A day and a half has already gone by on the Milanovic Residency, and yet, things are unusually calm. Bertram has been so busy with his heir apparent duties that he doesn't have time to bother me at breakfast anymore. Lord Milanovic’s been avoiding any sort of communication with Bertram, so he doesn't show his face here as much, and Cassandra just disappeared into thin air. It’s as if all my problems have disappeared along with her.

Or so I thought.

“Max, you may be wondering why I have called for you.”

“I don't believe I do fathe—I mean, dad.”

Lord Milanovic started directly through my soul, as if he could tell that I had done something wrong. Had I done something wrong? This man should be an interrogator.

“I've let you off the hook for a day so that you could gather your thoughts, but the time has come for you to meet someone special.”

What a chilling tone! Just who is he referring to? I could think of a few candidates, but to be honest, I wish he was talking about Lord Bazarov. That man seems to be at the centre of everything these days.

“And who might that be?”

“You may not know him, but you must have heard of him already. Today, the Hermes will pay you a visit. Nothing to worry yourself with, Max.”

Oh crap.

“The Hermes, you say? And who might that be?”

Maybe if I play dumb, the visit will be delayed long enough for me to run away.

“You don’t know? Well, let me put it in simple terms. Us ergos, while rare, have managed to populate enough to cover a great portion of this Earth. We can’t just let such a large number of supernatural beings wander around unsupervised, can we? With their singularities, stray ergos are dangerous to society as a whole. As such, the person in charge of keeping an accurate record of all ergos and their dealings is what we call the Hermes.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Indeed. The Hermes knows everything and is loyal to no one. According to the novel, his loyalty lies beyond the stars up in the heavens, to the Vitality.

“Even if the Hermes abandon their name upon selection, every Lord and Lady knows and refers to the current Hermes as Otto Warheit, since he is the son of current Lady Warhait. Even so, you should still refer to him as Hermes. Wait, do you know who Lady Warhait is? Anyhow, I’ll leave all that to the Bazarov to figure out.”

Otto Warheit, so that part remains the same. Glad to know that such a reliable individual was still entrusted with one of the most important roles in the novel.

“And when is he arriving exactly?”

“Right now! What else do you think I called you in for?”

Wait, what did he just say?

A sudden rattling on the window makes me jump out of my seat. Otto abruptly entered through the glass door that led to the balcony, blond hair ruffling at the rhythm of the summer breeze. He opened his dark blue eyes and stared me down, not even greeting Lord Milanovic until he was done examining me.

“Hey Sir Laszlo, long time no see. Well, it's good that I've had no reason to visit you, I suppose.”

“Young Otto, you're as bright as always. How is your mother? Has she been doing well?”

“My mom is doing very well. Thanks for asking! Anyhow, to the subject at hand.”

His gaze seemed to be perforating through my skin, the slight golden shine on his eyes making me shiver. Why does everyone look so intimidating? Even while he was staring at me so openly, he seemed to be trying to look welcoming. As he was about to ask a question, a knock was heard outside of the room.

“Who is that, Sir Laszlo? Expecting anybody?”

“Not that I know off. Let me get the door.”

Otto stared at the door in silence and motioned for Lord Milanovic to sit down. He looked a little startled at something. What did he see through that door?

“I’ll get it, sir. Don't you worry.”

He opened the door carefully, making sure that whoever was outside wouldn't be able to threaten the lives of anyone in the room. To everyone's surprise, the one patiently waiting outside was none other than the absent Cassandra.

“Well, who do we have here?”

He smiled at Cassandra with slight discomfort. She, on the other hand, looked rather defensive.

“Could I please be let in, Lord Milanovic? I promise I won't be a disturbance to your conversation.”

Lord Milanovic agreed, and she bowed dismissively at Otto before making her way to my side, her hand patting my back rather strongly. Was she here as my advisor? How did she even know what was taking place inside this room?

“Say, why don't you leave us alone for a while, Sir Laszlo? Not to be rude, but you know how the proceedings work.”

“Yes, I’ll excuse myself out.”

He opened the door and shut it quietly after him, not without giving me a reassuring look that everything would be alright. I appreciate it, Lord Milanovic, but I doubt that would be the case.