoke, then?” Marcus asked.
I looked between them, rather confused by all of this. I could imagine a scenario where Lily would have killed her, but she had been showing a lot of restraint, from the adventurers in Greyrock to the Valrith house.
“She had many people who wished for her to stay quiet. The rot in this kingdom runs deep, young flame. You’d do well to cut it free,” Sylverith said.
This earned a chuckle from Marcus. “It’s very strange being called young, but you’re implying someone killed her to keep her silent. You won’t get involved in our politics and tell me, but this is enough. I have one last question for you, Sylverith. Do you know anything about the village that was burnt just south of Toldren?”
Sylverith just smiled. “I do.”
Marcus was clearly waiting for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he just let out a deep sigh. “I don’t suppose you could tell me why?”
“If you seek out the rot in your kingdom, you’ll learn this yourself,” Sylverith smiled.
“Must you always be so cryptic?” Marcus said, clearly getting annoyed.
My mind raced at this. Sylverith had attacked a village? What happened to the people?
“Very well. I have a lot to think about. Thank you again for coming at short notice,” Marcus said, clearly dismissing us.
“Thank you for making the house official, and the land, your Majesty,” I said, bowing again.
I saw the slightest hint of a smile appear on Marcus’s face before the pained expression returned.
As we left the room, Kathrine was standing on the opposite side of the double doors, waiting for us, before she led us back to the carriage, not talking as we walked. It wasn’t until we were crammed inside the carriage, now with Lily, Sylverith, and Crisplet, that she spoke.
“Thanks for attending. I’d tell you that you’re invited to attend court every week now that you have a seat there, but something tells me you won’t be at all interested in doing that,” she said with a smirk.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, not at all. As little politics as possible, please. The dinner is going to be bad enough.”
“About the dinner, it’ll still be happening, but it’ll be more of a private affair rather than the political event it was going to be. My father was going to announce your house officially at the dinner after all, but that’s changed now, and with two houses gone and the search for corruption happening, I don’t know who will be left,” she sighed.
There was silence in the carriage as we rolled across the smooth stone roads, watching the buildings pass by the window as people turned to see the royal carriage. I really felt like I had not seen the city at all. We’d spent all this time just moving from door to door in carriages. I didn’t get any time to just explore and take it in. I knew it was reckless, but I was as protected as I could be.
“Kathrine, could we stop here?” I asked.
She tapped the window behind her as the carriage came to a slow halt.
“Are you sure? We’re only halfway to your residence,” she said.
I noticed Sylverith’s brow was raised slightly as well.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ve never had a chance to really explore yet, and I’m as safe as I’m ever going to be,” I smiled.
Kathrine let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, I’d say that’s true. Very well! I will see you at the dinner.”
With that, I stepped out of the carriage and, for the first time, actually onto the streets of the noble district without being directly in front of the destination. I noticed Lily faded back into the shadows, while I looked around, the crowd that had already gathered to see who was getting out of the royal carriage. They seemed to move on quickly when Crisplet and Sylverith stepped out behind me, however.
As the carriage rolled away, it hit me. Silence. Only the distant rolling of wheels on smooth stone and the soft sound of a bird in the air. There were no whetstones, no crafters working in the background, or constant wagons rolling past with the grunts of Buvul and Grovul. It was all gone, and I was left with silence.
Looking up the road, I saw it was lined on either side with scattered manors, each having different fences out the front, from metal bars to stone, with one looking to be just a giant hedge. Everything looked green and immaculate. Seeing into the yard of one of the manors, I caught a glimpse of a massive stone fountain.
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Crisplet seemed to enjoy it as well, enjoying being able to explore and appearing to be looking for insects.
As I walked, I just admired all the homes, wondering who was living inside. What did the regular nobles of the capital even do? I knew of the main houses, but these minor houses, I had no clue what their roles were. How did someone even become a minor noble of the kingdom?
I had a lot of questions while I walked and noticed a wall rising ahead of me. I was familiar with this one. It’s what separated the noble district from the upper noble district, a final checkpoint before reaching the largest manors.
“Sylverith, do you know who actually killed Marie? Was it you or Lily?” I asked as we walked.
“I probably would have killed her, truthfully, after your thoughts about a swift death being preferable, but I don’t actually know who killed her despite my alluding to the King. I am curious also, as I didn’t feel anything, nor did Lily,” Sylverith said.
“And the house corruption? Was that true?” I asked.
“Yes, that is true. It runs deep, but most don’t care to involve you,” she answered.
We approached the gate to the inner courtyard. It was made out of finely packed smooth stone, with a thick metal gate barring the path. Out front stood two guards and a traveller of sorts, a large man wearing a traveller’s cloak, looking ragged as he was talking to the guards.
As we approached, it seemed the guards recognised me.
“Please step aside. We cannot allow you in there to roam around,” the guard said to the man.
As he turned, I got a look at his face, a face I recognised immediately, and so did Lily, apparently, because she appeared in a second, a pressure descending upon everyone as the guards and the man, who I now recognised to be the adventurer who tried to muscle me in Greyrock, all fell to their knees.
“Wa… wait!” he said, forcing out the words as Lily glared at him.
“Why are you here?” I asked sternly.
“To apo… apologise,” he got out through deep breaths.
“Lily, lessen the aura a little,” I asked. In the distance, I could already hear more guards approaching the location, as the sound of men running in armour was very distinct.
“Apologise?” I asked, confused.
“Yes. Apologise. To you,” he said, now catching his breath.
I was rather suspicious of him being here. How’d he even know I was in the capital? We didn’t tell anyone in Greyrock that’s where I was heading.
“You came all the way to the capital to apologise? How’d you even know I was here?”
The guards were just getting to their feet, but the man stayed on the ground, the clanking of armour growing louder.
“I… I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was normal there to haze new adventurers. I didn’t know who you were,” he said.
Sylverith seemed to find this all amusing, as she had a pleasant smile on her face.
“He’s telling the truth, dear. He’s terrified of Lily,” Sylverith’s voice said in my mind.
“How did you know I was here, though?” I repeated.
“I didn’t at first, but I just visited the towns on the way up until I got a lead in Dunhearth, then I came straight here,” he said.
I really didn’t know what to do in this situation. Someone had travelled across the country just to apologise?
“I don’t even know your name, but uh, okay? Apology accepted. I’m sorry Lily hit you. She’s very protective of me and does her own thing, especially after an assassination attempt,” I awkwardly laughed.
“If I’d have known… My name is Raymond,” he said.
“Well, Raymond, would you like to discuss this a bit more privately? We have quite the audience now,” I said, looking around at the dozen guards in full plate armour, clearly unsure of what was occurring.
He also now seemed to notice the surrounding guards.
“I would, yes,” he nodded.
“It’s only fair, then, that I introduce my companions: Crisplet, Lily, and Sylverith,” I pointed to them in kind.
As he got to his feet, I walked towards the gate, which the guards promptly opened for me.
“Sorry about the trouble,” I whispered as I walked by.
“No trouble at all, Lord Ashmoon. Welcome,” the guard bowed.
Walking through the gate, Sylverith’s voice came into my head.
“It seems odd, doesn’t it, that the one and only day you decided to walk home is the day this man arrives at the gate in the city to apologise? I don’t give the gods a lot of credit, but I can’t help but feel Oris has had a hand in some recent events.”
“Oris?” I asked.
“Goddess of Fate.”
“Oh yeah, she took our offerings at the temple in Dunhearth, even took Crisplets!” I replied happily.
“Very interesting.”
We walked through the gate, with Raymond following behind, though I noticed Lily was walking behind him, with Crisplet standing between us.
The walk was quiet as we made our way up a stone path. It didn’t take long before I started to walk up the driveway that led to the house, waving at the four guards who stood at the entrance.
“The tree is on fire?” I heard Raymond say behind us.
“No, that’s just Crisplet’s sculpture,” I explained.
Raymond just stared in awe.
“How was Dunhearth when you went through? What inn did you stay at?” I asked curiously.
“It’s changed so much. I stayed at the guild, but that massive shrine to the phoenix there and all the pilgrims… It’s so much larger than I remember.”
“Shrine?” I asked curiously. Did he mean Larry’s inn?
“Yeah, I think I remember an inn being there a long time ago, but now there is a shrine along with lots of cheap accommodation surrounding it for pilgrims,” he explained.
I laughed to myself. I was sure that Larry probably ran those accommodations and was capitalising on all the pilgrims.
“How did you find me in the capital, by the way?” I asked.
“Well, that was actually far easier than I expected. I asked a guard at the entrance to the city if he happened to have heard of a kid named Trevor that had a giant cat companion, and I was immediately pointed in your direction,” he said.
We were just making it past the tree up the driveway when Liane appeared, daggers drawn.
“What is he doing here?”
“I invited him in. He’s here to apologise, and it was causing a scene at the gate,” I explained.
Liane let out a deep sigh. “Please, in the future, don’t bring in strangers who have wronged you in the past. It only takes one stab.”
Raymond raised his hands, clearly sensing the hostility.
“I normally wouldn’t, but I had powerful company,” I tried to reassure.
“Trevor, you’re too damn nice for your own good. Let’s go inside. I want to hear this apology as well, and no food.” She said, glaring at Raymond.