Noblesse Oblige [Znt/SI]

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventy-Five

The news that a circle of child kidnappers had been plaguing the countryside of Gallia came to light soon after, and as a minotaur was sighted in the nearby proximity of said camp, the answer was clear.

Purification by fire, cannons, and general destruction of the surrounding areas ensued with ruthless efficiency. It wasn't just a matter of finding the cave the minotaur inhabited, but of getting the child kidnappers too.

And when we did, I did not mince words or let caring take place. The kidnappers were strung by their necks, and the minotaur tracked back to its lair and killed by sending mages at it until he could defend himself no more.

"We lost a dozen men," the knight-officer said, even as a group of soldiers dragged the dead minotaur aboard, his head detached with surgical precision. "But in the end, he finished his willpower-he suffocated together with everyone sent in the cave," he swallowed.

"Clear the rubble, get the corpses of my men," not ours, not 'of the king', but 'my' men, "aboard and have them washed up and put back together by water mages." I took Freedom to descend down from the side of the ship, taking with me a small number of knights just for that extra safety. Such a fortuitous coincidence, I could already string up a convincing lie to tell the king.

The prisoners wouldn't cooperate, but they didn't need to. Contract Magic had that power, and my word? My word was worth more than theirs.

In the chilly atmosphere of the cavern, amidst the bones that stood in a corner hastily dug out, I knelt even as the knights nearby began to search the surroundings. My fingers soon found a skull, a tiny skull, a skull that belonged to a child without a doubt and which made my stomach twist since I was effectively touching it with my own hands. Unfortunately, if I had known the location of this place earlier, I would have intervened immediately, but-but it wasn't that easy. Knowing only that a minotaur would help Tabitha-Charlotte against a band of child kidnappers, it didn't give me the location of his cavern, or the actual place on a map of where it would take place.

Thankfully, knowing that the area had to be where Lords took an interest in a band of child kidnappers shrunk down the area to search, and finding the village in question took even less.

Even so, we arrived with bones already hidden beneath the ground.

Even so, some of these bones would be interred with all of the deference given to a royal princess.

"I found them," I said, my voice trembling. "I found her."

The small figurine placed within the skull, the chain dangling from it and dirtied quickly, none of these men that followed me were experts in the craft of criminal scene investigation, and they didn't need to be. They had been told I knew how to recognize our target, and in truth, I had been told of the small holy relic by the Duke in person, who had been told by the Abbess. If all else failed, this at least would work in finding her...remains, should she be unrecognizable from her face.

"Oh no," the knights nearby whispered, "That monster!" while they did not fully understand the importance of it, clearly if both princes were in agreement over something, then this had to be someone truly important to them both. Whispers had been about a potential bastard, or a lover, but with the gathered bones in my hands, I stood back up and grabbed my cloak.

"Y-Your grace!" one of the knights exclaimed, "Please-use mine-"

"No," I said firmly, standing tall and proud as I unhooked mine from my shoulders. "Mine is the failure," I said deeply, "So mine must be the shame."

"Your grace!" a chorus of it echoed, and soon after, more mantles unhooked themselves from the shoulders of the knights.

"Definitely! This isn't just your grace's failure! It's ours too!" one of them said, clutching his mantle in his hands like the others had. "Please, let us bear part of the guilt!"

I enfolded the child's remains with the figurine in my cloak, and my shoulders trembled, even as I gave them a weak smile and nodded. "Very well," I said in the end. "Let us go back to Lutece. Send a messenger along. We have found her...and we...we are sorry."

The return to the ship, the return to the capital, it went by in a deeply silent mood. The knights didn't know what they had to be sad about, but they knew it was something bad if the Prince-Consort had removed his mantle as a sign of shame. This truly was starting to reach the level of perhaps a bastard of the King, or some sort of long-lost love of Prince Joseph, or something of the sort.

The arrival in Lutece was accompanied without fanfare, but with the country's flag at half mast, and somber, dark colors pretty much dominant at every window.

Waiting for me at the ship's port wasn't just the royal family, but many of the high-ranking nobles. I descended, and then knelt as I brought forward my mantle. A spell had been placed to keep the smell of the bones under control, but as Charles and Marie D'Orleans drew near, it broke the moment they pulled the folds of my mantle away. The glinting pendant was in plain sight, and as Marie's gasp echoed noisily and her hands covered her mouth, she couldn't help but cry out in pain and anguish, falling backwards only for Charles to hold her up, his own visage a grim expression of sadness, sorrow, guilt and despair.

Two knights of the Lily Parterre took my mantle with the remains of the child, and as they placed it in a coffin upon an open carriage, Isabella neared me with a new mantle and a sorrowful expression.

"Henry..." she whispered with a light strain in her voice, "You did your best."

"But it was not enough," I answered back softly, patting the back of her hand as I straightened myself. I turned to the line of knights that had their mantles in their arms, a show of humility in front of their peers, and then I walked towards them and, one by one, put their mantles back on them.

I then sharply walked back down, and the knights followed. The soldiers did so too -at least, those that were excused and weren't essential to keeping the ship afloat.

It was not everyday you got to see royalty being buried after all.

Even though I had kept quiet, in the end this sort of thing couldn't be. The corpse of Josette, the twin sister of Charlotte, was laid to rest after the cathedral held a mass. Even though the whispers kept growing, it was only when an official statement was released later, pointing to misguided mages, that the true reckoning of my actions and lies came to the front.

The lie had been clear. A misguided mage of Charles' faction had learned of the child, and had wanted to remove her in case people of Joseph' faction came to know it.

This mage had kidnapped the girl from the monastery, with the intention of bringing her into the folds of the kidnapping ring, perhaps in hope that she would be sailed out into the unknown, not having the guts to kill her himself -or perhaps, dreading the consequences of such an action. Unfortunately, along the way to meet the kidnappers the minotaur had killed them both, devouring their remains.

As proof, one of the men of the ring had admitted after a bit of convincing that he was supposed to meet with a noble to get a child with silver hair from him -young children with silver hair sold for a lot in some foreign kingdoms- and...well, that had been it, since the scoundrel in question had not survived the interrogation.

Scum that kidnapped children did not have the right to a righteous process.

On the plus side, Raven was waiting for me in the courtyard of the royal gardens, and after the funerals...

There was much hugging to be had.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventy-Six

The loss of one of his daughters hit Charles and his wife hard. They retreated back to their holdings by the Ragdorian lake taking Charlotte with them, and that was all. Suddenly, Joseph found himself as the only palatable heir, if by simple virtue of being the only one that actually wished to rule.

Administering a Duchy by oneself was quite different from administering a single fief, and while Raven was practically my fastest messenger and spoke person, it was obvious he found it more productive to hop behind me wherever I went. It wasn't that I disliked it, but...

"Henry, this must absolutely stop," Isabella said with a huff, "I understand that your familiar is a magical bird, and I understand your fondness for him-"

"I love my master!" Raven cawed from behind me, looking angrily protective of my shoulders. We were in a room that could easily be dubbed The room where you can talk and everything is pea-green or a shade of cream because of Reasons. Isabella was sitting on a sofa, a cup of tea in her hands, and I was sitting on an armchair, a large cup of coffee in my hand.

"And his fondness for you," she continued, "but he cannot keep following you wherever you go! Even if he is an extension of yourself, at the very least leave him out of state dinners!"

"You didn't have a problem with him a few years ago," I pointed out dryly.

"A few years ago he wasn't tall and heavy enough to leave his talon marks when hopping! Look at the parquet! The marble tiles-they all have to be replaced!" Isabella said with a hand to her right temple, "Also, he scares the servants. I am sure he would enjoy the wilds more," she added. "Can't you send him to where your bird-people live? Last I heard, the King-regent," Joseph no longer enjoyed the moniker of father since that day, and I couldn't blame Isabella about it, "placed them in a rich Zelkova area with the order not to cut down their trees. I am sure he would enjoy-"

"Isabella," I said gently, "I trust only a few people with my back," I smiled. "And as much as I trust you, I would rather be able to gaze at your pretty face, rather than hear only your sweet voice."

Isabella blushed, and then sighed, but still clicked her tongue against her teeth. "You have a way with words, Henry...making a maiden's heart skip so many beats, have some shame."

I laughed, and then gingerly patted Raven's neck, my familiar crooning in answer. His size had indeed grown. He no longer was a small dog. No, he was the same size of a person, if with a body built like that of a bird. I could understand that he made servants afraid due to his bird-like eyes, which looked upon others as prey, but to me, he'd be my little Raven, my fluffy, wuffy, feathery-

"Henry," Isabella said curtly, "He still needs to stop hopping, or if he does...give him shoes."

I blinked, and imagined Raven wearing shoes. No, rather than shoes, those funny animal-shaped slippers that could be perhaps enchanted so that they'd squeak, and-

In unison, both myself and Raven began to laugh.

"What?" Isabella's face turned red, "Laughing at your cute wife like this! You both! Cease at once!" she exclaimed loudly, and to that I simply began to chuckle softer.

"Sorry, sorry," I said, "It was just-imagining Raven with squeaky shoes and hoping around-"

Isabella furrowed her brows, inclined her head to the side, and then emitted a giggle herself. "I see," she said in the end with a smile. "Still, Henry, you can't keep this up. There are the rumors to consider. Being constantly followed by a familiar is normal, but whenever he is in the same room as you, he distracts you from-" I absentmindedly had taken to scratching Raven's neck, much to my familiar's pleasure as he crooned softly. "See? Again!" Isabella sighed. "Henry," she pleaded. "Please."

I exhaled, and then took a deep sip of my coffee cup. "Fine," I mumbled, "But only when in the royal palace," I said. "Other places are fine."

Isabella smiled in relief, "Very well, I can allow that."

"I was thinking about moving to the palace of the Duke of Brittany to see how things were proceeding," I said smoothly, a smile on my face. "I hope-"

Receiving a pillow to the face wouldn't have hurt anything but my pride, but Raven had other intentions. Thus, even as the pillow from a pout-sporting Isabella sailed for me, Raven's beak came cruising down faster than I could blink, and with a singular gulp, it swallowed the pillow whole.

"T-t-that was one of my pillows!" Isabella yelled, while Raven simply cawed back, ruffling his wings.

"You throw it, you lose it!" he yelled back, coughing out a few feathers.

Isabella took a deep breath, and then, quite calmly, stood up. She lifted her princess scepter, and narrowed her eyes. "Sprinkling water!" to this sort of attack, Raven didn't even bother dodging. His wing simply shielded me from the incoming jet of water. "There!" Isabella harrumphed after Raven flapped his wing dry. Still, the look of loss on Isabella's face was quite endearing. So endearing, in fact, that I had to admit defeat even though I hadn't been defeated.

"I am sure Raven has learned his lesson now, dear," I said with a gentle smile.

"That's just because you never punish him when he does something wrong," Isabella muttered, nodding to herself. "That's why he grew up to be such a selfish familiar, infringing on my time alone with you-" and the servants ready to serve us at a split second of notice were what, invisible art nouveau? "He's unforgivable, and you are unforgivable too," she mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Still-" her cheeks reddened, "you keep saying I'm beautiful and cute-but you haven't even kissed me properly once-it has been two years since our marriage-"

Oh no, not this again.

Execute evasive maneuver number twenty-seven, go men of the brave brain neuronal pattern!

I stood up smoothly, a hand gingerly palming her right cheek as I smiled, "My dear," I said gently, "You know that I am holding myself back for your own well-being," I began rubbing her cheek with my thumb. "On my honor, I did swear to treat you not just as a queen, but even more-so understand, seeing you sad is not in my intention, but seeing you hurt? That would make me grieve beyond any doubt-"

"I know!" Isabella said with a sigh, "But just a kiss-that's not too much to ask, is it?"

In answer, I drew near. Just like that, Isabella closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Answering my silent plea, Raven intervened by blocking the path with his wing, retracting it only the second after I pulled back from the mock-kiss.

The servants saw, and remained dutifully quiet. I could swear one of them was trying his hardest not to snicker, but what did he know of the ancient art of being a Bro among Bros?

"That was..." Isabella blinked, "Strange," she mumbled in the end. Resist, servant number twelve! Resist! I can see you are holding back your smiles, so do so! I will pay you handsomely in gold if you do not laugh!

"Light like a feather!" Raven cawed, flapping his wings from behind me.

I coughed loudly as a snicker left the lips of the servant in question, but as he quickly brought it under control, and I coughed just at the right time, nobody realized it, least of all Isabella.

"We will be taking our leave by tomorrow," I said in the end to Isabella. "With how things will be, and how they currently are in the capital...would you rather come with me, my dear?"

"No," Isabella shook her head. "With uncle refusing to do anything-I'll have to take his place here in the palace. I hope he'll...get better soon."

"About Joseph..." I murmured, "Will you be all right?"

She smiled, and then waved her staff. "I got better at my sprinkling water attack," she said with quite the pride in her voice, "Once I achieve control over the conjure flame chant-I'll burn his tongue if he says something mean," her fingers danced on the tip of her scepter, her eyes alight with passion. "However!" she pointed her scepter at me, "I expect your familiar to have shoes if he comes back inside the palace!"

To that, I nodded and then knelt to bid her goodbye by kissing the back of her hand.

"I will write to you every week," I said softly.

"I will receive letters about your well-being every day, or your guards will be severely in need of new heads by the time they get back," Isabella replied sweetly.

"What did I say about exaggerating?" I remarked, only for her to shake her head gently.

She smiled with a bright and cheerful grin, and then inclined her head to the side. "My first idea was of one every six hours, Henry. Be thankful I am a merciful wife."

Thankful indeed.

Unfortunately, I had no plans of making life easy for the guards.

I had places to be, and people to meet in person.

...

And books of a certain kind to deliver.

 

[Orm Embar]

Is that the official imgur album the artist put up?

Because IIRC, whilst singular pages are fine, I'm pretty sure posting an entire comic or two from an unofficial source is against SV regulations. Copyright Infringement and all that. Under Rule 1.

Click to shrink...

official staff communication This is correct; the strips in question have been edited out with no points distributed. Please keep this in mind for the future, and above all, enjoy the story.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventy-Seven

My eyes adjusted to the morning light, and as I yawned and stretched, I dressed myself with calm and graceful movements. No servants to bother me in the morning, being able to dress myself as much as I wished, and no Isabella to follow...this was truly a vacation for me. It wasn't like I disliked Isabella, mind you. She was a good kid, but having to keep up appearances and thus suffer being dressed by other servants, keeping myself at the ready for every tiny wish she had, or try to smudge a bit of her pretentious self-she was earnest, all right, but after weeks of it even I couldn't go without grumbling in the back of my head.

The air in the gardens outside was cold, but not so much that it would require myself to cover up. The few servants in the mansion had been told how to act in my presence -starting from not coming to dress me in the morning- to what I wanted for breakfast -coffee, bring me all your coffee. I had departed the Petite Troyes with enough coffee to last an army a month, so for me alone it would last be a year and even more -not that I planned to stay away for a whole year, but still, it was better to be prepared than not.

"So..." I mumbled as I looked at the letters in front of me, grimacing, "It's begun."

The letter announced the death of the king of Tristain, having finally succumbed to his old age. The Queen, in her sorrow, had refused to claim the throne yet. While there was no mention of a regent, the princess was too young to rule. As my father put it, it wasn't rare that in circumstances like these a regent was picked either from the nobles or from the clergy. I knew that Cardinal Mazarin would be chosen, as he was the better fit. Still, even then-

I shook my head. As a prince-consort of a foreign country, there was no way I'd be nominated as a regent. Of course, in the meantime the news that one of Wales' younger siblings -a certain Theodore Tudor- had been found killed in his rooms had reached the main continent. Even Albion was going down the path of civil war, and I couldn't help but inwardly shudder as my thoughts had turned into reality.

Starvation had kicked in, the wines had failed, and thus without the wines to sell the nobles didn't have the money to buy food for themselves and their servants from the mainland. Since in this world the concept of humanitarian aid did not exist, the starving people were dying one after the other, and the royalty refused to bend the knee and ask help from other crowns. It would make them look weak, even to their allies.

The proud and strong Albion country was henceforth starting to burn in the names of revolution, and most of the nobles -directly responsible for the troubles themselves in their folly- were playing the game of throwing the blame at the crown's head, with their taxes increased in order to find the money to buy the food to solve the problem.

It was schadenfreude, pure schadenfreude.

And horribly sad.

I blinked as one of the maids that served me coffee had long pink hair. Calmly sipping coffee, I showed no outer sign of having recognized Jeanette for whom she was -even though she looked quite young to be a maid, but with knights of the North Parterre, one could never know.

So, Isabella didn't trust my guards? Oh, alas, the poor dear. No, seriously, I don't need protection with skilled assassins.

The knights that guarded me weren't of the Parterre, admittedly. No, to be more precise, they had renounced the Parterre title to join up under the Night Wind command structure. Honestly, even though I didn't need to make such a ceremony out of it, I had named them out of the four main winds used in my summoning. I had four companies of knights under my employment, the Audri, Sudri, Westri and Nordri knights, while the Gale and Maelstrom divisions were cavalry, and the Thunder and Lightning were musketeer corps.

All in all though, even though I called them divisions, and companies, they totaled a grand number of one thousand troops and some loose spare.

The fun fact was that paying them didn't require me more than seventy thousand ecus a year, and the revenues of the Duchy of Brittany were easily ten times that. Gallia was a rich country, and the army proper could easily reach far, far higher costs. Course, lodging and food came out of my pockets too, so if I made them march, the costs skyrocketed. But if they didn't, then they remained fixed.

Still, as the letters from the nobles that had me as their liege were soon read one after the other, I couldn't help but groan at the sickening amount of ass-licking that came from them. It was obvious that while saying things like I would really enjoy meeting your grace in person! the true reason for it was if I show myself sympathetic, he might cut down my taxes! and the addition of having the best wines, it was clearly a way to entice me.

Unfortunately for them, I had found coffee once more, so the poor substitute that was wine had soon put itself on the shelf.

"Uhm..." I hummed as I opened the letter detailing how much ecus in taxes I would be receiving from the lord overseeing the main port of the region, "St. Mallon's expected port revenue is a bit too low for my tastes," I looked up at the servant to my left. "You, go get me the thick ledger with the words Past revenues written atop it. In my office, on the desk," the servant bowed and swiftly moved to do so.

Meanwhile, I quietly resumed reading the letter. Excuses such as lower trade, increased trouble with black market, smugglers-the usual list of reasons. It was quite the detailed excuse, and it could also be honestly the truth. On the other hand, when you suddenly go from three hundred thousand ecus of expected revenue to merely one hundred and fifty thousand ecus, one needs to check.

"So last year...ah," I tapped my finger, "The entry for the Albion commerce and the tariffs and taxes-I see, a pitfall drop without doubt, even the merchants are wary of going to Albion -no money, no one buys their wealth," I mumbled to myself. "The problems of being an island is that-" I blinked then as I looked at the new year's revenue.

Someone was still doing traffic with Albion, a few loose merchants who sold...

Silk? Ceramics?

"Perhaps this explains the anger of the commoners," I muttered.

A shadow cast itself over me, and as it did, I looked up at Raven who in turn cawed at me flapping his wings. "Good morning!" he cawed, "I love you!"

"Good morning, Raven," I answered with a smile. "Enjoyed a morning flight?"

"Yes!" Raven answered primly, sitting down by my side like an eager dog, but without his tongue out to loll about. I proceeded to scratch the back of his head and grin.

"You have this to deliver," I said, placing a letter from my own pockets inside the pouch around his neck. "It goes to father," I continued. "Meanwhile, have a messenger sent to deliver this letter to the Duke D'Orleans," I remarked, taking another letter and handing it off to the servant by my right, which turned out to be Jeanette, who still dutifully did it. Whether she read it or not was of no importance, since the important thing was that it merely alerted the Duke -or his chamberlain- that I'd be crossing the border near the Ragdorian lake to meet with my father later in the evening.

Although I wouldn't be receiving a reply per time, it didn't really matter. The important thing was to have sent the letter. Theoretically, being a noble of both countries made it possible for me to border cross with impunity, but...asking permission made it look like I wasn't just doing it arrogantly to drive home a point.

Raven rubbed the side of his face against mine, and then hopped a bit away before opening his wings and flying up in the sky, swiftly disappearing from my sight over the horizon.

I sighed, and returned to my duties.

The revenue from the newly minted Count of Nantes had increased, which showed just how much the previous Count had skimmed on his duties, keeping some of the money for himself. The village chief had written a letter claiming everything was fine, and there was no need for a redress situation with the current laws firmly in place.

I had, after all, proclaimed a very problematic, yet largely went by unnoticed, law.

Protestants, Reformed, or whatever-if they're not hurting others, let them believe in the Gods and the Founder however the hell they want to.

This had gone by largely unnoticed because it had been the default reaction of many, but not all. This law didn't change the fundamental religion of the state, it simply allowed the practice of it in whatever ways they saw fit. To be honest, this law didn't grant permission to pray to different gods, or different faiths. It simply allowed one to pray to the Founder and the Gods of the pantheon of Halkeginia in whatever way they saw fit.

If it involved gold, then so be it. If it didn't, then so be it once more.

The Gods being who they were, they'd be the ones to decide who was right and who was wrong in the end.

And then I blinked as I moved on to the next letter of the line.

"New applicants?" I muttered, staring at the long list of names that wished to enroll into the Night Wind army, called officially the Petite Armée on the manifests. The list, truth be told, was long.

What caught my attention was a name amidst the commoners' recruits.

Most definitely, I had opened up my recruitment to people from all countries, as long as they swore fealty to the crown.

I had not expected Agnes to try to enlist in my army.

There even was a small note on the side of the paper from the recruitment officer. Though she is female, she has passed all of the requirements. What to do, your grace?

What stupidity are you saying, recruitment officer?

Recruit her. Recruit. Them. All.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Crossing the border to meet with my father was done under the escort of a small number of the Sudri knights, their affinity to fire making them the most destructive of the company, and thus the safest to have as escorts. The bag I carried on my person had caught the attention of every single knight in my group, each of them wishing to carry it to relieve me of my burden. Unfortunately for them, I had no intention of doing so. This bag carried the hopes and dreams of many a man on the other side of the border. I could not simply hand it over, goodwill of my escort notwithstanding.

Also, we went there on manticores and dragons, so it wasn't like I was carrying it myself as much as letting my manticore do the job.

My father met me on the shores of the Ragdorian lake on the Tristain side, a youthful-looking man by his side with the crest of the Montmorency family twirling his own blond beard. "Ah, Henry!" my father said with a smile, "Let me present you my dear friend, the Count de Montmorency, Lord Anne." I blinked at the man in question. To be called Anne...well, there were worst names out there to be called as.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," I said with a smile, "Now, guards-just keep an eye out for potential intruders, but don't raise your wands unless strictly necessary." with that said, and the guards kind-of dismissed in the sense that they formed a loose circle around us nobles, I opened the bag and pulled out a few very important books of undoubted value.

"This new Gallian artist," I said with a wicked grin, "His stuff is...how to say, inspired."

"L'Ombre de la Nuit?" Anne remarked as he read the name of the writer, "Oh my-the title alone...Fifty ways a maid bends...and what is-"

Pierre had been shaking in sheer delight at the sight of the second book. "Nobles in short pants enjoying hot summers." He twirled his right mustache. "How many more are there like...these?"

"I'll check in with the artist," I answered. "But while those are of an emerging artist, these ones, on the other hand-"

By the time we were done with the exchange of books -father and the count of Montmorency having their owns- we respectfully parted ways. Well, with the Count at least. "I've left copies of the books in your lodgings," I said to my escorts, "I'll be leaving my safety in the hands of my father's own guards for the time being-" I glanced at my father, who smile and nodded, his own escort quite easily comparable to mine. "So, mine's an order. Go back and enjoy your afternoon."

"B-But your grace-" one of the knights exclaimed, "That would be-"

"It could give you a head-start on writing up how we spent the whole afternoon enjoying the lakeside drinking tea and eating biscuits like reasonable people," I hummed offhandedly. "I expect you back here later tonight."

"That's...very well, your grace," the leader of the group said. "Thank you for your kindness!" and with that, the rest of the knights rushed off upon their steeds to return home as fast as possible. In the meantime, I mounted back on Freedom just as my father instead climbed on his horse.

As we made our way towards the Valliere mansion, Pierre hummed happily. "It's been so long since we last had time to enjoy ourselves like this," he said.

"I missed this sort of thing, father," I answered in turn, a smile on my lips. "I'll be there for Cattleya's marriage," I continued. "Even if the whole world were to burn-I'd be there all the same."

"Ah, well, if the whole world burned I guess we'd have something far more troublesome to think of than your sister's marriage," Pierre said with a chuckle. "She's in good hands however. You see, I had a duel with the Viscount, and I came out of it sorely beaten," he sighed. "Truly! On one hand, I am sad that my little girl is now a grown-up woman, but on the other...I couldn't hope for a better man to hold her!" his mouth deformed in a grimace, "My little Cattleya! She's marrying so soon!" he exclaimed suddenly, making the guards around us sigh. They had probably been hearing this sort of thing a hundred times over.

"I am sure she will look beautiful in her wedding dress," I said with a knowing nod.

"My little Cattleya!" Pierre whined, biting on to his riding crop with his teeth.

I simply laughed, and the enjoyed the warm sun and the familiar breeze.

Standing just so coincidentally in the courtyard when we arrived was my mother, and as the guards that escorted us hastily beat their retreat, I smiled and widened my arms. "Mother!"

In answer, I received an air hammer to the stomach which winded me.

"Where is your escort?" Karin asked dryly, nearing with each step. "Your reflexes have slowed. Also, you should write more often. Once a month isn't acceptable, especially not with..." she took a deep breath. "They are in your sister's room." She neared a hand to settle my slightly in disarray clothes, and then her lips twitched in a tiny smile. "Marshal of Gallia," she said. "It's not like being a knight-captain of the manticore corps, but it is better than nothing."

I blinked, "Mother?"

"Nothing!" she huffed, before patting my cheek. "You've grown so much since I last saw you..." she mumbled, "You're not little any more," she sniffled, and then sharply turned to glare at her husband. "Pierre," she hissed. "What was in those chocolate muffins?"

"Nothing dear," Pierre replied with all of the honesty of someone who had tried the recipe that I had sent him. "Absolutely nothing at all but chocolate, butter, a bit of oil-"

"Only that?" Karin narrowed her eyes. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else," Pierre nodded most wisely, "Now come on dear! Let's go tell the servants to prepare a feast for lunch!" as he said that, he neared Karin and linked arms with her. "Don't you want to have a flawless lunch in honor of our son who returned home after so long?"

"You're right," Karin mumbled, suddenly straightening herself up. "Let's go, Pierre!" and with that, she began to literally drag him along.

Father, I gave you great power. Use it responsibly, please.

The house I hadn't been inside for years felt familiar, even as the servants welcomed me back by bowing, I simply trudged up the stairs, walked through the hallways, and then stopped barely outside of my twin sister's room.

"And when the great, pretty princess lifted her wand, why! Magic shot out from it, and it blew away the evil white fox spirit who had made her and her friends suffer so much! With the power of the fox spirit, she returned the world to how it had been-and everyone was happy for it, everyone cherished this feat...but she had made a mistake..." as Cattleya's voice came through, it was clear she was narrating my altered version of the Magical Girl Madoka show.

"No!" Louise's voice shot out, "She made such a smart wish!" she whined. How old was she now? Twelve?

"Uh-uh!" the second voice had to be Josette's, "It was really smart," she added in a soft, thoughtful voice.

"Ah, but you see," Cattleya said, "In asking to have the power to stop all demons-she basically became like a Goddess, and the gods couldn't let her do that. So, even if she saved everyone, in the end...she had to say goodbye to everyone and leave for the land of the gods..." she hummed gently, even as the clear sounds of dismay echoed from her audience. "But!" she said suddenly, "It's not over yet, because you see...by clearing all of the demons, before they could even form, she had forced the fox spirit to make deals for lesser values to her friends who didn't remember her...and one of them, however...because she loved her friend very, very much, she didn't forget her!"

"So she wished her friend back!" Josette said excitedly, "Is that it?"

"Exactly!" Cattleya said with a giggle, "and so she returned as just a normal girl, and she was happy to be with her friends once more..." she hummed, "Now, if you could make a wish, and make it come true...what would you wish for?"

"I'd wish to be as good with magic as you, big sister," Louise said with a huff, making my heart jolt in pain. What? You don't want to be as good as your big brother, Lulu? You hurt me! Your hurt me with your childish innocence and preferential treatment! "I've gotten better, but...when I start the academy...my classmates will make fun of me, won't they?"

"They most certainly will not!" Josette said. "They'll make fun of me," she mumbled. "I can't even make explosions."

Oh don't worry yourself, Josette. In your case, your powers are just one tiny regicide away. Nothing to sweat at, really.

"And what is your wish, Josette?" Cattleya asked, "Is it the same as Louise's?"

"No," Josette mumbled, "I...I'd like to meet father again...even though he's not...he's not father, but still-and ask if I can call him big brother!"

"Aw...I'm sure you will meet him again," Cattleya said, "Now, you see, my wish on the other hand...it's for everyone in my family to be happy!"

I knocked at the door, and then stepped inside. "Did someone wish for me?"

There was a chorus of "Big brother!", "Brother!" and "Father!" coming from all three young ladies in the room, and soon I was beset by a cute twelve years old Louise on one side and a long haired blond child that eerily resembled a certain Charlotte, but was in truth Josette.

"Looks like you were late to hug your brother, sister," I said with a chuckle as I found myself encircling with one of my arms the back of Louise, and with my other arm the back of Josette before lifting them up in a bear-like hug.

Cattleya pouted with a smile on her lips. "There's a hug for me too, right?" she asked next, extending her arms from her spot on her bed as I gently dropped both Louise and Josette to give my twin sister a hug.

"Of course there is," I said with a smile. "So!" I said as I turned to sit on the side of her bed, "Have you all been good girls during my absence?"

As the duo of young children began to excitedly babble, I simply smiled.

It was nice seeing them happy.

Hopefully, this sort of thing...

...would last forever.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Seventy-Nine

I smiled as I ended up hearing the day-to-day lives of Louise and Josette, their excitement visible as they announced how they were doing in their studies, how the tutors were always saying good things about them, and about how much they eagerly awaited my letters.

While Louise sat by my side on the bed, Josette outright claimed my right leg, somewhat awkwardly clutching on to my clothes with her left hand, her right holding on to her Holy Relic that kept her hair blond and shiny, and also slightly altered her face too -mother or father must have paid a fortune for it, since the Hair Dye spell was one thing to attach to a small object, but the powerful Square magic Illusion was far, far more costly to enchant on an item.

"I wanted to ask," Josette said nervously, "May I call you brother? I-I know I have no right to it, but..."

"Sure," I answered swiftly enough, rubbing her head gently. "You can call me whatever you like," I smiled.

"See? I told you he wouldn't mind," Louise said with a smile of her own, "Big brother's always so nice! For my birthday, he sent me fireworks!" she grimaced, "Mother wasn't happy about that..." she lowered her gaze, and in answer, I simply rubbed her head to cheer her up.

"Well," I said with a smile, "Speaking of birthdays," I looked at Josette, "What would you like for yours?"

"Ah-" Josette stammered, "I-I do not know my date of birth, so..."

"The day of Eoh Heimdallr," I said calmly. It basically amounted to the thirteenth day of the month, the second week so to speak, "And the month of Tyr," which was the twelfth month, December. She was born, just like Charlotte, on the thirteenth of December.

Josette's eyes widened, "It's-on that day?"

"Yes," I said, "So, what would you like?" I added gently. "Within the realms of the possible, of course."

"I-Nothing," Josette shook her head. "Just...there is nothing I want. I already have everything so-really," she mumbled, blushing and lowering her gaze, "Asking for anything else would be too much."

"Well," I grinned as I rubbed her head gently, "You have time to think about it."

I looked out of the window and sighed, "I have things to do, so unfortunately..."

"No!" Louise yelled, grabbing my free wrist, "Josette! Cattleya! Let's hold brother so he can't leave!"

I blinked as I found myself held back by three cute girls. Wasn't this the sort of thing that happened only in harem comedies? Well, be it as it may, I had duties to uphold. Also, I could totally lift both Josette and Louise at the same time, Cattleya ending up in a sort of piggy back position on my back.

"Very well then," I said, "If you want to come with me, then I'll just have to drag you along!"

"Brother!" Cattleya exclaimed amidst giggles, even as she let go to sit back on the side of the bed, although Louise and Josette didn't, "Be careful!"

I laughed loudly as I spun both young girls in my arms, "Well then!" even as they screamed in delight, they didn't let go. "Oh my," I muttered, "Such willpower," I sighed and began to head for the door, "You'll be following me, then," and as I said that, I proceeded to open the door with my elbow.

"B-brother!" Louise hastily jumped down, "That would be im-improper!"

Josette didn't have such compunctions, and thus held on. It meant thus that I was holding her with both of my arms, like I would a young child -and considering how petite her frame was, it was practically the same. "Josette doesn't seem to have a problem with it," I pointed out, "Which means I'll be taking her along alone, then?"

"I'll follow you by foot!" Louise huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking at Josette. "Get down from there, Josie! No proper lady does that!"

"But...but I like it here," Josette mumbled sheepishly, "I can...I can stay like this, right?"

"Fine by me," I said with a shrug.

"No!" Louise stomped her foot on the floor, "It's not fine!" she huffed. I smiled, and then knelt without letting go of my hold on Josette.

"Louise," I said gently, "you need to be more honest with yourself. Do you, or do you not want to be held up?"

Louise swallowed, and sheepishly looked sideways. "I do," she mumbled. "But mother said it's not proper," she added, "So..." she looked torn.

"Louise," I said, "Look at me," and as I said that, and Louise obeyed, I grinned. "Being honest with oneself is good. You shouldn't get angry because others can do stuff you cannot, and by consequence...you shouldn't feel ashamed to ask," I extended my free arm, "Come on aboard the Henry train-I've got space for one more."

And with that, I ended up bringing all the way down to the entrance two giggling and happy young girls. It would have been preposterous to keep Mathilda and Tiffania's existence a secret from mother, or by consequence the rest of the family. Simply put, Tiffania was the young sister of Mathilda, and Mathilda was a renewed expert gardener for what concerned exotic plants.

Admittedly, my secret base of youth could act as a home of sorts, but having one built near it was better. With the river nearby, a small garden set up, it was a nice little spot that was the envy of all commoners -everyone would love a comfy house as beautiful as that one, no questions asked!

Carrying both Louise and Josette on my manticore took a bit of effort, mostly to ensure neither would fall down. I still managed it, though, and as we landed in front of the house, it was to the sight of Raven playing with a green-haired Tiffania some sort of tag game.

Tiffania stopped as soon as she saw us arrive, and while Louise and Josette descended and nimbly ran towards the green-haired girl -perhaps they knew each other already- I was glad I told father to buy a similar trinket for the young girl. With her elf heritage hidden thanks to the necklace around her neck, she could play without worries.

"Tiffa!" Louise said with a grin, "big brother came home on a surprise visit!"

"It's nice to meet you!" Tiffania said, bowing repeatedly, even as I waved a hand in dismissal.

"Now, now," I said with a chuckle, "Is your sister taking care of the coffee plants?"

"Ah, yes!" Tiffania nodded, "I'll go call her-"

"No need," I said with a smile, "I'll get her myself," I added as I rubbed the underside of Raven's neck, my familiar having silently hopped behind my back in the flawlessly perfect position for scratching. "You keep on playing with Raven and my sisters," I smiled as I rubbed everyone's heads once, before walking off to the entrance of the kind-of-but-not-really greenhouse.

There I found Mathilda of Saxe-Gotha, carefully looking over the plants in her care -which had increased in rows and lines- and a book on them in her hands. In the far off corner, Twitchy had grown thorns and wicked whip-like bladed leafs since the last time I had seen it, but it seemed to be mostly at ease against the corner of the room, not really bothering the other plants.

At the sound of my footsteps, Mathilda turned and then sharply closed the book. "This here is the private property of the La Valliere estate-"

"And I am Henry Philippe, Duke de Brittany, Prince-Consort de Gallia, de la Valliere," I answered offhandedly with a smile, "How are things going for you, Mathilda de Saxe-Goetha?"

Mathilda sharply inhaled air, and then she swallowed nervously, "Should I bow or kneel? I admit I don't know what to do here-"

I shrugged, "Doesn't really matter. Call me properly in public and in private use whatever, I don't really care about that," I said with a chuckle. "Mostly, I'm curious to know if there is anything you, or Tiffania, might need."

"No," Mathilda said, shaking her head, "Nothing-if anything, is this little enough to pay back everything?" she gestured at the plants. "Taking care of them-it doesn't take much time. I might not look like it, but I am a Triangle mage."

"It's fine," I said with a hand raised in dismissal. "Honestly, I think you have a lot of questions, and I am best suited to answering them, but let's do that outside with a cup of coffee, shall we?" I said with a smile. "So I can even taste-test the recent batch."

Mathilda nodded, warily, and then briskly walked out as if on eggshells.

I simply followed her silently, humming all the while.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eighty

As I watched Tiffania run in circles playing a game of tag with Louise and Josette, I sipped the coffee that came from the plants of the greenhouse, and exhaled in relief. The taste was there all right, perhaps with a bit of a slightly pepper-like aftertaste, but it worked fine.

Mathilda remained standing by my side, the pitcher still in her hand. "Do sit," I said with a sigh, "There's no need to act like a servant."

"That's still..." Mathilda swallowed and then obeyed, taking the seat by the other side of the small table. "Your kindness is appreciated, but...I have no titles, and-neither does Tiffania. If the Albion government had wind of our presence here, they'd demand our heads."

"And?" I remarked offhandedly. "If they demand the heads of innocents, then my answer will be a strongly worded try to come and get them followed by a swift if you declare war, I'll raze everything you have to the ground," I hummed nonchalantly, taking another sip. "Perhaps said with a bit more of decorum, but still, the point has been made."

Mathilda furrowed her brows, "Going to such lengths...did you perchance owe something to my father, or to the Archduke? Your grace's father-he didn't know, but said not to worry." She swallowed, her hands folded on her lap. "Or are we prisoners? I...I admit I haven't been told I cannot leave, but..."

"You can go wherever you please," I said offhandedly, "And so can Tiffania, for what it matters," I continued gently. "If you'd rather be elsewhere, then I won't mind. Only, keep in contact, and stay safe, that is all that I ask."

"Then...why?" Mathilda stressed out, "To help us like this, to know where we'd be, why help us in this way?"

"Do you want to know what my dream is?" I asked gently, "It is for a world where children aren't forced to watch their parents die because of a mere aesthetic difference in their ears," I smiled, "A world where innocence is something that must be protected, and not broken to be replaced by the sad reality of life's miserable existence," I chuckled. "It is, I admit, a pathetic, naive and utterly foolish dream to be had, but it is my dream, and thus-I am allowed to dream whatever I damn well please." I glanced at her. "You ask me if I knew your father, and the answer is no. You should have asked me if I knew Tiffania's mother," I said softly. "Because in that case, my answer would have to be yes."

It was a tiny lie, but one that could not be corroborated.

"As for finding you, my Raven had been looking everywhere for your tracks. He is my familiar, and once he realized what direction you took, he simply waited for you in the forest," I continued unashamedly. "Yet, I am sorry," I said with my hands placing the empty cup on the table, "I should have done something sooner, but-but I did not have the power to do so. One year ago-I did not have the power to stop anything, and even now, I still lack enough power to right the wrongs that were incurred," I took a deep breath. "Which is why, rather than you owing to me, I should be the one owing to you."

"What...what nonsense are you saying?" Mathilda exclaimed, "Your grace," her hands trembled, "For a year-for a year Tiffania and I ran from the men of the king. For a year we hid, and moved, evading pursuit-I was scared, but-but I kept pushing Tiffania on, because it wasn't right for her to suffer like this. Such a dream that you have, please-if possible, let me help you achieve it. I don't want to see Tiffania cry any more-I don't want to see people in pain anymore," she clutched her chest with her left hand, "Whatever I, Mathilda of Saxe-Gotha, can offer...I will. You have my oath of fealty, your grace-now and forever."

I smiled, and then nodded, "Then, apologies if I may sound patronizing but...I will ask you one simple thing. Enjoy your life, and be happy," I gestured at where the trio of children were still laughing, "at the same time, please, in my absence...protect those children's smiles."

"That-it still feels too little," Mathilda muttered. "I might be young-but your grace...pardon me for being blunt, are you not young yourself?"

"I have always been considered wise beyond my years," I answered dutifully, fingers clasped together. "Though I am one year older than you," I added. "Yet...one year can feel like a decade, depending on circumstances...can it not?"

"I...I can't deny it," Mathilda murmured, taking her own cup of coffee and sipping it softly. "Your grace is happily married?"

"Indeed," I said with a bright chuckle. "She's just an earnest and good child-it honestly pains me to be apart from her, but for some things, it's better. She doesn't know any of this. This...all of this...only myself and my father know. Well, perhaps mother managed to find out, but she'll feign ignorance because my mother is like that." I swallowed nervously, "Although..." I exhaled, "Would you like for Tiffania to attend school?"

"School? Tiffania..." Mathilda looked at the laughing child, "For such a thing-even with the money we receive, that still...she can do magic, but her magic-it's different. It doesn't work on everything."

"In any case," I said offhandedly, "I'll have Raven deliver you enough money to comfortably put her through the three years of education at the Academy of Tristain. Whether she wishes to attend or not, that is up to her." I smiled.

"Your wife must be a very lucky woman," Mathilda muttered.

"I suppose," I said. "Although...if, one day, it was possible-would you like your lands back?"

"I-my father no longer has any right to it," Mathilda said. "If-if the king changes his mind-even then, I wouldn't trust such a king and his word."

"And if the king was a different one?" I mused, "Would you?"

"It would depend on the king," Mathilda acquiesced. "Is that...is it your Grace's intention to..."

I shook my head. "No. I do not wish to topple monarchies, but the situation in Albion-it might topple itself. Depending on what you wished for, perhaps I might have queried the new government for your lands back. Again-it depends on you."

"I need to think about this, your grace," Mathilda muttered.

"Then think as much as you like," I answered easily enough, "put letters into my familiar's pouch. He's the one trustworthy messenger I'll send. Trust no others, especially those who come saying they are my messengers, but aren't Raven." I grimaced, "I think the King of Albion will have better things to do than worry about hunting you two down outside of his kingdom, but...one can never be too sure."

Mathilda nodded at my words, and then took another sip of coffee. I filled my cup once more, and then drank, basking in the glow of the morning sun.

The laughter of children lulled me to sleep, and I smiled as I allowed myself a quick power nap.

When the people we love laugh in mirth, then truly-we feel at peace with the world itself.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eighty-One

My lunch with the family went by swimmingly well. Although Karin ate with decor, she also ate nimbly and quickly -the terrifying munchies beset on her- and there were hints of smiles on her face whenever she heard Louise or Josette speak. It was obvious she was enjoying herself, and her mask was slowly being eroded away.

After lunch, I ended up in father's office with mother by his side. With the servants excused, the door and the windows -and even the walls themselves- under a silencing spell, it was clear that they wanted an extended version of what was going on.

"Henry," Pierre said, "How much trouble did you exactly throw yourself into?"

"Well," I said shyly, "It depends on your definition of trouble, father," I twiddled with my fingers. "We might be hosting the twin sister of the daughter of the Duke D'Orleans, who is thought dead by everyone else, and the daughter that the Archduke of Albion had with his elf mistress-"

There was a brief moment in which the windows rattled, it was a moment that soon passed, "Yes, that much was clear," Karin said with a voice that brokered no argument. "It is the reason why you are doing this that still eludes me."

"Because...I did not want to leave them where they were?" I hazarded. "I mean-Josette was in a monastery, when she deserved much more, and Tiffania was running for her life together with Mathilda from the Albion forces, so...I decided I could give them better-"

"Noble of you," Pierre said, "But...Henry, you understand this doesn't look that way. I-I understand that Gallia's politics can be quite cutthroat at the present, and such a move to eliminate a rival-it's understandable, but if it's discovered-you might as well lose your head," he cringed. "The Duke D'Orleans might feel offended by this, ask for a duel to the death-he's a powerful rival, Henry. Your best choice would be to feign a retrieval of sorts. Or have someone else do it and-"

"They'd kill her," I said softly. "For real this time," I grimaced. "There were plans being prepared for her death if I did actually find her alive," I acquiesced. "So, at the very least until Joseph becomes king-she needs to be kept safe."

"And afterwards?" Pierre asked.

"Afterwards...if she wants to return home to her real family, then I just think it's best to let her go," I said honestly. "My plan wasn't to acquire a political hostage, though it works that way too. I just-"

"I am thankful you have decided to wisely leave everything concerning politics to your wife, Henry," Karin said with a dreadful sigh, rubbing her temples. "Hearing your words-I am on one side proud of having such a kind son, and on the other terrified of what that kindness will mean for your future."

"I like going to sleep with my conscience clear," I said with a small smile.

"With that said," Pierre sighed, "What is this about a Petite Armée? Most of the nobles in Tristain are worried it's the start of a new series of war, but with you at the lead of it, if you can say what it's about then I can perhaps pacify them."

"Ah, it's mostly peacekeeping," I answered nimbly, "There are a lot of tensions between the nobles of the country of Gallia-many are unlanded, and those who are try their hardest to keep their lands, or prevent losing them. Some of them abuse their power, others their commoners-it's a tangled mess, so...when the king made me a Marshal, I thought to myself that levying armies from the nobles was problematic, because they'd obey their lords-but what if their lords were the problem? So, I outright hired people, trained them, and told them that they were an army-a peacekeeping army of Gallia."

"Oh! Something like that, uh...well, I suppose it must be required because Gallia's bigger than Tristain," Pierre mumbled. "Still, what kind of message does it send? To always need an army present-it's as if there can't be peace within Gallia."

"I like to think of it as a way to make the commoners happy," I replied smoothly. "With an army always ready, nobles will think twice as long before levying their troops for anything."

"How is the mad prince's court?" Karin asked next. "Are you...are you fine there?"

"Of course," I answered with a smile and a nod, "I don't participate in court much, I simply accompany Isabella. I prefer to stay in the background, really. I haven't had to threaten anyone at swordwand point -not even once."

"That's good," Karin said with a sigh of relief. "Just...if anything happens, you can count on this place to still be here," Karin said offhandedly, "So don't feel ashamed to come back here every now and then, do you understand?"

"Yes mother," I said with a wide grin, like the cat who just ate the canary.

"Unless it's treason," Karin said. "In that case, you better have a good explanation."

I blinked, and inclined my head to the side. "No execution on sight?"

"What silly nonsense are you spouting," Karin huffed loudly, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Do you know how much it hurt to birth you? You think I'd go through all that pain just to get rid of you? No, even if you commit a hundred sins, I know your character, Henry, and I know who you are. So...punish you? Without a doubt. Execute you? Are you out of your mind? There is no way I'd do that!" and as she cried that out, I realized she was being absolutely honest.

"Love you, mother," I said with a smile.

There was no place like home.

Truly, there couldn't be a place like home.

My return to the mansion of the Duke of Brittany -my mansion- happened once more under the escort of the knights of the Sudri squadron that had come to fetch me up, but with the addition of Raven flying overhead as a sort of air escort. They had stars in their eyes and seemed to be longing for some form of favor, because with the way they held themselves, it was as if they had received bliss but a few minutes before.

"Your grace..." one of the knights said, "the inspiring new artist, this Ombre de la Nuit, is it possible to have an autograph? To shake his hand? Though the church might be against it, I-and the others, are willing to lay down our morals for just one day to meet and speak with such a great author."

I raised both of my eyebrows. "He is, unfortunately, extremely shy," I said with a known nod. "So you may not meet him. On the other hand, he told me firsthand details of his next new book."

There was pure fan-love in those knights' eyes as I calmly told them what the next big hit of such a writer would be.

The washing of the mud-soaked damsel in distress by the dutiful knight.

The sad thing was that my porn stories -sent to publishers through an anonymous source known as The Father- sold more than my other stories. Truly, it was saddening to see the Mermaid Princess sell so well in stores as a children tale, and yet earn me less than Soaked to the boner, a tale of wet knights and ladies.

Really, people wouldn't know true art if it hit them in the head with masterwork precision!

Ah, the troubles of being a misunderstood artist...

They could cross all manners of barrier of time and space.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eighty-Two

Isabella did not waste time in giving me a surprise visit. Though she had said she wouldn't, since she was so busy, she still found time to surprise me. Well, surprise me was a heavy word. I got notice of her arrival four hours in advance due to Raven's patrolling the air and gazing down at the carriage and the escorts that accompanied her. So, I still had the time to alert the servants, have her rooms prepared, and all of that.

By the time I was done, the carriage was coming to a gentle halt within the courtyard. I watched as Isabella descended, and marched resolutely in my direction.

"Dear-"

"You-We am angry with you," Isabella said with a huff, her arms crossed as she glared daggers at me. Or at least, she would have glared daggers if she actually had the eyes to glare daggers. At most, she was glaring butter knives, and even those were largely ineffective. She pointed her small scepter at me, and proceeded to douse my face. Even then, a servant was already there with a washcloth, and as he rubbed my face dry, Isabella waited patiently for the commoner to finish before repeating said gesture.

By the time the second jet was over with, and the commoner had once more dried my face, Isabella huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest once more. "You understand what you did of wrong, we hope?"

"Uhm..." I muttered, "No?"

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, and thus, I received another jet of water. Well, if Isabella kept up washing my face, I wouldn't need to do so in the morning myself. This was quite honestly a deal I could live with.

"One letter a day, my dear Henry. One. Letter. A. Day." Isabella pouted. "Or did you forget? Am I, your cute wife, something you can just forget like that?" as she tapped her right foot against the ground, I blinked and inclined my head to the side.

"The messenger might have incurred in a snag somewhere along the line," I pointed out. "I did send out a letter, didn't I?" I turned to ask the head of the servants, an old man with decor and dignity oozing out of every single pore of his skin.

"You did so, your grace," the man said with his body bowing.

"Then punish the messenger," Isabella said with a huff, looking around, "So? Are you going to keep me out here? Let's go inside, I want to see what you did to the mansion-" and as she said that, she quite pushily grabbed hold of my arm and then began to pull, which I allowed.

What happened next can be best described as a slow unraveling of why men and women and their artistic and decorative tastes do not usually mix, but instead tangle together in a sort of war of the sexes, in which the victorious party isn't the one that fights the hardest, but the one who can manage to hold on to his ideals, even when faced with the potential of the couch.

"Blue and purple in the same room? Henry! What were you thinking?" Isabella said aghast, "Where is the room for foreign royalty? Tell me there's a room with a gold checkered layout and cream walls, or so may the gods help me, I'll faint!"

"A...what?" I mumbled, blinking in disbelief.

"Oh, Henry-hold me, I feel faint-" she mumbled the next second, theatrically placing a hand over her forehead and falling backwards, myself actually catching her with ease since she practically threw herself on my back. My big brother instincts were actually demanding I tickle her as revenge, but my inward self-control told me to keep calm, and plan an escape route.

"This will not do," she said in the end with finality, standing back up a few seconds later as if nothing had happened, "This will absolutely not do."

She turned towards a man of her entourage that had been following her until then in silence, "Jean-Baptiste, order new curtains. Vintage royal, if possible-" Vintage royal? Is that the name of a champagne? Or is the name of a color in this world? Seriously, why can't you call it gold like any other normal people?

"This will take more than an afternoon," Isabella said with a sigh, "Perhaps a month or so-well, nothing to it, my dear. We will have to spend our time here," she smiled.

"Of course?" I replied, "I do not see the problem?" I furrowed my brows. I had told her she could come from the get-go, hadn't I?

"Excellent," Isabella said with a smile. "Oh dear," she turned thoughtful, "I think I have forgotten to recover from the royal palace the courtyard set of clothes," her eyes looked up at me. The subtle message was clearly understandable by anyone with half a brain. Go get my clothes back in Lutece, so I may spend my time here leisurely rifling through your personal belongings and documents to see what you've been up to. In answer, I simply smiled and nodded.

"Of course," as if I didn't hide my porn by digging a deep grave in the courtyard every night with magic and burying the contents there, dear. "On Freedom's back, I'll be back by the end of the night."

Isabella clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head. "It would imply you'd have to travel at night! No, that is too dangerous, dear," she glanced sideways, "At the very least, sleep in Petite Troyes and return tomorrow."

I furrowed my brows, and the clenched my right hand against my chest, "I understand-you must truly hate me then, if my desire to be with you as soon as possible is not worth it then...I suppose I need to atone for some grievous sin if I have made you angry at me, my Isabella-"

"What?" Isabella's eyes widened, "No! No! I did not mean to imply-" she shook her head quickly, "Oh, my dear Henry! I did not mean it that way! You do know how dangerous it is at night! What if a wild dragon were to snatch you away?" as she said that, and grabbed the edges of my clothes, her eyes were all teary, "Even with an escort, who knows what might happen!"

I smiled as I grabbed her hands and clasped them together within mines. "I understand," I said softly, "But all the same, I will endeavor to return as fast as possible by your side, my dear."

"Oh, Henry!" she said, her voice kind-of swooning to be honest.

My skills at charming young impressionable ladies were second to none, were they?

Thus, I departed on Freedom's back with an escort of knights, leaving Isabella to turn my house upside-down in search for anything of interest she could find.

Well, she was welcomed to search everywhere she wished.

She'd never find my buried treasures.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Eighty-Three

The luggage that I had to recover, so to speak, was already waiting for me by the time I landed in the courtyard of the royal palace. On the other hand, I was pretty much told without further waste of time that King Joseph wanted to see me, and thus I ended up sitting in front of a row of red wine bottles, the Crown-Prince of Gallia on the opposite side of the table. The servants had been excused, and we were the only two people present.

"I," Joseph said offhandedly, "Am thinking of abdicating."

My eyebrows rose to the top of my forehead.

"You might be thinking," Joseph said with a huff, "Why? And the answer is...being a king is no fun," he continued nonchalantly, "Rigorous procedures, etiquette, a king only drinks half a cup of wine throughout a whole night, and if he doesn't he loses the respect of his nobles. Truly-This sort of thing is no fun, you understand? So, I am thinking of abdicating, but if I give Charles the crown, things will turn ugly, really fast."

"Why is that?" I asked nonchalantly, but inside, I was dreading not just the answer, but also the consequences of such a nonchalant approach.

"The breaking of alliances, the mistrust, ah-some of the best wines in my collections are here because some nobles think I'll be a great king and remember their gifts, others have been purchased in bulk by nonchalantly lying to them," Joseph shrugged. "Still, mostly all of that silly etiquette. As a Prince, I can get away with it. As a King-not so much," he shook his head. "Thing is, father's set his decision in stone. He didn't have any doubts. Joseph, you will be king. That's what he said last time I talked to him," Joseph hummed, "I really want to make Gallia a prosperous country, but with everything as it is, the nobles are going to start fighting, ripping at each others-stupid nobles, perhaps I should have ordered you to kill half of them? The other half could have easily fit in the newly minted space."

I uncorked the bottle closest to me, and took a deep gulp of it.

"That's what I like about you," Joseph said suddenly, "You didn't bother asking permission. You grabbed a bottle and drank," he grabbed one himself, "No servants needed, or required. Two men enjoying a good bottle of wine by themselves," he uncorked his own, and took a deep gulp, "Honestly, father's about to die any time now," he acquiesced. "The healers did everything they could, but he won't last much longer. When that happens, I'll be king."

"Aren't you happy?" I hummed. "To know that your father wants you to be king?"

"Mother didn't," Joseph said, "Father...I guess he must either actually love me, or simply think that I'd be a good figurehead-no, to be honest, I really think he loves me," Joseph said, taking another deep gulp. "Never showed it until now, though!"

"Better late than never," I pointed out, "So-long live King Joseph?"

"So it would seem, so it would seem," Joseph huffed, "The crown is going to be a true annoyance, it's heavy, don't you know? The cape with the fur neckline-I hate fur, it gets in my mouth," he scratched his chin. "So, I'm thinking of abdicating, enjoy my retirement. Get myself into a tryst with a few ladies of the court, drink wine shamelessly until the day I die or get killed," he grinned. "But if I do that now, brother gets the crown. After everything that I've done-seriously, I'd abdicate for my daughter, but she'd end up having a regency. No, not going to stand for that," he nodded. "Father gave me my birthright, so it's only fare I give it to Isabella in turn."

I furrowed my brows. "So...what are you going to do?"

Joseph shrugged. "I'll suffer that crown for a few years, and then throw it to Isabella. I'm thinking I'll hold court one day, grab the crown off my head and go, catch! before throwing it at Isabella and throwing her my mantle too. And that will be it," he grumbled. "Beats having to go to the Pope for being crowned." He smiled. "Which is why, you'll be coming with me. I'll need a royal escort, and your Night Wind army will do."

"W...When will that be?" I remarked, steeling my expressions at the thought of meeting, or at least being in the same room as, the Pope.

"One week after my father's death, which might be any day now," Joseph said. "I'll send you a letter," he added with a smile, taking another swing at the bottle. "I don't think my daughter wants to come, so tell her it's not necessary. Hell, tell her she doesn't even have to be happy about me getting the crown. For all that it matters, don't even tell her I'm giving it to her in a few years. I want to see the look of surprise on her face when she has to grab the crown thrown at her. Maybe she'll fail, and it will clatter on the ground repeatedly, and with each hit on the floor it's going to make a funny sound and everyone will remain politely silent, and yet feel burning shame-"

"I'll catch it, and place it on her head," I said calmly, drinking down three quarters of the bottle in my hand.

"Oh? Fine, ruin my fun," Joseph muttered, "Well then! This is it!" he gestured around at the empty room, "King Joseph De Gallia! I am the King! From now and until the day I can throw the crown at my daughter-I am the king! Chosen by the Gods! Blessed by the Pope! How does it feel to be in the same room as a King? Don't you feel blessed to be in my presence?"

I chuckled, and then I laughed, "I wouldn't say blessed. After the stunt you pulled-I am neither angry, nor pitying. It's a strange sentiment the one I'm feeling right now-It's like I don't care."

Joseph smiled, and then nodded. "Well, what's fair is fair. Perhaps if I apologize most seriously, Isabella might forgive me? Though even then, my apology would come out wrong, or embarrassing, or even make things worse," he sighed. "So, no, I won't apologize. My crown will be all the apology she needs."

I finished my bottle just as Joseph finished his, and then we both moved to a new one.

Three years before the start of the events-that was when everything started to happen. The fall of Joseph's father-this was the beginning.

This was the beginning of the end.