Chapter Twenty-Six

A thorough inspection of the attic revealed that the effect of the combination of her skills was weaker the further from where she cast it. While she didn't find any dust and Hyacinth didn't sense any vermin, the stacked materials at the far side hadn't moved.

"If they're not expecting us until lunch, it looks like we have some time on our hands."

"Grrupt."

The toad strode off into a corner and promptly laid down for a nap.

"Good idea."

With all of her recent adventures, Harmony hadn't gotten proper sleep despite the high-quality bedding at the lodge. Not that she felt like she could take a nap right now. Getting caught sleeping on the job would be the end of her employment. She made her way back to the door.

The boulder of compacted dust and former attic residents had stopped oozing. Using [Manipulate Dead], she cut and shaped it into roughly paving-stone-sized squares, moved them into a free corner, then cleaned up the mess with the skill.

The odds and ends she'd saved from being destroyed were mostly junk. [Analyze] didn't even pick up much, but it was a good way to practice the skill. Wooden spoon: Broken, Napkin ring: Rosewood, Tap spigot, and the like. The loose sheets of paper were invoices, old records of the attic inventory, some poorly done drawings, and even more poorly done poetry, nearly thirty sheets of that. Thibodeux showed up among the books, worse for wear, dog-eared, and scribbled in with the blocky letters of someone who didn't practice their writing much. The praise it heaped on the author made the writing more distasteful.

The second book was an extremely smutty romance from nearly a hundred years ago if the publisher's date was correct. Five pages in, she shut it, heat filling her cheeks. A gift for Fel, who she knew collected the things for inspiration.

The last book bore the imprint of the manor library underneath the cover. Not that Harmony entertained any hope of being able to access it simply for returning a lost book. The librarian was a lord by blood, even if he wasn't by class or profession, and was very restrictive of who could access it. Weight and Distribution of Coinage in the Allied Kingdoms. Not Harmony's favorite topic, but she'd read dryer or more poorly put-together works in Lord Tyler's collection. It was that or to delve into the steamy book with her spare time.

The Evolved Kingdom of Acrabia coinage has the highest weight and purity. The economic powerhouse uses this to ensure they are the premiere destination for goods and services related to advancement….

A third of the way in, she knew lunch would be soon, but she resolved to finish the book before returning it. It had been gone for years, so a few more days wouldn't hurt. The book talked as much about the kingdoms, their coinage, and economic factors influencing choices in each kingdom's mints as it did the dungeons and how the dungeon rewards led to those choices. The author's opinion attempted to hide inside the dry economic text, but Harmony could pick up the passion there.

Closing it, she stretched, unsummoned her armor and put her uniform back on. Goosebumps from the chilly attic came to her bare skin. The improved armor had held off the cold, but even as she was aware of the chills' existence, she wasn't feeling it as much, tracing that resistance to her skill [Cold Touch]. Taking the books with her, she headed back down the stairs.

She stashed all three in her locker to deal with later before heading to the staff eating area, a small room off the kitchen. They only ever got to use the big spacious ones during the rare golden moments. Passing through the kitchen, she grabbed some old morning bread and a bowl of leftover stew.

Jessica glared at Harmony from across her own stew. Bates was nursing a cup of tea. Two house boys were in some excited arm-waving level of conversation.

"A pet with frost attacks has a distinct advantage against reptilian opponents!"

"Bolthus is undefeated against all opponents."

She pictured them arguing about Prince Adric in the colosseum, except they only allowed natural weapons and armor, not that some wouldn't pay to see him naked. A much more amusing thought than her collapsed dream of an undead coatl taking it by storm.

The only two spots in the small room were next to Jessica or the head butler. The sun priestess's aura of irritation pushed out and physically manifested as radiating heat. Which may have been nice if not for the company, and the risk of getting toasted if you said, did, or in Harmony's case, were the wrong thing. Harmony chose to sit next to Bates.

"I managed to cover for you with masters of the house, who were not amused. If you're asked, a bloom spore took residence in the attic. Everyone still remembers when the gardening shed blew up last year." The head butler whispered between sips of tea.

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Harmony seriously hadn't heard anything. Was it that bad? "Thank you." She replied.

"Just remember that. Oh, and please don't test your limits when helping the madam with her looks. It is possible to perform at your old levels."

"Of course." Harmony flushed with embarrassment. Bates only knew a smidgeon of her fumbling mistakes. You'd think he thought she might explode the matriarch as well.

Bates finished his tea and stood up. "As soon as you're done with your meal, the mistress expects you to be at her disposal for the rest of the day. Fill up, but don't take too long."

The head butler left, and Harmony caught Jessica smirking at her discomfort. [Poise and Bearing] let her features go neutral. Jessica would recognize it, but Harmony knew you needed to feed some monsters to distract them.

After lunch, Harmony walked up the stairs to Madam Coodly's room. She sensed Hyacinth sleeping and didn't want to wake him. There she knocked on the door, and Astel, the personal maid, answered it.

"The lady has been waiting." The iron in the woman's voice hinted that such a thing was unacceptable. Even with that, she lacked the anger that Harmony had seen during her previous visits.

"Show her in. The quicker we get going, the sooner we can get you to training with The Keepers." The matriarch called from deeper in the room.

That would explain the shift in attitude. Harmony also knew that probably meant her days as a housemaid were numbered. She wouldn't miss the uniforms, but she wasn't looking to always be on display. Less time to complete a task and sneak away with a book. This assumed none of her secrets didn't get out in the open.

"Of course, Lady Coodly."

"Right this way, Ms. White."

As though Harmony didn't know the room by heart.

The old lady was waiting in her make-up chair in front of her large vanity. Both the maids curtsied to her. "Go to your lessons, Astel. I'll keep Harmony busy enough that you'll have plenty of time to get molded properly."

The necromancer leaned into her skills, allowing her to stand the picture of a perfect servant. Inside she fretted some, as it didn't take her that long to use her skills to beautify the lady. She wondered if this was a tryout to replace Astel. Of course, the other maid could train with that organization and keep her job here.

"I was surprised when my grandson asked permission to take you on a dungeon dive. With Jessica and Gethel, they could clearly help carry him while he leveled. Childish crushes aside, it made sense and didn't take too many extra resources. I nearly denied him, but from the accounts I've gathered, you performed well above your levels."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"May I inquire why you selected the necromancer class when you awakened?"

Harmony was sure she knew. No one asked now that she was older, but early on. Bates had even made it a requirement to be hired. Three choices to define your life and to set the path for you to go on, and she picked the often maligned necromancer class.

"The other options were worse." In that way, she could relate to Prince Adric. Even if he did take a profession, that meant his death.

"Care to share?"

Harmony could hear the honey on her tongue and knew Bates had told her. She probably had final approval anyway. The powerful always liked to see those below them laid bare. Tyler, when he first found out, never asked. He called it fascinating and discussed the percentage of people who selected and reportedly received that class. The man had his positive traits, not that it forgave him for literally choosing outfits that made all the female staff nearly naked.

"The Beggar class and that of Demon." Two cursed classes if you're to believe how most people view necromancers. To have been offered that cursedly forbidden class always made her cringe inwardly. Demon carried the death penalty for class-holders in all but a few kingdoms.

"Many would have chosen Beggar if those were their options. But I am glad you didn't. Let me tell you a little secret. I, too, suffered from receiving the choice of taking one of the ten forbidden classes, corruptor. Forced me along the path of a thief, considered a lesser offshoot of the rogue class, also looked down upon. Unbecoming of a lady. If anything went missing, I was first accused, and sport was made of planting stolen goods in my rooms."

This was the old lady's attempt to bond through shared painful experiences, right out of a textbook. Harmony had read it, The Lord's Way. Tyler uses a copy to help level a shelf that wobbled. Perhaps his grandmother had given it to him as a gift. It certainly shined a light on some of the interactions of those in charge.

Harmony pulled from the churn of information and a thread of power from her social skills. It was her turn to respond. "It's hard to find someone who understands. Life is difficult being the one looked down upon. I'm touched by you telling me." That may explain why she was hired. As calculated as this approach felt there was a connection there, one that was hard to ignore now that connections were a part of her framework.

"Well, I'm sure you heard about the ruckus from the other day. The royals will be arriving sooner because of it. The local houses have decided to throw a masquerade ball to honor them. Outrageous costumes barely identity concealing. Patriotism will be the theme as some fear they might be a suspect in the theft. I've hired some artists, and I plan on lending your skills to true friends."

"I heard they were looking for a necromancer as the thief?"

"You don't even have raise dead in your skill list. As skilled as you are with manipulating the dead, you can't make a body walk out of a room. A puppeting class is more likely." The madam answered, picking up on Harmony's nervousness. "Once you make me up, we're going Beatrice, Lizzell, and Patricia, then show them what you can do. We'll also be using the house staff for the party as servers. You'll play double duty getting us ready before serving drinks. I've asked Bates to add an extra silver to your salary for the next pay period."

Harmony fed [Poise and Bearing] more energy. Serving the royals who were there to find Prince Adric's body. She'd pay a silver not to do that. "How very generous of you."

"Now, I want my hair as blue as Wyvern's wing today."