Lord Gallick was a mountain of a man, one that Vahid remembered as cold and humorless. Sometimes according to the memories I had slowly been inheriting, Vahid believed his father to hold no love for him due to his distant and often cold nature.

I could fully believe why Vahid would think that, Lord Gallick had said little and less in the hour we had been in his presence, barely reacting to Selena upon their entrance into the room, and only giving me a slight nod of acknowledgement. Honestly he was the perfect father for my purposes, it was obvious he only really cared about what Vahid's brother Ancius did with his life due to his position as heir.

As long as I didn't make a fool out of our house or tarnish its honor in some way he didn't care what I did with my life. Which is how I both knew he cared for Vahid and wouldn't put up a large fuss in opposition to my request. He wanted Vahid to make a name for himself, to leave the nest and become more than a second son. I could see it in his eyes when he looked at me, there was something there that I just couldn't describe with words.

Lord Gallick himself wasn't the oldest of his brothers from what I could remember from Vahids' memories and had spent much of his youth traveling beyond the Empire's borders. Really I was just asking him for permission to do as he did, with a few thousand soldiers and a life of constant warfare thrown into the mix of course.

"Vahid you are my son, a potential heir to our house, why should I not only allow you to leave our borders to establish a band of roving mercenaries but also actively sponsor it? Do you have any idea what the backlash from the Emperor would be if I allowed this?"

"I am no idiot Father, we both know the Emperor and the wider Empire could care less if a second son not only left the Empire but also created his own company. Many before me have done so and many more after me will do the same. I will earn no glory, win no titles, and gain no real experience if I stay in the Empire. There is no place for me here at present, we both know that."

"There is always a place here for you my son, and you can always marry into another house if it is the connections and power that you want. The Imperial family itself would welcome you if I put out the offer, I hear the princess Veressa is quite the beauty."

"I refuse to marry her, or any other noble woman." The pure visceral disgust in my voice seems to have caused my- sorry Vahids father no end of confusion, it was hard to spot but the slight downturn of his lips and widening of his eyes was enough for me to see the disbelief on his face. Interacting with NCO's and officers daily tends to make you good at reading facial expressions no matter how small.

"...If you do not wish to marry I will not force the issue, more than enough monarchs in our history have dealt with the consequences for me to know its not worth the effort." I could feel the sigh of relief leave my body at his words. 'Thank god I won't have to deal with some kind of arranged marriage, that would be just the kind of drama that this world would drop on me.'

"However you still have to convince me just why I should sponsor the creation of your band." This was the moment I had been waiting for, I could tell he was interested in just what convoluted ideas I had come up with to try and convince him. I don't think he could have ever expected what I told him.

"This is Selena, my personal maid, I'm sure you've heard of her."

"Yes I know about your maid, I make sure to know all of my households' affairs."

"I love her and wish to make a life with her beyond the Imperial borders, I will carve for myself a name out of blood and iron, and when I return I will proclaim her to be my bride." Lord Gallicks face was encased in a rictus of disbelief and Selena herself was no better, her eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, and her hands were shaking. I probably should have told her the plan beforehand.

"Pfffft hahahHAHAHAHAH!!!"

"Father?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHA!!"

"Father!"

"HAHAHhahhahaha, huff huff, I just didn't expect you to be so dedicated to your goal that you would come up with such an obvious lie." Fuck, fuck, fuck how the hell did he figure it out so quick? Oh yeah that's right he's been a lord of the Empire for nearly forty years who's not only held onto the power he inherited but also earned more.

"Honestly son if you wanted to become a mercenary captain so bad you should have said so from the beginning, you didn't have to come up with some convoluted plan to convince me of your seriousness." Seeing him so jovial and full of warmth was a shock to the system, I had no memory of him laughing as he was now, nor any of him being so candid with his words. Just what the hell was going on?

"However." And suddenly all the joviality was gone from his face as he got serious. "I will not simply give you what you want. Not when your goal is so dangerous, so likely to end with your own death or desolation. If you wish to have my sponsorship in this venture of yours you must prove to me that you have what it takes to make it beyond the borders of the Empire, and beyond the influence of our house."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Name what you need me to do and I will complete your task." I could see a small smile overcome his usual ruggedness, it wasn't the earsplitting smile he had been wearing before, but it felt far more genuine.

"Since your reason for leaving was you wished to prove yourself and earn the right to marry this woman you shall do three tasks' in her name. One shall be of my choosing, one shall be of hers, and one shall be from the captain's of the regiments you will be leading. Do you accept this task I put before you?"

"I do."

"Good you will begin and complete your tasks tomorrow, for now you are dismissed from my presence, prepare yourself for neither I nor my captain's will give you a task easily completed." That's it? He's not going to even hint at what his task will be?

"Thank you father, we will be going now."

Wait, you maid, you will stay with me. We have much to discuss, most notably just what kind of task you plan to give my son."

"Yes my lord." As Selena turned back to my father I couldn't help but notice the determined expression on her face, for most of the conversation between me and Lord Gallick I hadn't paid her much attention. Now as I watch her approach my father I can't help but wonder if I made a mistake keeping her out of my plans, maybe it would make the task she gave me slightly less likely to be near impossible.

Because the expression I saw on her face when my father said she would be in charge of giving me a task was enough to almost give me a heart attack. She looked as if she had just won the lottery three times in a row. 'Please god, let her choose something that isn't likely to end with us liplocked.'

----

I was in my room when Selena finally returned from her conversation with Lord Gallick, it had been hours since I had been dismissed, and it would be a lie to say I hadn't been worried. It was well past twelve when she got back! Some could argue it was the next day.

"Selena your back! How did the talk with my father go? Can you give me any hints for what he might be planning?"

She didn't answer me, her eyes were downcast and her shoulders were slumped. "Selena? Are you ok?"

"Did you mean it?"

What? "Did I mean what?"

"When you said you loved me, when you said the reason you were leaving the Empire was because of me, and you were doing all of this to be with me?"

I… goddammit I knew I should have included her in my plans to win over Lord Gallicks approval. Honestly, how was I supposed to respond to that? With honesty? Should I just admit that her every look sent my heart to the moon? That I thought about that day in the carriage every time I was alone? That I wanted to make her mine?

No I couldn't do that, I am many things but I will not use this girl's love for Vahid to take advantage of her, she may think I am Vahid, but it is his body, his family, and his name that she fell for. Not me. Never me.

"Selena I… I don't know how to answer that. Where is this coming from?"

"Answer the question Master."

"... Selena I… I can't."

The tears in her eyes, and the shaking of her shoulders was all I needed to know, my answer hurt her, it hurt her in ways I don't think I could ever make up for. But I wouldn't lead her on either by telling I loved her when I wasn't even the man she thought I was, I couldn't and wouldn't do that to her.

"You pass master, you've passed the first task." The hiccup in her voice made me whence, god please give me the strength I need right now. "What are you talking about? How could I have completed a task when I didn't even know there was a task in the first place?"

"Your father said the task I gave you would have to be one that would affect us both, something that would let us both know just where we stood with one another. So I decided I wanted to know if you truly felt that way about me… and I guess I do now."

"Selena I'm sorry-"

?! "Mmmm!" She was hanging off me and the tears continued to roll down her cheeks, but her smile was as bright as the sun at its height. "You may not have been able to say it master but you don't need to! I saw it master, you do love me! I just have to make you admit it! Hehehe!" Her giggle was like music to my ears, my rapidly warming ears as I tried my best to fight the blush that was raging across my face.

"No Selena your misunderstanding-"

"It's ok master, you don't have to say anything. I can wait as long as you need master, you have nothing to worry about, I'll stay by your side until the day you can say it. I'll tell your father that you passed my task."

"But I don't even know what your task was!"

"I'll tell you one day master! Bye! I have to go speak to Lord Gallick."

Before I could stop her she had already left the room with that same happy smile on her face. 'What the fuck just happened?'