"We've finished the consecration of the new vessel, Elder," the priest of Sen said as he bowed his head to an elderly man in dark grey and blue robes. The priests were standing in the main chapel of their temple which sat upon the shoreline of the ocean. Areas of worship within temples of Sen only had three sides to them as the fourth was left completely open and faced the body of water the temple was built next to.
"And the guard's 'protection' cost?" Elder Philip's voice was low and haggard as he stood facing the ocean while addressing the priest.
"Ten gold," the priest replied in a sheepish tone. "One of them slipped on the wet pier and raised the price as compensation."
"…" Philip narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "The waves are awfully calm." Sen was never a forgiving god, so to see the ocean calm and the skies clear after the priests were extorted so harshly made Philip uneasy.
"Have we done something to warrant our Storm Father's anger, Elder?" The priest was desperate for answers, "We barely have enough money to maintain the temple and even that is running dry!" He motioned to the boarded-up window. "We can't last much longer!"
"And, as I offered to the others, if you wish to leave for bluer waters then you may. I will remain here as custodian, until the end." Philip breathed in the salty air as a gust of wind swept through the chapel. Even if their situation was dire, Philip's faith still held firm and he would remain in Solfin. "Till my bones are washed away in waters cold."
"Your bones are still needed on land, Elder," a voice called out as a new person entered the chapel.
"You…are Daughter Elise," Philip said as he looked over his shoulder at Elise who walked up the aisle to stand a few feet behind him.
"It is an honor to be called Daughter still, even though I'm sure you know I no longer hold claim to it." Elise gave a respectful bow to Philip and the other priest.
"That implies I agreed with the decision to banish you," Philip countered and motioned for Elise to join him at the edge next to the ocean. "The day Solomon sailed to our shores from Yulash, a storm crashed against Solfin with a fierceness I had not seen in ages. What your Hearth Mother's Voice saw in him that she kept him around, I will never know."
"Thank you for your kind words, Elder," Elise said with a smile as she walked over and stared out at the ocean. "It makes me feel at ease to know you are the Elder here since that will make working here much nicer."
"Has she arrived?"
"We passed through the gates roughly half an hour ago." Elise gave an annoyed sigh and spat into the ocean.
"I see you've received Solfin's hospitality," Philip joked and spat into the ocean too; a gesture between worshippers of Sen wishing to bond while sharing a common grievance that Elise used to get closer to the Elder.
"If we received hospitality, then are you receiving spite?" Elise asked as she looked around at the run-down state the temple was in. Aside from one of the large windows being boarded up, there was an old hole in the roof, the floors and pews were barren, and places that looked like they should hold and display artworks and crafts to Sen were empty.
"When the war began two years ago," Philip started and his eyes waxed over as they stared out at the ocean's calm waves, "Baron Rolf raised the taxes. 'We must show our support for our kingdom', or so he justified. Life became harder and harder to maintain as money started drying up; for everyone."
"But the war's over."
"And yet the taxes remain raised." Merchant ships sailed by as they made their way into the Helker and through Solfin. "The guards also started extorting the people by not solving crimes unless the victims directly paid them for their services, tolls were set up at the gates, and…well… I'm sure you saw how it went for those who couldn't afford it anymore."
"Then why do they still cling to Solfin's walls?" Elise asked. "If they fled into Holst then they would definitely find better lives; better than the shacks they're wallowing in."
"Stubbornness, perhaps?" Philip mused as a particularly harsh wave crashed against the shore. "Many families have lived here for generations and refuse to leave for that reason alone. The guards also leave anyone on the outside of the walls alone so they can survive there without extortion."
"Until some gang starts running their own racket," Elise corrected.
"…" Philip didn't deny it. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Philip spoke up, "For the past two years, we've been having constant storms along the whole coast. They were infrequent and struck without warning, yet they never relented or gave us enough time to rest. That is, until last July when the clouds parted and allowed us a reprieve under the sun's warmth…"
"…" July was when Lucina was given her title of Countess.
"Can she bring change?"
"Yes."
"…I see." Philip turned to Elise and gave her a deep bow. "Then if there is anything I can do to help, please call upon me."
"Thank you, Elder," Elise put her hand on Philip's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, and the two began discussing in detail all that had happened in Solfin the past two years.
***
"We've arrived, Countess." Jeremy held out his hand for Lucina as she got out of the carriage that was parked in front of the Baron's mansion. The top of the hill was mostly flattened out so that the mansion sat on flat land with a large yard and beautiful garden that surrounded it, though a stone path led to stairs that wove down a slope and into the garden. The main building was three stories tall and made of stones with a tiled roof that had multiple chimneys poking out of it. Much of the first floor had large windows to let in plenty of natural light, the second had a few large windows but most were smaller, and the third floor was mostly solid walls with only a single room on the end having large windows and a massive balcony.
"Welcome, Countess Sanguine," a maid with long, curly brown hair and dark brown eyes greeted Lucina and Jeremy at the front door. Lucina noticed the maid's skin was a bit pale and her cheeks were a little shallow. The maid's tone was controlled but Lucina could hear some dismissiveness in it, "Please follow me to the drawing room." The entrance hall was large and decorated with richly colored rugs, silk curtains hung from the windows, and tacky wallpaper was plastered all over the walls. The drawing room wasn't much better as the stuffed heads of both animals and demons adorned the walls along with one that Lucina couldn't help but laugh at.
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"The Baron has such wonderful hospitality," she joked as she stared at the stuffed hellhound demon head above the fireplace. It looked relatively new.
"…" The maid didn't respond to the joke. "It may be a few minutes before the Baron can see you, so please wait here."
"I have to wait?"
"Yes," while the maid's tone was annoyed, Lucina couldn't help be feel like the maid was forcing it to be. "Please be patient, Countess."
"And if I'm not, and order you to tell him to hurry up?" Lucina wanted to push the maid a little.
"I am a maid of the Baron, not you, so I would ignore your order." Again, she seemed annoyed but she was also hamming it up. "No one would listen to an upstart child."
"…Is that so?" Lucina was intrigued about how blatant the hostility was but knew she probably wouldn't get any answers from this maid that weren't deflective or sarcastic. "Then may I at least have some tea while I wait?"
"Yes, Countess," the maid answered and wheeled in a cart with tea. She poured two cups for Lucina and Jeremy before excusing herself and leaving the room.
"…Is this fun for you?" Jeremy asked once they were alone.
"Very much so," Lucina answered as she sipped the cold tea. "I'm actually a little disappointed that the tea isn't poisoned."
"While you are powerful, you aren't immune to poisons so please don't joke about that; especially when Elise isn't here to save you." Jeremy ignored the tea and started looking around the room to internally calculate how much the furnishings and decorations would cost. "The heads alone would be worth a small fortune to the right buyer."
"We'll sell all except the hellhound one," Lucina mentioned and set down the teacup. "I like the irony."
"I wouldn't call 'blatant hostility' as 'irony', Countess."
"True, but it is something worth noting." Lucina crossed her legs and tapped her head against the back of the sofa she was sitting on. "While she was looking down on me, that maid was being a bit too eager about it."
"When she left, I saw quite a few other maids scatter away from the door," Jeremy remarked and rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you think she was putting on a show for them?"
"She looked a little malnourished… They all did." Lucina's fingers tapped against the arm of the sofa as she continued her line of thought, "The Baron and guards are hoarding the wealth and power so it makes sense that the servants would do what they could to beg for scraps. Since the Baron doesn't like me then the servants will follow suit." Lucina laughed and added, "They might even get bonuses for ratting on their fellow servants which would explain why there were so many at the door earlier and why that one maid was acting like that."
"…" Jeremy silently seethed to himself.
"I was going to let things play out a little longer, but we'll be moving our plan ahead once we get Elise's and Carl's reports. I'll send you into town tomorrow to 'check-up' on Carl and the rest; use that time to also meet Elise at the temple."
"It will be done, Countess," Jeremy answered and gave a bow.
"Good. Now, we wait."
***
But why are we waiting for three hours!? The sun's already setting and we're still waiting for the Baron. "…Should I cause a ruckus?"
"Countess!" As the thought crossed my mind, the Baron burst through the door and entered the drawing room with his wife. The Baron was practically a mirror image of his son, Augustus, as the two had the same short blonde hair and light red eyes. The Baroness on the other hand had long blonde hair that was held up in two large buns and had soft blue eyes. I couldn't tell if her skin was actually that white or if it was just all the makeup she was wearing but she looked like a porcelain doll. They also wore matching outfits of a brilliant scarlet red and pure white. I should have worn my red and black outfit to this meeting. "Apologies for the delay. We have a saying around here: Solfin never sleeps, so neither do I!" His voice sounded like sandpaper.
"Oh, dear~! Stop it! The Countess doesn't want to hear such silly things." The Baroness' sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
"…" I really want to move up the plan as quickly as possible, now. "It's alright, Baron. You've been managing Solfin for years but everyone slows down with age so I understand the delay."
"Ah, to be so young!" the Baron exclaimed and gave a laugh as he sat down across from me and Jeremy. He seemed to be taking my insult rather well. "Make sure you cherish your youth, Countess, because it will be gone in a flash! My wife's been redecorating the mansion over the past year and the garden is magnificent; so I'm sure you'll also love spending your time there." Oh?
"While I would love to spend time with the Baroness in the garden, I fear I've spent enough time resting and should start fulfilling my duties as Countess."
"See, this is exactly what I was talking about!" the Baron made exaggerated gestures with his hands toward me. "Children shouldn't worry about the complicated world of adult affairs; you should be enjoying your youth at gatherings and with friends!"
The Baroness joined in, "My husband's right, you know? You should join me for some tea in the garden tomorrow; I can help you get accustomed to your new life here at our mansion. I so rarely get a chance to enjoy our garden with others. It will be so much fun~!"
"…" On the outside, their words sound genuine and nice, but even a newborn noble could understand their meaning. The Baron's telling me to not get involved in the affairs of Solfin and instead live a life of ignorance under his thumb. That said, while her voice is annoying, the Baroness' tone doesn't sound insulting; she sounds completely genuine in her request for us to spend time together. Does she actually think I should spend my time having tea parties with her in the garden? She's either extremely good at masking her intentions or bafflingly innocent. Now I see why Margaret doesn't like these people. "But if I do, then His Majesty will not be pleased since he bestowed me this title as a show of faith and loyalty to the crown!" I can also play word games! "I don't want to see you and the Baroness punished for being seen as lazy and ungrateful for His Majesty's gift!"
The Baron showed a hint of discomfort and tried to deflect, "Oh, perish the thought! His Majesty is a magnanimous man who would never hold such a thing against you, child!" Ah, and that's where that maid from earlier got the idea to call me an 'upstart child'. "You just let me worry about that while you enjoy yourself!" He makes it sound like the Emperor is guaranteed to listen to him which I'm pretty sure is a slight against the imperial family.
"Ah, thank you, Baron." But I'll just add that to the list for later.
"Of course, child!" The Baron gave a hearty laugh and waved his hand toward the maids at the door. "Now, it's getting late and you must be hungry!" The maid from earlier wheeled in a cart with food on it and started putting it down in front of me. Was I supposed to eat dinner in the drawing room? "I made sure that the chef used the finest cuts of meat for your first night here, so I hope you enjoy!" When the maid lifted the lid off the serving plate I was met with meat that I had never seen before; though that might be just the sauce it was cooked in changing the color.
"What is it?" It looked like mutton.
"Hellhound." …What? "Actually, this meat came from that boy right over there," the Baron said and pointed to the stuffed hellhound's head. "We hunted it during an infernal gate subjugation and I couldn't just let them throw away all that food!"
"…Thank you for the hospitality, but I can't eat this." It was sacrilegious to consume demon flesh, and the fact that it's hellhound makes his intentions all the clearer. "If it's alright with you, could I have a simple soup before bed?"
"Are you sure?" the Baroness asked and gave me a concerned look. Does she…really not understand what's happening?
"Oh, of course!" The Baron made an exaggerated gesture of apology and snapped his fingers at the maid with curly brown hair. "Tress, lead our guests to their rooms and make sure some soup gets delivered to the Countess."
"At once, my Lord," Tress responded and gave a bow before leading Jeremy and I out of the drawing room. We were led up the stairs to the second floor and down one of the halls. "The master's room is on the third floor so make sure you stay on the first two floors." Eyes and ears down the hall watched and listened to us as Tress continued to act annoyed with me. "Since you want special soup, it will take a while to bother the chef to make it. I'll bring it up when it's done and leave it at your door."
"Mm."
"…?" My curt response probably wasn't what she was hoping for, but it was getting late and I was done with today.
Jeremy waited until Tress left before speaking to me, "If you need anything, Countess, just come to my room."
"I'll be fine, Jeremy. Do your best to get some sleep since you're going to start getting busy come tomorrow."
"Of course, Countess." Jeremy bid me goodnight and we both entered our separate rooms. I guess the Baron was showing off by giving Jeremy, my aide, a guest room instead of making him sleep with the servants.
"…" The room was dark and the smell of dust clung in the air. A few pieces of furniture were clean but most still held at least a thin layer of dust on them. Three large window doors led to a balcony that overlooked the back garden and Solfin's stone wall. "At least the bed's clean." The sheets were in good condition, though they definitely needed to be aired out with how flat and stale they had become. This would be my room for the time being. "…Then let's begin." I made sure to lock two of the window doors, the ones closest to the bed, but left the third unlocked and slightly askew. While closing the curtains I stopped and stared at the trees and bushes of the garden.
"…" And the brush stared back with eyes that only I could see. With eyes that followed me all the way from Gorinville. With eyes all the way from the forests of Peltaira. When I told my mother about them she looked concerned so I never brought them up again, but I knew they were there.
"Hmm." I moved a carpet to the foot of the askew door and put some hollowed-out small stones under it. I made them back when the eyes first started following me in the capital and they made a loud crunching noise when stepped on. With the curtains fully closed, I moved a chair into the corner of the room next to the balcony door and set down a dagger I had hidden away under my dress on the seat with the blade pointed toward the side of my bed facing the windows. There was a nightstand next to the bed that was already on that side too so I could use it as well as the dagger if the eyes break in. I'm glad there was a dresser on the other side of the room which I could use if the eyes came in through the door to the hall; for all I knew the Baron might work with them. All the furniture around the room would do well, and with my preparations done I changed into my nightgown and climbed into bed; after checking under it just in case. I brought my second dagger with me under the covers and stared at the ceiling waiting for the night to pass.