“So it seems we are meant to wait.”

Silwia sighed emphatically, turning to greet me with a smile. She looked me over, seemingly satisfied with the work of the others in the house.

Fuck me, is this one going to go on about it now? Fuck, if I knew the act I was drowning myself in would result in this type of coddling, I would’ve just brained myself on the stone pillars… If I didn’t break them.

“Aye, so it seems.”

I stood next to Silwia, clearing myself from the constant activity of the floor. I was clasping my hands together, nervous and miserable. I was praying I wouldn’t have to speak to anyone without Vaughn or Jozef near, at least with their presence, I could gauge my responses or receive guidance.

“You seem anxious, Kiyomi.”

Silwia broke me from the stupor of worrying, prying me for attention.

“It’s just a lunch, one where all we need to do is accompany our partners.”

I sighed at her words, trying to back them up against myself.

She’s right, we’re just here to accompany them.

“Why the company, though? They’re discussing work, aye? One would figure there’d be less idle talk with only the representatives present.”

“Aye, but there would be no room for additional comments nor perspectives that haven't been considered.”

“Perspectives?”

She nodded.

“You’ve a good head on your shoulders. Say you were tasked with a specific employment, but you could only approach the task with your own mindset, and the same for your colleagues.”

That’s a given, I know where this leads.

“I could understand the outside perspectives if it wasn’t simply the spouse of each representative.”

Silwia tilted her head at my response.

“This may be unique to Krakow as opposed to Brenton, but our city has a high emphasis on education for its nobility. While lower born may view it as optional, those of the higher birth or sophisticated vocations, such as engineer, are encouraged to marry outside of their vocation, and if they don’t?”

She shrugs.

“They or their spouse picks a new one. I was an engineer, so was Jozef.”

She smirked.

“He was a mess, spending late, late nights here. I was one of his attendants for a long time, and at some point I found the fool passed out at his desk with a love letter on it.”

She shook her head.

“Sooo, here I am. An inn-keep.”

I squinted, looking over to her.

“An inn-keep is a vocation fit to be equal?”

“Enough so, you manage a business. You have your ear to the ground with the economy, the rumor mill of the other cities, and a very wide range of clientele to listen in on.”

“You mean eavesdrop?”

She smirked again.

“Is it eavesdropping if you’re saying it outloud for the world to hear? You’re an adventurer, I have no doubt you’ve been using the rumor mills and rubbing elbows with your elder constituents.”

“Tch, if brown nosing over fisherman's tales of ‘massive dragons’ and ‘horrifying monstrosities’ could be considered that.”

I managed to chuckle out of sincerity.

“But, I can understand. Just keeping myself and my partners in mind with that.”

I looked over, smiling wryly. Silwia seemed to shift uncomfortably at the gesture, though.

“On the subject, it’s not my place to pry, but those two seem to be battling with your fits from the beginning of your stay.”

This again.

“Must it be discussed?”

“You should consider them in your thoughts, even for myself, it was like hearing a child wailing. Your words from upstairs were muffled by no means… The walls may be stone, but the floors are still only wood.”

If it were so easy to begin with, fuck, I was hoping of all things that this lunch would be a break from the mention of it.

“I’m still thinking on it myself.”

I looked down.

“On a separate subject, the teasing from Mizzel was quite amusing to hear of. I’ll be sure to tell her to tone it down.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Hmph, thanks, I guess.”

I smirked.

“If I were another, I’d laugh too.”

After another few moments, Silwia seemed to have another thought cross her mind.

“By the way, the boy likes you. Both of them, I think—“

“It would be kind of you to stop that sentence where it stands.”

I was clasping my hands harder than before, my knuckles whitening.

“My thoughts are scattered enough as is.”

And I’d appreciate having my thoughts and emotions not fucked with. Fuckin— wasn’t enough for the backdrop of the fucking gambling pool. Fuck! Oh gods, I actually can’t push that from my mind now— shit!

“Tsk— it's whatever, sorry for the snap. I’m not usually like this.”

“It’s fine, as one should expect, you must be under similar stress to Vaughn with how you two have worked so far. And with the lunch, the Lord of the floor being present.”

“The who?”

I raised my head, looking back at Silwia.

“The lord of the fourth floor, while Brenton simply has its noble families, who own sections of the city and its farmland as they rent or sell it, Krakow has a noble family for each floor. Five in total, one for each, and our Lord particularly will—“

“Kiyomi.”

The door opened, Jozef looking slightly relieved of his stress.

Oh gods, did I do something?

He stepped through the door, waving into the room.

“Vaughn and you need to discuss something, Silwia, if you could wait for them?”

She nodded to him, motioning for me to go.

For fuck’s sake Vaugh, what now?

----------------------------------------

“So, it’s uh, something we haven’t really discussed before, but—“

Oh fuck, not this shit again. First Mizzel, then Silwia, now you?! For fuck sake-

“They know about your status.”

The what? Why does that sudden derail feel disheartening?! Something else, quick! Not the time!

Vaughn rubbed the back of his neck.

“We agreed never to bring it up aloud, Beryl and I.”

I looked at him sideways, each of us taking seats in the chair to the front of Josef’s desk.

“My status.”

The bird is out of the cage. I mean, there’s no way they never could have figured it out… Two years of them marked as my retainers? Of course, they would have seen it. But, how much do they know?

“Jozef told me, somehow, they found out you were noble born.”

He clasped his hands together, looking at the floor.

“I-“

The world closed in on me for a moment before my thoughts took hold.

Other’s know? How many? Who? Where did I mess up?! Was it my sleep talking? Lorn saw through me, I know it, but who else? Maybe Sophia? She could always tell if someone was lying to her—

“What’s going to happen?”

Vaughn shrugged.

“As far as Jozef knows, there will be a lot of word games at lunch. The Lord will be present, and Jozef thinks he’s of the mind to question you and Sabine rather than worry about the projects themselves.”

Great, and we’ll have her there with her glare. At least she’s well-spoken enough to fend for herself.

I slumped back, the last thing I was equipped to do was handle this, or at least I wasn’t. Kiyomi’s memories came to mind once more.

Our training with her mother and Sarah, the long meetings with other clan leaders. I might be able to hold my own, and with Vaughn and Jozef both present.

“I… think that I can handle myself.”

I sat up, Vaughn also looking up from the floor.

Just go with the flow, let out the memories and thoughts, it’s already burned into place. No use would come from ignoring them.

“I’m not hopeless here. If you’ve got my back, I may be able to navigate the conversation if it comes up… Just, please don’t leave me to hang.”

I found myself averting my eyes.

“I’m sorry, also.”

Vaughn tilted his head.

“About what?”

“That I never told you. I may as well have lied to you. I may have had amnesia at first, but, over time— I.”

I clenched my jaw, cognizant at the same time of my feelings from being caught in my lie to them. I trusted Vaughn and Beryl, but it felt like something I could avoid as long as it was never mentioned. But I knew, I knew at least some of our background, and I never mentioned a word of it. As far as they knew, I was still suffering from amnesia. Vaughn shook his head at this, standing up.

“So you do remember— oh fuck.”

A thump was heard through the wall at the exact moment Vaughn cut himself off, looking around hurriedly.

“Shit.”

“What do you mean ‘shit?”

“They didn’t know that part. They thought you couldn’t remember.”

I looked around with him.

What?! What the fuck am I missing here?! Vaughn!

I stood in front of him.

“What do you mean ‘they'?”

He brought a hand to his temple, the other resting at his waist.

“Oh, fuck.”

Vaughn nodded, dropping the hand from his head.

“Yeah, fuck. This lunch may have just become a little more difficult.”

Fuck, the bird is out of the cage, and the mine’s filling with fuckin poison.

“And you only thought of considering that now?! We shouldn’t have to worry about anything further, right?”

Vaughn nodded.

“Either way, we can’t be compelled to do anything we don’t want to. But if we fall into the trap of pleasantries? The shit would be spread far’n’wide. They specifically asked Sabine to attend, and Jozef was strong-armed to influence you to join me, but I just found out about that.”

“Then we can’t lose to them, can we?”

He shook his head.

“Even if we try to run, if we drop into that pitfall? We’ll be fucked, they’ll openly acknowledge your refusal to join us.”

“Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.”

He nodded, then sighed. We both stood there in silence for what felt like hours, but the grandfather clock in the corner did well to remind us otherwise.

“With that out of the way… Is that why you’ve been out of it?”

I shook my head.

“Vaughn, not now… When I’m ready, please?”

I found myself damn near wanting to break down again, but as long as I maintained the activity of my mind, I could hold on. He looked down, nodding as he did.

“Okay… do you think you’ll get through this? When you’re already stressed as is.”

I smirked, tapping his elbow.

“Vaughn, I’ve been punted around and torn at by some monsters. You think I can’t handle some prodding from some high-born prick?”

He shook his head, smirking as I did, then sighed again.

“Only if you think you can.”

We maintained a cordial attitude in that moment.

“When we step out, we’ll act like this conversation never occurred, deal?”

“Deal.”

I need a confidence booster…

“Vaughn?”

“Hm?”

He’d already moved for the door, turning around as I prompted him.

“Could– Myr’s tits, feel awkward saying this.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my arms out as if to ask for a hug. It seemed immature on my part and very much out of the norm for Vaughn.

“I could use one, just a smidge.”

I had to squeeze the words out painfully. I was not used to showing that kind of neediness with him or Beryl.

Know what? That was dumb–

“Actually, ignore me, I–”

Vaughn, wrapping his arms around me as he did before, stopped my words in their tracks.

Warm.

I hugged him back, taking in the reassurance the moment gave me as I swept myself up in the mindset I knew Kiyomi could have managed when meeting nobles.

“Thanks.”

I muttered quietly into his shoulder, some part of me wanting to drown in the hug.

“Seemed like you really did need it.”

He whispered.

Okay, enough of that…

I slowly parted the hug and flashed the most confident, teeth-glaring smile I could manage.

“I’ll play at the noble girl if it comes to it, but let's hope it's never brought up. If not? I’m just a simple adventurer's companion, with no care for the sophisticated side of engineering. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I raised one of my fists, and Vaughn raised his own as we fist-bumped.

“Let’s go have this lunch.”

Those were the last words spoken as we hyped ourselves up, opening the door to see Silwia waiting.

“We’re ready to join you at the table if you are.”

Vaughn spoke, his voice carrying a confidence he surely had to force.

“Ah, right this way. With any luck, we’ll have beaten the other guests.”