The Conciege
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ROTLE- Chapter 60- The Weight of Their Wool
🕑 Added 2024-10-08 16:53:00 +0000 UTCThe loud chime of the bell rang through the room. In all honesty, it wasn’t necessarily a loud chime, it simply rang to loudly in Fjord’s ears. Considering his only rising alarms were a rough tap or a kick to the feet—or the occasional loud noises of chaos—during his time with the poachers, a bell was loud.
Fjord turned in his bed in the servants’ quarters. It was a small bed, only wide enough to contain one person. The male had their quarters just as the female had theirs.
Not the only one to turn at the sound of the bell, Fjord was among the few people who looked up to watch the small slab at one side of the wall come alive. It read: Lord Naranoff requests the presence of Lord Lacheart in his study.
Fjord brightened slightly at the request and was almost off his bed when one of the other servants waved him down.
“Don’t worry yourself,” he said. He was a man with at least five years on Fjord. “It’s a request for Lord Lacheart. You’ll be making enemies if you go.”
Fjord paused, confused. “Why would answering the Lord’s request get me in trouble?”
“Because Vanisi answers all requests and situations regarding the young lord.” The man turned on his bed so that his back was to Fjord. “She usually keeps herself to the young lady, but she’d developed an odd attachment to the lord.”
“I heard they went out a few days ago,” another servant said. This one was Fjord’s age. “Never seen her show any interest in a man before. Not even a lord. At a point I thought she maybe wasn’t into guys.”
“Whatever the case,” the older man said. “Vanisi is the last person you want to make an enemy of among the servants. Just stay in bed and trust that she will deal with it.”
Fjord frowned but listened.
He hadn’t seen the young lord Lacheart since the incident with the Fharanal, and the man didn’t seem very interested in seeing him. After they’d returned from the nest filled with the corpses of people he’d known for a year, one of the soldiers had simply directed him towards the servants’ quarters.
It had been a while before one of the servants had decided to assist him with getting himself settled in. A few of them had offered him their casual clothes when they’d noticed that he’d had nothing but the clothes on his back to wear.
They’d been nice to him, and while he’d been hoping to be something more than just some random servant in some random lord’s house, Fjord understood that he didn’t have the luxury of choice. The servants here had a constant roof over their heads. They had money to their name and didn’t have to risk their lives for no reason at all. There were even a few that were only here on shifts. By the end of the week, they would be able to go home and come to the manor to work like a daily job.
And they were nice to him. All in all, while it wasn’t the best, it was good. It was sufficient.
Fjord still wished he could see Lord Lacheart one last time.
He promised to help get you something else to do, he thought to himself, adjusting on his bed. And he’s done exactly that. He owes you nothing else.
Not for the first time, Fjord felt a sadness at his class.
There were people who believed that your class was based on the skills you had by the time you got to level ten, and some people believed that it was ultimately the outcome of who you are as a person.
Personally, Fjord didn’t think anyone applied to him. He’d gained simple skills before level ten. The [Stealth] skill being the only real combat related skill. In fact, if he was being honest, there was no basic skill he had that could explain the [Gambler] class. And he refused to believe that he’d taken far more risks than any boy his age growing up.
Fjord sighed. The gods had dealt him a horrible faith, even though the scriptures taught that the gods had no hand in what class you gained unless they deemed you important enough and chose to go out of their way to interfere.
Fjord closed his eyes once more and allowed sleep to take him. This was going to be his life now…
Fjord’s eyes shot open. Or maybe not.
If he could find a way to get to Lord Lacheart, maybe things could change.
At the risk of offending this maid called Vanisi?
A small smile crossed Fjord’s lips. It was an old smile; one he’d had even as a child. He knew the answer to his own question even before the thought was done asking it.
What’s life without a little risk?
You couldn’t change your fate if you weren’t willing to risk something. And offending some maid didn’t sound so terrible a risk.
The smile fell from his face all of a sudden.
And you wonder why you got the [Gambler] class.
…
The ceiling had never been so boring to look at. And it had been so long since sleep had eluded Aiden so terribly.
He blinked, fighting against his own thoughts. Belle’s death had hit him harder than he’d thought. It hadn’t hit him hard, not really, but he hadn’t thought that he would feel it.
But why? He asked himself.
Was it because he had chosen to let her live and the church had gone out of its way to overturn his own decision? Was it some kind of hubris associated with having his decision discarded as unimportant?
Aiden wasn’t sure he had the answer. It was clearly not because it was the church that had done such a thing. He’d seen enough things to understand that the church was as corrupt as it was fanatic. The simple fact that it was run by humans was more than enough reason for it to be corrupt. Its fanaticism came from its scriptures.
And Aiden had seen them do a lot of things in the name of their gods.
Maybe he just hadn’t wanted her to die in the end. It was like forgiving someone only for the court to still go ahead and persecute when you were the one that had been wronged. That was the best way Aiden could put it.
That still did nothing to alleviate his annoyance.
Aiden was still staring at the boring ceiling when his door handle moved. He fell immediately still, holding himself from reaching under his pillow. It was an old habit he was still trying to kick. He no longer hid a knife under his pillow when he slept because he had no reason to.
Still, he remained silent, unmoving. He held his breath.
The handle moved slowly, gently. Then the enchanted lock that came with the room moved ever so gently. Whoever was on the other side of the door was being very careful with what they were doing.
Then nothing happened. The door handle stopped moving. The enchantment remained inactive.
Aiden continued to wait. He allowed himself to breathe, though. His breaths came slowly, carefully. But he didn’t move. He waited and watched. But his attention did not settle just on the door. He kept it everywhere. On the windows, on the ceiling.
It was almost five minutes when a knock came from the door.
It was politely loud.
“Lord Lacheart,” the person knocking called.
Aiden recognized Vanisi’s voice when he heard it. He’d heard it far too many times, after all. Pushing himself from his bed, he got to his feet and went to the door.
He activated the enchanted lock that came with the room first, undoing it before activating the custom enchantment he’d placed. When that was done, he unlocked the physical lock and opened the door.
“Vanisi,” he greeted, pausing only at the sight he was met with.
She wore a nightwear that was in no way designed for sleeping. Oddly enough, it wasn’t very revealing, but there was a way it accentuated her curves, touching her gently in all the right places.
It screamed at his eyes that the lady in front of him was not just a maid, she was a woman. Aiden took in a subtle breath and let it out, controlling his eyes before they roamed over her body, taking in the entire view.
Vanisi smiled shyly. “My apologies for my attire,” she said. “It was late, and I was asleep when the request came in. I didn’t want to dally so I just came straight to this place.”
Aiden nodded, maintaining eye contact. “I understand,” he said. “What request?”
“Well, there has been a summoning.”
Aiden paused, not at her words but at something else. He was doing his best not to look down at the rest of her body. What that meant was that he couldn’t see anything that could be going on beneath her.
She could be a spy, he thought, reminding himself of the possibility.
If she knew his character, then she would know that he would not be in a hurry to look at her dress. Then again, she could just be a lady who actually wanted him to take note of the fact that she was a woman.
Aiden found himself in a dilemma of politeness. But did he really care to know what kind of spy she was? If she was a spy, then she would either be a spy belonging to another lord or a spy keeping an eye on the crown from another kingdom.
Whatever information she sent back would not really be his problem since he wasn’t necessarily going to be a part of the crown’s business very soon.
He would’ve been with the crown for a while longer if he hadn’t been ambushed by the poachers. It had pushed him too close to level fifty, which was the level that would qualify him to go to some of the places that he knew would be beneficial.
And its always best to challenge the [Crystal of Existence] before level fifty.
So, spy or not, what Vanisi was was not his business, so he had no interest in asking. Not even in asking her if she'd seen someone at his door when she was coming. He was leaving at sunrise and he would be done with the entire Naranoff territory, never to return.
Still, he couldn’t control his curiosity, and his eyes dipped.
He caught the smile that touched Vanisi’s lips the moment they dipped, and he scolded himself mentally. As far as the maid was concerned, the only reason he hadn’t made a move on her was out of some misguided sense of control and not because she was not alluring.
“What summoning?” Aiden asked her, hoping to move the conversation along.
Vanisi gave him a slightly provocative smile, one that implied he could have something if he wanted to, and that she would not tell as long as he did not tell.
“A summons from Lord Naranoff, Lord Lacheart,” she answered, still smiling. It was a slight thing.
Aiden would be lying if he said it wasn’t a beautiful look on her. It was definitely enticing.
“The Lord summons me this late into the night?” he asked, not wanting to have to go.
Vanisi nodded innocently. “Actually, it’s so early into the morning. And Lord Naranoff isn’t known for wasting too much time when he calls people to his study. By the time you get back to your room, it will still be dark and there will still be hours left before daybreak.”
I shouldn’t have looked down, Aiden complained.
He’d looked down, she’d caught him, and now she was being very direct with her intentions.
Maybe she just wants to scratch that itch.
Aiden knew he wouldn’t mind scratching an itch, too. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have an itch to scratch.
He took a calming breath and said, “Lead the way.”
A small frown touched Vanisi’s lips, but she turned and started walking. Aiden followed behind her, locking his door behind him.
The stroll down to the Lord’s wing of the Naranoff building was done in relative silence. Vanisi brought up conversations here and there, wherever she could, and Aiden gave the answers that were required.
Anyone who listened would know that Vanisi was the one putting in the work. At this point, she was no longer dropping hints of her interest in him, she was slowly painting a picture, trusting the process.
“I heard about what happened a few days ago,” she said at some point. They were in the lord’s wing but not yet at his study. “It must have been a difficult thing to experience.”
“A lot has happened to me in the past few days, Vanisi,” Aiden pointed out. “And all of them have been difficult things to experience.”
“I mean the one with the poachers,” Vanisi said, eyes forward, following the hallway illuminated by glowing orbs.
Aiden’s brows furrowed. “How do you know about that?”
“Soldiers talk,” she said easily. “The boy, Fjord, also talks.”
Aiden hadn’t judged Fjord to be a person who said what he wasn’t supposed to say. Poachers were generally known for learning how to keep their mouths shut after a while of doing the job.
The wrong thing, after all, could get you in trouble.
It was disappointing, considering he had been intending on giving the boy an important task before leaving.
A shame.
But even as the words crossed his mind, he wasn’t completely dissuaded from giving the boy the task. Perhaps it was the benefit of doubt working. Besides, the boy had earned some of it. Aiden had once thought Fjord had betrayed him only to find out that the boy had done his best to get the job done.
“I heard you took the…” Vanisi’s words trailed off as if she’d made a mistake. “I heard you administered judgement of the poachers. I can only imagine how it must have felt.”
Aiden’s instinctual response was to shrug, treat it as the unimportant part of his life that it was, but he did not.
“It wasn’t as simple as I used to think it was,” he said.
With Vanisi walking in front of him, it would be so easy to take in the view, yet the maid had turned down all the seductive presentations. There was nothing but a natural sway to her hips, nothing emphasized. She walked casually and Aiden noticed nothing that said she was still aware of the fact that he was a man.
He frowned.
All this suspicion was messing with his head. Vanisi was just a maid, a high standing one in the family. So why was he so aware of her presence.
Because when those that are supposed to be unimportant keep finding themselves in places where only the important should be, it becomes questionable.
A maid had garnered the favor of the daughter of the house and had risen to a position that stood explicitly outside the hierarchy of the employees. She was to answer only to Nella and her father, no one else, despite not being the head maid.
It wasn’t an impossible task to achieve, but it was next to impossible to believe that it was not an intentional accomplishment. Life didn’t work that easily. Rarely did a man’s driver of thirty years suddenly get elevated to best friend.
Such insanities only happened in the stories.
But if Vanisi was a spy, so what? What exactly was she going to gain from him. Unless he told her himself or Elaswit talked more than she should. It was impossible for her to find out that he was actually summoned and not some lord’s bastard child.
Valdan didn’t even cross Aiden’s mind because the man probably didn’t speak to the people he dreamt about either.
He probably greets them good day and then spars with them, Aiden chuckled.
Vanisi looked back at him. “Is everything alright, Lord Lacheart?”
Her voice dragged him back to what was troubling him. Aiden knew almost all the spy networks that worked within the kingdom of Bandiv. And he believed he knew almost all because in the spy business, it was more likely that there was a spy group that you knew nothing about than you knowing all of them.
And how many of them do I really need to be worried about?
Further thought told him that there was none. There was nothing about him right now that would be of use to any spy organization. Although, there was always the possibility that he wasn’t the target. If Vanisi was a spy, it was possible that she was using a very roundabout approach to gain information about the princess or a [Knight of the Crown].
Aiden frowned. But what if I’m the target.
He shook his head, growing annoyed at himself.
You’re thinking about this the wrong way, Aiden. Don’t ask what benefit a spy organization would have with you since you’re not sure if there’s one. Ask what spy organizations you would like to avoid.
That made more sense to him. Since he had no use to any spy organization, the question became which one would put him in greater trouble down the line.
Personally, he thought his brain was going through a useless process of elimination. He wasn’t stupid, his brain just followed processes. The answer to the question was simple. He wasn’t ready for the Order to find out about him or who he was.
If they found out now and made their move, it would disrupt a lot of plans that he had. He would rather meet them on his own accord.
And there was no organization he knew more about than the very one he was avoiding.
“Vanisi,” he said after a moment.
“Yes, Lord Lacheart.” Vanisi did not look back.
They were alone in the hallway as they had been for most of the journey. It wasn’t something to be really bothered by considering the time of the day. And it wasn’t as if she was leading him down some dangerous path.
“I actually have a question to ask,” he said.
Vanisi nodded as they took a turn. “Your wish is my command.”
“At the ball last night something happened that I didn’t want to—can we stop for a moment? I actually want to focus on this, in case it’s something you can help with.”
Vanisi was more than happy to stop. She turned and looked up at him. “I’m listening, my lord.”
Aiden scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I’m sure you’ve already heard of my status as a lord.”
“If you are referring to the fact that your father has not acknowledged you, then I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Vanisi said as a matter of fact.
Aiden’s fingers scratched a little longer before he dropped his hand. “I’ve kind of gotten accustomed to it.”
Vanisi paused. “Oh.”
Aiden opened his mouth, closed it, then pressed his lips together in worry.
“Lord Lacheart?” Vanisi asked with a touch of worry. “If it is something I can do to help, then I’m more than happy to help. I am a maid and a woman,” she swayed her waist very minutely in a way that seemed to point out her entire body. “But I have also been called intelligent. I wouldn’t be working so closely with Lady Nella if I wasn’t.”
Aiden still hesitated. “It’s just that it’s not something someone in my position can say so easily. It’s not something others should be aware of.”
He looked around, specifically at the walls.
Vanisi followed his gaze.
“If you are worried about the enchantments, I can always take you to a place where they aren’t as active,” she said, voice soft.
“But we need to get to the Lord’s study,” he pointed out.
Vanisi shook her head. “I heard Lady Nella talking about a recently discovered deadspot near the office a while back. They intend on bringing in an [Enchanter] to fix it before the week is over. We can talk there.”
Aiden paid attention as she spoke and noticed a slight discomfort. It was as if it had hurt for her to share that piece of information.
He gave her a gentle smile, a reassuring one. “I won’t say a word of it to lady Nella.”
Vanisi let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
“But,” he continued, “it’s not that secretive. I just feel like it would was a shameful thing. But not some kind of grand secret.”
Vanisi’s worry slackened. “Regardless, I am all ears.”
“You spend a lot of time with Nella, right?” he asked. “Even at some functions where she meets other noble children.”
“I do.”
“Well…” he looked away, refused to meet eye contact for a moment before turning back to her. “I met a lord last night who said something to me. He said it twice, but I had no idea what it meant. It took me a moment to realize that it was something a noble child is supposed to know. I know it’s not a big deal and I could’ve asked Nella but… I just didn’t like the way he looked at me and don’t want to be looked at the same way.”
Vanisi gave him an assuring smile. “I promise to help if I can. What did the noble say?”
“Something about wool,” Aiden frowned like a person would when trying to remember something. “Wool masks the true size of a creature or a creature’s size is masked by the weight of their wool.”
Aiden watched Vanisi like a hawk when he said it.
The maid frowned. Her face wrinkled in thought. Then she shook her head.
“I apologize, Lord Lacheart,” she said finally. “I do not believe I know it.”
Aiden nodded. “I’m sorry for bothering you, I just felt like it was worth a shot. I’ll ask Sir Valdan before I ask Nella.”
“That sounds reasonable.” Vanisi turned and they resumed their walk. “But perhaps you should try the library before you ask others if you still don’t wish to be embarrassed.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The houses,” Vanisi said. Her steps were moving faster now, as if she was trying to make up for the time they’d lost when they’d stopped to stand. “Each house has an emblem. It is possible that it might have something to do with one of the houses. And some of these houses use animals as their emblem. I’m fairly certain that there’s at least one house that uses an animal known for its wool.”
It was a logical first step, and Aiden agreed with it. “I will try that. You have my thanks.”
They returned to relative silence as they walked, and Nella did nothing to reinitiate conversations. It was only when they’d come to a stop in front of a door that she spoke again.
“If you do not mind me asking, my lord,” she said. “What did this lord look like? If you remember.”
Aiden frowned, then rubbed the back of his head. “Bald, with a long beard. He had blue eyes that were sharp, as if they were trying to look through me.”
Vanisi let out a chuckle that sounded forced. “You seem to be describing one of the Lords and not their child, Lord Lacheart.”
Aiden returned the chuckle. “I know, but I swear that even with the beard and the eyes he looked young.”
Vanisi nodded in the end. “I don’t know a lord that looks like that, but I can ask around. You know that we maids see and hear more than most lords believe.”
“Thank you, Vanisi,” Aiden said.
“Don’t be,” she replied. “It’s my pleasure to help. Now,” she placed a hand on the door knob. “Lord Naranoff does not take up too much time, and you will still have hours before sunrise. Would you like me to wait for you until you are done? Perhaps we could spend the remaining time keeping each other company until sunrise.”
Tempting, Aiden thought, but he was truly not tempted. Not anymore, at least.
Still, he tightened his expression as if he was fighting with his decision before answering. “I cannot say. Perhaps you can wait but not for so long. I fear this might be one of those long conversations since his soldier used me to disrespect him during the ball.”
Vanisi winced in understanding. “I understand.” She knocked once on the door. “However, if you need me once you’re done, you can always send for me.”
“Enter!” Lord Naranoff’s voice came from within.
Vanisi pushed the door open slightly. “Lord Aiden Lacheart is here, my Lord.”
“That’s good,” the man said. “Bring him in.”
Vanisi opened the door further and stepped aside for Aiden to enter. “Lord Naranoff will see you now.”
When Aiden stepped in, he wasn’t paying enough attention to his surroundings. He was more focused on how he had to leave the Naranoff manor as soon as possible.
Lord Naranoff placed his hand on his table the moment the door closed behind Aiden and Aiden felt the activation of an enchantment. He watched the air shimmer around him as the enchantment enveloped him.
“Aiden Lacheart,” Lord Naranoff said, thoughtful. “A strange name if I ever did hear one. Although I always assumed it was likely made up on account of your background.”
Aiden nodded not very focused.
A creature’s size is masked by the weight of their wool.
It was an old line. A very old one. And while a lot of people knew it, there were those that wouldn’t be caught dead using it. Those in important positions with pieces of information that could topple kingdoms and send people to wars.
It was a line Aiden had used a few times.
“The king sent a letter for your attention,” Lord Naranoff was saying. “One letter is for your attention while the other was addressed to me.”
That got some of Aiden’s attention.
Lord Naranoff tapped on an envelope resting on his table and Aiden walked up to it.
“This,” Lord Naranoff said, “is for you.”
Aiden moved to take it only to be interrupted by Lord Naranoff’s raised hand.
“Not yet.” He pointed at an unfolded piece of paper. “That was addressed to me. However, I would like you to look at it before you pick yours.”
Aiden would’ve probably considered the possibilities of what might be happening if his mind was not elsewhere. But his mind was elsewhere, on a beautiful maid, as he picked up the other piece of paper.
Aiden picked the paper up and froze when he saw the title.
Matters Regarding The Young Lord Aiden Lacheart, he read. Then it took his mind a moment to recalibrate.
When had Brandis informed his lords about the existence of the summoned? It had been a while into the future, hadn’t it?
“The king is a friend,” Lord Naranoff said. “But as a king, he keeps secrets that belong to the crown. But of all the secrets he has ever shared with me, this has been the one I had wished he would never share.”
Aiden continued to read, his mind bending more and more as he read.
He already had Vanisi to deal with, now this.
“As a father,” Lord Naranoff continued. “You find yourself wishing that certain horrible things do not happen while you are alive. Then you wish that they do not happen during your children’s time. Or your grandchildren’s time.” He paused. “Then you realize that it has to happen, so you wish that it happens in some generation so far down the future that you can’t feel any empathy for any kin existing during that time.”
In the letter, the king had given a detailed account of the truth of who Aiden was and had authorized Lord Naranoff to grant him whatever assistance he needed as well as keep the information a secret.
“The rising darkness is here,” Lord Naranoff said. “And I have been a big enough fool as to risk the life of one of our heroes.”
It was all worrying, and Aiden knew he would’ve been trying to figure a way to handle the current situation if he hadn’t just discovered the Vanisi worked for the Order. She was low level, low enough to be inconsequential and not trained properly.
It had been evident in how she had reacted during their conversations. She had been too eager to learn what was bothering him. She also knew where the dead in the listening enchantments were around the house. She had pointed out Lord Naranoff's wing specifically but it wasn't a stretch to assume that she had simply added the excuse of learning it from Lady Nella as a cover up.
Even if she hadn't found it herself, it had been a little too obvious that she hadn't been happy to give up that piece of information. What business did a maid have with such places in the Lord's wings?
Then there was her loss of interest when she found out that the information he gave wasn't important. But all that hadn't been enough. Aiden had needed to be certain, so he'd taken a risk using the code.
She had done her best to hide it, but he had seen the recognition. He'd seen it in her eyes when she recognized it and started trying to figure out who exactly he'd seen and how they had slipped up.
She could've assumed that he was making things up, but no one simply made up a code they were not supposed to know. It wasn't something that just happened.
Aiden's hand tightened around the piece of paper he was holding.
Of all the spy organizations. He cursed in his mind. Fuck my life.
Comments
M.Sully
She's his ticket to give the Order a heads up about the frost giants. Judging from Aiden's actions though I don't think he really cares about finding allies; seems like he's tryna be a one man army, if not the leader of his own organization.
Keven Leigh
Spy she may be. Our young lord needs to blow off some steam. Thanks for the chapter.
