It had taken a little while to navigate past the crowds of the trade district as the sun inched slowly overhead. Compared to the chilliness of the Hawthorne Wilderness, the relatively warm breeze in Versailles was a welcome relief.

The carriage was able to pick up a little more speed as the hubbub thinned out and they entered the noble district. The buildings here were less crowded and larger. Fancy tailors and jewelers sold their wares here as well as high-end restaurants. It was impossible to miss the duke's manor, even amidst all this wealth, as it towered over most of the other buildings. The closer they got to it, the more imposing it seemed. A vast courtyard extended from the main building, filled with gardens and servant houses all intricately designed.

"You know, Hal always said that my fa—that Duke Vermillion built this entire estate just to satisfy his own ego and show off his status. Before him, our family used to live on just a tenth of the land here. He kicked out everyone else that used to live here and bulldozed it all away," Diane murmured dejectedly.

As the carriage slowed to a halt in front of the gates, a pair of well-armed guards in half-plate armor with engraved ceremonial swords at their hips approached them.

“Halt. State your busi—ah, Lady Diane. You have returned from the investigation? I will let the duke know you have arrived.”

Diane breathed a sigh of relief to see Gerard, the captain of the guard, manning the gate today. Out of all the duke’s guards, he prided himself on his professionalism, and was the only one who didn't call her “the failure” or other names.

"By the way, where—?" Gerard halted mid-sentence, as he saw the pained expression on Diane's face. "Pay no mind. Open the gates!"

The well-oiled gates swung smoothly open.

“Thank you, Gerard. I shall be heading there directly.” She gave a curt nod and the carriage resumed its course.

The carriage rattled past numerous pavilions, fountains, ponds, and gardens until it reached the grand entryway to the manor. A series of wide stone stairs led up to the ostentatious wooden doors, currently wide open. Not one of the many bustling servants moved to open the carriage door, instead Diane opened the door herself and hopped out of the carriage.

“Thistleman, come with me. I need you to report to the duke about what happened in Kurstwood!” Diane ordered, as authoritatively as she could.

Really? I am being called like any one of these other pissants? ME?! Well, two can play at the game!

Thistleman leapt into a salute, wielding a giant grin on his face like a weapon as he shouted, “Aye Aye, Boss Lady!”

Diane turned beet red. Not only was the shout excessively loud, but it drew the judgmental stares of all the servants and guards in the vicinity.

“Ah… Just shut up and follow me!” Diane stormed up the steps and through the door. She tried hard to ignore the usual derogatory barrage passed in hushed whispers around the manor.

“Look, the failure is back.” a particularly beady-eyed servant jabbed.

“Is it true she was born without magic? What an embarrassment! I bet the duke never hears the end of that one,” a visiting minor noble giggled, just within earshot.

“If I was her, I would have already given up. No matter how fancy she tried to make her sword skills, without magic to reinforce them they are just for show.” One of the guards shook his head in pity.

“I heard that the Confederation is experiencing a lot of tension amongst the city states, some might declare no confidence to change out the chairman. Do you think that could be useful?” one adjutant asked another man.

“If that’s the case, maybe the duke can send Diane to network in one of their lesser households! If another factional skirmish breaks out there, she would certainly be tied in with the losing side and, with her lack of magic, we would finally be rid of her,” a well-dressed advisor interjected.

“We could also send her to serve the Empire’s church in Dyrrachion. I heard that the church has denounced Emperor Hirihito, so if tensions boil over there, she would almost certainly bite it!”

Diane approached the hall where the duke normally carried out his daily duties. Thistleman followed closely behind her, eyeing each and every servant and attendant. Their casual cruelty is hardly any different than that of daemons, he mused. However, the problem was that in looking down on her, they were also looking down on him.

In time, you will all suffer. I will find a way, you have my word! AND I WILL HAVE THIS WORLD COME TO FEAR US, JUST AS ALL THOSE FOOLS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU FEARED ME. Us? Yes, Diane too. To be called my master and friend, I will accept no less. She will need to learn to stand on the same stage as I.

A malicious, hideous grin snaked across Thistleman's face. It managed to rip all the attention away from Diane, causing the servants surrounding them to immediately hush and recoil. There was one that looked especially shocked, that damnable advisor who wanted to ship Diane off to die. The man exuded arrogance and had a sigil of a knight kneeling with his sword before the rising moon etched onto the left breast of his pompous jacket.

Diane spied the reaction from those gathered in the hall, but before she could spot the source of their dismay, Thistleman assumed a neutral expression, offering a simple shrug to her concerned glance.

“Ignore the servants,” she said. “They don’t matter. Don’t listen to them. Don’t react to them. You belong to me and I am all that matters! Since you are mine that means you have worth, you must pay them no mind!”

“Yes, my lady! You are absolutely correct, my lady! Please forgive this one, my lady!”

Nailed it!

Diane’s face turned red. “I… I… focus on your report! The duke is on the other side of this door! And make sure to treat him with courtesy and respect.” She spun around, shoving the doors with all her might.

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The knight stood in the center of the room wearing full plate armor. His adamantium claymore was strapped firmly to his back, angled to allow for it to be easily unsheathed. On the left side of his chest plate he sported a sigil of a golden shield, and within the shield's borders two red lions circled an ornate scepter.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

A red carpet ran from the center of the room to the head, where a throne of hewn rock sat. Large purple and gold banners decorated the walls behind it.

One of the four pillars of the Kingdom of Luthas, Duke Vermillion made sure his power was fully on display. His deceptively simple outfit was designed to emphasize his physique, highlighting his broad shoulders and toned muscles rippling through his tight sleeves. His large stature and powerful, square jaw ensured a completely intimidating package.

His cold blue eyes betrayed no emotion, although when settling upon Diane, he could not hide his disdain. To his right, an aide shuffled through papers at a table, sorting page after page full of notes on the duke’s decisions throughout the day that needed to be turned into the appropriate laws and decrees.

“Duke Vermillion, as we have already spoken at length and concluded the majority of our business, I shall allow our guest here a moment before we finish up. I suppose such an… audacious entrance must be due to something important.” The knight stepped humbly aside to a corner of the chamber.

The duke nodded for Diane to come forward; the disdain turned to fury in his eyes.

"So, for what reason have you come to so boldly interrupt my meeting with the emissary from our esteemed imperial neighbors and waste the lieutenant’s valuable time?" The duke didn't spare an ounce of hostility as he addressed Diane.

Diane walked as proudly as she could manage to the center of the room, attempting to fulfill every expected courtesy as she knelt before her father.

Thistleman, however, didn't move a step past the door. Instead, he stood with his arms crossed, offering nothing but a look of passive disinterest, as if he was staring at an insignificant inferior being.

It seemed the Duke hadn't noticed the blatant slight yet due to his focus on Diane. However, Lieutenant Septimus caught it immediately. A small smile escaped his lips. Either that child is suicidal, or he has balls tougher than steel. Perhaps a bit of both? If this wasn’t a foreign kingdom, and he wasn't in the audience chamber of one of their most influential lords, he would have inducted that brat into the Imperial Knight Order one way or another. Mad bastards like him make some of the best knights, after all. Septimus gave up his grin for the moment. No use dreaming about what he couldn't have.

Diane’s eyes were pointed straight down, and she didn’t dare to look up. Her small body was trembling.

“Fath—” she began.

“That is Duke Vermillion to you. Speak quickly!”

“Duke Vermillion, per your orders, I took my knights and mage to investigate the loss of contact with Kurstwood, the village you assigned to me. However, when we arrived there… we found the village had been completely destroyed. While we were investigating, we were attacked by a demon. Everyone… everyone who came with me, they all died. I am not sure how we survived but we managed to escape from it.”

Duke Vermillion realized that he now had a new opportunity to deal with this stain on his family’s reputation. Failure to protect one's domain through negligence was considered a capital offense. He hid his malicious glee behind a façade of anger.

“So, you interrupted my meeting with the Imperial Knights’ lieutenant to tell me you allowed your village, the one I entrusted to you, to be destroyed, and you managed to get all your knights killed in the process? And that the most information you could bring to me is that it was some demon who did it? The Demon Lord’s empire is on the other side of the ocean! There is no way he came all the way from Ebenheim, ignored the Empire of the Sand, and laid waste to one of our villages! You cannot even properly identify the difference between a daemon and a demon! And now you come back here in such disgrace, foisting responsibility onto us to right your failures? Such a pathetic showing cannot be tolerated in our family!”

Giving Diane Kurstwood as her only holding had been the right decision. A village so close to the wilderness was bound to get destroyed or raided, especially if he never provided any support. Although he had hoped such a raid would take Diane down with it, at least this much was enough.

“Diane, you have disgraced our kingdom and have proven your incompetence! You do not deserve to be called a noble, and are nothing but a hindrance to any who would serve under you. For the good of the kingdom, I retract your status as a noble and banish you from House Culaine! Begone!”

If I could spread my influence even into the empire, perhaps I could get enough backing to replace our pathetic king too. The Kingdom needs a strong leader, and if I could command the respect of even the Empire, then I can contend even with the archdukes to succeed the king!

Duke Vermillion’s self-satisfaction quickly waned, as instead of a look of approval from Lieutenant Septimus, the knight’s gaze was directed at the young boy scowling near the door at the back of the throne room. That peasant was staring at him with clear hatred! The duke blanched as the boy turned his back on him. Diane, tears pouring down her face, grabbed Thistleman’s hand and dragged him through the door.

I am Duke Vermillion, and I will not stand for a peasant to look down upon me like this!

With a deft flick of his wrist, the duke launched a poisoned blade out of a concealed sheath at incredible speed towards Thistleman. While publicly killing his daughter would be considered unacceptable, nobody would care if he killed a peasant who insulted him. However, the dagger never made contact. Instead, it seemed to miss his head by mere millimeters, and struck his advisor square in the neck.

The duke stood, flabbergasted. He never missed! Then he saw who he had struck.

The person he just killed would bring a lot of trouble indeed, as it was none other than the fourth son of Count Horatio. This blunder would bring far too much trouble, and he needed to find an excuse quickly!

Perhaps if I pin the blame on that peasant as an assassin, and killed him before anyone could prove otherwise… that would work!

However, before he could speak…

“Duke Vermillion, as it seems you are more interested in petty disputes and killing those within your own halls who displease you rather than deal with clear and active threats to your kingdom and domain, I suppose we have nothing left to discuss here. In the empire, we do try to maintain a somewhat higher level of civility. As this issue pertains to my mission here, and with your king’s permission, we will be heading north to Kurstwood in your stead. I pray you will show more restraint with your subjects in the future.”

Lieutenant Septimus graced the Duke with a curt nod, before marching out of the chamber himself.

The damage was done. Vermillion swore to remember the face of that peasant. He was not known as one of the pillars of the Kingdom for nothing, and once things got settled with Count Horatio—which knowing him, would likely take a very long time—he would punish Diane and that peasant properly.

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

Diane sprinted out of the manor as fast as her little legs were able, dragging Thistleman behind her. She needed to leave here as fast as possible, and her father was clearly in a killing mood. He had killed Asimore!

She spotted the coachman with her carriage parked alongside a magnificent carriage of black, gold, and red. It was likely that distinguished knight’s carriage, and was heavily guarded by other resplendent knights. Not that it mattered to her at this moment.

“Hey Coachman, we need to leave, now!” she shouted with utmost urgency.

“Aieee, what is the hurry little miss? We just got here. This old man needs his rest and I am not about to go out on another one of your dangerous ventures!”

“The duke just banished me and killed Asimore!”

“What?!? Damnit! This is trouble indeed!”

He knew his career working for House Culaine was over. The duke would likely vent his anger by killing anyone closely associated with Diane, and if he couldn’t kill them, he would pressure them and ruin their lives with ruthless efficiency. Although to make such a mistake as killing Asimore…. In his long years working for the Culaine family, that was most unlike the duke.

“Hyah, time to move again yeh lazy horses!" The horses begrudgingly began to trot around the fountain and back onto the road out of the estate. "I have family in the port city of Njord, and that is part of the king’s territory. I can take you there and while I certainly won’t risk harboring you, we will at least be safe from his immediate reach.”

“Thanks… and… I am sorry, but I never did ask for your name,” Diane caught her breath as she spoke, her heart still racing.

“Don’t worry about it. In fact, I would be just fine if you kept calling me Coachman. The saving grace of peasants like us is that if nobody ever cared to learn our names, then it makes hiding away from aggrieved lords all the easier.” The coachman smiled a large, toothy grin as the carriage hurriedly left the estate.

“So, Diane… are you going to ever let go of my hand?” Thistleman prodded her.

The fact she was still holding Thistleman’s hand after running with him all the way through the manor and into the carriage suddenly came into sharp focus. Her face turned so red that even the red sheen of the reddest apples could not compare to its radiance. She made a sound so unladylike at that moment that she swore Thistleman to secrecy on it for the rest of his life.