Book 3 Chapter 56: I Want Everything
Dantes walked through Uptown boldly with Jacopo on his shoulder and a bouquet of flowers under his arm. Men and women weren’t sure how to react to him as he walked through the wide and clean alleys of that part of the city. In the past he’d only come into Uptown in a disguise of some sort, and even then he wasn’t as well known there as he had been in Midtown, but now, everyone knew him. His actions in the war had been too widely seen by too many people for him to remain in the shadows, not that he’d been trying to be subtle, there wasn’t much of a point to that anymore. Some people crossed the street to avoid him, others gave respectful curtsies or bows, and a few were even bold enough to exchange nods with him. He was particularly impressed by those that were so arrogant that they ignored him.
“Did you hear their building a statue of you?” sent Dantes to Jacopo as he stopped to scratch stray behind the ears.
“Not of me. Of Jacopo De Fosse.”
“Apparently his statement to the council as he left, and the subsequent sightings of him on the front lines have made him a hero to the nobility. A representation of everything that the nobles of Rendhold should aspire to be.”
Jacopo laughed. “They should build a statue of me as I actually am. If there’s anything these people should want to be, it’s a rat.”
“I think that’s too far beyond their ambitions.”
“True. It may be better that they know their place.”
Dantes laughed a bit at that, drawing a few confused stares that he ignored. They reached Argenta’s manor shortly after, and Dantes opened the gate and walked boldly up to the front door, knocking twice, though he was certain she already knew he was there.
Gren opened the door and bowed to him, gesturing to allow Dantes to come inside. He looked a little wispier than he had in the past. His smoke was diffuse enough that he could actually be seen through a bit. He must’ve still been recovering from his fight with Godfrey.