Lord Roderick watched Prince Wulfram help a young, unfamiliar woman out of his carriage from the privacy of his personal rooms in the palace. She was dressed too plainly to be a noble, staring around the palace in a mixture of awe and fear.
A commoner, likely the one that had saved the Prince. A pity that, it would have made things easier for him if the crown prince had died down in those tunnels. But what was life without a little bit of a challenge? He smirked and took a sip of his wine. It was no where near as fine as the wine Wulfram and Dani had found in the cellars below the city, but it was still more expensive than anyone in the Rats Nest could afford, even with a years worth of wages.
Well, he did deserve the finer things in life.
The door to his room opened, and his personal servant stepped in, back ramrod straight and face appropriately bland. “Sir, the Prince has returned with a young lady from the city.”
“I can see that. What can you tell me about her?” Lord Roderick turned from the window as Prince Wulfram and the woman walked out of view, pinning his gaze on the servant.
“Very little as of yet, Sir. They are going to visit Archmage Balariz, but I was unable to discover why. I was also able to confirm that he left this morning to fetch the young woman that had saved him, and that her name is Daniella. He is calling her Lady Daniella.”
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“Lady Daniella?” Lord Roderick scoffed, his lips pulling back in a sneer of disgust. “There is no way that woman is of noble blood.”
The servant made no comment, which was acceptable, even expected. It was not his place to comment on the affairs of his betters. Lord Roderick poured himself a bit more wine as he mulled over this new woman. She was an unknown, and he hated unknowns. They could take the best laid plans and throw them into chaos. “Find out what you can about her, everything you can about her. Who she is, what she’s done, where she’s from, what she’s doing here, what the prince intends to do with her, if she has a favorite drink, if she has any pets or family. Do you understand me?”
The servant bowed deeply, bending perfectly at the waist and stopping when he was parallel to the floor. “Yes, your Lordship. Is there anything else I might assist you with?”
“No. Get to work on the task I have given you, and don’t keep me waiting.” Lord Roderick turned to gaze out the window again. There was no way that woman deserved the title of Lady. But if the Prince chose to call a commoner one, most of the nobles would go along with it. It wasn’t that dangerous unless she decided to marry into one of the noble families.
He made a face as if he had smelled something bad, ignoring the sound of the door closing behind him. A mutt might as well breed with a prize hound! No, that couldn’t be allowed, he’d make sure of it.