The next day, I’m back at the Bronze Dorm. Ah, I missed these basic stools, bare wooden floors, and rowdy people. Those nobles exude their pretentiousness into the air. Makes it hard to breathe for us folk who can live without large sticks rammed up our backsides. I’m looking forward to putting up my feet and relaxing but first—

“You!”

Abel jumps up from his seat as I approach. Huh. Knew he’d be angry but this is a bit beyond my predictions. His whole face is flushed with anger. He looks ready to throttle me given half the chance.

Lucky me. I won’t have to spend days winding him up.

“Hey, guys.” I greet the rest of the table, taking my usual place beside Alana. Usual reactions. Marthe scowls at me, probably resenting my very existence, while the brothers ignore me at the first sign of trouble. “Such a warm welcome. Knew you guys missed me.”

“Don’t ignore me!” Abel comes around the table, towering over me with his hands balled into fists. “How dare you think to threaten the young master!?”

“You really are a servant of that house. Is there some kind of practice among the Pottoculli family to stop me from enjoying my lunch?” I put down my spoon and stand up. “And deception is also a well-practiced art amongst your lot, huh. What’s with your twisted version of the story? Your young master is the one who threatened me. I was simply sticking up for myself against a brat with gold coins rattling around inside his head rather than a brain.”

“You stupid whore! You’re just another loose woman trying to cling to his thigh—”

“As if. Titles don’t mean anything here. And even if they did, I’d pick someone better than the third son of some random family. Never even heard the name Pot-o-crappy until recently.”

I lean forward, lowering my voice to a level only Abel can hear. “But everyone’s going to know it soon. When Restday comes, I’m going to beat your precious young master until he cries. My imp is going to piss on his shivering body before I toss him out of that ring like the trash he is.

“And when he’s at home, licking his wounds while his reputation dies from the public shaming, who do you think he’ll take his anger out on? Probably the ass-kissing little commoner who clings to his thigh so hard he’s constantly getting slapped in the face by his tiny dick. Your future is over, you damn leech. I hope you enjoyed strutting about like you’re worth anything, gutter scum.”

“YOU BITCH!” Enraged, Abel grabs and throws the closest thing available, which happens to be a bowl of stew. I stiffen to keep from dodging, letting the lukewarm meal splash over me as the clay bowl hits my cheek. “There is no need for the young master to dirty his hands with you! I’ll kill you myself!”

There is a brief lull in the surrounding noise as everyone hears his exclamation and then a surge of cheers, egging him on. Part two, spread awareness of my conflict with the Pottoculli family to the other acolytes, is complete. The more witnesses to our duel, the more of an impact it will have on both Peter, his family, and their faction at large. Even crushing Abel, while not as impactful, will have an effect.

“I ac—”

A hand grabs my arm. I look over as Alana stands up. Her glare is sharp enough to cut a man in two and I see Abel come up short. I’ve checked on her in the mornings. Those thugs who tried to accost me have tried their games on her but she endured it all with her usual stoicism. I think she’s happy for an easy target.

“Have you no shame?” she says, her voice easily cutting through the noise. “You and your house are bastards, targeting a young woman like this. If you are so eager to fight, then I will gladly take up the challenge.”

“What? No.” Unlike me, Alana gives off every impression of being competent. Not willing to try your chances, huh? “My grievances are with her.”

“Lou is my friend, so that means that your grievances are with me. Enough weaseling. If your offense is real, then prove it now.”

“…you’re on the wrong side of this.” Unwilling to face her, he quickly walks away from the table. The crowd, fully engaged in the drama, presses in on him. He has to squeeze past the bodies as they shout obscenities and curses at him for being a coward, head bowed as he pushes through.

Oof. This may be a bigger blow than simply getting kicked around. Won’t be long before rumors like ‘the Pottoculli family is full of cowards’ starts circling around. “Nice assist, Alana.”

“Mm. Though I can’t help you this coming Restday.” She seems genuinely frustrated by that. You really are a knight, aren’t you? The kind who doesn’t need shiny armor to prove it. “Are you going to be okay? After going this far, he will not show any mercy. There is still time to fix this.”

“Didn’t you say you were going to trust me? This is all going according to plan. I’m far more capable than I look.” I reach out and pat her shoulder. This is a great opportunity to go in for the hug but, dammit, I’m covered in stew. I want to kick Abel’s ass for the missed opportunity alone. “Hey, Marthe. Make sure you show up. You’ll get to see a noble beat into the ground.”

The redhead grins at me. “Heh. Maybe you aren’t like that other trash. Looking forward to it, Lou.”

“You brothers as well.” Mike jumps when I address him. Saints, these two are skittish. “Come see the show. Make sure to tell all of your friends.”