Neither Ansel nor Nuala knew where exactly this countess Asvete was. But it wasn’t hard to find out her location by casually asking around in taverns once they entered the Kingdom of Novar. During their month-long journey, they kept hearing over their shoulders that the Grimhill continued their losing streak. They failed to completely repeal the Ramor invasion, allowing them to secure a foothold into their territory and then they were losing their ground in Stoala region.

  Nevertheless, where the duo ended up was a coastal region in the Kingdom of Novar. The countess was apparently married to Count Eoll and controlled a coastal city and its nearby places. It was called the “Hustia” region.

  “Carlonia, it is,” Nuala said at a round wooden table while gazing casually out to a balcony of a two story tavern. The view was nice with gentle winds blowing into their luxurious suite. They were in the city of Carlonia, where the Count Eoll resided. As a coastal city, it gave a different vibe than those inland settlements.

  “I did some digging,” Ansel said. “Count Eoll seems like a decent man. He kind of has to be if he has to rule this war ridden region.”

  The Kingdom of Novar was constantly threatened by the empire of the Sol. This had a side effect of incompetent nobles being phased out for Novar. Basically, it was the survival of the fittest.

  “Ms Russet Asvete arrived here about 11 years ago as a fledgling mage,” he continued while Nuala was listening casually while gazing out to the balcony with her legs crossed. “The domain was run by the former head of Eoll, the current Count Eoll’s father.”

  The empire of the Sol invaded soon after her arrival, and the invasion looked as if the empire was going to win after killing Count Eoll’s only mage. The Eoll was in charge of one of the two forts to block the empire. The loss of the fortress wouldn’t mean a total defeat, but its fall would signal impending doom for the kingdom. Reinforcements were on their way, but they might have not made it in time. This was when Russet entered and pretty much singlehandedly turned the tide of the war with her ability as an earth mage and her tactical know-how. The late count wanted to keep her but she demanded very high wages. After hiring her for several years, the Eoll was about to go bankrupt. This was when the count’s only son drafted a marriage contract specifically for her. It had a special clause not found anywhere else.

  “He would never welcome a mistress of any kind,” Ansel said. “Even if they were childless.”

  “A brave move,” Nuala replied. “Although I dare say he may have liked her personally enough.”

  “I am inclined to agree. It was said that Russet reluctantly agreed.”

  At this moment, they heard a knocking.

  “Ma’am, I’ve brought your food,” a woman’s voice heard from beyond the door. Ansel felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar to him.

  “Come in,” Nuala replied, and the door opened, revealing a woman in a maid uniform pushing a simple food cart. She had curly black hair reaching down to her shoulders with a pair of dark brown eyes. She had some freckles on face as well, mostly around the bridge of her nose. There were several plates and a few bowls. They were spending rather lavishly on their journey. Ansel had several silver coins from Dean Stialia and Nuala was loaded as well. Therefore, there was no reason to cheap out on food.

  “Hello, good sers, I’ve brought you …” The maid didn’t get to finish her speech and froze on the spot. Ansel froze as well while Nuala tilted her head in confusion.

  “Mr Page?!”

  “Clara?!”

  Looking back and forth, Nuala asked, “Your ex?”

  “NO!” Both of them exclaimed in unison. After a moment of calming down, Ansel demanded.

  “Why are you here?”

  And Clara exclaimed back, “That’s because not a single butler read the damned letter you wrote!”

  Then the war broke out. Thus, she figured she’d just flee the country, leaving everything behind. Glancing at Nuala, she asked.

  “So, you got a noblewoman now? How nice of you!”

  “We are just acquaintances,” he replied. “Mind your tongue because she is a proper noble.”

  She took a step back in fear, and Nuala responded accordingly.

  “I will forgive you in this instance. But do not cross me,” she warned. This was not an empty treat, for she was a black mage.

  “M, my apologies, m’lady!” Bowing, she exclaimed by pure instinct. Then she fired a stern glare at Ansel. “You..!” She growled.

  “I did warn you.”

  Clara didn’t have it apparently easy after leaving Ateria. She visited almost all noble houses, only to be rejected. The letter he wrote, it wasn’t even read apparently. The lack of the red seal was the cause. With low on money and the war breaking out, she chose to depart for Novar.

  “Are you going to take responsibility for this?!”

  “Actually, I may.”

  “What?”

  “We need a servant. We could hire you.”

  This wasn’t the first time Ansel saw Clara working in an establishment. She was clearly skilled as a waitress. If his memories were correct, she was even a popular waitress back in Ateria. And she was working in the luxury tavern in Carlonia. She clearly had what it took to be a good waitress slash maid.

  “What would I gain from working for you? Would working here be better? I don’t like traveling around.”

  “Both of us will attempt to settle down here, establishing our own noble houses. If successful, as the first maid, you could be entitled to become a head maid. Isn’t that attractive enough?”

  Just imagining being in such a position made Clara gulp in anticipation. But there was a small problem with this.

  “I do want to get married though…”

  Head maids tended to remain single in their entire lives and served their lords and ladies. She was someone who clearly enjoyed the company of men. And her ultimate goal was to get married to a butler.

  “Woman, do you even know what you are saying?” Nuala raised her voice slightly. She sounded annoyed. “You are given an opportunity to become a head maid and you are hesitating? Greedy, aren’t you?”

  He didn’t really have a strong desire to pursue Clara who was problematic. At the same time, her problematic qualities came from her desire to “marry up”. If that was solved, then he believed that she’d make a decent servant. Besides, they had known each other for a while and had a history. He felt that she was unlikely to betray them. In other words, she was a better choice than simply employing some random stranger.

  “You want to marry up, right? What if I find you a knight or someone like that for a husband?”

  Her eyes lit up at once, and she exclaimed, “Really?!”

  Marrying a knight was clearly better than marrying a butler. It was more than just marrying up because she could have a chance to become a baronetess, thus actually becoming a noble by marriage. It was far, far, better than marrying a butler.

  “We won’t pay you if you want that,” Nuala said with a subtle sneer which Clara couldn’t care less because a path to her goal was open at last.

  “I don’t care about my pay if my future can be secured,” she replied with determination in her voice. This was her way of living, trying to get off the bottom of the society no matter what the cost.

  “Then it’s a deal. I have to warn you that you will have to wait for years,” Ansel said.

  “It will happen within ten years, right? I don’t wanna get married after turning 30.”

  “Won’t take ten. Probably five?”

  “Yippee!” She was jumping around joyfully.

  “Ahem,” Nuala cleared her throat. The food was getting cold.

  “Ah, yes, of course, may I ask your name, my lady?”

  “Nuala Grebel.”

  Placing both of her hands in front, Clara bowed politely. “Lady Grebel, I am Clara, your servant from now on.”

  Nuala nodded along, somewhat satisfied with her attitude, and Clara went on to serve the dishes. They were having grilled steaks and bowls of dillegrout. Ansel couldn’t have ordered these because he was very much clueless when it came to cuisine.

  “By the way, Clara,” Nuala said. “That is Ansel Asvete.”

  “Asvete…?”

  “He is a noble now. He is a baronet.”

  Clara’s eyes went wide slowly. Ansel had no idea how she found out about that. Perhaps Count Rassier had long planned to make him a baronet for some time. Regardless, once a noble rank was given, it didn’t just go away. And, since he left the count with his blessing, his rank of baronet wasn’t revoked, either. Of course, with no land to rule, his title would be merely titular. But, at just twelve years old, he had plenty of time to get the land he would need. There was another matter of other nobles acknowledging his rank as well. But, if Count Rassier succeeded in his rebellion, his rank would surely be recognized.

  She continued, “Therefore, treat him with respect as well.”

  “O, of course!”

  Nuala, being a former royal, had a certain aura which made regular commoners bow before her. It was especially effective against Clara who was very much used to obeying those in authority. Once she was done serving the duo, she left the room with the food cart. She was told to quit the job at the tavern as soon as possible.

  “We should visit the count’s manor tomorrow,” Ansel said. They shared the same room by the way with a room divider between their beds. The luxurious room was large enough for the two of them and then some. Tapping her index finger on the table, she replied.

  “I doubt they want to refuse us. But I do wonder whether they can afford our wages…”

  If there was one thing they learned clearly after traveling through the Kingdom of Novar, it was substandardness. Every military structure they saw was all battered and worn out. The exceptions were businesses where they were making enough money to be able to afford regular maintenance. It was clear to them that the kingdom was suffering financially. Ansel was told that the kingdom would eventually fall. It seemed to hold some truth to the claim. It was financially collapsing slowly.

  “Money isn’t what we are after anyway. It’s the rightful ownership of land.”

  Nuala shrugged. “Have you seen how clustered the whole kingdom is? It’s packed.”

  It was true. Every settlement was very close to each other. It was because the kingdom needed more income and created more settlements. For example, in the Kingdom of Steterra, every major city was over a week away by foot. In Novar, the distance between cities was just several days away.

  “I am not looking for an existing land, nor am I looking for a conventional plot.

  He wanted a place where humans and some monsters could co-exist together. And, for that to occur, it had to be somewhere remote, preferably in a mountain with no land road to his land so that he could control who comes and goes. Therefore, he was predominantly looking for a plot of land near shores. Conveniently, there was one near Carlonia. There were bound to be more places like that around the world. For the time being, though, it was as close as what he wanted.

  “I don’t know what you are exactly looking for, but we will see.”

  For the time being, her plan was just to follow Ansel around. She was curious as to what he’d do.

  The next morning, the trio was gathered in front of the luxury tavern which was a short distance away from the dock which was almost always busy with ships going in and out. They had two horses, one of which had been repurposed as a mule to carry stuff. Clara, as their only servant, was in charge of looking after the mule as well as serving Nuala during meals and whatnot. Most of her tasks were previously Ansel’s. She’d take a big chunk of his workload off his shoulders. He wouldn’t dare say out loud, but Nuala required high maintenance.

  “Did you quit the job?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Clara nodded enthusiastically. “He didn’t want to let me go though.”

  She could be lying, but Ansel knew that the previous tavern owner didn’t want to let her go, either. She was good at what she did.

  “We are going to the Eoll manor. Your job is looking after the horses and our stuff.”

  “Okay!”

  The manor was in the center of the city and they reached there in about ten minutes at a casual walking pace.

  “Hmm, it looks like our concern was real,” Nuala remarked as they approached the front gate of the manor. It was heavily rundown. Its front garden was non-existent. The walls in its premises looked like they could crumble down by its own weight at any moment. Interestingly, a pair of guards at the gate looked vigilant and well equipped. They saw Ansel’s group approaching and were keeping their eyes on them. Once they were closed enough, one of the guards spoke aloud.

  “Halt! Who goes there? Identify yourselves!”

  Ansel stepped forward and declared, “My name is Ansel Asvete.” Then he turned sideways and introduced Nuala. “And this is Nuala Grebel. We are a group of mages and we would like an audience with Countess Eoll.”

  “Asvete?” The guard blurted. He clearly recognized the name. Soon, he narrowed his eyes and looked somewhat angry.

  “Very well!” he exclaimed, signalling his fellow guard with a nod. “Open the gate!”

  They looked clearly displeased while letting them in without a fuss. It was strange. And the other guard quickly ran inside, leaving him alone.

  “The garden looks so … desolate,” Nuala remarked while walking toward the main entrance of the manor. Half of whatever plants were dried up. And those that were green were clearly not taken care of. Weeds were everywhere as well. A butler was waiting at the entrance, who looked to be well past middle-age. His hair was swept backwards and over half of his black hair was gray.

  “The countess has been informed,” he said as he lowered his upper body slightly with a palm on his chest. “May I ask which one of you is an Asvete?”

  “I am. Ansel Asvete.”

  The butler swiftly scanned him, looking up and down.

  “Then only you will be allowed to enter. Is that alright with you?”

  “Lady Grebel?” Ansel asked, turning around halfway to face her.

  “Fine. Make it quick.”

  “This way, please, Master Asvete.”

  When they entered the main lobby, the interior wasn’t that much better. Walls were yellowed out, and the pair of sofas in the main lobby had clearly seen better days. Speaking of which, Countess Eoll was seated on one of the sofas with her legs crossed. Her sharp glare was focused on him as he entered.

  “You are an Asvete?” She asked. Her unusual hair color surprised him. She had dark bluish hair that was clearly looked after. Her eyes were green, like himself, albeit darker.

  “Yes, my name is Ansel Asvete.”

  She narrowed her eyes. It looked like she didn’t believe him.

  “Who gave you the last name?”

  “Gadric Asvete.”

  The butler, meanwhile, stood still simply on the sideline.

  “Does that mean your affiliation is with the Grimhill?”

  “No, I served Count Rassier not long ago.”

  Her eyebrow twitched. Crossing her fingers and resting them on her knee, she asked.

  “Can you make an educated guess on why we don’t seem to welcome you?”

  Ansel replied promptly, “It looks like I am not the first one to have claimed to be an Asvete.”

  “Are you saying you are a real Asvete?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I never thought about it. I was given the name, and that was it.” Shrugging, he continued, “What seems clear to me is that we are not welcome here. I shall take my leave.”

  Turning around, he gave a nod to the butler who opened the door. He didn’t expect to be rejected by the countess but it was within expectations. As Nuala said a while ago, nobody was going to reject two mages. Perhaps, the countess rejected them because she knew she wouldn’t be able to afford them. It wasn’t money they were after but alas.

  “Guess we are leaving then,” Nuala said when she saw Ansel coming out alone.

  “Yes, I have another destination in my mind.”

  Clara was reluctant to just leave. “Are we really leaving?”

  “We are,” Nuala replied casually. “Honestly, I don’t know why he chose to visit the Eoll in the first place. There is a better place to go.”

  She wasn’t wrong. The Vestal was the royal family of the Kingdom of Novar. Working for them was going to be more lucrative than working for the Eolls. The guards at the gate didn’t seem surprised to see them leave so soon.

  “Be glad that the countess didn’t punish you,” one of them said. “We’ve been getting so many fake Asvetes.”

  “What?!” Nuala raised her voice with a vein popping on her forehead. “How dare you -”

  Ansel interjected, “Stop, Lady Grebel. Don’t start a fight.”

  “But you ARE an Asvete!”

  “I don’t care.”

  Pointing at him, she exclaimed while looking frustrated, “I really dislike when men are meek like you are!”

  “Lady Grebel, I am not really a man, yet.”

  “What?” She looked confused for a second.

  “I haven’t had the morning wood yet.”

  Looking flabbergasted, she took a step back while Clara giggled. Glancing back at her, Nuala asked her in a whispering tone.

  “What is morning wood?”

  “You mean you don’t know?! Ehm…, I will tell you later?”

  Ansel didn’t know what it was exactly, either. But Finnic always told him jokingly that the morning he gets “the morning wood” would be the day he’d turn into a man. Either way, the feisty mood de-escalated, and they went back to the seaside tavern.

  “We will depart for Novara tomorrow morning,” Ansel told them. “Clara, I will get you a simple room for tonight.”

  She may not be getting paid but looking after her became his responsibility from now on. And, on that evening, an unlikely guest visited them.

  “My name is Watson,” the butler, who he met back at the Eoll manor, introduced himself. “I’ve come here on the countess’ behalf.”

  “There is more?” Nuala scoffed. “What did you do to earn so much hatred from her, Asvete?”

  “No, no!” Watson retorted. “I have not come here for that. Please calm down for a moment and listen to me.”

  “I don’t feel like it,” she replied while crossing her arms and looking away.

  “Lady Grebel, please behave yourself,” Ansel told her.

  “Hmph!”

  Butler Watson hurriedly spoke, “The countess recognizes her error and apologies.”

  “That means nothing to me,” she replied. “An apology must come from the offender.”

  “I agree,” Ansel added.

  “I won’t deny that. However, she is not in a position to come here. She will make her own apology if allowed. But first, please listen to me. She is in dire straits.”

  He went on to explain that Countess Eoll was the leader of the nationalist faction.

  “That’s odd. Shouldn’t the royals be the leader of such a faction?” She asked.

  “The Vestel wishes to exist under another nation’s protection. In their own words, they are tired of this plight.”

  In the last 100 years, the empire of the Sol invaded the Kingdom of Novar for a total of 25 times. That averaged out an invasion every 4 years or so. Novarians should be proud of how they held firm against the empire, but they couldn’t be because their kingdom was falling apart financially. The royals were specially exhausted from working on shoe-string budgets and never being able to enjoy any form of luxury. They were never going to surrender to the empire but were more than willing to work with other nations. The Kingdom of Steterra, meanwhile, wanted to keep the status quo because they were comfortable behind the shield that was Novar. This was when Count Rassier got himself involved. He promised to overtake Steterra and back them up financially with a marriage tie. The Vestels would be demoted to the rank of duke but would be connected to the Rassier by a blood tie, making them essentially royals.

  “Needless to say, the royals were pleased to have an ally.”

  “I thought the Kingdom of Opria was allied through royal marriages?” Ansel asked.

  “True. But their nation is even smaller than us. Whenever the empire invaded us, they also invaded Opria at the same time. We’ve been helping each other out somehow whenever able. But that is no longer feasible in future invasions. Steterra is willing to back us via military aid only while the Count has promised both military and economic aid.”

  “In such a case, shouldn’t the countess be content as well?”

  Butler Watson narrowed his eyes and frowned. “If the count’s offer was genuine, yes. You know the saying, yes? When something sounds too good to be true, then you’ve better watch out. Countess is convinced that what Count Rassier is after is the kingdom itself.”

  As expected of an Asvete…, Ansel thought.

  “Therefore,” the butler continued, “The Eoll and the Vestel have been at odds for a while. The latter has been sending fake Asvetes to install spies.”

  Russet Asvete’s attitude toward him made sense now. She thought Ansel was a spy. She had every reason to believe so since he even declared that he worked under Count Rassier.

  “And she thinks that she was wrong?”

  “She is unsure. She would like to talk to you.”

  “In that case, I respectively refuse.”

  The butler’s eyes went wide and so did Nuala’s.

  “I don’t think I deserve to be treated this way. The countess must understand that I was hoping to land her a helping hand. Both of us are mages here, and we were willing to work in exchange for land instead of wages.”

  “But -”

  Ansel interjected, “I came here only because of my mentor’s recommendation and I was shot down coldly. If she felt truly remorseful, then we should have been stopped before we left the manor. Please send my regards to the countess and leave us be. We are departing for Novara tomorrow.”

  “What?! You cannot! Anywhere but there!”

  “You. Do. Not. Tell. Us. what to do!” Ansel raised his voice. What made it scarier was that he didn’t sound angry at all. It sounded more like a warning, and the butler got down to his knees at once.

  He pleaded, “I beg of you. Please meet the countess at least before making the decision.”

  Ansel turned to Nuala and asked, “I will follow your decision.”

  Pointing at herself, she blurted, “Me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ehm, well…” She didn’t seem to expect the responsibility to fall on herself. “W, well, it wouldn’t be too bad to hear her out, yes? Giving her a second chance and all.”

  “Mr Watson, you heard Lady Grebel. Be grateful to her.”

  “I thank you, Lady Grebel!”

  “Yeah…., sure.”

  Once the butler left, Ansel asked her.

  “Satisifed?”

  “About what?”

  “I wasn’t meek there, was I?”

  She looked flabbergasted. “You did that to make a point?”

  “No, I did so in order to please you.”

  She looked confused. “Why would you try to please me? You are not my servant.”

  “But we are supposed to be working together. You were angry at me earlier, weren’t you?”

  “True, but …” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Look, I’ve got some temper. Don’t mind me too much even when my mouth goes off.”

  “I assume that you didn't used to have the temper of yours?”

  Her eyes went wide, knowing full well what he was trying to imply. Her years, over a decade, of neglect from her parents caused her to grow some feisty temper.

  “Look, I am sorry that I yelled at you earlier. Let’s forget this, okay?”

  “If you say so.” Pushing further was going to make her explode, thus it was better to stop now. He didn’t play a tough guy just to please her however. He was a baronet now. It was time to show some backbone.

  “I am going to lay down,” she said while opening up the room divider and effectively shut off half of the room. There was an air of uneasiness throughout that day.

  “We got off the wrong foot.”

  Ansel and Nuala were seated on a sofa, and the countess was seated on the opposite side. Butler Watson was standing right behind her with his hands on back.

  “Yes, we have,” Ansel replied.

  “First of all, I apologize for the poor reception previously.”

  Both of them nodded.

  “Let us introduce ourselves,” she said. “My name is Russet Eoll. I am sure that you know my maiden name.”

  Nodding, Ansel replied, “My name is Ansel Asvete. This is Nuala Grebel.”

  Russet tilted her head slightly. “Lady Grebel, that’s a pretty rare first name you have there. I happen to know someone who goes by the same name.”

  “The one and the same,” Nuala admitted without a fuss.

  Russet sighed and looked at Ansel. “Which means you are definitely not a spy.”

  There was absolutely no way that the princess of Fladal was working with a spy sent by the Vestel.

  “Why did you leave Count Rassier if I may ask?”

  “Because he was a tyrant.”

  “And he let you go just like that?”

  “Yes, but they sounded like Novar will eventually become a part of their kingdom.”

  Her eyebrows twitched, and she took a deep breath as if trying to control fire inside her. “You told them you were going to Novar, and they let you go because you’d eventually come under their control again. Am I getting this right?”

  “Correct.”

  “What were you? Rank wise.”

  “I was given the rank of baronet although I wasn’t assigned to a fief.”

  She looked at Nuala. “And you?”

  “I am just accompanying the baronet here.”

  “Are you two married? Or in a relationship?”

  “No,” Ansel replied.

  She rubbed the bridge of her nose with a long sigh. Ansel just indirectly confirmed her suspicions about the count.

  “And you two are mages? If so, which element do you command?”

  “A black mage,” Nuala replied.

  “I am a voidkin,” And Ansel replied. His reply made the countess freeze for a moment.

  “A voidkin…,” she murmured. A voidkin was especially useful for a defensive side. In other words, Ansel was exactly the kind of mage she needed to fight the empire. “We cannot really afford two mages. Perhaps one but not two.”

  “Fear not, Countess. Money isn’t what we are after.”

  “Then landrights?”

  Both of them nodded.

  “We don’t exactly have plenty of spare land, either.”

  “I am aware of a patch of land north of the city along the shore.”

  It took a moment for her to realize the location he was talking about.

  “That’s a pirate cove although their activities are on a low side.”

  “If we clear it out, then can we claim it as our own?”

  “I am not sure… That place is out of our territory. But it is a noman’s land, and I cannot support you in that adventure. We just don’t have the extra funds.”

  “We don’t require any support from you. All I want is a guarantee that the land will be ours when we clear it out.”

  The countess narrowed her eyes because Ansel sounded so confident that he would be successful without any support from her. He would have no army and fleet. The task seemed virtually impossible. Even Nuala looked highly skeptical.

  “Well, if you clear it out on your own, then I will do my part to make it yours.”

  “That is not a guarantee.”

  “It’s the best I can do. We are just counts and can’t expand our territory as we see fit. It’s going to require approval from the Vestel.”

  Given the fact that she was at odds with the royals, it was highly unlikely that they were going to let her expand her territory. Nuala was right. They should have gone to the Vestel instead. However, on the flip side, if the Vestel would grant the land right, the isolated location meant that he would need to work with the Eolls who wouldn’t cooperate most likely. In the end, in his mind, it was better to work with the countess.

  “Why do you play by the books at this point?” he argued. “The royals don’t need to know.”

  “They would eventually find out either way.”

  “The empire is going to invade soon. You can certainly make up various excuses why you expanded your territory. In addition, it is a pirate land. Nobody is going to really voice up even if you took it by force and made it your own.”

  Groaning, she crossed her arms, falling into thoughts. “You aren’t wrong…,” she whispered. Nuala let out a low-key whistle, looking impressed. Eventually, the countess looked determined.

  “Very well, fine. So be it. If you can conquer the land, then it’s yours.”

  “I thank you.”

  Looking up, Russet closed her eyes, letting out an exhausted sign. “I really don’t know how you are going to do that, but you are an Asvete. And we make shits happen.”

  “Indeed, my lady,” the butler Watson agreed with glee.