I am just going to say that this next hearing was very drama-free. No commoners were in the room, but the number of nobles had doubled. I sat on the same bench with Tanya, now Priestess Rose. On the other bench sat Lord Kyle Decmoore and Kyle the Second. His son had manacles on him. The women of the house were not present. Decmoore glared at me with fury in his eyes.

The priest standing next to the count said, "We have come here today not for a trial but to pass judgment. All evidence has been gathered and witnesses' testimonies verified."

There was a pause as Count Vaspar looked at all of us. Then the count's voice cracked like a whip, "Baron Kyle Decmoore and Lord Kyle Decmoore the Second stand to be judged."

I let out a sigh. Seriously, the count was a jerk. He had refused to give a single hint about what was happening today. Decmoore's face took on an ashen hue. Kyle looked like he was ready to go on a rampage, and he probably would have if it hadn't been for the two guards standing behind him. As they stood, Count Vaspar began to speak again.

"First, we will address the false charges and slander you have brought against Lord Amos Bicman. For the false accusation of theft and creating a trap to ensnare your neighbor, I give to him what you requested I do for you when you brought the charges against him. I strip you of the land that used to belong to Baron Pollman and award it to Baron Bicman."

I thought this would bother Decmoore more, but he actually seemed relieved. Maybe he thought it would be worse, or maybe the Pollman land wasn't worth the effort it took to manage it. Either way, hadn't the count already said we weren't going to do this? Is he really this fickle?

"Second is the matter of your illegitimate daughter Tanya, now Priestess Rose. You have broken the Laws concerning illegitimate children and deprived her of the lifestyle and education that were due to her. As such, you will make a payment of 200 golden crowns to Priestess Rose."

This punishment actually got a bigger reaction from Decmoore than the loss of the Pollman lands. He visibly reddened and ground his teeth. If Count Vaspar noticed, he didn't react. The guy had an awesome poker face.

"Next, we will deal with Lord Kyle the Second. Lord Decmoore, you have been found guilty of rape and battery of your sister. The act of incest and rape have only one punishment under the law for such people as yourself. You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging."

It was like the guards knew what Kyle was going to do because before he could even think about running, the guards seized him, and one held a dagger to his throat.

"There will be no bloodshed in my court. Take him away," the count said with a wave of his hand, like a parent dismissing an annoying child.

The baron's face was now full of grief, and he became despondent, not even realizing when the count began to speak again.

"If this were all, you could count yourself lucky, baron, but this was only offenses made against a fellow baron and your daughter. Now, we turn to the offenses directed towards your superiors. You have made a mockery of my court by the attempt to steal Baron Bicman's land. You have bribed men to conspire with you to this extent. Both of which will now hang for their crimes. I cannot abide attempts to make my court into anything other than a place of justice. This is not all, though; as the investigation deepened into your actions, more things were revealed."

My mouth began to drop as a long list of misdeeds committed by the baron were expounded upon. Bribery, extortion, falsifying taxes, and hiring a killer were only a few of the charges. It was apparent to everyone there that this information hadn't been gathered just in the last ten days. This was an example of what the count told me about in our earlier conversation—holding all the information about a noble until it was time to bring them down.

I shuddered.

'I am so glad I hadn't been in the body of an actual baron when I was brought into this world. It would probably have come with a lot more baggage.'

"For all this, the name of Decmoore shall be stricken from the record of nobility, and all your personal assets not belonging to the barony will become the property of the County. The women of your house will be sent back to the families from which they came. They are guests of those houses, not members of the houses. Thus I have decreed may it-"

Just then, the doors opened from the back of the room, and Casper walked in. The count had a rare moment of emotion flicker across his face as it was apparent he was not pleased at the interruption. Even his tone of voice lost its usual cool. "What is the meaning of this disturbance, Casper?"

Casper bowed, "My Lord, I ask for your forgiveness as I have urgent news regarding this judgment via carrier pigeon. The duke has responded to your letter."

"Very well, bring it here and read it before the audience." As Casper approached, Vaspar continued to speak. "When the investigation started, I sent a letter to the duke informing him of the matter and what we might find. It appears that he has written back giving his own judgment."

This brought hope to Baron Decmoore's eyes. The count had told me that Decmoore had friends in high places who may try to persuade the duke to influence the judgment in the baron's favor. I heard the man was volatile, and I began to worry that he might come up with some reason to punish Tanya and me.

As Casper turned to the audience and began reading, I immediately became lost in all the flowery speech. "Was that how I was supposed to write? Dang, I thought I had been eloquent. Now I am sure everyone I wrote to thinks I am some country bumpkin.'

Fortunately, I got the gist of the letter.

"… any offending party and their entire family are to be put to death. They have betrayed their duty to the crown."

'I didn't think I was part of that group.'

"If Lord Bicman is not found guilty, he must be punished for his ignorance and stupidity in falling into such a blatant trap. Strip him of half his lands and redefine the boundaries of the relinquished lands to allow for two Noble children that have found favor in my sight.

"… she must expunge the abomination. If she refuses, then by my order, I forbid her to marry for the rest of her life."

The duke just hit the top of my most hated people list. Well, technically, it was still Decmoore, but he wouldn't be there for long. I didn't know how I felt about it. I said the phrase that I had heard from Draves almost as a mantra: There is no peace without justice.

"The will of the duke will be obeyed." the count said firmly. The house of Decmoore is no more, neither in name nor person. Lord Bicman, by the will of the duke, I strip you of the lands promised you, and you shall receive no compensation for the crimes against you by Baron Decmoore or his family. Priestess Rose, you have been favored by the duke in being given a choice, so choose wisely."

Count Vaspar nodded to the priest.

The priest stepped forward and said, "This Judgement is closed. Justice had been served."

The audience echoed the priest, "Justice has been served."

Guards grabbed Decmoore and began to drag him out of the room amidst quiet jeers from those who were once his peers. Before anyone else could move, I stood up, stepped forward, and took a knee before the count.

"Speak, Lord Bicman," Count Vaspar said in his imperious voice.

"Count Vaspar, the gift I have prepared for you is finished. If I might have your favor at this time, I request that I may present it to you now."

"Your request is granted."

Casper and a few servants immediately left the room, and a few minutes later, Casper returned with servants carrying the full length picture wrapped in a heavy linen cloth. A large easel was brought and set on the side of the room so that all would be able to see the picture when it was displayed.

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The cloth was removed and allowed to be dropped to the floor. The portrait caused a spell of silence in the audience. I was pleased to see that not even the count could keep the look of awe off his face. Within a gilded frame stood the count in his finest clothes. Of course, I took the liberty of giving him a tighter stomach and reduced the wrinkles and fat on his face. The picture was in just enough profile to make it appear as if he was looking off into the distance.

This pose would not have made sense if I had used the backdrop he and his model stood in front of while I was painting the picture. In fact, I received criticism from both of them when I positioned them as such. The backdrop, however, was completely different. The count stood upon the parapet of his castle. The sun was setting on the ocean, causing it to glisten, and the clouds were a brilliant mix of oranges, purples, and white. The soft light touched the count's face, emphasizing his strong features and making his personage stand out like a beacon.

The silence lasted almost five minutes as the count stood and examined the details of the picture. Finally, he spoke. "Lord Bicman, when you first promised to gift me a portrait worth no less than sixty gold crowns, I thought you arrogant. Now I see that you are actually humble in your estimation of your talents. Though you offer it as a gift to showcase your talents, I would be considered a thief if I accepted it without compensating you for something no other noble in the kingdom can claim to have. You shall receive one hundred gold crowns, and I will be commissioning your work in the future."

"Suddenly, the room was filled with buzzing voices as they discussed the portrait. A line had formed, and people were taking turns examining the details of the picture. I, however, bowed to the count, thanked him for his generosity, and requested to be excused. I was determined to sleep for a week to catch up on all my sleepless nights caused by this ordeal.

However, it was not to be. I only got a single night's sleep before I was told to get out of bed because the count requested my presence. Once again, I sat before him while he examined me like a curious creature he had never seen before.

"You surprise me, Lord Bicman. I think you would do better by giving up your barony and applying yourself to what you are truly good at. However, as we discussed before, you have a duty to your nephew. But when you lose your barony due to your inability to manage things, I will have work for you."

His bluntness almost made me laugh, but I was trying to learn from him how to act as a nobleman. With a duke like Kimton, he may be right. Nevertheless, I put on a brave face.

"Are you so sure that I will fail? My Grandfather was given the land with no experience. I at least have the memories of my father and brother, who managed."

"Your Grandfather was given a competent steward who pretty much ran everything. After he died, your father hired your late steward, and you know how that went. Now, you have no one competent to run the barony. You are barely keeping your people fed and will be unable to make money from your inventions because you are too far away from the center of trade. What could you possibly do?

I smiled. "You will have to wait and see. I was just generously given one hundred gold crowns. What I have done so far was without the means necessary to accomplish anything important. Now I can get to work. Do you have any recommendations for people I could use as a steward?"

"Yes, but I will not help you. You are still a liability, and people are trying to destroy you. Until I know who they are and if I can handle them, I cannot help you succeed as a Regent outside of money for your painting and inventions. Our agreements must be seen as strictly transactional monetarily. You must hunt down your own assistance. If you want a good steward, the best place to go would be Kimton or the capitol. That is where you would find someone qualified to run a barony."

I sighed. I would have to send someone trusted there to get one. I needed to get back to Bicman. "Do you have prisoners that I could take off your hands? Not murderers or rapists, I don't want violent criminals. Just people I could put to work doing menial labor."

"Murderers and rapists are executed. We don't keep those types of people alive. I have prisoners I could sell you though. How many are you looking for."

"Twenty for a road crew and some skilled laborers would be good, too, depending on what they can do."

"Tell the servant that attends you you wish to meet the debtor warden. I will give you a note to deliver."

"Thank you."

"Pawning prisoners off on you is no favor. I have no more time to speak with you. When do you expect to leave?"

"Two days," I said while standing. "I hope to sell my paper, buy all the necessary supplies, and then be on my way."

"You do not have a merchant or trader license for the town, so you cannot sell it here. However, I have seen your paper and will pay you a copper a piece."

"Count Vaspar, once again, I think you are trying to undervalue what I have here. I have a thousand sheets of fine paper, which I planned to sell to a parchment merchant for a silver penny a piece. It would be worth getting a license so that when I have larger quantities in the future, I could sell 100,000 pieces at a discount of a few coppers a piece. Papyrus is selling for a silver penny and a half for a large sheet. With my sheets being smaller, I would still beat that price and be able to provide more."

"You would flood the market, and prices would have to go down. Parchment makers would request your head. There is no demand for that much paper."

"The demand will increase when everyone, including the poorest merchants, can afford it. Parchment merchants sell both parchment and papyrus. The paper is not as high a quality writing material as either. It would give them a third product to sell and remove the need for clay tablets and other writing surfaces. People use wood and clay because it can be erased, and they don't have to pay exorbitant amounts for parchment or papyrus. Now, we give the merchants something to fill the demand. The merchants aren't making any money when people are reusing clay tablets."

There was a pause, and then the count pointed his finger at me. "You want to create patents on processes, don't you?"

Ignoring the question, I said, "Imagine if I provided you the paper, and you resold it to parchment merchants to sell it?"

"You have seen my books. Those are just the basic ones. Imagine the amount of information that could be shared if more paper were available. A library full of books would be needed. More scribes would be needed. We could open a bookshop in every city and hire parchment makers to run them. It is a few years down the road, but it will happen. You stand to make a lot of money if you work with me."

There was another pause, and then he said, "Survive the next year without being killed, and we will discuss it. I will give you five silver crowns for all your paper."

"Deal. Before I leave, I will teach you how to make a paper airplane. Share it with others, and they will be begging you for more. How about you give me a gold crown, and I will throw in all the pens as well?

He just shook his head. "Fine," He said while pulling a gold coin from a small box on his table.

'I wish I had a change drawer like that.'

He handed it to me and said. "May the Endless One grace your journey. I will most likely not have time to meet with you personally before then, but you will attend a party I am holding tomorrow to show off my painting. Take care to make some connections."

"Thank you, My Lord," I said with a bow.

After leaving the room, I was approached by a servant.

Bowing, he said, "Lord Bicman, a commoner by the name of Edward, has requested that you be informed he wishes to speak with you. He says you had requested his service. He is waiting outside the gate."

I had no idea who he was talking about. And that must have been written clearly on my face.

"Do you know him, or should I send him away?"

"No, I am curious as to who this man is. Lead me to him." I said

As we approached the gate, I saw a man standing beside one of the guards chatting. He was in travel warn clothes but was clean shaven, and upon approaching, I could tell he had bathed recently.

He bowed to me as I approached.

"My Lord, may I present Freeman Edward," the servant said.

I nodded my head. "You may speak."

"My Lord, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I was sent a letter from a friend of my late father requesting that I accept an invitation to come and work for you as a steward." He said in a highly formal tone

I smiled and snapped my fingers. "The innkeeper's son. How did you find me?"

"My Lord, you are all that is being talked about. I heard your name mentioned in a tavern two towns south of here. I arrived five days ago, and the news of your hearing was on everyone's lips. Rumors about divine intervention have spread far and wide. I decided to wait until after the judgment to continue in case things did not go in your favor."

"A wise decision."

Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly said, "My Lord, I have to admit I am probably ill qualified for the job. I am a scribe and record keeper. I have never been trained as a steward."

"Thank you for your honesty. I am sure you will do fine. And if not, then I still need you in those areas in which you excel. I am just about to go shopping for everything I want to bring back to Bicman. I have been given a large sum of money, and you are now in charge of making sure I get the most for my money. Welcome to the team," I said with a smile.

Kimton Five Days Prior

A report sat on my table. It had been a good year for gaining favors and blackmail. My network was growing, and soon, we would make our move.

Just then, the door opened, and the steward entered. "My Lady, we have just uncovered news that the duke received via carrier pigeon from Vaspar. It was a three-pigeon letter with quite a bit of information, but here is the general information on its contents."

I sat back in my chair and read the letter. Sighing, I handed it back to the steward to be burned.

"Should our agent encourage the duke to shift the blame?"

"No, Decmoore is at the end of his usefulness. It seems he has overstepped. He is insignificant to the plan and not worth saving. We should encourage the duke to dispose of him for us. We have other people who are not so rash in their actions. And… suggest that the Bicman boy be punished. Not killed, but he is to blame for me losing one of mine. That should not go unpunished."

"As you command." The steward said with a bow and left.