The sun was setting by the time we got the tram to the palace district. The district was almost exactly central in the city, an oddity caused by the sudden development that occurred after the war. The palace, then the Etrary lord’s house, was originally a ways out into the countryside from then Etrary town. The area around it was put aside to build substitute estates for the nobility that had broken to our side in the conflict, many of whom were not very strongly attached to our cause and were at risk of defecting back should their former privileges be restored. In the end the new palace district did seem to help pacify the majority of them, and there were only a few cases of attempted rebellion even as the new principality stripped away nearly all their formal power. Their lifestyle had been preserved, which had been enough.

We passed through the gate easily, the guards were apologetic if anything for making us go through the checkpoint, and entered the palace district. The landscape here was exactly that of the countryside outside the city, having been totally untouched since Etrary was just a rural province. It was a grassy landscape of gently sloping hills and the occasional tree or copse of bushes. Large houses were set back off the road at regular intervals, often including low walls or gardens or well kept lawns.

A few people loitered in a shelter off to the side, presumably waiting to be picked up.

“We could send for a cab but it would take longer than just walking.” Petalore remarked, tracing my gaze.

“I don’t mind. I used to enjoy walking around in the evening after a long day studying.”

Well, to be more accurate, it was more like a short break from studying.

“Ohh? That’s surprising.”

“What do you mean?”

But he did not answer, and we kept walking in silence. Ten minutes later we turned onto a short drive and approached an elegant three story mansion of polished white stone. The roof was tiled in blue, turning almost purple in the fading sun. It was stunning.

“Here we are, let’s go.”

I was nervous now. This was not a house someone like me would be visiting, let alone staying at, under normal circumstances. Most nobles probably had humbler residences. Unconsciously having stopped to look at the mansion Petalore grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along.

“You can get a better look at the house and grounds tomorrow, come on it’s dark out.” I reluctantly followed.

As we entered a woman in simple white dress greeted us.

“Welcome home, Lord Petalore and guest.”

“I’m back. Cailia this is Kiyr, she’s a maid but basically runs the house. Kiyr this is Cailia. She’s going to be staying here because of some things that happened.”

“And her relationship with you, if I may ask?”

“A new acquaintance I made this mo-”

“His adjutant, assigned by official decree.” I butted in, emphasizing the official decree part. It was too late for any more of this nonsense. I showed my bracelet. “Unfortunate circumstances have left me temporarily without lodging. I beg pardon for the intrusion.”

“I see.”

As I looked around the foyer I was struck by how empty it looked. There was no furniture here and the walls were bare. It seemed like the hall lights in one wing of the house were not even lit. Petalore saw me looking at the dark hall and spoke up.

“It’s just the two, well three now, of us here, we don’t use any of those rooms at all. Kiyr still insists on cleaning them though.”

“Not doing so would be unbecoming, Lord Petalore.”

He had no other staff in a house this big? I did not understand anything anymore. My view of him may have dropped dramatically today, but he was still easily one of the most powerful people in the country, perhaps second only to the prince himself. Why live like a destitute noble? Especially in a house this large.

“There are still plenty of rooms though, or you use the master if you like.” Petalore said.

What was he saying now?! Dragging me to his house like this was already insane, and now this suggestion?

“No I, what-no, I mean-” I could not speak.

“I believe you have caused a misunderstanding. Please be more careful in your words, even to your subordinates. Especially to them, in fact.” Kiyr said.

“What do you mean?

“Huh?” I said. “What do you mean?”

“What I said” he replied, “I use one of the smaller rooms, so the master is free.”

“Oh, I see.” I said, relieved.

“Huh? What did you think I meant?” He looked legitimately confused.

“N-nothing! Anyway why do you use a smaller room?”

He shrugged. “It’s cozier, and closer to the kitchen.”

I looked towards the maid for explanation.

“The Lord insists on having his meals at the small table in the kitchen instead of the dining room, Lady Cailia.” She explained. “I have tried to get him to stop but he has refused.”

“Because there’s no reason to!” Petalore said. “The dining room seats twelve people, and you won’t even eat with me!”

“That would not be proper, as I have told you.”

He rubbed his head and sighed.

“Whatever. Could you prepare a light meal for Cailia and I? And a nice tea, something relaxing. It was a stressful day.”

What do you possibly have to be stressed about? He was the most nonchalant person I had ever met, let alone among the public servants.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Very well.” The maid replied, glancing at me.

Wait, you can’t possibly be thinking it’s my fault, right?

“Cailia, why don’t you take a bath in the meantime? Our bath is pretty nice here if I do say so myself.”

Huh. To be honest, that sounded great. After chiding Petalore about sending word when there were going to be guests at the house Kiyr said she would show the way.

----------------------------------------

I headed off to the bath, which in contrast to the rest of what I had seen of the house was rather luxurious, and more than that felt like it actually saw use. The walls of the room where done in rich wood paneling, and the floor was made of large stone tiles. The bath itself was a large round pool that was sunk into the floor. The outer section was raised slightly to form a bench, and the middle was decorated with tiles in bright blues and greens. When I turned the faucet water streamed out from a slot in the wall and quickly filled the tub. I tied up my hair and stepped in, then, after getting used to the temperature, sank down until the water was right below my nose. It had been a long day. What was I even doing right now? How had I gone from breakfast at my peaceful little home to being in the bath at the Special Adviser’s house? The whole series of events that had lead to this scene had been completely absurd.

It was quiet. I sat back up and leaned against the rim of the bath.

This wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing after I graduated...I feel like I should be more upset though, I wonder why I’m not...

A lot had happened today. I had only left the academy yesterday. Logically I should be throwing my hands up and storming off, but I was not. I was just annoyed.

I sighed. “What’s wrong with me?”

I closed my eyes and decided for the moment to just sit and enjoy the bath. The maid came by a little while later and dropped off a change of clothes for me.

“My apologies Lord Cailia, we do not have many guests so these are all I can prepare.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Thank you.” I paused. “And you don’t have to call me ‘Lord’, I don’t have any position of that sort.”

“You are a guest of Lord Petalore, so it is only fitting to address you as such.”

I sighed. Was this how I was behaving this morning? But she should know better, having worked for Petalore for far longer than I had. I wanted to yell and ask why she still treated him with that much respect. Was I the one being unreasonable?

As she went to leave I called back.“Ah, if you can, could you iron out my uniform coat for tomorrow? I have someone I want to go see on the off day, and I want to look my best.” A slightly nicer way of saying I wanted to show off, truthfully.

“Certainly” she replied, then left the room with my old clothes. Once again the only sound was the occasional drip of water.

----------------------------------------

I absentmindedly retied my hair and changed into the clothes that had been left, a simple white shirt and pair of brown trousers. I exited the bath and headed to where Kiyr had said the kitchen was, asking where to find Petalore. She directed me to the study on the second floor, saying dinner would be done shortly, and off I went.

I knocked and entered the room Kiyr had said was the study, but it looked more similar to a parlor that had been filled with books. There was a sofa and a set of chairs facing a table that was covered in papers. The window was cracked, and a sweet-smelling breeze blew gently in from the night outside. The chipping of cicadas could be heard faintly in the background. Petalore, who was on the sofa reading a book, looked up as I came in. He had changed into a looser shirt and was wearing glasses. He could almost pass as an academic at the moment.

“Was the bath nice?”

“It was. I didn’t expect you to have such a luxurious one.”

“It is something I enjoy, believe it or not. I’ll probably have one a bit later on in the evening.”

I looked around some more. This room in contrast to the entryway felt lived in. It was a mess, but it seemed like a comfortable mess. I felt somewhat guilty for intruding into what I assumed was his sanctuary, and thought about leaving, but he gestured for me to sit in the chair across from him.

“Do you always sit here alone at night? You could have Kiyr come sit with you.” I said, going to sit.

Though I was not really in a position to make that suggestion. Would anyone even notice I had fled from my house?

He laughed. “You’ve seen her, she thinks I should guard my study zealously to act the part of a lord. Convincing her to knock it off is impossible, I’ve only just got her to start having tea with me in the afternoon.”

“You are a Lord though. Why not act the part?”

“Because it’s a pain!” He said, exasperatedly. Then, speaking softly “I don’t want any more of that life anyway.”

“What was that last part?”

“It’s nothing, never mind.”

We sat in silence, and I idly pulled a book off a pile a nearby pile and started looking at it.

“Reflections of Reflections, certainly a poetic title.”

“Mmm. It’s a collection of accounts by Alaneak, including the untranslated parts.”

“Alaneak was that man from an unknown, far away country who appeared from a shard realm?”

“Yes. Though some speculate that where he came from was not just ‘far away’ but in another world altogether.”

“Isn’t that pretty unbelievable?”

“Is it though? His dress, his hair, his features, all were completely foreign. No scholar could relate his language to any known one. His geographic description of his homeland was incongruous with what we know of our world. He was certainly not from the continent.”

“Then from across the sea then, there have been island chains discovered after all...”

He grinned. “Ah, but then some theorize that those expeditions have crossed boundaries without realizing. It would difficult to tell, especially given how compasses react to the open ocean. It’s discussed in this book.” He gestured to the one he was holding.

Wait, were these all about shard realms? There were certainly researchers in the area, though it was niche. For most people they were simply locations of minerals and potential sources of danger. If he was this interested he should have become an academic...wait, no, there were some Rocari books mixed in as well. What a bizarre collection!

Kiyr knocked and brought in a meal. She explained it was fried rice with mushrooms and spring vegetables paired with a roast tea, then quickly departed and shut the door. Petalore remarked that she was very good at cooking, which was all the reason I needed to start eating. I was starving.

We ate and talked for a long while. I told a story from school about getting in a fight with the head instructor to which he laughed uncontrollably. The two were apparently acquainted. After a while the conversation died down though, and we were sitting in a silence until Petalore spoke up.

“...I am sorry about all this, you know.” He said, suddenly adopting a serious tone. He even looked somewhat downcast. “It’s not right to ask the talented to work in conditions like this. I mean, less than a day in and you’ve already been forced from your home.” He looked down. “I’m sorry.”

That was not something I was expecting. He had been laid back in the face of an explosion a few hours ago, yet now seems genuinely upset.

I hesitated. “...It’s true that today has been pretty disastrous, and I can’t say that I’m not disappointed, especially given the reverence people hold towards you. But I wouldn’t say I hate it.”

“Huh? But-”

“Today was also exciting. I met some famous people. I helped negotiate a deal. Even if it wasn’t what I expected, it still felt like something that could only have happened because I was your adjutant, Special Adviser.”

“So that means you...”

I smiled. “Mmm. I’ll keep working hard at my job, which is to make sure you’re doing yours!”

“Ha~” He visibly relaxed. “Alright then. Thank you, Cailia. Adjutant Cailia.”

I poured some more tea for us both.

“Say, tell me some more school stories. I never went to school, so I like hearing them from you.”

He did not? That would explain some of the weird gaps in his historical knowledge, but he did not seem uneducated. He was reading theory on shard realms after all.

I started telling stories again. The Special Adviser relaxed back in his seat, and before long his eyes were closed. I asked if he was still awake, but his soft breath was the only response.

“Haaaaaaa. You’re just like a child...”

I helped him down onto his side. I thought about going to ask for a blanket but decided against it.

He’ll probably wake up in a hour anyway.

I closed the door gently behind me. The hallway lights had been dimmed, it seemed like it had got quite late. The day, the insane day, was coming to an end. I had been alternating between fear, anger, and bewilderment throughout it, but now as I stood in the quiet hall I felt at ease. When was the last time I had shared dinner and friendly conversation with someone?

Though that someone is that absurd Special Adviser...

I looked out the window. Near the horizon they were washed out by the glow of the city, but higher up you could still see the stars, slowly glimmer on and off as they floated through the sky.

“Good night, Jousenan.”

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Cailia ended up moving into a guest room as well, it really was cozier.