Dante’s Immortality – Chapter 115

He, Jayden, and Addison were escorted directly through the first two chamber’s of Sloria and directly into the third before being led into the castle-like keep in its center. He had been in the building before, it was the same place he had met the First Lady previously.

They were escorted into the same audience chamber he had seen previously. This time, the long benches on either side where the officials sat were practically empty. The room itself was almost devoid of people. Henry was there, the lively old seneschal. Beside him was the First Lady, she was propped up on her chair with her perfect posture, and even though she wasn’t looking in his direction, her eyes that were so light blue in color that they seemed glacial gave him an eerie feeling.

Aside from those two familiar faces, there were six others. One was old, only slightly younger than Henry, and standing next to the First Lady on the opposite side of him, so Dante had a feeling that he occupied a similar position.

The other four men appeared to be of higher standing, and where the only ones sitting on the long benches. They were all on the left side of the room and far down the bench, likely to be as close to the First Lady as possible.

Of the four, two of them struck Dante as dangerous. The first, a broad shouldered and devilishly handsome dark-haired man in his prime, was sitting the closest to the First Lady. He was resting a hand on his cleanshaven chin in a way that spoke of boredom, but his eyes shone with unrestrained intelligence.

Sitting next to him was the other person Dante considered to be a threat. He was relaxed, overly so. His fingers interlocking behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, leaving his elbows propped out in an almost arrogant manner. It couldn’t be said that he was handsome, his looks were average. It was his bearing that would set him apart from a crowd. Of the four, he appeared to be the one in with the most control. As though every action had a purpose.

The other two men appeared to be far more straightforward, yet at the same time weren’t people who should be tangled with. Next to the relaxed one was a large brute of a man. If Dante was concerned with combat strength alone, he was the one that should be avoided. His shoulders were perfectly squared, his eyebrows slanted, and the frown that seemed to be a permanent feature on his face gave him a militaristic air. But the overlapping scars from battle that covered every inch of his revealed skin made him look savage. Such a man was frightening, but the militaristic air spoke of a simple methodology that would be easy to predict if he became a problem.

The last on the bench, to be blunt, was fat. Incredibly so. He had a plate in front of him and didn’t seemed bothered by those around him as he stuffed his face. Every bite he took caused his jowls to tremble. And with a girth that almost matched his height, he almost looked comical. But in such a setting, Dante knew he couldn’t be normal.

Other than those people, the last person in the room that held his attention was a young woman who seemed to be in her late teens. She had her arms crossed as she leaned back on the stone wall near the four men. Her features were refined and her thick black hair was swept back into a loose ponytail. She was beautiful, that was easy to see at a glance, but that wasn’t what held his attention. It was her posture and the way that she carried herself. It was eerily similar to Victoria’s mannerism, yet lacked the almost ethereal aloofness. Regardless, anyone who was similar to Victoria in any way was someone to watch carefully, which was a thought that seemed to be reinforced by what she was wearing. Very much different from most women around her age, she was fully dressed in leather armor. The armor looked brand new, and judging by the damage it had already taken, he could be sure that it wasn’t just for looks.

Yes, she was beautiful, but in the same way a predator was. He wouldn’t go near her with a ten-foot pole.

Whatever they were talking about came to a screeching halt when the guards entered the room.

Their arrival was met with a mixed reception. The two men who he thought to be the most dangerous looked at them with a lackluster interest, the crude man covered in scars seemed thoroughly annoyed, and the fat man seemed too bothered enjoying his food to react to their presence. The First Lady and the young woman were the most reserved, merely shifting her attention to them to see what the commotion was.

Or at least that was the case for a moment. When they saw Jayden, everything changed. The four men sat up, adjusting their posture and becoming more attentive like they were preparing to withstand some great threat. Even the fat one stopped eating, any of his nonchalance gone. It was as though their greatest adversary had just entered the room. Even the young woman seemed more interested, but that interest was peaked after noting the reactions of the others.

The exception was the and First Lady, when she saw Jayden she slumped back into her chair as though relieved. It was the first time he had ever seen her posture slip.

“Dear sister, was it really necessary to have me apprehended like some common criminal?” Jayden asked, breaking the silence that had permeated through the room.

After hearing Jayden’s question, the First Lady gently smiled. In that moment, it seemed like a massive weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She looked at the four men. “My lords, could you please excuse us?”

That answered one question, these four were the city lords of Sloria. But Dante wasn’t worried about that at the moment, he was in a panic over the other piece of information he had just received. He looked at Jayden. “When you say dear sister, do you mean that you are close friends, or is she your actual sister?”

Jayden looked back at him. “Of course she is my actual sister. Well, half-sister.”

Dante and Addison looked at each other, each of them seeing trepidation in the other’s eyes.

Dante looked between Jayden and the First Lady, trying to find the resemblance. Whether it was their behavior, disposition, or looks, he didn’t see it. Both of them were in their teens, the First Lady roughly his age and Jayden only two or three years older. As far as looks went, the First Lady was actually far outclassed by Jayden. Where her features were plain, Jayden’s were sharp. He had a face that would universally be considered handsome. While the First Lady’s slightly above average appearance would be completely overshadowed by him had it not been for her shocking eyes.

And the difference in their behavior didn’t need to be stated.

“Does it seem that strange?” Jayden asked as he noticed their perplexity.

Dante and Addison both gave a single nod.

“Really?” Jayden questioned in surprise. “Of all my siblings, Alissa is the only one I get along with.”

Goddess have mercy, there were more of them.

While they were talking the four city lords were filing out of the room. They didn’t seem bothered that they had been abruptly pushed aside. If anything, they seemed happy to leave the room. Henry and the other old man followed after them, leaving him alone with Jayden, Addison, and the First Lady. It was hard not to feel slightly envious of those who were in the process of leaving. Oddly enough, the young woman also stayed, she looked far more interested in Jayden after discovering he was the First Lady’s brother.

As soon as everyone left the room the First Lady, or Alissa, looked at Jayden let out an almost unnoticeable sigh. “I thought you were dead,” she said so softly that it would go unnoticed if his hearing wasn’t abnormal.

“Dear sister, why have you yet to greet me?” Jayden asked indignantly.

Alissa smiled for a second time, then stood and walked over to Jayden before wrapping him in a warm embrace. After a few seconds she broke away, looking him up and down as though checking for injuries in the process. “Where have you been?”

Jayden’s eyes drifted to the side, breaking eye contact like a guilty child. “I was merely delayed.”

Alissa crossed her arms, the poise she had moments ago while acting as the First Lady was gone. Now she was just Jayden’s younger sister, and somehow seemed to hold the authoritative position. “How many times have I told you not to wander off without protection? I don’t think you realize how many people desire to kill you after spending five minutes with you.”

Dante and Addison, who were silently listening, broke out of their trance to nod in agreement to what Alissa said.

Alissa noticed their movement and truly took note of them for the first time. She seemed completely surprised to see Dante, likely remembering that they had met several months ago. “Who are they?”

Jayden turned smug. “You accused me of wandering off without protection, but you couldn’t have been more wrong. My dear brother wouldn’t have allowed any harm to come to me,” he said as though he had just won an argument. Jayden then pointed at Addison. “And she may not look it, but she is quite the brute.”

Addison was likely enraged, but Dante no longer paid attention to the ongoing discussion. The young woman left her spot by the wall and was silently walking toward them. Something about the grace in which she moved made his senses heighten as he perceived a threat. Dante shut out everything else around him as he prepared to defend if need be.

As the woman neared, he picked up her scent. Smell was something he usually ignored, as unsavory smells were far more common than savory ones, but with how alert he was it was impossible to ignore. She didn’t smell of floral perfume like most women in polite society, and she didn’t smell of odor like the combatants in his camp. She smelt of blood. Blood and leather.

“This is your brother?” the woman asked, her voice normal and unassuming, surprising him. She sounded like any other woman of similar age, which conflicted with the threat he perceived, but not her beautiful appearance.

Alissa nodded happily, obviously proud of her brother. “It is. Jayden, this is Diana. Her army was the reason we were able to remove the mercenaries that were soliciting the surrounding territory,” Alissa said. “She is quite interested in meeting you.”

Dante evaluated Alissa’s words. Diana definitely had the necessary bearing to be a successful warlord. Her age was surprising, but didn’t really matter so long as she had the strength that was needed

“Dear sister,” Jayden whined. “Must you constantly play matchmaker on my behalf?”

Diana didn’t react to what Jayden said, but Dante saw her pupils dilate.

Alissa was both amused and annoyed with his response. “Take this seriously, having her by your side would go a long way toward keeping yourself alive.”

Jayden looked Diana up and down. “I have no need of her,” Jayden said dismissively. “Neither do I have any obligation toward her. I’m sure that you exchanged the dungeon under the keep for her aid, so neither do you.”

Diana frowned as Alissa nodded in confirmation. Alissa then shifted her attention to Dante as though she had derived some hidden meaning from Jayden’s words.

“I am looking for a strategist and your sister has already refused me in favor of ruling this city, might I ask you to reconsider?” Diana inquired.

Instead of directly answering, Jayden looked at him. “Dear brother, what do you think?”

What ‘he thought’ was that it would be nice to be left out this, especially after confirming that Alissa had the same Classification as her brother. That was terrifying. Dante shrugged. “I’m not a Strategist.”

Diana took note of the way that Jayden deferred to him. “Who is this?”

Alissa was also interested in the question, she looked at Jayden for an answer. Jayden looked at Dante momentarily, as though gauging him. “An assassin I met while he was working for a mercenary group. We get along quite well.”