*Slap* “What did you say, servant? You dare to talk back to me?”

“I’m sorry my lord, but I don’t belong to the hoster of girls to choose from… I’m just a maid, I’m cleaning the rooms.”

*Slap* he slaps her once again across the face, so hard this time that the young girl falls to the ground.

“As I’m aware, all girls that are inside the Tulip should be available to be plucked, isn’t that what your manager says? So I must assume you are denying a noble’s and a customer’s request! Why is that? Am I not suitable for you? Is that what you are saying? Does my appearance not meet your standards? Do you think I lack the coin? Is that it? I will take you downstairs and get you whipped for this! Where is the manager, Manager! ” The man was in his late 50, searching angrily around for the manager while the young girl, still in her teenage years, was shaken in place in fright of what would happen to her.

Quickly, a red-headed woman approached, wearing tight and revealing clothes, very different from the well-dressed girls that worked the place. She promptly helped the young one to stand up, “My apologies, my lord. She is new here and still in training, so the only work available for her right now is indeed cleaning. We do not allow an untrained girl to serve patrons.”

“Humpf, still, I don’t care if she is not… trained. If I say I wish to have a taste, there shouldn’t be any problems, am I right?”

“Of course not my lord, but… there is only one thing I’d like to tell you beforehand.”

“What?”

The woman approaches the lord with a smile “She came from… let’s say, the lesser caste of the city, the slums, so you should understand what that means. If it’s purity you are looking for, I’m afraid it’s long gone, my lord. And besides that, she is yet to have a visit to the healers. She is not clean or fit to meet customers yet. I’m sure you understand why we say she is in training.”

The lord raises his eyes and glances at the young girl. The red-haired woman quickly grabbed his arm and turned him around, speaking in a sweet voice and showing the other side of the room where plenty of more mature girls were, all dressed in elegant clothes and flirting with the customers there.

“Look at this garden, there are plenty of flowers for you to pick from, my lord. Why should a nobleman such as yourself settle for a weak weed?”

“You are right. I shouldn’t. I shall pick the most beautiful flower to make me company!”

“Marvelous! Should I suggest someone? Or the gentleman wishes to look around?”

“I will make my own decision,” said the lord, removing his arm and moving towards the middle of the room.

The red-haired woman sighed in relief, she feels the girl grabbing her hand already tearing up.

“Thank you, Viki”

“Don’t worry Faye, just don’t come up when there are this many customers around.”

“But Vadir told me to come clean up the room.”

“That scoundrel… next time, tell him I said you are not allowed and that he can talk to the manager if he has a problem with it. Now go back downstairs and stay out of trouble”

The girl nodded and quickly ran through a nearby door that led downstairs.

“Very well done” suddenly Viki hears from behind one of the walls nearby close to an open entry. From it, appears a strange figure. A very feminine man wearing very tight and colorful clothes, he had heavy makeup on his face. His hair is long and put styled in the same fashion as many of the ladies in the house.

“Manager… You should put Vadir in his place, he can’t keep putting the girls in trouble like this.”

“Oh my dear Viki, but you handled the customer so well and you’re such a beauty to look at, I mean, you know exactly how to deal with these nobles, it’s like you were one of them!”

“Manager... what about Vadir?”

“Let him be, we need him after all, and he just likes to make a joke now and then.”

“A joke? That girl was about to be r…”

“Ah, Ah, Ah… We don’t say that word here. She’d be plucked, like the flower she is. And that’s just the natural order of things in here, a year less or more, doesn’t make any difference, does it, my dear?”

“It does. Especially when she was not sold to us with that purpose in mind, she is to be a servant, not a flower.”

“There you go again with those no, no, words. My dear, you and I know she was… borrowed, to help out our establishment. And that is perfectly fine. So why bother if she cleans or does other services? Hum? Or should I remember you that your boss is the one that profits the most from these transactions? And he appreciates them very much, thank you. So be a good girl and keep up the good work, right darling?”

“Right...”

“Splendid! Now if you excuse me, I have many guests to entertain.”

Viki lets the manager move away and walks towards the door nearby that leads downstairs. She leaves the noble area and glances upon the ground level floor.

Many of the patrons there were not nobles, most were just wealthy citizens that came to spend the hard-earned money or to pass some time away from their old and cranky wives.

Viki continues downstairs, now the stairs go long and deep into the ground. The next door is closed and locked with a key. She can hear many loud moanings coming from the other side.

Continuing down, the next floor door is also locked, but this one has a heavy lock and no key nearby. She hastens her pace, but in the background, she hears a faint whiplash followed by a scream of pain.

The next door is not only locked heavily, but also reinforced with extra wood, locked from the other side and there are no handles or ways to open it from where she stood. There was just a very small window that was opened twice a day to deliver large amounts of food to the floor. She once again rushes through by the door, thankfully, not hearing anything coming from within.

On the 4th floor, the door is made of iron and wood carved with protection glyphs and magic runes. It’s twice as heavy as the previous door, it had even metal plates to hold it together and was completely sealed off. Viki stops and looks at it, coming closer and even leaning against it to try to hear something. But it was dead silent inside.

She then moves on and continues to the last door and deeper basement. The place is where the wine was stored and where the Servants quarters were placed. Beds and shared spaces for most of them. The place is huge, as big as the main hall of the building itself.

Many young boys and girls were working amongst grown men and women. Most were around their twenties. Generally living in a very poor condition. On the back away from the main room, were individual rooms, reserved for the top courtesans of the house. Those who brought more money to the establishment were graced with better accommodations, food, and drinks.

Viki looked around and asked one of the servants there, a young man preparing a set of sheets for washing.

“Where is Cibila? She is late again for her round.”

The man pointed to one of the rooms in the back. Viki took a deep breath and strode through the place, arriving at the indicated room, she didn’t even knock, she just opened the door entering it.

Inside, a woman wearing undergarments sat down on a fancy bed clipping her nails as another girl, much younger than her, was cleaning the floor of her room. Strangely, she was wearing a light blue dress and was on her knees on the wet floor with a water bucket and a brush close by her.

“What do you want Victoria?” Said the woman sat on the bed not even looking at her and continuing clipping her nails.

“Cibila, it’s your turn to go upstairs, you know you can’t be late.”

The younger woman stands up from the ground, revealing a dirty and wet dress.

“Go change and go right up to the second floor.” She silently nods and glances at the woman sitting down before leaving in a hurry.

“Now, what do I do with you, Karen?”

“What do you mean Victoria? I just requested a servant to serve me, as it’s in my right.”

“You could’ve asked someone else, you know today is her round on the noble’s floor.”

“What can I say? Nobody cleans my floor as well as her.”

Viki smiled and moved towards Karen's dressing table, the place where her jewelry, perfumes, and silk handkerchiefs were lined up. All presents from her customers.

“You know what Karen, you may be right” she leans with her back against the dresser and facing Karen. “Tell me, I’m curious” She smiles with seductive eyes at her “Are you as good as they say?”

“I’m even better”

Victoria smiles devilishly, bumping her butt on the dresser, the table shakes and some of the things fall. “Oops, how clumsy of me.” She promptly turns and starts to put everything back as it was

“Careful with these, if you break anything you will have to pay for it!”

“Of course, of course, I wouldn’t dream of breaking anything…” With a quick hand and blocking Karen’s vision with her back, Victoria quickly steals a ring and drops it in her pocket, promptly turning back to Karen as if nothing happened.

“Now, you can have Cibila cleaning your floor anytime you want, but when is her round on the second floor, she has to go to the second floor, we need to keep the flow of girls changing there or the patrons might get bored.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Good, then we are done here” Viki smiled and left the room, closing the door. As she was walking back she moved to where Cibila was changing into another dress. She waved for a nearby servant “Carla, you are the one on cloth duty this week, right?” the woman nods.

Victoria approaches her and puts the ring on her hand without anybody noticing “Use this to get more cloth for and order another dress for Cibila. Nobody needs to know this, ok?”

Carla takes the ring and quickly stores it in her pocket.

“And you Cibila, stay away from Karen when it’s your day to go to the noble’s floor. You know how she is. And I believe you still need the noble’s coin, am I right?”

The younger woman nods as she continues to put on another dress hastily.

Viki then proceeds to move to the stairs once again to return to the top floors. But as she was going up the stairs she heard a door creaking open on the second basement floor. “Shit…” she stops and waits a few moments.

A large man begins to walk down, cleaning his hands and face with a towel, as he is drenched in sweat.

“Victoria… what a pleasant surprise” his voice is hoarse, his hair is black and very short. His face is rugged, filled with lumps and a few scars. His mouth was big and his teeth all yellow with a foul breath that quickly reached Victoria.

“Vadir…” she responded.

“So, you’ve been with us for a month now, what are you thinking of our little establishment here? Are you enjoying your stay?”

“I can’t complain.”

“I bet, after all, you are earning a lot of coins from both bosses. Much more than you could get stealing from the nobles, ain’t that right?”

“Like I said, I can’t complain.” She begins to walk forward, trying to move past him. But he quickly steps in, blocking her passage.

“But something still intrigues me. Why would the bosses put someone like you to coordinate the girls? Especially when someone could easily mistake you for one of them”

“Because I can easily set myself apart.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes” She pulls just the handle of a black dagger with a rose format from a hidden sheath within her belt.

Vadir forces a smile, clearly displeased. “It’s true what they say, the prettiest of roses have the sharpest thorns.”

“Can you move now? Before our conversation becomes... unpleasant?”

“But of course…” He steps back giving her a bit of space to move. As she passed by him and continued to walk up. Vadir kept his eyes on her, looking at her body from behind, licking his lips watching her move, barely containing himself.

Victoria could feel his eyes on her as she moved away from him. Her instincts told her that he was a dangerous fellow. And since he had put his eyes on her, she had to be always very cautious around him.

Coming back upstairs to the second floor, she overhears a group of nobles chatting while the girls bring them drinks and sit on their laps.

“I’ve heard something interesting, that new flavors are coming from the north. Is that true?”

The other noble promptly smiled “Oh yes! I’ve had some while I was visiting my property in Brigantium. The chef said he learned the recipe from the local inn and asked for me to taste it. And I must say, it was delightful”

“Indeed! Have you tasted that meat seasoned with those new spices and old roots? It’s marvelous! To think something that good could be done from such a cheap root like that!” said yet another.

“No, I have not! Have you had that potato fried in lard? It’s quite good with pure salt!”

“My goodness! There are more recipes then? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Oh yes! And hear this, I received information from my sources that the trader of these goods just arrived in Iris!”

“Finally! He should have started in our city! Took him too long to arrive here!”

“But it’s finally here! I can’t wait to be able to have that in my home!”

The third noble listening to the conversation steps in “You all speak so highly of it, I must have it as well, what’s the trader's name?”

“Bronach! His caravan should arrive shortly with the goods, I intend to buy as much as I can!”

“So do I!

“Hey, let some for the others will ya, I need to try this food you praise so much”

“Don’t worry, I will invite you to dine at my home once I get it”

“Not if I get to it first!”

Viki takes a mental note that a trader will be coming into the city and will have a load of cash once he sells his goods.

The sound of the main door opening reaches Eileen’s ear that quickly stops the action completely and looks down to Riou in fright “Someone is coming!”

Riou leans to the side to look at the door and hears Max's voice. He sighed in relief “It’s just Max”

“What do you mean it’s just him, what do we do?”

“Just take my towel and cover yourself, I will pick up yours once he enters.”

But both of them hear the magus speaking from the other room loudly “Come on Elrik!, Matilda knows which bottle you are speaking of, stop bothering her, she will bring the right one.”

Eileen looks at Riou terrified “My father! He can’t see me here like this!” she whispers desperately to him.

Riou searches his options on the bath, there isn’t much he can do in that little time, he can hear the water opening on the shower. They’d be there at any moment now.

He looks around and sees a dark corner in the room “Quick, grab my towel and rush to the corner, go into those shadows!” he takes it off and gives it to her

“They will see me there!”

“Just cover yourself and go there!”

Eileen complies, she wraps the wet towel to cover herself and stands in the corner, she looks at Riou and shrugs “What now?”

He focused his mana trying to command the shadows as Umbra taught him, but it was too soon for him to use that kind of spell. He was yet to grasp the full concept that Umbra was trying to teach him. The shadows barely moved to his command.

Riou then tried to switch on an illusion, creating a fake wall before Eileen, but the fog in the room was giving it away.

Time was running short, there was no time to prepare an advanced magic that could help in that situation.

There was only one solution he could think of without breaking the walls of the bath.

“Umbra… call for Umbra! Ask her to send you to your room right away!”

“What? How?”

“Do it! Just say her name towards the shadows, she will hear it!”

“Are you sure?”

“Do it! Quick, they are coming!”

“Ahm… Umbra?”

The darkness quickly responds to the princess’ surprise. “Princess? What do I owe the honor of this calling?”

“It worked? Is that you Umbra?”

“Yes”

“Great! We have a situation where Riou said you can help, he told me to ask you to send me to my room! Can you do that, like, right now!”

“Hmm, of course I can, but what do I gain from it?”

“What do you gain? I don’t know… what do you want?”

“Well, I also don’t know yet… I didn’t think of it beforehand.”

“What is taking so long? They will come in anytime now!” said Riou, noticing the shower has been turned off in the other room.

“Umbra wants something in return! But she doesn’t know what yet!”

“Tell her that she can ask for it later!”

“He said you can ask for it later!”

“Whatever I want?”

“I guess, please hurry!”

“I will accept that.”

The moment Max enters the room he sees Riou on the water and smiles “See Elrik! I told you he’d be here! He even beat us to it!” But at the corner of the room, he notices something, glimpses of Eileen that was being quickly covered by the shadows and disappearing into the darkness.

“Oh, so the young man is already here? Great, let me get the bottle and the glasses here and I will be right up with you”

Frightened by the sight on the corner, Max looked at Riou for answers, but the young man just forced a smile. “Riou? Was that just now the...”

Riou quickly shook his head looking directly at him, having the mage interrupting his phrase as the king approached.

The king then enters the bath “You were right Max, this was a good idea after all. We can relax a bit, drink good liquor, and talk about something other than politics for a change.” The king looks at Riou for a moment.

“Was it you that asked Matilda to say that the bath was closed so you could enjoy it alone?”

Riou was surprised “Matilda?”

“The maid, so it wasn't you?”

“No, king, I did not request such a thing.”

“In any case, did you like what the builders created? Is it to your taste?” asked the king.

“Of course! It’s perfect, just as I imagined.”

Max walked towards the corner, where Eileen just stood and observed it for a moment quite intrigued.

“What are you doing old man? Come into the water, it will help heal those old bones of yours!” Said the king with a smile getting into the water.

Max walks towards Riou, then looks back at the corner and then back at him, widening his eyes in realization and complete surprise.

The old mage then smirks sneakily at the young man “I see, I see… I understand what happened now and why there was a guard on the door” said the mage to Riou that just looked away from him for the moment.

“What happened?” The king asked, a bit confused.

“Nothing, I’m just an old man babbling about, don’t mind me.”

“Well, that is true, you are an old man! But, let's not waste time nor good liquor! After all, there is much we need to talk about, I need to learn all about the spirit world!”

----------------------------- A day later

“So, you are the famous Merchant Bronach?” said the manager, approaching and greeting the group, “Lord Emil, Lord Gustav” the merchant was talking to two lords.

“Indeed I am, in the flesh.”

“I’ve heard great things about your products, I believe the Tulip would be very interested in purchasing some of these famous recipes.”

“By all means! I’d be happy to sell them”

“Marvelous! Then whenever you have the time, we can discuss it later on. Let the gentlemen resume your conversation now”

“Thank you, well as I was saying, I met the young Brahm on the way here, twice. One time in Brigantium and another time in Siscia, I believe he is also coming to Iris…”

Those words quickly grabbed the manager's attention, he quickly turned back and joined the three once again “I beg your pardon gentlemen, did you say young Brahm?”

“Yes, it seems the house of Brahm has yet another member, an adopted man, I heard it happened at the last summer festival, before the Norse joined the war.”

The manager nodded “I heard the rumors, so are they true?”

“I believe so,” said the merchant.

“I can confirm it,” said Emil Riverband. “It is true and I know he is already at Longart, he might come here sooner than we expect”

Lord Gustav Armand nodded “He is engaged with the princess, I heard he took upon the north rites in her stead while she was in the north couple of years back”

“So the rumors were true? Our dear princess has finally met her match?”

Bronach took a deep breath and looked concerned.

“Master Bronach? Why do I sense concern from you on this topic?” asked the manager.

“I just don’t like to hear that, that he may be our king one day”

“Well, that’s a faraway thought, but do you mind if I ask why do you feel that way?”

“Like I said, I met the men a couple of times now… no, better saying I bumped into him. And both times he was dealing with shady characters. One was a known smuggler in Brigantium, the other I’m sure deals on slaves in Siscia. He looks harmless, but he is a ruthless man underneath, I fear he may be just using the princess for something else… but that’s just my opinion, I might be wrong.”

“Oh my, I'm very curious now to meet this man now, do you think he will visit the tulip?”

Emil Riverband nodded “I have a friend that knows him well, and knowing him, the new lord has probably been informed that the Tulip is the place to be for any business in town, I’m sure he will come here.”

“I’m very grateful for that Lord Emil, I shall prepare then! Please let me know when he intends to arrive. I will be looking forward to it, after all, someone like him can’t have a bad experience here on the Tulip.”

“Viki! Be a dear and call someone to clean room 26, we need new sheets for the bed there” said the manager, moving away and joining a few lords in the other room.

She looks around but doesn't see any of the servants close by. She begins moving downstairs and to a place where the dirty sheets are stored. There she sees a young man picking up the boxes of sheets and moving them downstairs for cleaning.

“Dimki, where is Faye? Isn't she the one supposed to move the sheets down today?”

“Dunno, haven’t seen her. Since there was no one bringing them down I came to pick it up”

“Strange… isn’t she downstairs?”

“Not that I saw, but I wasn’t looking for her, so I’m not sure”

“She knows she can’t go to the patrons' floors…”

A girl rushes in quite desperate “Viki I finally found you! Cibila is in trouble!”

“Not again… What happened now?” Viki began moving towards the ground floor.

“She was making her rounds in the common area and some drunkards started messing with her, now they are trying to take her out of the house!”

“Where are our guards? They should be the ones to stop these things from happening!”

“They are not there, none of them! I heard they went to a meeting for ex-soldiers that is happening tonight”

“Tonight!? Of all nights it had to be today… it’s just my luck. It’s one thing after the other with that girl. Fine, I will see what I can do.” Viki rushed through the main access towards the main exit and quickly saw a group of men surrounding Cibila, holding and pushing her towards the door.

Viki rushed towards them “What’s going on here?” She didn’t recognize any of them, probably some mercs protecting a passing caravan that stayed the night in the city, by the looks of their equipment they aren’t any big deal.

“Nothing, nothing, just a friendly invite, this lovely lady agreed to walk with us and show a bit of the city.” said one of them.

Viki smiled at him “Wouldn’t that be better during the day?”

“Oh my, it’s already night? We didn’t even notice… but the night air will do us good, ain’t it boys? And with such a lovely company I bet the city will look all the better”

Viki quickly moved towards the door, blocking their passage, “but I’m afraid we don’t allow our girls to leave the establishment. Rules of the house.”

“Is that so? I thought the girls here weren’t slaves… so they can go as they please, right? And this one is begging us to walk her outside. Right, dear? The man pulled her arm up, still holding in tightly.”

“You are hurting me!” said Cibila, fearful and not agreeing with any of that.

Viki puts her hand on her dagger handle by her side “I will have to ask the gentlemen to leave”

The mercenary released Cibila and all of them turned to Viki. “Look boys, it seems she wants to take her friend’s place. Isn’t that admirable? Lucky us that she seems just as fine!”

As Viki was about to pull the dagger, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“My, my, my, a party is happening by the entrance door and nobody remembered the old poor me? I’m shocked… to be so easily forgotten. But I’m afraid that today is not the best day for you to be throwing a party like this, my friends. You see, I’m waiting for a very special guest today, which means that I can’t have anyone misbehaving, especially at the front door. You know what they say, right? First impressions matter the most,” said the manager, stepping forward and standing between the mercenaries and Viki.

“What the fuck are you?” asked the mercenary, almost laughing at the manager's clothing and way of porting himself.

“Me? I’m just the manager here,” said with a smile on his face.

“I mean, you are a man but you look like a woman! What’s that all about?” one of the other mercenaries quickly added to the leader “Maybe he wants to take the girl's place instead!”

All five laughed at the manager's expense.

“My, my, what lively people we have visiting today. But I’m afraid you have overextended your welcome.” His smile vanished and a cold expression took over his face “So I will give you two options.”

“Is that so? What options? Let’s hear it, but I warn you, I better like them!”

“One, you and your friends walk out on your own and never come back.”

“I don’t like that one, what’s the other?” the man steps forward, facing the manager closely with a menacing look full of disdain.

A smile slowly returns to the manager’s face, but it’s a wicked one full of malice.

In a blink of an eye, the manager strikes the man's throat with full force, crushing it completely, the mercenary falls to the ground unable to breathe.

One of them quickly tries to attack the manager with a direct punch, but the manager evades it effortlessly, grabbing the man’s arm with one hand and pulled him against and his swinging elbow, hitting the man right in the middle of his face, breaking his nose and some of the surrounding bones in the process.

The other three jump into action, trying to simultaneously attack the manager from all directions, all at once. But the manager was just too fast for them. He evades their attacks without any problem and promptly counters them all with a single attack. One takes a palm to the chin and falls to the ground unconscious, the other gets his arm twisted and dislocated in a quick motion, as the third gets kicked right in the side knee and falls out of sheer pain.

“Now take your friends and leave before I make you into my permanent plaything”

The ones that could still move quickly pulled the others out of the door and away from the Tulip.

The manager took a deep breath and made sure his hair and his makeup were intact. He put up his usual friendly smile and walked back, past Viki. Without turning to her, he spoke “You were put here to coordinate the girls, not to protect them, that’s my job. We can’t have you getting hurt now, do we? Do you know what would happen, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she says against her will.

“Then say it. I want to hear it, because I won’t repeat myself another time”

“I’m a property of the black rose”

“And...?”

“Damaged goods demand compensation to the owner from whoever damaged it or allowed it to be damaged... ”

“Good, now that we clear the air, carry one with your job and remember that we have an important guest, I wish you to meet him as well once he arrives, we need to make sure he is well treated here in the Tulip.”

“Yes, mister manager”

He moves away, back into entertaining the guests there. “Come on my people, let me get you a round of drinks to help forget this unfortunate event!” he says to the ones watching what just happened.

Viki watches the mercenaries being carried away to the other side of the street and rushed outside after them the moment the Manager left her view.

“What do you want now? We are out!” Said one of them sitting down trying to put his arm back in place.

“You forgot something, compensation for the hassle of the girl. You took her time… now pay up.”

“Shit… we did nothing to her.”

“I don’t care, you prevented some other customer from taking her with that shit you tried to pull. Now, you all must pay the price, or I will finish what the manager started” she put her hand on the dagger once again.

“Fuck,” one of them tried to put himself in fight condition but the pain set him down, the manager had beaten them up badly.

The one with the broken nose pointed to the leader that was still struggling with his throat “It’s all this dumbass fault, let him pay it all!” he points to the man with the throat crushed. Dead on the street.

“Fine by me… Viki went straight for the bag of coins, with no restraints and also picked up the hidden one within the man’s belt. There was no hiding spot for money that she couldn’t find.

She searched a bit more and with a quick sweep she picked up three small pouches filled with coins which were much more than they would have to pay for a time with Cibila.

“Hey… that’s… too… much…” said the one with the broken face as blood rushed from his nose and mouth.

“It’s called compensation, you're supposed to pay a lot more because of that. Now, never return here or the manager will take you to the basement… and I will let you know that nobody leaves the basement.”

“Shit, let’s get out of here… best brothel in Allard my ass, this place sucks! Let’s get back to Siscia”

Viki watched them go and returned inside. She went straight to Cibila and sneakily gave her the three pouches “There must be over 40 coins in here. Use these wisely, buy yourself something, give it to the manager to pay your debt to the house, I don’t care, just don’t be on the floor when that big shot arrives. Who knows what kind of pervert he can be and I’m tired of cleaning up after you.”

She nodded “Thank you, Viki…”

“Don’t thank me, you need to learn to fend for yourself. I won’t be around every time to save your skin. You’ve been here long enough Cibila, you have to toughen up or this place will eat you alive. You are not fit for this job, you should quit before you are taken to the underground floors again.”

Cibila nodded again, knowing that Viki was right.

“Now go… I have to get back to the Noble’s floor and prepare for that big shot arrival.”

Time went by, Viki continued her work helping the girls to get clients, collecting the money owed, and especially, helping the nobles spend coins on drinks and food for the girls. A way to show their wealth and appreciation, not to mention it greatly improved the girls' moods for the activities that happened later in the night.

Suddenly, she noticed the whole floor’s atmosphere got heavier, the joyful and flirtatious chat ceased immediately and everybody turned to watch the staircases.

A new face appeared following the manager, a young man in a very expensive Norse lord’s attire.

The manager was showing him the place full of interest, he even presented some of the girls that they passed by and was taking the guest to the most prestigious table in the house that was reserved that day. A velvet bench with soft padding and a table made of the most noble of woods.

It had a view to all the floor and a constant flux of service, be it food, drinks, or girls. Whatever the customer wanted, it should be granted.

“So that’s the new Brahm?” she overheard one of the nobles nearby talking to another one.

“That’s what was said, wasn’t it? That a Brahm would be visiting Iris, it must be him.”

Viki got confused for a moment, that noble looked oddly familiar. Those eyes, that hair, it reminded her of the boy she once crossed. “It can’t be him,” she whispers to herself. That man was much older than that boy she knew, and he couldn’t possibly grow that much in just a couple of years, “Yes, he couldn’t possibly be the same person” she reassured herself.

Lost in her thoughts, the manager waved for her to approach. Unable to deny the request, she took comfort in the certainty that the noble and that boy couldn’t be the same person and moved towards the table with a smile on her face.

“Lord Brahm, let me present you Victoria, she is in charge of keeping the girls in good shape and happy to serve our clients. Anything you need, we both will be here to serve you however you like.”

The lord just glanced at Viki momentarily, but that quick moment was enough for her to be sure, those eyes were unmistakable and she froze immediately in place.

The manager instantly picked that up “Oh my, what do I sense here, did you know each other by any chance?” said the manager, very surprised and glancing at Viki.

But both Viki and the lord kept quiet, she couldn’t reply as she just stared at him with a frightful and lost expression.

“My goodness, I’ve never seen our Viki lose her composure in such a fashion. It seems that the Brahm's reputation of making an impression is not a legend after all” The smile of the manager became forced and his attention laid now on Viki. “I hope you didn’t cause too much of a problem for our patron here. You know the boss will be very displeased to know that you offended a Brahm and caused this establishment to lose his business.”

Suddenly the lord replied “It was long ago. And I’m not the type to hold personal grudges.”

The manager returned his cordial tone “Is that so? May I inquire what happened? Or is it a secret or sensitive topic?”

“It’s no secret, I just misjudged her, I took a chance and then she bit me back.” The Lord smiled at the manager “Not my brightest moment, I fear to say.” Viki felt like a dagger had stabbed her chest.

“Is that so?” the manager glances at her, noticing her reaction and then his uncaring eyes. “But it’s all water under the bridge now, isn’t it?” said the manager watching both closely.

“Of course, it was a good learning experience for me. Like I said, it was long ago.”

“How benevolent, isn’t that splendid Viki?! Aren’t you glad? This demands a toast! Let me get you something to drink, the best spirit the house has to offer! Can you help me with it, Viki?”

As the manager moved away, he waited for her to join him, he leaned on her ear and whispered “Viki, Viki, Viki, where were your head at? Did you steal from a Brahm?”

Viki was shaken but quickly recomposing herself “I… didn’t know. He said he had no family name at the time”

His smile vanished once again and he became dead serious “And what did you steal?”

“It was just a necklace and a pair of short swords, nothing else” she replied leaving some of the details behind.

“Just that? Hum, strange, then why is he so bothered by your presence?” but before she could reply, the manager put up his smile back and continued “Well, nobles, right? Who knows what they are thinking. So just stay away from him, we don’t want him in a bad mood while inside this establishment, do we?”

Viki remained silent. “I will bid him goodbye and go downstairs.”

“You do that, and Viki, stay away from his sight while he is here, I mean it.”

As the manager moved towards the bar to get the drink, Viki returned to the table. She took a deep breath and put up her facade back.

“I wasn’t sure it was you until I got closer. You sure grew up fast”

“I get that a lot”

“And to think you were the big shot that the manager was waiting… damn. I was fooled by your act back then. Fucking Therese too, she lied to me, didn’t she? And she said you were nobody and that you had nothing too. I mean, she made me believe I had taken everything you had at that time. Damn, make me feel like shit for having stolen from a nobody.”

For some reason, his silence and indifference to her comments were like knives twisting on her stomach

So she continued “And she said you alone had tracked me and taken down that hideout… what a fool I was, I believed her at the time!”

But he just kept silent.

“But in the end I was right, I was right all along, wasn’t I? Now it makes sense how you managed to find me and break into that secured place, you were a Brahm, of course, you knew where you could buy the information and hire the muscle to beat those thugs up.”

Once again, Riou didn’t pay attention.

“You were the son of a lord, and not any lord” she sighed relieved “Wow, I feel so much better now, like a weight has been removed from my shoulders.” Her words told a story, but her eyes and her expression said otherwise.

But Riou was uninterested, even more now than before, and it was making her crazy.

“What? Can’t talk without your necklace? I thought I heard you just fine a moment ago.”

His eyes moved towards her for the first time in that conversation, staring directly into her eyes.

Instantly those cold eyes evoked the memories of the time she met him, alongside with all those emotions felt during that trip, something she spent a lot of effort to suppress.

Cold eyes, filled with disappointment. They pierced her soul like always. Viki smiled at herself, two years had passed and she had forgotten how it was to deal with him. The only eyes she couldn’t fool, he seemed to see right through her lies.

She forced a smile, recovering from the effect his presence had on him. “Won’t you ask what happened to your blades? If you ask me nicely, I may tell you what I know… not that I looked into it to get them back or anything, I mean, if you asked for it, I might try to help. For a price, I mean, of course.”

“No thank you, I want nothing to do with you.” his response was sharp like a blade and immediate.

“Wow, so cold… you’ve grown up quite well. You even sound like a noble now.”

Riou sighed “And you, on the other hand, didn’t change a thing, did you? After everything that happened...” he looked straight at her belt, the place with a small compartment where she hid her black rose dagger. “You're still with them,” he then glanced at the girls, some sat on old man’s laps, some were giving them drinks, others were groped while a few others were having their dresses pulled down. Most of them, having to pretend to like it.

Once again she felt a stab through her chest, pressuring it and taking her breath away. “It’s not like I have a choice…” she lets out without realizing it.

“There is always a choice.”

She forced a laughter “It must be good to have a backing like that, to live free without concern, doing just whatever gets to your mind. But it’s not like that for most of us… all of us are here for a reason.” She looked at the girls around.”

Riou squints his eyes at her but Viki starts to step away, suddenly she stops, pondering if she should say something else to him. She wanted to put him in his place, unload the truth of the hard world on him but the manager was returning with the drinks, it was past her time to go.

The manager observes as she moves away, shaken expression and quick steps, like a broken-hearted maiden. He stops intrigued for a moment and resumes moving to the table with Riou. “Viki is gone? I thought we would chat a bit more” said the manager, putting the drink for him and looking at her vanishing at the stairs.

“I think she went to work on something.”

“So diligent, she has been a great help here.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“My lord knows her well then? I thought your interaction was brief.”

“It’s a long story, maybe another time, I came here not to talk about her but because I was told this place is where the most influential people of Iris come to drink and talk. That’s why I’m here.”

“So the lord wishes to meet someone? Well, I could be of service, there is none that I don’t know in this city. Could I help to introduce you to Iris' court?”

“That would certainly speed things up, could you kindly help me with that? I’d gladly buy a favorable introduction.”

“Oh my, handsome and smart. My heart just skipped a beat! My, my, my, you are the full package, aren’t you? Then, may I ask you, what are you dealing with, what are your goods? Just so I know to whom to take you, of course.”

“Armors, weapons, and enchantments. Only top-notch materials, best grade than anything Allard has to offer nowadays..”

“My goodness, such exquisite merchandise, I know exactly who you must meet then! The biggest armor and weapons dealer in Allard, not to mention the best enchanting family. Luckily they are all long time customers of our establishment and good friends of ours.”

“Good, so you can arrange a meeting for me?”

“Of course! I will send the word right away! Does tomorrow work for my lord?”

“They are not here today?”

“Well, not all of them, and the ones that are… are quite busy at the moment, it would be preferable to see them tomorrow, I will arrange a private room for you to meet.”

“Very well, then I shall return tomorrow”

“My lord, you are already going? But you just arrived, you haven’t experimented with any of our house's attractions.”

The lord looked at the manager with a smug yet cold face. “I doubt you have anything that can entertain me here”

“Ho, if we don’t have, I’m sure I can provide it, if the lord could give me some more information about his desires…”

“Maybe tomorrow, if I’m in the mood for it… that will depend entirely if the meeting goes well”

“Then I will do my best to satisfy you there my lord.”

---------------------------------- on another part of the town.

“And what if we don’t want to go back? We have good lives here now, the pay is certainly better!” shouted one ex-soldier amongst the many that watched the princess. They were all located on a small plaza, hearing Eileen speak on top of a podium that was set there. The whole place was filled with ex-soldiers that came, answering the princess’ summon.

“Name and rank soldier!?” asked the princess.

“Vadir Holwbit, captain of the former 12th contingent of the yellow banner.”

“Vadir, I can’t promise a better pay just yet, but return to Longart to review your service under the king and I promise that your lives will improve drastically in our capital or wherever you will be allocated now! I came to let you all know that the king is back and he asks that you are to be reintegrated into Allard’s army immediately!

“What about crimes and other unlawful actions that some of us might have committed while in here? Will that be pardoned too?”

The princess sighed “No. Any actions that any of you have taken against the Allardian people, will be investigated and prosecuted. No one will turn a blind eye to anything. So, to atone for one’s mistakes, returning now is the only way to regain your honor back and pay for any misdeeds!”

“See people? What have I told you? They want us to lay our heads down so they can chop them off! I’d rather stay here and get rich instead!”

The princess quickly refuted, “Do not be mistaken by a false sense of safety! Allard will recover, Longart is already coming back to its feet! And it will be back to its former glory in no time, with or without your help! Be sure of that! All I ask of you is that you think about it very carefully now and remember the honorable soldier you once were!”

“Is it true the Knight captain has been assigned to Iris?” one soldier asked.

“It is true, Bhalrom will be the one in charge of this city and everything related to the soldiers here!”

A loud murmur erupts from the crowd.

Vadir shouts from amidst the soldiers once again “My dear princess! What some of us did this month alone will get the good knight captain’s blood boiling! He will skin us alive if given the chance! And all it would take was one big mouth to spill the beans, and it would be to the dungeons with all of us, it would be filled up to the bricks!”

Once again a conversation amongst the soldiers erupted, loudly this time around.

Vadir continued “Hahaha, just step down from your high horse and face reality! Everybody here knows that Longart is done for, the old king is done and a new order will take over him very, very soon! And we want to be on the winning side this time around!”

“You are deadly wrong!” shouted the princess silencing everyone in surprise. “Longart has taken a blow, I will not deny that. But our capital is far from done. Not to mention that my father is back on the throne, healthy! The plague was dealt with and the city is now in its process of healing and rebuilding! You can come back and take part in it, you can help the citizens in this time of need with all the support of the crown! That I promise you, there will be no capital or physical punishment to those who had committed crimes and wish to return! You will be sentenced to honest labor and community service as much as your sentence demands!”

“Can you believe that? The good captain will take our skin with a rusty knife the moment he puts his hands on us! And crown support? Don’t make me laugh! With what coin? All of the court is gone from the capital and have come to Iris, it’s a matter of time that the nobles here overthrown that weak king! You can’t deny that, princess!” shouted Vadir.

Eileen smiled and shook her head “If you think for a moment that you are on the stronger side, I’m sorry to tell you, but you are very mistaken. Longart is not alone in this time of need!”

“Is the north supporting Allard? Is Torwald back from the war?” asked one of the soldiers.

“My grandfather has indeed returned to Thanes! And for those who do not know it yet, the war on the south is over! Argos has been defeated and pushed back to their lands below the great desert!”

“Really? It can’t be!” one soldier shouted as the others looked at each other in surprise at such news.

“Haha! When did the young princess learn to lie and bluff like this? The war is over? What a joke! And what if the north king is back? What the fuck can Thanes do to help Allard? Last I heard they were losing badly, they are as broke as Longart is! I think you meant to say that the war was over and Argos pushed the Northmen back home!”

“It is true that they suffered casualties under the war. But I meant it, the war has been won over in the south and it is not Thanes that is supporting my father now!”

“Let’s say that’s true… So what? The beastmen are to remember their brotherhood and will come to help Longart? Is that it? Because I doubt that will happen. Those filthy animals hate us, humans! So I ask you princess, who the fuck can go against Iris and all soldiers of Allard?”

Eileen pointed to Umbra and nodded, it was her turn now. The soldiers watched her join Eileen in silence, trying to figure out who that was.

“This is Umbra, a noblewoman from the north, her family is the one supporting us right now.”

“Just one family?” shouted another soldier confused. “What would that help?”

“That makes no sense!”

“Who is this lady?” asked another.

“I’m Umbra, from the house of Bhram,” said the lady in a commanding tone, clearly doing as instructed by Eileen.

A loud chat erupted from the crowd as everyone began to talk amongst themselves. “So it’s true that you are engaged to a Bhram princess Eileen?” shouted a soldier close to her.

“No! That can’t be! Our princess can’t marry a Northmen! I won’t allow it”

“Princess! Allow us to challenge you for marriage so you can marry me instead! I promise I will go back to Longart if you do!”

Some laughter, mixed with some boos, the crowd was divided between mockery and taking that seriously.

“But the Brahms are notorious to never pick a political side on anything! Would they change now?” said one of the soldiers.

“I heard that they are rich enough to buy the whole kingdom if they wanted to!”

She calmed the crowd with her hands “It is true! But since our families are to be united, they are taking a stand now. That’s why you can believe it, the Brahm will not allow Longart, nor my father to fall!”

“If the Brahms are backing the king, the capital will be back to its former glory in no time! The princess is telling the truth!” shouted another one. “They have mountains of gold stored on their vaults!”

“Our princess never lies!” said another one.

Eileen nodded “Then, can I count on you to return to Longart?” But the crowd quickly went silent and looked at each other contemplative on those words.

“Ha! Just one thing Princess, coins and gold alone doesn’t hold swords and spears! Even if your father hires all mercenaries available on this land, it will not be enough to stop our army! We still have the numbers and the military power!”

“Look at me! Everyone! And listen to my words carefully! I’m telling you, Longart will not fall! Even if the odds against it were twice as bad and stacked against it, the capital and the king will remain and not a single stone of the white wall will be broken! That I promise you!”

The soldiers looked at each other, most of them conflicted on what to do. They knew their princess, she was not the one to lie, much less to be made of a fool. For her to be saying such things there must be a reason for her confidence. But still, they wondered if that could be true.

“I told you, Princess, nobody will return just to have its head chopped! Let’s go boys, I’ve heard enough of this nonsense! She came here today because they are desperate, they know they will lose. Otherwise, they would not come to us but to the lords directly.”

“Just remember my words today, there is still time to return! No capital or physical punishment awaits you or your families once you go back. But the work will be hard and paid accordingly! You will not be restrained and will be able to live with your families, every day! That I promise!”

As they began to leave and stop listening to her, Eileen let out a sigh “I thought that I would be able to reach a few in the first army...”

One of the soldiers nearby overheard her and addressed the princess. “I’d love to go back and see the knight captain again… but I can’t, I can’t risk going to the dungeon princess, I know you promised it wouldn’t happen, but I can’t take your word for it. I have a family to provide for.”

The princess walked towards him, “I’m telling you, that won’t happen. And if you stay here, you will only drag yourself further down the hole that you all are digging yourselves. This is the best moment to leave!”

The soldier smiles and nods, showing eyes full of regret. “If only you had come earlier, my princess. If you were here a few months back, I wouldn’t think twice before returning to Longart… I hate it here, but like Vadir said, we can’t leave now. I know my captain, if he finds out what happened here, he won’t let us pay our sentences with just labor.”

Eileen goes silent as she watches the soldier go amongst the dispersing crowd. Umbra steps to her side “It seems we failed on our task.”

The princess shakes her head “No, this was expected. But I wonder what happened to these soldiers, I was so sure that at least the members of the first would listen to me.”

Galan jumped on the podium and sat down watching as the last of the crowd disappeared into the streets. “It’s simple. It’s easier to go deeper than to turn back and face the consequences of one’s actions.”

“It can’t be that all of them think that way.” said the princess

“They are soldiers,” said Galan. “They were trained to be one unit and loyal to their brothers in arms. Even if they didn’t commit the crimes themselves, they were there and probably saw them happening, and yet they did nothing to stop it. That way the blame is all shared between the unit and now binds all of them here”

“But why would they just watch? Why don’t go against it?”

“Because they are soldiers, they are not the sons of nobles. They were taught to obey orders and you must not forget that the nobles here are cunning, and know-how to trap their employees so they can’t switch loyalty willingly”

“So they lost their jobs, their leaders, their king, their home, and now their honor… And I couldn’t do anything to help.” said the princess upset by all that was happening.

Umbra was rather impressed. “And you know that, how, servant?” She watched him closely.

“Because I too have my fair share of guilt that I wish to hide at all costs.”

“In any case. Let’s return and tell Riou how it went,” said Eileen, preparing to leave.

Vadir entered the Velvet Tulip with a big smile. The manager quickly noticed the big man and approached him.

“So? How did it go?”

“The princess came in person, she wanted the soldiers to enlist under the king’s banner once again.”

“What was the proposition?”

“A joke, she promised a fair trial and no capital punishments, just labor.”

“Hum, not too appealing I have to say. Did she explain how the king plans on establishing himself since all his forces are gone?”

“She said the Brahms have taken a stand, there was a woman that she claimed to be from the Brahm house there and she said her engagement with a Brahm is real. It seems Longart is relying on his coins for support.”

“So the rumor is true. Well, that explains why a Brahm suddenly appeared in Iris, or should I say two?”

“I only saw the lady”

“A man came here introduced as a Brahm, and he certainly had the coin to impress. If that’s true that they are backing Allard, they can support the capital economically for sure. But certainly not to defend the castle from an attack”

“Everyone knows that the princess and the king are desperate, that’s why they came to the soldiers directly.”

“Maybe they want to avoid a confrontation at all costs? They know the nobles would not budge since they have the advantage, so the king tried to sway the soldiers directly and failed it seems”

“Yes, no one will bail on Iris and Lord Partridge won’t let Longart escape now that it's done for”

“No, he won't. But I met the young Brahm today. Strangely enough, he didn't’ come across as someone interested in the political affairs of Allard.”

“He came here instead of accompanying his future bride on her speech to the soldiers? And he sent that woman to represent his house? Haha, I wish I could see the princess’s face when she finds that out! Not even her future husband believes she can turn this around?”

“Very curious indeed. And he asked me to introduce him to the main arms traders, he wanted to sell some merchandise and didn’t even show any intention to meet any of the lords in charge of the soldiers.”

“Really? For someone that should be embargoing Iris for going against the king, he seems like a merchant eager to make some coin! I don’t know, could it be that the Brahms are not backing the king as the princess claimed?”

“My thoughts exactly… So far, from what I’ve heard, the house of Brahm is motivated for one thing only, profit. It is possible that he is foreseeing a battle and wishes to make a great deal of coins on some underhanded deal behind Longart’s back. That would be expected of a Brahm.”

“Haha, I wonder how he managed to get the princess to agree to a Marriage with him! She seemed to be so stubborn!”

“There is probably more to it. I will discover tomorrow at the meeting, now go downstairs, some patrons are waiting for you there.”

“With pleasure! I’m looking forward to blowing some steam after that bullshit”

“How did it go Eileen?” Riou asked as she entered the room in the inn.

“Worse than I thought, not a single soldier returned. And you? Any luck?”

“I guess, I have a meeting tomorrow with some lords. But I don’t know” Riou turns to Max who was also there waiting for Eileen’s return. “Are you sure this is the best way? Maybe we should’ve just gone directly to the guy instead of playing around like this.”

“Trust me on this, I know Iris and I know we will scare away our targets if we go too fast. This is the proper way. You will see, Lord Tullius will not sit still, the moment he learns you are engaged to the princess and is negotiating with other nobles, he will make sure to make an appearance. Once that happens, follow the plan and I’m sure we will find the trail to the council. If someone can lead us to them, it’s lord Tullius Partridge, after all, nothing happens in this city without his knowledge.”

“What do you think, Eileen?”

“We can’t ignore a plan from the great Magus himself, can we?” she smiled and nodded agreeing with it.

“Well, and if the plan doesn’t work, then we can always go with plan b, right?” Said the mage with a smug to Riou.

“Which means I will have to keep up this lord act for a while longer… it’s tiresome you know?”

“Really? But it came so naturally to you, I thought you were on your element.” said the mage with a smirk.

“Yeah, right, it’s tiresome nonetheless, I’m just that good of an actor.”

Knock on the door.

Riou looks at Max that immediately nods, both then look at Eileen.

The princess takes a deep breath and goes toward the door. Riou snaps his fingers removing his spell from the room.

“Then I’m leaving! I knew this was a mistake from the start!” Eileen speaks loudly, right before opening the door and seeing the messenger standing on the door.

He seemed surprised to see her.

“What?” she speaks angrily at him.

The messenger hands over a letter to her.

“Princess!” he says before leaving.

She opens the letter and turns around to Riou and Max that was out of sight of the door.

“It’s an invitation for dinner. Lord Tullius Partridge is inviting me to his house for a party dinner he is giving to some nobles.” She looks at Riou a bit concerned.

Max nods “He was quicker than I anticipated, but I must admit that I thought he’d be more interested in you,” he looks at Riou.

Riou stares at Eileen, noticing her discomfort “What will you do?”

She touches her necklace and gathers her resolve, “I will go, he probably wishes to ridicule me because of my plea. I believe this won’t affect our plan.”

“Attia and Bellica will go with you.”

“They can come, but since it’s a party for lords and nobility, all bodyguards will have to wait at a guardhouse, they won’t be able to follow me inside and to the party.”

“What do you think Max?” Riou asked the mage.

“Well, knowing him, he probably wishes to know more of Longart's situation through Eileen since he heard she is in town. The choice is on the princess, she must treat this as she would normally.”

“If I wasn’t in the city, I could refuse, but since he knows I’m here, I can’t refuse it. I have to go”

------------------------------------ the next day

“Viki! Be a dear and ask Karen to prepare, she is to entertain our guest while I prepare the room for his entrance.”

“Ri… I mean, the Brahm? He will return here?”

“Yes, we have a lot to discuss with some nobles, like I said. I already cleared Karen's schedule for this time, so please go tell her to prepare and to be extra charming with our guest. I want him to be very relaxed and in a great mood for the meeting.”

“Sure manager, but just one thing. I don’t think that Karen is a good pick for him…”

The manager was surprised and suspicious of her at the same time “Is that so? She is our most experienced girl, the one more willing with the guests. And you are telling me that you know better? That you know his tastes that well?”

“I do… let me pick another girl. I promise he will like her more than Karen. You won’t be disappointed.”

“Hum… very well. But you better be sure of it. Or I will have to talk directly with your boss”

“That won’t be necessary, you will see”

“I will indeed… go prepare this girl, he will be arriving shortly”

------------------------ in the meeting room a few moments later.

“Why am I here, mister manager? You know I don’t like surprises.” Asked a lady covered in makeup wearing an overly detailed purple dress and a pompous hat. “And why are these two here as well?” she glanced at two very distinctive men. One was very old, with skin spots all over his face, his nose was rather strange, with two large protuberances on the tip making it very big. His hair was sparse and thin and completely gray.

The other one was a young man, very elegantly dressed and sat on the chair. He had a long ponytail and was wearing very tight clothes which highlighted his slender body.

“Calm down Lady Von Drampt, I called you here on behalf of someone that I believe you really should meet.”

“Someone? Who?” asked the old man.

“None other than the youngest son of the house of Brahm.” said the manager with a smile.

“Youngest?” asked the young man. “There is no youngest, Lord Lucius Brahm has just one son.”

“Haha! So, is it that damned man’s son? There is finally a Brahm visiting Iris? There's a first for everything I suppose, Lucius only sent messengers to this day, to think his flesh and blood as come, he must be preparing something big this time around.” Said the lady Von Drampt. “Are you sure of this, mister Manager? Because I doubt his son would ever set foot in here.”

“I also heard Lord Lucius hated Iris for some reason, so what’s this about, mister manager?”

“Well, I can only tell it as I know. It seems this man was adopted by the Brahms and is right now under the main house of Brahm and in line of succession together with Lord Lucius, flesh and blood, son. So, as of now, I can’t affirm or deny this man's true identity. But you on the other hand... no one would blame any of the illustrious nobles if they were to require proof of his identity once he arrives.”

“Hah, now I see why you called us here..” said the old man.

“And what business this young Brahm would have with us? Why should we meet with him? Everybody knows there is only Lucius and his only son Luca. And his son is a made man already, I met him myself once in Thanes”, said the young man.

“Well, you ask why you should meet? Because if half he says is true, it can prove to be a very profitable encounter to us all, Lord Hiard. It was not him that chose you, it was me. This man came to me with a request, and I carefully selected you three for this unique opportunity”

“Interesting, but I think this will be just a foolish endeavor and a loss of time.” said the Lord Hiard smiling and leaning on his chair with a smug face.

“Well, and in case it’s not, I just ask that you remember those who remember you.”

The old man was impatient. “Cut to the chase, manager! You wouldn’t call us here like this if you didn’t do a background check already. And he would be here if you didn’t want something else from us.”

“My lord Nesdam is direct and to the point as always, very well. The reason I have come to talk to you first is because of what I’ve heard about this young Brahm from my sources.”

“And what that would be?”

“That he is indeed engaged with Princess Eileen of Allard, which came to Iris and met with the soldiers, claiming that the whole House of Brahm is directly supporting King Elrick and Longart now. Which is very conflicting to the intentions displayed by the young lord Brahm when he came here and talked to me. He told me he wishes to trade weapons, armors, and enchantments here in Iris, possibly to all soldiers.”

“What? And why the fuck would we need his trading for? We are perfectly fine as we are.” Said Nesdam.

“Because he promises that his goods are the best there are, that there is nothing better in all Allard”

“Wait, if that’s true, why did you call us instead of your boss? Something doesn’t seem right,” asked Lord Hiard.

The lady took a deep breath and leaned back on her chair “Indeed, but I have to tell you that I also heard of such a rumor, that an adopted Brahm was engaged to the Allardian Princess. But I thought it was just that, a rumor, and quickly dismissed it. I think the manager should do the same in this case, this is obviously a scam of some sort..”

The manager nodded “Maybe, but there is more. It’s not only him, my sources also confirmed a sister as well. Some unknown lady was seeing together with the princess, claiming to be a Brahm as well.” said the manager.

The young lord Hiard shook his head laughing “Not only a younger son, but a daughter as well now? These scammers sure have great imagination, mister manager! This is obviously someone trying to trick you.”

“I thought that as well, but the size of his money bag was impressive enough for me to call you all here today. Not to mention that I was warned of his visit beforehand.”

“Interesting… but that could be easily faked, don’t you think?” said lord Hiard.

Lord Nesdam stared at the Manager with a curious look “By whom? Who told you he was coming?”

“Lord Emil Riverband and Lord Gustav Armand” The old man nodded while Hiard looked at Lady Von Drampt, quite impressed and even doubtful of what to think now, after hearing those names.

Lord Nesdam then squinted his eyes at the manager “Now I see how it is, what the manager wants is to use us to discover why a fiance of the princess would be doing business with its father enemy, he wants to use us to verify if the lordship of this man before he can run and tell his boss all the details about it.”

The manager smiled “Lord Nesdam is always on point… I won’t deny that crossed my mind. But that doesn't mean you can’t make a profit in the meanwhile.”

“Well, all in all, it’s fairly easy to check if he is a real Brahm. He should have a very particular ring in his possession and all we need to do is ask him to hand it to a servant for a moment,” said the lady.

“Is that so, my lady? What would that accomplish?” asked the manager.

“All Brahms from the main house should have a ring as proof or lordship. And said ring can only be used or held by the ones that belong to his house. The ring is quite easy to recognize as it has their crest engraved on the stone on top of it, and the fools that dare to touch it will drop to the ground in pure agony.” said Hiard.

“Marvelous, I will have a servant ready to be our tester, anything else the gentleman and madam require?”

Lord Nesdam smiled “And if he isn’t a Brahm, we only lost a few hours here. Mister manager, I expect the best bottles to be constantly delivered to this table as compensation for using us in such a manner… a couple of girls wouldn’t be bad as well.”

“But of course! A couple of girls and a few boys, for the lady. If he is not who he says he is, I will give you a week of free service to you three, so, do we have an agreement?”

The three looked at each other and nodded.

“Splendid! Our guest is already waiting, let me ask someone to bring him here, that is, if the lords are ready to start the meeting, of course.”

“Call him already and let's get this over with! I’m a bit curious now to see what if he is really a Brahm and what’s his angle in all this”

A pretty woman enters the room where Riou was waiting for his meeting with the lords. She closes the door behind her and walks to the middle of the room, never meeting his gaze or raising her eyes. Both her hands held tightly on her front as she moved and stood there. She was very well dressed and adorned with jewelry, a fine woman worthy of a high court.

Riou remained quiet and waited for her to speak.

“My name is Cibila, I came to entertain you, my lord, however you see fit. I’m here to obey your every command, my lord” she said it was like it was rehearsed.

He was sitting down on a comfortable chair, by his side a small table where a glass of some spirit rested.

“Cibila, was it? Very well, then tell me, why are you here?” He asked her in a rather uncaring and cold tone.

“I… I was ordered to entertain…” she put her hand on the shoulder strap of her dress, pulling it to the side revealing part of her pink and laced undergarment.

“How old are you, Cibila?” suddenly he asked, surprised by the question, her hand stopped.

“I’m 17, my lord”

Riou sighed, she could hear it and immediately got concerned.

“I may not be as young as you'd like to, my lord, but I’m the newest girl in the house! I haven't been with that many men yet... I think.”

Riou restrained himself and took a deep breath “Tell me, and tell me the truth. You have my word that it won’t leave this room, are you a slave here?”

“Oh no, no my lord... Slaves are forbidden in Allard.”

“Then why are you here?”

She thinks for a moment and then responds, obviously not quite understanding the question.“Because I was told to?”

“I see, so you need the money? Is that it?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“And why don’t you work elsewhere? You can make a living as a tailor, a butcher, a maid… why are you here, in this establishment?”

“Because this is the best paying job, and I need the coin fast.”

“You don’t seem to fit in this kind of environment.”

She forced a smile “I’ve heard that a lot…”

Riou stands up and steps forward, she immediately lowers her head even further. She was yet to look at him for the first time.

“You said you were new, but how long have you been here?”

“Just a couple of months now, my lord.”

“I see, take off your dress and turn around” he commanded.

“My lord?”

“Do as I say.”

She pulls both shoulder straps off and let her dress fall to the ground, revealing a pink corselet, laced and detailed, very well made that sculpts her body perfectly. She then turns around showing him her back.

He looked at her skin, there weren’t any wounds or scars, but something was amiss and caught Riou’s attention. “Why is there a spell on you?”

“My lord?”

“There is someone’s else’s mana in your skin, why is that?”

“It must be the Flower’s spell, is intended to help the girls, it numbs the pain and make them look natural, my lord”

He waved his hand, the strange spell was broken and once it faded. Her body began to reveal a different reality. The beautiful girl was now full of severe bruises. Especially on her wrists and ankles as she has been shackled. As well as marks of whips on her back, appearing where her corselet couldn’t cover. Her knees and elbows too were very red and bruised.

“Turn to face me now,” he said once again. She turned, her eyes didn’t lift from the ground.

Her face was beaten, all her body was showing heavy signs of intense abuse.

“And the coins you earn here, are they worth this much?” he asked coldly, still showing no emotion in his voice or expression.

“Yes, my lord… it’s necessary.”

“Necessary? Why?”

“I shouldn’t be talking about this, my lord… What do you wish me to do to entertain you? If my appearance displeases you, I can call another girl and...”

“Stop!” he interrupts her “I already told you how, just tell me why you are here.”

“But… Is that it, my lord? You won’t require…”

“No, that’s how you will entertain me.”

She sighed a bit relieved and picked up her dress from the floor. “It’s because of my parents, they were taken by the guards and I need to pay the fees for their accommodations and release, otherwise they will be executed.”

“Executed? What did your parents do to be arrested?”

“I… I don't know, they said it was something to do with taxes on my father’s business. All I know is that one day the guards came and took them away.”

“And they left you behind?”

“Yes, they said someone needs to stay behind to pay for their costs. But I didn’t have any money, I worked with my father, and alone I couldn’t keep the bakery running. Not to mention that bread doesn’t make much coin in Iris. So if I wanted to keep them alive there was only one place I could go to make the coins needed. That’s why I’m here, to work and free them.”

“Won’t you be unable to marry because of that? Weren’t you concerned with your future?”

“I just want my parents back, my lord.”

“And how much did it cost to free your parents?”

“At the time they were arrested, it was 500 gold coins, plus 5 coins a day they stayed there, for meals and other necessities, plus taxes of delay.”

“I see, and how much did you manage to acquire so far?”

“Not much my lord, I’m not very popular in this house. The coins I make barely make the daily cut .”

“Cut? so the House charges you as well? You have to pay to work here?”

“Yes… it’s the fee”

“Right now, how much do you need to free your parents?”

“About 630 gold coins, my lord.”

“How much is the house fee?”

“A third of the gains, with a minimum of a 10 gold coin per day. For every day we spend here until we pay back the initial investments of the house.”

“Investment?”

“Clothes, baths, beds, meals and especially for the Flower’s spell when needed… It’s a paste with numbing and healing properties, they say it’s very expensive to make.”

“And how much can a girl earn a day here?”

“It depends on the customer, the lords pay as they wish based on performance and satisfaction. On the first floor, there is a standard fee of 5 gold for the small hourglass and 10 for the big one. Usually, a girl can be called all night getting from 50 to 80 coins. Some also make some coins working for the other girls, cleaning dresses, changing and washing bed sheets and emptying the latrines.”

“And your bakery? Can’t make as much as that?”

“I’d be lucky to get 20 gold coins in a whole month selling bread.”

“I see.”

She smiled and laughed a bit.

“What?”

“No, it’s just… this is the first time that a customer asked me these questions, I’m sorry my lord, I’m not used to it. Am I doing it right? Are you satisfied?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, I am. I was expecting a more experienced girl that would rather avoid talking to me and telling me all this. Having you here and talking this openly was very entertaining to me.”

“Thank you, my lord! To tell you the truth, I don’t know why she chose me to see someone like you, my lord, but I’m grateful for the elements that she did!”

“She? Who selected you to come meet me?”

“Viki! She always helps me. I would be in so much more trouble if it weren’t for her. The manager wanted Karen, our best and most requested girl to see you, but she told me to come here instead.”

“Viki… Well, tell her that I’m grateful for her taste then, she chose wisely.”

Cibilia smiled and for the first time looked at Riou’s face for a brief moment “Thank you, my lord! I promise you won’t disappoint you! And if you ask for me the next time you visit the house as well, I promise I will be ready for you, I will do whatever you request of me and more! I promise!”

“What are your parent’s names?”

“Dornis and Bianca Whiteflower, my lord.”

*knock knock* someone knocks on the door.

“Put on your dress, if anyone asks, just tell them that I asked you to strip for me..” Riou waved his hand towards the girl, healing her whole body instantly.

She was so focused on dressing herself and complying with his order that she didn’t even realize what happened.

“How much do you owe the house?” he asked, preparing his pouch.

“Oh, nothing anymore, Viki helped me to set the debt completely after an event yesterday, I even paid a few days in advance now.”

“Then use this to pay the house for today” he drops 100 gold coins on the table. “And this, this is to thank you for the entertainment today, I learned a lot from our talk.” he drops a pouch with 200 more gold coins on the table for her.

She widened her eyes as she saw the coins “Thank you very much, my lord!” As he moved to the door she rushed to grab the coins.

At the door, a man wearing simple clothing is waiting for him “My lord, the manager is calling for you. Can I take you now? Did you finish your session already?”

“Let’s go.”

Cibila puts her dress on, a maid then appears on the door, looking inside as Riou leaves with the other servant “Cibila, will you require some Flowery retouch?”

“Yes… I’m afraid I will need a lot again this time,” she says. The maid nods, entering the room and opening a large pot she was holding, inside it had a thick paste and a strong smell.

“Sit down, pull the dress and put your legs up. Let me see the damage.”

“No, it's not there, can’t you see it on my face and back?”

“No, you look fine there.”

Cibila then looked at her wrists and the bruises on her legs, but they were all gone. “I don’t understand, They were here a moment ago...”