When Lady Adelheid started to leave, I let her take two steps before I spoke up.

“Walk through that door,” I said in a cold voice. “And any chance of cooperation between us goes out the window, Lady Adelheid. Think carefully before you do. You will not have another chance like this ever again.”

“Why should I care?” she spat out, glancing back at me. “You refuse to give me what I want, so I see no reason why I should work with you.”

“I refuse to marry you, Lady Adelheid,” I said. “That doesn’t mean I’m not willing to give you what you want.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Do you really want House Kaltbrand? Or is there something else you want, and becoming the head of House Kaltbrand is the means to achieving that end?”

Lady Adelheid’s eyes widened for a moment, before she burst out into laughter.

“Oh my,” she said, giving me a sharp smile. “Given your dour appearance, I never expected you to have a sense of humor, Lord Wulfe? Becoming the head of House Kaltbrand is merely the means to an end? That is by far the funniest thing I have ever heard in my entire life.” She dropped the smile. “However, I have no time to entertain such foolish notions.”

I gave her a polite smile.

“And yet you’re still here.” I said. “So either sit down, so we can continue our conversation, or leave.”

Lady Adelheid glared at me for several long seconds, before she walked over to her previous seat and sat down again. I gave her another polite smile. She just scowled at me.

“Now then,” I said. “Why do you want to become the head of House Kaltbrand?”

“Why do you want my support?” she snapped back. “You have Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s backing. You don’t need me.” She gestured to herself. “Even if you did, you don’t have to negotiate with me for it. I owe you a debt, remember? Why even bother negotiating with me when you can just call in that debt?”

“Oh, simple.” I said. “I know that I can get more from you later on, after you’ve established yourself.” I shrugged. “Assuming things go the way I want them to.”

Lady Adelheid narrowed her eyes at me.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“I’ve already answered one of your questions,” I said. “It’s your turn to answer mine. Why do you want to become the head of House Kaltbrand?”

Lady Adelheid clenched her jaw and turned away from me.

“Remember, we agreed to be open and frank with one another during this conversation,” I said in a coaxing tone. “And it should go without saying that nothing we say will go beyond these walls.”

Lady Adelheid didn’t respond for several seconds.

“How do I know that I can trust you?” she said. “We met just a few days ago.”

I grinned at her.

“At bit late to be asking that question at this point in the conversation, isn’t it?” I asked.

Lady Adelheid looked back at me with a conflicted expression on her face. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.

“Very well,” she said. “I assume you know how my family is viewed by the other northern lords?”

I nodded.

“They don’t hold House Gerhard in high regard.” I said.

Lady Adelheid let out a derisive sneer.

“That’s an understatement.” she said. “They look down on us. We’re one of the wealthiest noble houses in the Barrens, and we’re descended from House Kaltbrand just like House Steuben and House Arbeit, yet everyone looks down upon us just because we’re not Aura users. They don’t consider us true northerners.” She leaned towards me. “Do you know what that was like for me, when I was growing up? The blood of House Kaltbrand flows through my veins, just as it does yours, and I am one of the youngest Sages in the entirety of the Reichwald Empire. Yet, my peers had the audacity to look down upon me. It was beyond infuriating.”

As she spoke, Lady Adelheid’s voice grew louder and louder. She paused and took a deep breath in order to regain her composure.

“You want to know the real reason why I want to become the head of House Kaltbrand?” she asked. “I want to ensure that no one ever dares to look down upon me ever again. I want to make them all bow and scrape before me. Most importantly, I want House Gerhard to hold its head up high despite the fact that we’re not Aura users and warriors. That’s what I want.”

I took a moment to study Lady Adelheid. Her eyes blazed with fury and passion. Her cheeks were flushed. In the midst of her speech, she released a bit of her own pressure, though I believed this was unintentional. While her pressure wasn’t on the same level as mine, it wasn’t weak. She was a Sage after all. In that moment, she looked more beautiful than ever. A part of me thought that if I didn’t love Lina, and if I were the real heir to House Kaltbrand, I would be tempted to marry Lady Adelheid, if only to have someone like her by my side.

“There you have it, Lord Wulfe,” Lady Adelheid said, leaning back. “You know what I really want now. However, it’s impossible to achieve unless I become the head of House Kaltbrand or the spouse of the head of House Kaltbrand.”

I shook my head.

“No.” I said. “In fact, there is another way; a better one, from a certain point of view. Tell me, what does the Barrens need the most?”

“Food.” Lady Adelheid answered right away.

I nodded. The Barrens had a lot of wealth in the form of minerals, metals, and mana crystals. However, it didn’t have much arable land. Plenty of people hunted to make up for this lack, but that only went so far. As a result, the Barrens imported a lot of its food from the warmer, more fertile regions of the Reichwald Empire. The biggest suppliers were the noble owned trading companies from the Riverlands, the breadbasket of the empire. These trading companies were all under the control, directly or indirectly, of House Guld.

“What if House Gerhard became the bridge between the Barren and the Riverlands?” I asked. “What if the northern lords had to choose between bowing their heads to you or starving?” I grinned. “Would that satisfy you?”

Lady Adelheid stared at me.

“How?” she asked. “My family has connections with several noble houses within the Riverlands, including House Guld, but those connections aren’t enough to give us the sort of influence you’re speaking of. We just sell mana crystals and magic tools to them.”

“However, if House Gerhard became partners with House Guld, with you as the head of that partnership…” I shrugged. “Well, that changes things, doesn’t it?” I smiled at her. “I can make that happen.”

Well, Lina could make that happen. Not for free of course. Lina loved me, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her like this. I intended to repay her for this favor, though I wasn’t sure how yet.

“How?” Lady Adelheid demanded. “Your proposal sounds tempting, but I’m going to need more if I am going to agree to it.”

This was where things became tricky. I needed to reveal enough to earn Lady Adelheid’s trust, but not enough for her to realize my past. If people realized that I was once the adopted son of House Guld, they would see that it clashed with the story Grand Duke Kaltbrand told everyone about me.

“The woman I intend to marry is Lady Lina Guld.” I said.

Lady Adelheid’s eyes widened as the implications of that set in.

“Oh.” she said, before her shoulders slumped. “That explains… everything.” She let out a chuckle and shook her head. “I never had a chance with you at all.” She paused. “Though, that does make me feel better now that I think about it.”

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“Is that enough to convince you?” I asked.

Lady Adelheid nodded.

“Yes, it is.” she said, before giving me a smile. It seemed genuine, at least more so than any of her previous smiles. “I accept your terms, Lord Wulfe.” She leaned forward and reached a hand out towards me. “Let us shake on it.”

I leaned forward and shook her hand.

“Now then,” she said, her smile turning sharp. “Shall we discuss the finer details?”

Our discussion lasted for hours as we negotiated the terms of our alliance. As expected of someone who dealt with noble houses from the Riverlands on a regular basis, Lady Adelheid knew how to negotiate a contract. However, I grew up in House Guld.

After Lady Adelheid left, I took a moment to relax before I headed off to write the letter to Lina. I also needed to inform the grand duke of my deal with Lady Adelheid. I sighed. So much to do in so little time.

***

Interlude: Lina

Lina let out a sigh of contentment as she gazed out at the gardens of Guld Manor. Flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors spread out all around her. They looked especially vibrant in the light of the late morning sun. Up above, the sky remained clear and cloudless. The flowers swayed as a cool breeze blew the gardens. All in all, it was a perfect day to enjoy a cup of tea with her siblings.

Well, most of her siblings. Even after returning to House Guld, her brother Emmerich spent most of his time at the Tower of Magic. At least they knew where he was now, which is much better compared to before.

As for Wulfram…Well, she never considered Wulfram her brother, so he didn’t count. Lina’s heart throbbed at the thought of her beloved. While she never revealed it to others, Wulfram’s absence felt like a gaping hole in her soul. Ever since he left, she felt like she was missing an integral part of herself.

Still, she understood why he left, and why he came up with that plan of his. It had never been necessary, at least not on House Guld’s end, but for him it was. Lina suspected it was the only way Wulfram would ever feel like a real part of their family.

“Is there something wrong, Big Sis?” Mika asked, pulling her back to the present. “You haven’t said anything for several minutes now.”

Lina looked over at her younger sister. Like their mother and Lina herself, Mika was quite the beauty. Even at fifteen years of age, she had plenty of admirers. Of course, all of those admirers kept their distance, for fear of incurring Father and Sieg’s wrath.

Lina herself once had to deal with the same problem, until she made it clear to everyone that her heart belonged to another. A few persisted even after that, but she…persuaded them to leave her alone. No one bothered her after that.

“No, there is nothing wrong.” Lina said, giving Mika a warm smile. “I am just admiring the gardens. No matter how much I see of them, they always fill me with awe.”

Mika nodded and looked out towards the gardens.

“Mother has outdone herself this year.” she said.

Lina nodded in agreement. The gardens were Mother’s pride and joy. After losing the fight for the throne and marrying Father, she decided to make the gardens at Guld Manor more beautiful than the ones located within the imperial palace. It was her way of getting some minor revenge on her brother, the emperor. After decades of effort, she had succeeded.

“I don’t see what all the fuss is about.” Sieg muttered as he sipped his tea. “It’s just a bunch of flowers. Why do you two get so worked up about them?”

Lina shared a look with Mika. While they both loved their eldest brother, they lamented his lack of appreciation for nature’s beauty, or beauty in general. It was a shame, since Sieg himself was quite the handsome man. Lina had no doubt that any artist worth the name would sell their soul for the chance to paint Sieg while he strolled about the garden or gazed pensively into the distance.

“You should never let your wife hear you say that.” Mika said. “Amalina loves gardening almost as much as Mother does.”

Sieg shrugged.

“She knows I’m disinterested in this sort of thing.” he said. “In fact, she prefers it this way. It means that she’ll have complete control over the gardens when I inherit the title and she becomes Duchess.”

Lina thought about it for a moment, before nodding in agreement. Sieg, as the heir to House Guld, married soon after he became an adult. It has been an arranged marriage, something their parents had set up when Sieg and his wife, Lady Amelina, were children. The two were fond of each other, but they didn’t love one another. Lina always felt sorrow at this. Her parents married for political reasons, to prevent Mother from being executed or banished, but they fell in love with one another. Lina always wanted a loving marriage like that for herself, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Thankfully, she didn’t have anything to worry about in that regard. After Wulfram returned, and he would return, they would marry one another and live a happy life together. She would make sure of it. She also planned on making sure that he would never escape her grasp again. Once was enough.

Lina opened her mouth to respond to Sieg’s words, but stopped when she caught sight of Baron Franz Schultz, the butler for Guld Manor, walking in their direction. He was young for a butler, only in his mid thirties, with pale skin, brown hair, and green eyes. The son of the previous butler, Franz inherited his title and his duties when his father decided to retire.

“What is Franz doing here?” Sieg asked with a frown. “I thought I told the servants not to disturb us.”

The three of them were in one of the many gazebos that dotted the gardens around Guld Manor. Sieg was often busy with his duties as heir, while Lina managed several of House Guld’s businesses, including the Pink Orchid Trading Company. This left them little time to spare for Mika. To make up for this, Lina often organized little get-togethers for just the three of them. Not even their parents were invited.

If Franz was interrupting them, then it must have been for something important. It didn’t seem urgent, based on the calm expression on his face, which narrowed down the possibilities. Lina’s heart fluttered as one possibility in particular came to mind.

“Greetings, Lord Sieg,” Franz said when he reached the gazebo. He bowed to all three of them. “Lady Lina. Lady Mika.”

“What are you doing here, Franz?” Sieg asked in an irritated tone. “We were in the middle of enjoying some private time together.”

Mika smacked his arm.

“Stop being mean to him.” she said. “I’m sure Franz has a perfectly good reason for being here.”

Franz smiled.

“Thank you, Lady Mika.” he said. “And yes, I do.” He reached into the jacket of his butler uniform and pulled out an envelope. “A letter from Evangeline Weaver arrived for Lady Lina.”

A smile spread across Lina’s face when she heard this. Out of the unjustified belief that his letters would be intercepted and read by others, whenever Wulfram wrote to Lina, he used the name Evangeline Weaver. Lina ordered Franz to bring any letter bearing that name right to her, no matter the circumstances. Of course, everyone in their family knew that Evangeline Weaver was Wulfram, though they pretended otherwise.

After Wulfram ran away from home, Lina convinced their parents to let her handle anything and everything related to him. Otherwise, they would have done everything in their power to bring him back. Lina wanted to avoid this, because she thought it was best if Wulfram came back on his own. It took some effort on her part, but she succeeded.

“A letter from Wulfram arrived?” Mika asked, bouncing with excitement. “Open it, Big Sis. Come on! I want to hear about how he has been doing.”

Well, most of their family looked the other way.

“Mika,” Sieg said, giving her a warning glare. “The letter is from Evangeline, not Wulfram.”

“But-…”

Sieg silenced her with a look. Mika pouted and crossed her arms.

“This is stupid.” Mika said. “We know it’s from Wulfram, but we have to pretend it’s not. I don’t understand why.”

“Consider it part of our punishment for failing to recognize the pain he suffered.” Sieg said in a quiet voice.

Mika’s expression fell at that and silence settled over the gazebo. No one in House Guld, not even Lina, had realized the abuse Wulfram had endured until it was far too late to do anything about it. By that point, the wounds in his heart had become too deep. He needed time to heal, time away from House Guld, and Lina intended to give it to him.

“I’ll take the letter now, Franz.” Lina said, breaking the silence.

Franz nodded and handed it over to her. She broke the seal on the letter and began reading it. As she went through the letter, her initial joy and relief at receiving word from Wulfram turned to confusion and concern and…jealousy. Her siblings remained silent as she read; Sieg with patience and Mika with impatience.

“Well?” Mika asked when Lina finished, bouncing in her seat. “What does it say?”

“Franz,” Lina said, looking up from the letter. “Is Yorick still at the estate?”

Franz’s eyes widened when he heard this. Yorick was one of the merchants who managed the Pink Orchid Trading Company on House Guld’s behalf. On the surface, it seemed like any other trading company, albeit one with branches all over the Reichwald Empire. In reality, it was House Guld’s spy network, with Yorick as its spymaster.

After Wulfram ran away, Lina knew that if she wanted to help him, she needed more power. Since she wasn’t the heir, nor was she a magician or a warrior, Lina needed to secure power through other means. To that end, she asked her parents to let her manage several of House Guld’s assets, such as the Pink Orchid Trading Company.

Lina had met with Yorick earlier that morning, to discuss the political situation within Haven, and she hoped he hadn’t left yet.

“I believe he just left a few minutes ago.” Franz said. “Would you like me to send someone to fetch him?”

“Yes.” Lina said.

Franz bowed and left.

“Big Sis, what’s wrong?” Mika asked. “Why do you look so scary?”

“Did something happen to…Evangeline?” Sieg asked, leaning forward. He wore a concerned expression on his face.

Lina shook her head. She didn’t trust her self control at the moment. Wulfram had written to her in order to ask for a favor on behalf of another woman. It was nothing. It was probably nothing. Yet, a part of Lina couldn’t help but fear otherwise.

Most of the time, Lina was calm, level headed, and self assured. However, when it came to Wulfram interacting with other women, Lina became possessive and jealous. Her beloved was a priceless treasure, one she had recognized even as a child, and she refused to let anyone take him away from her. She knew that she was being irrational, but that didn’t make her emotions any less powerful.

Over the next few minutes, Lina focused on her breathing and sipped her tea in order to calm the tumultuous emotions raging through her heart. Her siblings, bless their hearts, understood what she was going through and remained silent.

“Wulfram says that he’ll return to Guld Manor in about a year or so.” Lina said.