I was pissed!

"What the frick'n heck, Asput! What are you thinking? I asked for one simple thing: Make me regent. Is that really too much to ask? I can't believe this. I even sent him my best pen! And this is what I get? Well, thank you very much, you stupid king!"

I crumpled up the letter that came along with the Certificate of Title and threw it across the room. Both Edward and Benjamin were white as a sheet and stared at me wide eyed. The guards had also come in when I started yelling, but they just stood their ground stoically.

Edward said, "But, My Lord, the title—it declares you Baron of Bicman."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I am well aware of what the king has done. He took the barony away from my nephew. I asked him to make me regent, not baron."

"My Lord, I thought-"

I glared at him, "What! You thought I lied when I said I wanted to make sure Aaron kept the barony! You're just like everyone else, so sure, I want to get rid of my nephew. Curse it all. He has already lost his parents, and now he has lost his rights as a baron."

"Forgive me, My Lord. I did not doubt your love for your nephew. I-I just didn't really think about it. I never thought that someone would really not want to receive a title. It is just hard for me to understand." Edward said placatingly

I gritted my teeth, breathed in deeply, and let it out slowly. "No, Edward, it is I who should apologize. You did not deserve that. We have only known each other for a short time. Besides, there has got to be a way to fix this. Maybe I should just abdicate when he turns eighteen."

"And Benjamin, forgive me as well. That was not a good way to act in front of you. You too, Rick and Mark. Sorry, you had to rush in here."

"If you will forgive me for my boldness, My Lord, that was more or less the reaction I thought you would have when you read the duke's letter."

I paused and thought about that and then chuckled. "This kind of played out like an SNL skit, didn't it?"

That got a bunch of blank stares. That's it. We needed a stage built where people could act out plays and skits. "Edward, write down on my list of things to do, build a stage, and create Tenth Day Live. Low priority."

"As you wish, My Lord."

"What is Tenth Day Live?" Benjamin asked in confusion."

"Benjamin, might I recommend waiting until he has actually put the plan into action? His Lordship often has ideas that are hard for him to explain. Also, I have yet to see a low-priority task actually being accomplished due to all the other things that need to be done."

"A perfect explanation, Edward."

"My Lord, you are looking for a way to give your nephew the barony, correct?"

"Yeah, you got any ideas?"

"Perhaps, but let me be clear on some things first. Have you thought about how your own children might react to their cousin receiving the barony instead of them? It may cause strife within your household. I would hate for you to regret the decision once you have your own children."

"First, it is his, to begin with, and that would be made clear from the beginning. Managing expectations is the best way to avoid conflict. Second, I was just dumped by my fiancée, and I don't have any prospects for obtaining a wife. I am the only one around to run things, so it is not like I can run off somewhere and find a bride. I would have to at least go to Vaspar in order to pick up a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah, you meet a girl, and if you like her, you ask her out on a date to get to know her."

"My Lord, I know of a few eligible ladies in Kimton, and I am sure we could obtain a list of more. I would be happy to write letters to their fathers to negotiate a dowry."

"So, what, I have a bunch of girls come out here, and I decide which one I like?"

"They don't have to come out here until the wedding?"

"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting that everyone around here marries for political reasons and money, not for love. No, I am not cool with that. I want love in my relationship."

"My Lord, that is what mistresses are for. As long as you provide a few children for your legal wife first."

"I'm not cheating on my wife."

"As long as you acknowledge the children as your own, there is no problem with it. It is the privilege of nobility. Are you going to expect the same of her?" Benjamin said in surprise.

"Of course, I am going to expect the same of her."

The raised eyebrow Benjamin gave me suggested that he was thinking, 'Good luck with trying to convince your wife of that.'

"So what? My wife is going to have a bunch of children that are not mine."

"My Lord, I am surprised at your lack of knowledge concerning these things. Favorites must be declared to the spouse, and your wife would need to expunge any resulting child."

"But these same rules don't apply to commoners?"

"Of course not. As commoners, it would be shameful for us to have more than one wife. Our seed has no noble blood in it to grace children with."

"Alright, I am done with this conversation. Let's go back to how we make Aaron a baron," I said. The thought of being unfaithful to someone I was supposed to love a cherish made me feel dirty.

"The solution is simple. You may adopt the child."

I slapped my forehead. "I forgot, that is what I was planning on doing when I initially found out I might become a baron. Let's do that. How do I do that?"

"Well, that is the part that is going to be a problem for you. You need to notify the duke of your intentions."

"Well, crap. The duke doesn't want me to write to him."

"I recommend waiting a few years until the duke has forgotten about you and his annoyance with you. Then, write to the count, and he can pass it along."

"Can't I just do that now? I won't be writing him directly." I said hopefully.

"I wouldn't recommend it, My Lord. He is upset with you right now. He would deny any request that came from the barony, and even if it came indirectly, he would most likely accuse you of sending him a letter and behead you."

"Well, we need to at least let the people of the barony know my intentions. I don't want my subjects to think I am trying to steal the barony from Aaron."

Edward entered the conversation. "My Lord, I don't think anyone in your barony would accuse you of doing anything that would not be in the best interest of your nephew. But we will write up a formal letter of acknowledgment."

"Well, this sucks, but it is what it is. Benjamin, I appreciate your assistance. I fear I have, in my shock, disclosed information that would have been best left until after I could confirm your loyalty to me. I have things that are not illegal but still best not to be discussed outside of my most trusted advisors. I would hate to have to lock you up in order to protect information."

"A wise decision, My Lord. I would also prefer not to be locked up and promise to take an oath of fidelity to you. I have decided that you are a man worthy of my service. Also, I have some information that may hopefully convince you of my loyalty."

"What might that be?" I said curiously.

"My father is the steward of Kimton and, as such, has access to much of the information flowing through the court. He is also an expert at digging into the various machinations going on there. I doubt there is much that he has not uncovered. This includes the people responsible for the death of your family." He said solemnly.

This caused me to sit up straight, "Really?"

"Before I disclose it, I prefer we do it in private. I also ask you not to act too rashly on the information. There is not much you can do with it. Trying to involve yourself will most likely get us all killed.

"I agree. Men go find Captain Draves. I trust you, but this is dangerous information."

"As you wish, My Lord," Rick said.

After they left, I said, "Edward, I will leave it up to you whether or not to stay."

"To be honest, I would prefer to leave. Dangerous situations are not really something I enjoy being involved in. That being said, I am your steward, and I would be a poor one if I did not strive to help and counsel you in all situations."

"Thank you. So Benjamin, tell me about yourself. What was it like growing up in Kimton."

"My Lord, I have to admit the difference between a small barony and the capital of a dutchy is quite a shock for me," Benjamin said with a smile.

With that, he launched into the details of his life and schooling. If I could truly trust him, he would be a great asset to the barony. I thought about the drive this guy must have to overcome the difficulty of training as a steward while dealing with dyslexia, not just in learning to read and write but also in dealing with the pushback from everyone around him. This was not the type of world that would allow for such a weakness.

"Your father must be very proud of you."

"He is my rock; he pushed me to achieve what others said was impossible."

I gave a bitter chuckle, "Wish I had had a father like that. Mine thought I was a waste of space. Tell me about your father."

"He is the best at what he does. As a steward, you must know everything that is going on in the house you serve. You must know all the ins and outs of the law. You must know the businesses that are running in the land over which your lord is responsible. Most importantly, you must know everything that the nobles under your lord are doing. My father manages all that by building a network of competent people."

I saw reverence in Benjamin's eyes, usually reserved for the worship of a god. "I am glad you have such a respect for your father. If I wasn't forbidden from getting anywhere near Duke Kimton, I would love to meet him."

"Speaking of my father. May I request that I be allowed to send a letter to my father? I would like to let him know I arrived safely. I promise to only speak well of you."

"You can say whatever you want about me to your father. Your opinion is your own. Honesty is the best policy. Scratch that. Honesty with Duke Kimton might get you killed, but let's make that a general guideline. I would like you to be honest with me as well. I have not beaten or beheaded a single person for disagreeing with me since I became regent."

"Even though some have deserved beheading." The familiar voice of Draves said as he strode into the room.

"Ouch, Captain, that cuts deep. I admit Marcus was a mistake. However, thank you for proving my point. I will not have you beaten even though you have criticized my actions."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"As always, thank you for your magnanimity, My Lord."

"See, Benjamin, honesty. As long as it doesn't call down the wrath of Duke Kimton, please be honest with your father. Oh, and with me. I am ill-suited for this position and need all the help I can get. Now, let me introduce you to my captain of the guard, Captain Charles Draves. Captain, this is Benjamin Steward, son of the Steward of Duke Kimton. He has been sent to make sure I don't screw up anymore. Here is the letter from the duke."

I had Draves read the letter, and then I explained what it meant and that there was no other option but to take Benjamin on as a Steward.

"Now, Benjamin was about to explain why we should trust him."

"My Lord, I have information that may be vital to you, and if it was discovered, I knew it would lead to my father and my deaths. As I said earlier, it concerns your enemies in the court."

"Enemies, as in I have more than one," I said nervously.

"They are all part of the same group. My father disclosed this information to me before I left so that I might pass it on and hopefully find a way to protect myself. Needless to say, he is not happy for me to be leaving to serve a baron who has a target on his back.

"The person who ordered the assassination is Countess Cynthia Blackwell."

"A woman?" I said in surprise.

"It surprises you that a woman would do such a thing."

"No, I believe women are capable of doing just as much good or harm as any man. Rather, it is because she is in a position to do so. I thought women were more subservient to men in society."

"Maybe out in these backwater baronies or if the husband keeps his female family members away from court, but in court, they are like snakes in the grass. They have their own way of playing the game, and some are very good at manipulating the men around them."

"Are you sure it is her? She is the younger one who is married to that old count." Edward said, "I have always heard she was somewhat flighty and not a popular member at court."

"And that is how she gets away with running a faction that opposes the king's rule. Also, she is older than she looks."

"Wait, why am I being targeted by a faction that is large enough to try and oppose the king? There isn't anything special about Bicman."

"My father is not too sure about that. He does know that the two new nobles elevated to baron by Duke Kimton are on her side. My father's best guess is that they want all of the north under their control."

"So, did they approach my father, and he rejected their offer?" I said

"I doubt it. The previous king gave your family nobility. It would be better to get rid of you and put someone in who owes them their allegiance. In the game of Fours and Nines, your family would be considered a wildcard."

"So the duke is on their side, and he is putting people loyal to their faction in place throughout the dukedom."

"He isn't a direct member. He is too volatile. But his passions are easily ignited, and he is being played like a puppet on strings." Benjamin said, shaking his head.

"How about Vaspar?"

"Vaspar is the king's man through and through. He plays the game well, though, and getting rid of him would cost too much right now."

"Does the king know about this?" Draves said.

"He does, but there is nothing he can do about it."

"What do you mean by that?" Edward said in surprise.

"Well, not nothing. But his war with the Hitub has most of his troops tied up along the border. He has been trying to conquer them for the last ten years. It is bleeding our country dry of both manpower and resources. People are tired of the war, and he is losing support."

"So why not create an armistice? Then he could make the people happy and bring his troops home." I asked.

He shook his head. "One, the king went into this war boasting that he would turn his kingdom into an empire. His pride will not let him stop. Two, If he retreated in any way, the opposing faction would use that against him. Claiming he is a weak king. Third, the Hitub would never agree to stop fighting unless they got their lands back."

"So he sees it as an all-or-nothing situation, and the other party is gaining power. I by no means wish to disrespect our king, but would it be a bad thing if the other faction took over? It doesn't sound like the king is doing the right thing. Our people are being sent to their deaths for no other reason than to make our king an emperor. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of the side that is trying to kill me, either, but could it be any worse."

Benjamin sighed, "I see that you are not at all familiar with the political situation. Our king has done many good things for his people. There has been a crackdown on corruption, and for the most part, he is just.

"The war was due to aggression on the side of the Hitub. They came across our border and slaughtered half of a barony before they were stopped. We retaliated and took almost a quarter of their land easily. This created a fervor in the court, and people demanded that we conquer our long time enemies. The king committed himself to the war and continued to push, but now we are fighting for every step of ground we conquer. What was supposed to be over in a year has now dragged on much longer."

"And the opposing side, what would happen if they won."

"First, in order for them to win, there would be a civil war. All our troops would have to withdraw, and there would be anarchy. The Hitub would probably steal some of our Southern land."

"I'm not saying I would, but what if we went to the opposing side and offered to join them? Would they stop trying to kill me?"

"They may just invite you in and then kill you. You owe them nothing, and they have plenty of other people they could put in your place who would be completely loyal to them."

"So what do I do? Wait for them to kill me. Hope the king wins quickly. If they are as powerful as you say, they could squash me at any time. They could come and kill Aaron." I said, my heart racing a bit.

"And now you see why my father didn't want me to come. In fact, I doubt me coming here was part of their plan either. This was one of those impulsive orders from the duke. On my way here, I kept looking over my shoulder, thinking they were going to kill me on the road. I doubt they are pleased you now have a competent steward."

"Excuse me, '" Edward said in an offended tone.

Benjamin blushed a bit. "I am sorry, Edward. That is not what I meant. I just… Uh, sorry."

Edward didn't look happy, but he stayed silent.

"Ok, well now, after that incredible faux pas, let's get down to the problem at hand. How do we protect my nephew? Just because I am the baron now doesn't mean they won't try to kill him again."

All of them stared at me blankly.

"What, seriously, none of you have any ideas? I was thinking maybe a cabin in the woods. Or we could pretend he is a servant. Those two things work ok in stories. Maybe we could fake his death?"

"My lord, shouldn't you be concerned for your own life as well?" Benjamin said, perplexed.

"Well, yeah, but Aaron comes first. Besides, I am a lot harder to hide than my nephew."

Edward thought for a moment and then said, "Well, My Lord, now that you are baron-"

"Wait! What do you mean?" Draves asked in confusion.

"Oh, yeah, sorry we kind of got carried away with other stuff. The stupid king made me baron," I said, pointing at the document on the table.

"My Lord, you cannot say such things," Benjamin exclaimed.

"Sorry, what I meant to say was that the stupid king, bless his heart, made me baron. Now continue with your idea, Edward."

Benjamin shook his head but didn't continue his protests.

"As I was saying. Do you not have any relatives you could send him to be with?"

"You want me to send him away?! Not happening. I was talking about hiding him around here. Besides, I have never met any of my relatives. Well, at least not since I was very young, and I don't know what type of people they are. I don't want him to be mistreated or grow up to be some stuck-up noble."

"Did you not mention that you wanted to mend those relationships?" Draves said.

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten anything back. And I don't want him that far away."

"You may have to consider it." Draves said. "Two attempts on his life in three months is not a good sign. You also won't be able to adopt him until you get this resolved, or you put his life in more danger."

"Wait, two attempts? We only heard about the one." Benjamin said in surprise.

"There was an attempt while I was away."

"Do you mind if I tell my father about this? It may be nothing, but finding out who ordered it may help further strengthen the king's position."

"So, pin it on the countess?"

"No, she would never leave herself that vulnerable. But, it may lead back to someone."

"I don't really want it to get out yet that there was another attempt. It may just spur them to try again.

"Don't worry. I will code the message so that he will be the only one to know about it. And, like I said, if my father can prevent assassins from coming anywhere near me, he will do it. I also agree with the Captain and Edward. Until this gets resolved, Aaron would be better off outside the barony."

I gritted my teeth. I really wanted to hit something right now.

"What about his grandparents?" Daves said

"No, that's not happening. You know what Martha was like. She was a snob. She had to have gotten it from somewhere."

"My Lord, that is uncharacteristically rude of you. You are usually more willing to give people a chance. The girl came from a wealthy barony, was married off to a man she didn't love and was isolated in the middle of nowhere without any of the usual luxuries. Might it be possible she was slightly bitter?"

"This is one of those, the pot calling the kettle black sort of things, isn't it," I grudgingly admitted.

"If that means a young bitter person calling another young bitter person, who acts out, a snob because she hates her situation, then yes. It is."

I sighed, "You're right. I am just coming up with excuses to justify keeping Aaron. I am not going to give him up, though, if they are a bunch of pricks!"

"I just ask that you keep an open mind. I know this is hard, but we must keep Aaron's safety at the forefront."

"I am thinking of his safety. I want to keep him safely away from douchebags." I held up my hand before Draves could respond, "I am not calling his grandparents douchebags. I will give them the benefit of the doubt."

"My Lord," Benjamin said, "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Some of the words you say don't make any sense to me. I can generally understand the meaning of your intonation and contest, but are they of foreign origin? What is a douchebag?

"Don't worry about it. They are made up words I am using to substitute for other words." I was not going to give him the actual definition of a douchebag.

I saw Edward grin. This was a question he had asked me on our travels up to Bicman.

"Carrying on. Benjamin, I appreciate all the information and assistance, but I am still not going to trust you completely. You could still be gathering information for someone, so I need to review all the messages you send, and you will need to teach me the code that you use to send and receive messages to your father. For the foreseeable future, you will be under scrutiny."

"It is understandable. To tell you the truth, I was not sure whether or not you would lock me up when I got here." Benjamin said. "May I swear my allegiance to you now?"

"You may."

After that was all taken care of, I said to Edward, "Why don't you show him around. Also, let Marshandra know that he will be in the recently vacated room. They will have to put a bed back in there as well as a desk. Make sure he has grade B paper. He is level three."

"As you wish, My Lord." Both men bowed before exiting.

"Grade B and level three?" Daves asked.

"Oh, dang, sorry, it's something we came up with. I call it clearance levels. Level one is for the most trusted among us, including those who are my top advisors. People like you, Edward, Marshandra. People who know my future plans. Level two is people like Richard, Jorb, or Mikel. I don't share all my plans, but I trust them to know everything that is currently going on in Bicman. Level three is people who will see the current projects, but we will be hiding resources like the fine linen and advanced paper. Most of the people of Bicman have had the level two clearance up until now but will be moving them to level three. Then there are people that we want to hide stuff from intentionally, like the engineers and our new people. They don't have a level."

"I see. So you are telling Edward that Benjamin is allowed to know about our current projects. But not the ones you have tucked away."

"Yep, again, these are things that will get out eventually anyway. I just want to make money on them."

"Hence, not allowing him to send out letters."

"Got it in one."

"Grade B paper?" He asked.

"It is the stuff we are selling to Vaspar."

"Can we trust him?"

I chuckled, "Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. I think if I can help him see better and help him with his dyslexia, we might secure his loyalty."

"You can do that?" Draves said in surprise.

"My older sister had dyslexia. My mom made Nate and I practice her therapy lessons with her. Also, when I was into self-hypnosis, I downloaded a script to help my sister with dyslexia anxiety. She didn't last longer than me going over it with her two times, though. Dyslexia can be like stuttering. The more stressed or agitated a person is, the harder it is for them to speak clearly. And, crap, I'm doing it again, aren't I? Saying stuff that you have no reference for. Sorry, Draves."

"I'm getting used to it. I know if it is critical for me to understand the details, you will fill me in, My Lord. What about his vision? Can you heal him?"

"Not exactly, but if we create clear glass, I might be able to help make a magnifying glass."

I knew a little about that from the last time I hung out with Mark. It was after Dad left, and my mom was trying to get me to stop being angry all the time. She begged Mark to help, and he pushed me to go to a Renaissance fair with him. I knew my mom was desperate because she gave me a hundred bucks to go have a good time. I had never even gotten an allowance before, and I knew we were tight on money. It was more that fact than anything else that got me out the door.

I wasn't a huge Renaissance nerd, so most things there didn't interest me at all. However, I did find a place where they were blowing glass crystal balls. You pay twenty bucks and wait in line for almost an hour, and you get to blow your own ball with them helping. Pay another ten bucks, and you could add things like cobalt, copper, or tin to add color.

The whole thing was a total rip-off, but waiting in line for an hour gave me plenty of time to listen to them explain over and over everything about glass blowing in the Renaissance. I don't remember all of it. I think I was high at the time. Scratch that, I know I was high because later that day I was caught vaping and got kicked out of the fair. That caused a big fight between me and Mark and ruined what remained of our friendship.

I just hoped I remembered enough of what they were talking about to recreate it. I had contemplated making glass since I got here, but I had so much going on that I thought it would be a few years before I attempted it. It still might be. But with needing to secure Benjamin's loyalty, I may have to move up the making of glass on my priority list. Having telescopes for when we built ships would also be good.

"You're lost in thought again, Baron Bicman."

His use of my new title snapped me out of my thoughts. I cringed. "Please don't call me that. Let's save it for the rare visitors."

"Yes, My Lord." Draves said with a flat expression.

He was mocking me. I just knew it.