The carriage ride to the Fairmont residence was not very long. They lived surprisingly close. Their manor, however, was far smaller than my own, which really put into perspective how large a gift the king was giving me.

  It was built out of dark stone, with a reddish-brown roof. There appeared to be two small balconies, one overlooking the entrance where we were coming up from, and the other appeared to be on the side of the house, looking towards the palace.

  I turned on Arcane Foraging as we entered through the main gates, but there really wasn’t anything of note that I could see. There appeared to be a couple of small, brightly glowing items inside the house, but nothing in the garden appeared to be above uncommon.

  While looking around, I noticed a man who appeared to be middle-aged, with dark hair, and even from here I could tell he had a hard look, as he was looking out over the entrance, wearing his formal red embroidered suit, similar to what I was given from the king.

  Pulling up to the front entrance, we were met by a maid who was already bowing before we had even left the carriage.

  “Welcome to the Fairmont residence, Lord Ashmoon. Please follow me,” she said as I stepped out.

  I had just opened my mouth to ask her to please just say Trevor when I was stopped by Liane with a squeeze of the arm.

  She whispered, “Keep formality for now.”

  Nodding, I followed the maid as we walked towards the entrance, when she appeared to do a double take at Crisplet, seeming as if she wanted to say something. In the end, saying nothing.

  As we entered the foyer of the home, the man who was standing on the balcony was waiting for us.

  “Welcome, Lord Ashmoon. Thank you kindly for accepting my invitation,” he said with a smile that just felt… forced? It was hard to describe. It didn’t feel genuine at all.

  Up close, the man had a hard look about him. His sharp facial features and dark eyes didn’t help that at all.

  “Thank you for inviting me to your home, Lord Fairmont. These are my friends and guardians, Crisplet Ashmoon and Liane,” I said, gesturing to them. As I said that, I felt the faint pressure of Lily appear, causing the maid who led me in to squeak in fright.

  “And that would be Lily,” I said with a smile.

  “That’s quite the entourage,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Unfortunately, after the encounter we had in the marketplace just this morning, it seems to be required,” I said sadly.

  “Yes, I heard about that. Foolish old man. He’s used to getting his way, so I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t amusing to find out he was rebuked,” he said, letting out the first genuine laugh, or even reaction, I felt I had seen yet.

  “You’ve heard about it already?” I asked, confused.

  “Of course. You’ll soon learn that word travels faster back here than you could imagine. Now, let’s head to the sunroom and have tea, shall we?” he said, gesturing to the side.

  As I followed him, I really took in the surrounding home, and compared to my own, this home felt warmer, more lived-in. There was art along the walls, portraits as well as vistas. There were soft rugs underfoot, and even down to the colours used. It felt smaller, but far more cosy.

  Entering the small sunroom, I saw tea already served, with three chairs set around a small table that looked out onto a very well-maintained garden that was made up mostly of white and red flowers.

  Taking my seat, Liane quickly took a spot next to me as Crisplet left the brazier, inspecting the plants growing inside the room.

  “You’ll have to forgive me, Lord Fairmont. I am not good with formalities. Do you mind if I call you Nicholas?” I asked as he took his seat.

  “That’s fine. It might be refreshing to have a conversation without the formality,” he said, reaching out and pouring the tea.

  Thanking him for my cup, I quickly took a sip, just to provide a distraction from the anxiety I was feeling.

  Again, he was looking at me, surprised.

  “Was I supposed to wait?” I asked, confused.

  He just laughed. “No, you’re too trusting. What if that had been poison?”

  There was a part of me that initially wondered if he’d try to poison me or something, but no notification showed up, and I’d still rather go first than risk Liane, who could be hurt by it.

  I simply shrugged, earning a chuckle.

  “Times are changing, young Trevor, and I suspect it’s a shake-up that this kingdom needs, but I’d be remiss to miss my opportunity to be on the right side of it,” he said, sipping from his own tea.

  “You wish to use Trevor to push yourself forward,” Liane said bluntly.

  “I’d not put it so bluntly, but yes. I don’t intend on using him however, not directly. I believe Trevor to be moving forward, and I’d be happy to follow in his wake and capitalise on the chaos, instead of being in his way,” Nicholas said.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  The honesty of that statement surprised me, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. Looking at Liane out of the corner of my eye, I felt like I wasn’t the only one.

  “Then why invite us here?” I finally asked.

  “Appearance. Even if we sat here and sipped on tea, rumours are already spreading through every noble house as we speak,” he answered.

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Perhaps you could tell me why you ended up hiring my son to serve your household? I am genuinely curious about that. I didn’t think someone with a warrior class would be very useful in the house,” he asked, looking at me.

  I thought about how to answer this for probably far too long. I was wondering if being honest here could work against me, and rather than rushing into it or lying, I tried to think of the angles he would take. When I looked at Liane, I got a very subtle nod.

  “Truthfully, he could withstand the pressure of Lily somewhat,” I said, shrugging.

  “That’s all?” Nicholas asked, surprised.

  “That and the oath, but really, withstanding the pressure is the main challenge they had to overcome,” I said.

  “How curious. You’re aware, of course, that it’s likely all your staff are members of the various houses?” He looked at me hard for a moment.

  “I’m aware, yes, but it’s fine,” I shrugged again.

  Nicholas just let out a laugh.

  “Don’t take offence to this, but today I didn’t know what to expect with you arriving. A brat flaunting his power is kind of what I had expected, and to some extent you did that, but also, you’re mostly just clueless to the power you hold in your hand right now,” he said.

  I didn’t know how to respond.

  “I’ve heard rumours you’re going into business here in the capital,” Nicholas said, now looking at me.

  “No, not me. My friend is opening a shop,” I responded.

  “Your friend, who is living in your residence, at the shop you requested from the king and recently were visiting, inspecting the site, the shop where you had the first ever recorded ancient dragon visit in the capital,” he said again with a chuckle.

  “Your friend will always be associated with you, even if they are completely independent, though I suspect you have a hand behind the scenes. That’s fine. I’d like to invest in it,” he said.

  “That would need to be something you’d have to organise with Micca Carlye,” Liane said.

  “I see. Fair enough. I shall reach out,” Nicholas said with a smile.

  We sat in silence for what felt like a long while.

  “I have to ask, but is it true you’re on a first-name basis with the Phoenix?” Nicholas said, breaking the silence.

  This was a question I knew would come eventually, and I was still torn on how to answer it. Do I play it up, be honest, or play it down?

  “We have met, yes. She came to visit Crisplet and myself,” I answered, going somewhere between. They didn’t need to know she came primarily for Crisplet.

  “So she’ll visit again then?” Nicholas asked, his eyes going wide.

  I shrugged. “Probably, but Alira will do what she wants to do,” I said.

  “You understand the ramifications of that, right?” Nicholas said.

  “Of what?” I asked curiously.

  “That by the laws and history of this kingdom, you likely have an equal claim on the throne?” he said, looking at me.

  I couldn’t contain it. I just laughed.

  “No, thank you. I am absolutely not interested in anything like that. I’ll be going back out adventuring, hopefully sooner than later,” I said, shaking my head.

  It was bad enough that I was given a surname, given a house, made a noble house at that. I would absolutely draw a line in the sand and say no chance when it came to becoming royalty.

  “I would rather go live in the forest and make food for Lily than do that job,” I said. The moment I said it, I noticed a pair of green eyes in a nearby shadow.

  “Even if you say no, I won’t be the only house who has considered this as an option, and pushing you to do it while whispering in your ear and having your favour would promote people to higher standing,” Nicholas said, slowly sipping the last of his tea.

  We sat in silence again, all finishing our tea, before finally Nicholas rose from his chair with a smile.

  “I will let you go. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you both. I do hope we can have a positive relationship moving forward, and I will reach out to Miss Carlye about investing in her business if it’s possible,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Getting up from my own seat, I shook it. As Crisplet came back to the brazier, I was happy it had all seemed to be a pleasant conversation, although I’m sure there were moves happening I didn’t see.

  We were then shown to the front, where our carriage was waiting, as Nicholas bowed slightly.

  “Thank you again for visiting. Hopefully, we can meet again soon,” he said.

  I returned the thanks, getting into the carriage with Liane, as Lily came out of the shadows, clearly surprising Nicholas before she leapt into the carriage as well.

  We were out of the grounds before either of us spoke. Lily just appeared to be in conversation with Crisplet, as there was the occasional spark shooting off.

  “Well, that wasn’t too bad, I don’t think.” I said curiously.

  Liane let out a chuckle. “It was pretty bad, Trev. People are already saying you’re going to replace the royal family. That means people are trying to drive a wedge between you and the king, so it might be worth addressing that sooner than later,” she said.

  I just looked at her a bit stunned before she continued.

  “Word has already travelled to the houses about your business with Micca, which just reinforces what we spoke about earlier. It’s probably not worth hiding it at all, and going by his comments, sides are forming, so that implies there are some who are taking a side against you. Valrith, we know, but we’ll need to be on our guard for who is joining them and working against you,” she said.

  Still looking at her in shock, surprised she got all that from what seemed like a pleasant conversation.

  I just laughed to myself. “Maybe I should move to the forest. I didn’t get any of that from the conversation, it really just felt pointless to me.” I said, shaking my head.

  “I wouldn’t suggest you become a hermit, but getting the land of the forest as your own, and then preventing anyone from stealing your trees and building on it wouldn’t be a terrible idea. You’d be doing Lily and Sylverith a favour while having land for yourself,” Liane suggested.

  Lily was just staring at us now.

  “I don’t think they’d do it, though?” I said. The forest was such a massive area. “How would the forest’s edge survive?”

  “I don’t think Lily or Sylverith care, but they can go south, replant the trees they take. There are options, and honestly, I think they’ll go for it. The dark forest is uninhabitable; it’s land that no one wants outside of the wood on the outskirts,” Liane said.

  I felt the paw of Lily rest on my arm. Clearly, she was in support of this as well.

  “I’ll ask then,” I said as we arrived back at the house.

  Archie was already waiting outside as I watched Lily leave the carriage and move her statue once more.