“So be it. I’ll send her with some letters to my parents on the first safe ship we can find. I’ll have Kenric and Duke Jellema see to it,” I reply.
“I’ll let her know,” Melina says, “and start looking for a replacement.”
I nod and turn to face the door as I hear boots clomping our direction. Melina frowns at me, but she’s gotten used to the fact that I can sense things she can’t. Then she hears the boots, two sets of them. I bring my honor guard into the room with us and send the ladies out.
If this is some trick of Oskar’s, I’ll deal with it without involving them. There’s a knock at the door and a familiar voice calls out, “Víl?! Kenric! Are you in there?” Rushing to the door, I unlock it and grin up at Ulrick and Tobias. I hustle them inside and lock the doors again. I hug both of them.
Ulrick laughs, “It’s good to see you again, too, half-pint. Dad sent us to make sure things are alright.”
“Things were tense for a bit, but they’ve settled down now,” I reply.
Inaba smirks at Ulrick, “She was brilliant. The dukes who opposed her can no longer. One is in the dungeons. One is in hiding. One is firmly under Duke Jellema’s and Oskar’s thumbs. Oskar, however, is a bigger problem than ever. He’s obsessed, so much so that she’s been warned about it.”
“Be that as it may, Kenric’s been called away by the king again. I’m certain that he’s planning to try to put in another appearance. He’s got all the subtlety of a falling boulder. There is something I could use your help with, since you’re here, though,” I reply.
“What is that?” Ulrick asks.
I flash Urlick a grin. “I have to find a location for the Fey embassy and bank. The guards and staff for it won’t arrive until the summer, but I need to secure the location, handle any construction, and set up local staff for tasks like cleaning. I doubt many of the property brokers will be willing to deal with me, but if I bring you along…”
Ulrick laughs, “Yes, we’ll come with you since Kenric is tied up. What are you looking for?”
I start describing what my ideal location would be. “A walled compound with an underground vault or a place to put an underground vault. I’d prefer two buildings, one for the bank and one for the embassy. Defensible. Enough space on site, either with living quarters or a place to build them.”
“Stop,” Ulrick says, “I doubt that there’s anything like that anywhere in Dobile. What you want to find is enough space to build all that as close to the palace as possible.”
I smirk at Ulrick. “I was thinking of locating the embassy in Varpua, near the port, if I can’t find a location here, in Dobile.”
Ulrick shakes his head at this, “No, it has to be here. Otherwise, it’s a snub to Oskar.”
Now, I'm frowning. “And Oskar chasing me, the Fey ambassador and Ellisar’s personal envoy, around his court isn’t a snub to my king?” I shoot back.
Ulrick snorts, “I’ll give you that, but his snub to your king won’t be carved in stone and iron that will still be standing five generations from now, either.”
“Very well, you have a point,” I grumble.
The next king or even the next one after that might not be as lecherous, but the snub will remain. Having a satellite location in Varpua is still a good idea since the port is there. Keeping some staff there will reduce a lot of back-and-forth between Dobile and Varpua.
“The next king might not be this disrespectful, and you are correct, it’s not fair of me to snub them, too,” I say.
I can’t wait for the other Fey to arrive so that they can help me deal with Oskar.
“You were looking forward to announcing that, weren’t you?” Ulrick laughs.
“I was hoping I’d get to spend more time in Varpua than Dobile,” I reply, “Duke Jellema’s palace is nicer, and the city is friendlier.”
“Dobile is nice enough, once you’re outside the palace,” Ulrick says.
I nod, “Varpua was lovely.”
I tell Ulrick about going to see the big mechanical clock and how the townspeople who kept coming up to hug me and congratulate me on my upcoming wedding, the town guards who insisted on acting as tour guides, and how much nicer and more modern Duke Jellema’s palace is.
I smile at Ulrick, “I had my own bath there. It was lovely. A great big tub with taps. Here, it’s get the maids to bring a tub and haul the water one bucket at a time. Two, if they’re feeling energetic, and the water has to leave the same way. You’d think that since this is the royal residence, it would be more modern.”
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Ulrick shrugs, “It looks like this part of the palace was just renovated. I don’t know why they didn’t make some of those changes as part of the renovation.”
Melina giggles, and Ulrick looks at her.
“Our best guess is that this part of the palace got renovated because Avro’s relatives stole everything of value, including the trim and wood floors. They wormed their way in here and were trying to pass themselves off as down-at-the-heels nobles,” Melina says.
“I’m certain that Arvo had to fund the renovation, and it’s likely beggared him just to bring it to this state. Even the duke’s rooms don’t have bathing suites. Even Duchess Ina agrees that Duke Jellema’s palace is more comfortable,” I add.
“You think the state of the palace is a reflection of the Centis,” Ulrick says.
I nod, “Isn’t it? Slightly run down, less than modern, poorly managed, full of hidden traps? Did you know that Kenric got lost in the secret passages? He leaned against the wall and fell into them.”
Ulrick laughs, “Some things never change.”
While I’m chatting with Ulrick and Tobias, Iwan shows up. “It seems to be the day for cousins,” I say and introduce him to Ulrick and Tobias. We set out to meet the banker that Iwan is recommending.
“Who are you taking her to meet?” Urlick asks.
“Jan Vermeersch,” Iwan replies.
Ulrick immediately stops walking, “That man is utterly disreputable. Why pick him?”
“He’s ‘utterly disreputable’,” Iwan replies, “because he will do business with women.” Iwan gives me a significant look, “I can’t imagine what other banker in Centis will help her open a branch of the Fey bank. I’ve never heard of him cheating anyone, and he’s not been involved in a lot of the underhanded dealings that Aart, Nelis, or Basten have had their sticky fingers into. As bankers go, she could do far worse with one of the so-called reputable bankers. Ina asked me to help her, so I’m trying to do that.”
“Let’s meet and see what he has to say. If we don’t like him or his bank, we can look elsewhere,” I say.
We manage to make it out of the palace without being accosted by Oskar. The carriage drops us on the street of the bankers.
Iwan waves a hand at them, “What do you see?”
“I see a lot of fancy marble, gilding, and ostentatious details on the fronts of buildings that most street urchins could find a way into,” I reply.
Iwan nods and chuckles, “They rely on guards at night to stand at each window.”
Iwan Nalis leads us away from the polished marble facades of the primary banking district and down a side street that smells of ink and dust. The building we stop in front of is not ostentatious, but it looks sturdy enough to withstand a siege, which is the only quality I truly care about in a bank. The first floor doesn’t seem to have any windows large enough for a person, even one of my size, to squeeze through.
“He’s in here,” Iwan says, opening the heavy oak door. “Jan Vermeersch. He’s the only man in Dobile who realized that a gold ducat weighs the same whether it’s pulled from a silk purse or a leather breeches pocket.”
We enter a quietly efficient room. Clerks are scratching away with quills, and the air is thick with the scent of beeswax and old paper. A man steps out from a back office. He is older, perhaps in his fifties, with thinning grey hair and spectacles perched on the end of a sharp nose.
He does not bow and scrape like the courtiers at the palace. He looks at Iwan, then at me, with a calculating gaze that assesses my net worth rather than my hemline.
“Lord Nalis,” the man says, his voice dry as parchment. “And… guests.”
“Jan, allow me to present Princess Víl? of the Fey, Viscountess Kenric,” Iwan announces with a flourish. Jan Vermeersch doesn’t blink. “The one causing all the trouble at the palace. The one with the trade deal.”
I smile at him. I like him immediately. He gets straight to the point. “The very same, Master Vermeersch. Though in fairness, it’s not trouble that I’ve started but if it continues, it is trouble that I will finish. I am told you are a man of business who values profit over propriety.”
“Propriety doesn’t pay the interest, My Lady,” he replies, gesturing us into his office. It is spartan but comfortable. He sits behind a desk cluttered with ledgers. “How may I serve the Fey?”
I take the seat opposite him. Inaba stands silently by the door, a looming shadow in his armor.
“I have a problem, Master Vermeersch,” I begin. “I represent King Ellisar Wynric. As you know, a massive trade agreement has been signed. Goods are flowing, and more will be soon. Money must move between Imelenora and Dobile. Currently, that money is moving slowly, inefficiently, and through hands I do not trust.”
Jan nods slowly. “The King’s exchequer is… sticky. And the other banks take a heavy percentage for currency exchange.”
“Precisely,” I say. “King Ellisar wishes to establish a branch of the Royal Fey Bank here in Dobile. It will handle the direct accounts for the trade deal. It will hold the funds for the merchants. It will lend to those who wish to buy Fey goods but lack the immediate liquidity.”
Jan’s eyes widen slightly behind his spectacles. “A Fey bank. Here. The local guilds will riot. The King…”
“The King wants his tariffs and taxes,” I cut in. “He doesn’t care where the money sits before he gets his share, as long as he gets it. However, as a woman and a foreigner, there are legal issues. I cannot own property or easily sign the charters required by your laws.”
“So you need a face,” Jan surmises. “A local partner.”
“I need a partner who isn’t afraid of a little scandal,” I correct him. “I need a man who understands that Fey gold is heavier than human gold and that my King is a very demanding silent partner. I will provide the initial capital. I will provide additional security. Fey wards that no thief in Centis can breach. You will provide the building, the staff, and the signature on the deed.”
I reach into my sleeve and pull out a small, heavy sack. I toss it onto his desk. It lands with a heavy, solid thud that only pure gold makes. Jan opens it. Inside are Fey-minted coins, stamped with Ellisar’s profile. They are pure, unclipped, and radiant.
“This is the retainer,” I say. “Your commission will be two percent of all transactions moving through the branch.”
Jan looks up from the gold, his calculation complete. “That is… substantial.”
“There is one more condition,” I add, leaning forward.
Jan pauses. “There always is.”
Would you follow local laws or would you accept deposits from women? Let me know in the comments...
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