As Josh returned from his little act with Leo to the study room, he found Elaria leisurely sitting in his chair. She didn’t seem to mind him, paying no attention and never even raising her gaze from the book she was reading to meet his arrival.

Rude.

Josh lightly coughed to draw her attention. “Lady Elaria, can I help you?” he asked, unsure why she even was in the study room waiting for him.

She slammed her book shut and emotionlessly asked. “How did your meeting go with that fool of a knight.”

Very rude.

“Do you ask because you don’t know or because you want to know it from my side of view?” Josh asked, not believing that his mentor didn't eavesdrop on his talk with Leo.

She raised her left eyebrow in response to his question. “Good, it seems that you are growing into your role as a Lord.”

Did she just compliment me?

“I want to know from your perspective, how did the meeting go?” Elaria asked.

Josh shrugged, trying to get his attention back to the topic rather than the compliment he just received. “Good, I suppose?” he replied.

Elaria let out a deep sigh. “Really?” she paused for a moment, her eyes sharpening. “What part of the meeting do you think was good? Was it the result? Or was it the way you led the meeting? Maybe it was relieving of your guilt for sentencing the village chief?”

“All of it, I suppose?” Josh mumbled in response. Evident uncertainty could be heard in his voice as he continued. “I mean, I did get the result I wanted, and I suppose it was a little bit relieving the guilt. I suppose I could’ve done better with the way I led the conversation,” he took a deep breath. “Overall, I think I did ok.”

“Let’s go learn magic,” Elaria clapped and stood up.

“What?” Josh squinted in confusion.

Elaria ragefully clapped her hands, and the same way it seemed the world was freezing in her duel with Leo started to happen in the study room. Icicles started forming on the edges of the table, the temperature dropping sharply second by second; even the books seemed to freeze shut nonetheless, the cup of fortified mead Josh left on the table in the morning.

“Let’s go learn magic,” Elaria said, her emotionless voice betraying the actions of rage she did.

“Okay, okay, let’s go,” Josh replied, shivering from the freezing air of the study room biting into his skin.

In response, Elaria started taking small steps toward Josh, the cold in the room rising with each step.

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Did she fucking went crazy or what?

As she took her final step and was within reach of Josh, she placed her hand on his left shoulder, and the immense cold, strong enough to kill a man, disappeared as if it were just an illusion. Even the icicles that formed disappeared, or the books that froze shut didn’t even look damp, let alone wet.

“Why did your first reply of what? changed into yes?” she asked.

Because you went mental???

“Lady Elaria, pardon me, but I don’t get the question,” Josh replied.

“Just answer the question.”

Josh pondered for a moment. “I felt threatened the second time you asked, I would say. While the first time you asked me, I was confused, considering we have never done our training more than once a day.” Still confused by the whole situation, Josh at least calmed down.

“Words spoken in a power position will always have more strength behind them,” Elaria replied, still holding onto his shoulder. “I’m not saying that there is no room for soft ways of conversing. Instead, you should consider your position and to whom you are conversing, Ward Josh.”

Josh laughed it off. “You are telling me to be a dictator?”

“You are misunderstanding; tell me, is a man who once betrayed you worthy of your respect to hold a negotiation, or should he be commanded?”

“Comma-“ Josh was about to utter an answer as he got interrupted.

“Leo he's not as dumb as he acts. I still have no clue why he has entrusted ‘Stellar Night’ to you, considering its worth is enough to buy ten baronies like this, but I do know for sure that you must be beware of the dragon in kobolds clothing,” she finally let go of his shoulder. “That’s it for my late evening lesson, Ward Josh; I'll see you tomorrow in the morning.”

Josh stood flabbergasted about this whole situation for a moment before deciding to sit down in the now empty sole chair of the study room. He took the cup of fortified mead that had been frozen just moments ago and gulped it down.

What the actual heck was that… I still don’t get that woman.

***

Josh sat leisurely in his study room chair, fuzzy from the couple of cups of mead he had drank as he considered the finances of his barony.

Goblins, goblins… can they just fuck off.

It would not be that bad, and according to his plans, he would export the harvest to the north rather than sell it for half the price they would get from the visiting merchants. Sadly, the shallow lake village with its tributes to goblins eats up more than fifty percent of the budget with no returns whatsoever. Also, the tax reliefs for building the roads and enlisting new recruits didn’t help and meant that basically all of the budget was used up with half a year to go.

What if I don’t pay the taxes to the kingdom? I can make excuses that I’m new here.

He poured himself another cup of mead as he looked at the beauty of his sword ‘Stellar Night’, which was considered one of the dwarven masterpieces.

Will I have to pawn this beauty?

Even the thought of pawning the sword off seemed to sober him up. “I have to write a letter to Marquis requesting a loan…” Josh mumbled to himself.

Since there’s no way that piece of shit Count would lend me money after refusing to help with goblins… I guess for now, I’ll write a letter requesting a small loan and then wait for Count’s banquet.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small knock on the door and, not a second longer, a squeak of the door opening. In the doorframe stood an elderly woman with her tidy outfit and her silver hair tied into a high ponytail, giving her an air of elegance.

“Milord, you’ve called for me?” The elderly maid asked.

“Yes, Lyra, I’ve called for you. Can you si—” Josh caught his tongue before quickly regaining his composure. “Can you come closer to me? I want to have a chat with you.”

Almost told her to sit down… I need to get a second chair into this room.

She approached the other side of the table that Josh occupied and stood still, waiting for her Lord to speak.

“Lyra, I’ve called you because I want you to be the new stewardess in place of Leo.”

“Milord, Might I ask what happened to Leo?” With a soft, raspy voice, Lyra asked.

“The Barony needs a castellan, considering turbulent times are coming. There was no better fit than Leo for that position. In the same way, I believe there’s not a better fit for the now vacant steward position than you.” Josh replied.

“I’m flattered, Milord. Yet, I’m thinking more about retirement than taking up a position that will keep me on my feet all day long. I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

Cmon man… that’s a soft decline, at least, I think?

“What would change your response to yes?” Josh asked.

Lyra, the elderly maid, thought for a second. “I have no children of mine, Milord. Yet I consider Bella as my child; if you were to waive her debts and make her citizen while sending her to the academy for proper education, I would reconsider my choice, Milord.”

Josh grinned. “Waiving her debts and making her citizen consider it done.”

I’m not one for slavery anyways.

“Sending her to the academy is a bit tougher to do, but if you were to prove your worth as stewardess over the next year, I will see what I can do about it,” Josh replied.

“Milord, can I think about it?” she asked.

Josh sighed. “Sleep over it, Lyra; I need to know your answer by tomorrow; you are dismissed.”