“M- Master, I do not understand.” Cass stuttered in her shock. She knew, roughly, what a Noble’s Hand was- a trusted servant that could exercise some of their Master’s authority, but different from a Steward in that instead of managing a home, they would manage their Master’s authority in the world at large. Cass was not aware that a slave like her could even take the job, and would never have believed that it would have been given to her regardless.
For that matter, they seemed to know who her father was- and whomever it was, they were powerful enough to simply take Cass away from her Master if she had not been granted this position. Though she was not even sure how the position protected her…
“Sarius, are you sure about this?” Vincent asked, his serious and concerned attitude was far different from his normally jovial demeanor. “I mean, leaving aside whether she can do the job- it is the Imperial Family that you are angering, not to mention that your father and wife won’t approve.”
Cass saw that her Master had shivered slightly at the mention of his father, but his composure did not waver. Only someone as attentive as her to the slight changes around Sarius would ever have noticed.
Instead of directly answering the question, Cass’s Master called her to stand before him and she did so.
“Cass,” Hall looked her straight in the eyes and spoke with absolute seriousness. “About your father… There is simply no gentle way to say this, so brace yourself- your father is His Highness, Fourth Prince Joseph Haj’ivaren.”
For a few seconds, Cass was unable to understand the words her Master had spoken. When she did, she swayed where she stood- the room spinning, causing Vincent to reach out and steady her. A nice gesture she did not deserve as a slave, a slave who could not possibly be related to someone so powerful!
“It… No, Master that is…” Cass could not gather her thoughts, between being appointed to be her Master’s Hand and this news, Cass’s mind was not able to comprehend the information she had been given. “It can’t be…”
“It is,” her Master said firmly, but gently. “When the Archivers use the Book of Bloodlines, they do not make mistakes- the answer is certain.”
“And the Imperial Family is not like the other nobles,” Vincent chimed in. “They take their bloodline even more seriously. Congratulations Cass, technically, you are now the one thousandth person in line for the Throne, give or take. When you get past the tenth it gets a bit complicated, you are probably somewhere between the nine hundred and eleven hundredth spot.”
“No one past one hundred actually has any chance of taking the throne,” Hall sighed. “However, only families with the blood of the Imperial Family are eligible in the first place, which is why I am not in that line at all. And given your status as my slave, this creates problems.”
Hall stood up and looked out a window, towards the heart of the Imperial Center. “Normally, it would not matter much. As Vincent said, you have absolutely no chance of ever ascending to the throne, whatever the list might say. But, you are unique in your magical ability and so the Imperial Family wanted to ‘acquire’ you for themselves.”
“Technically, as of this point, you are not a commoner Cass.” Hall continued, looking back at her. “But neither are you a noble, you have slipped into one of the cracks in the laws of this country- a loophole left in from who knows when, and this in turn allowed me to appoint you as my Hand. Which made it politically untenable for them to simply seize you.”
Walking over to Cass and putting his hand under her chin, Hall guided Cass’s eyes up to meet his. Cass forgot about the others in the room, and later she would wonder if her Master likewise forgot.
“I know you can excel in this position Cass,” he spoke softly. “I know that you will never disappoint me.”
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“Master…” Cass felt herself relax and she replied, “of course Master, if you want something of me, I will always give it to you. I will give my absolute all to fulfill your expectations.”
“I would tell you two to get a room,” Vincent disrupted the moment with his dry comment. “But this is your’s Hall, I am just curious why you want an audience. Not that I would mind seeing more of Cass, but I do not think my eyes would ever recover from what I saw of you!”
“Lord Hall,” Caim sighed with exasperation. “I threw my lot in with your faction because of what you offered, and those two trainers have certainly delivered in that regard. But you should show more decorum, especially considering the position you are now in.”
“You should be happy with this appointment too, Lord Secretariat.” Hall said smoothly, subtly brushing Cass’s cheek before letting go of her. “Those trainers, Rowig and Odal, were recruited by Cass here- just as she was the one to discover how to make the glyphs function as we wished for them to. When the new troops are deployed to the south in a few months her contributions will allow them to subjugate those rebels with ease.”
“True enough, too many nobles shy away from battle these days, but the ones that still do are coming around to your side- and to think that you were rumored to be inept when it came to politics.”
Hall chuckled, “well, I never had much of a reason to care before.” The way Hall looked at Cass when he said those words made her shiver. Sometimes her Master simply looked so… Hungry… Cass was not sure if she was intimidated or hopeful…
“Don’t worry Cass,” Hall spoke to her directly. “I will make sure you are ready for the job, and I think the attendants I have chosen for you will meet your approval.”
“You do not need to be so considerate towards me Master!” Cass rushed out, “I will work with whoever you decide, you do not need to think of me.”
“But I like to,” Hall said and Vincent groaned, muttering something about needing to teach Hall how to speak to women better. “And it will make your job easier, and thus, my life easier.”
“I will excuse myself before this goes any further,” Caim sighed. “A good day to you, my Lords and Lady Cass.”
Cass was so shocked she was unable to respond as the Secretariat left and Vincent laughed at her expression. “Hands are generally considered to be higher ranking than Stewards. Unlike Stewards, the correct address for a Hand is either ‘lord’ or ‘lady.’ You may not have a title- yet- but you are now officially Lady Cass.”
Cass had no idea what to make of the ‘yet.’ Hand or not, she was still a slave and, if she could convince herself that she had not dreamed the last few hours, even if she had Imperial blood- she was still just a commoner!
“With this, I will have Clare cornered as well.” Hall smiled, “and when the political situation stabilizes I will finally be able to go back to my research- especially with my favorite subject back.”
“Ok, jokes aside, you have to cool down Sarius,” Vincent spoke seriously now. “You have not won yet, and your wife won’t take this lying down.”
“True,” Hall took a deep breath to calm himself. “Whatever happens, I will be ready.”
Vincent also bid his goodbyes, leaving Cass and Hall alone in the room. As her Master sat behind his desk, he indicated that Cass should sit in the chair in front of it.
“Your attendants are to be Owin, that Birdie girl and the young girl named Natalie that you brought with you.” Hall said, and Cass was happy to have them and especially happy that Natalie would be getting a far superior education than a simple maid. However, her Master seemed to be struggling with what he was going to say next.
“This struggle,” Hall paused, then sighed. “It is not just between Clare and I, but it involves my father and I have to ask you now, in private, if you want this. Despite what I said in front of them, I will not order you into this position- if you want to, you can go. I know what happened with Clare, and all I can say is that my father is worse- so much worse, and no, do not ask me anything more. I am going to take House Hall for myself, and as dangerous as it is, I would like you to come with me.”
Cass watched her Master for a moment, then started to laugh.
“Master, punish me if you will, but for such a genius you sure can be dumb sometimes.” She was giggling, “I am not even sure why you would ask that question- I do not think I am as capable as you think, but I will give my best for you.”
Hall blinked, then sat back and laughed loudly. “Well then, it seems it is settled.”