Xerte

Xerte was nervous. After arriving in the city, they had been told that they would in fact not be meeting the empress. Xerte was ok with that. But the problem appeared when the Empress wanted to meet with the Archduchess, ordering him to call her.

“Xerte. I did not expect your call for a few days. Has something happened?” The Archduchess asked.

“Yes, your grace. The Empress wishes to speak with you.” Xerte replied dutifully.

“I see. Has she said when she wishes to talk?” the Archduchess asked.

“The Empress is available right now.” one of the Empress’ butlers said from behind him. The butlers had been keeping a watch on him since he arrived, treating him as if he were some criminal.

“But I am not. So if she wishes to speak then she can communicate her intentions though my secretary Hagril. I am sure a suitable time can be decided.” The Archduchess replied smiling. “And you should tell me when you have company next time Xerte, I would have said hello. I have manners, unlike some.”

The feed then cut off, replaced with an image of Hagril.

“I am told that the Empress wishes to hold discourse with the Archduchess.” he said.

“Yes. The Empress had hoped that it would be face to face, but since the Archduchess is but a Treeling, the communicator shall have to suffice.” the butler replied. A very presumptuous butler, that one.

“I assure you, transportation is not a problem. The Rotere guards would be happy to ferry the Archduchess back and forth, the issue of safety, however, remains. How many Trees will you allow into your territory for a face to face meeting?” Hagril asked. Xerte was astounded. Hagril was handling the butlers remarkably well.

“I fear I cannot answer that, but it is best to assume that the answer is none. The Archduchy has little in the way of relations with the Empire.” The butler replied, keeping to his superior act.

“The same cannot be said of the Empire, I hear a rather large convoy of your citizens is headed our way. Is this what the Empress wished to discuss? Immigration?” Hagril asked.

“Yes, among other things.” the butler replied, in a shockingly uncombative statement.

“I will need an agenda list. The talks will go smoother for both sides if they are ready for it. The Empress and the Archduchess are busy people, after all.” Hagril replied.

“I cannot promise that.” the butler said, now uncomfortable.

“Well, what can you promise? Not the time, the location, or an agenda. Perhaps it would be best if I talked to someone with authority.” Hagril said.

“Perhaps it would be best, secretary. I shall call the Grand Chancellor post-haste, I am sure his grace will be pleased with the interruption.” the butler said.

“Please, do so. Have Adventurer Xerte call me when you are ready, in the meanwhile I have better things to do than waste my time with you.” Hagril replied, his image disappearing, leaving Xerte alone with a seething butler.

“Is your Archduchess always so daft?” the butler asked, turning towards him.

“Excuse me? I do not like what you are implying, butler.” Xerte quipped Insulting him was one thing, but calling the Archduchess daft? The butler went too far.

The butler did not reply, instead releasing his aura. A Plantling. Xerte responded in kind, releasing his aura in full, pressuring him.

“I think you have no idea what you are dealing with, it might be best that you get someone who does. And the convoy will be attending market today. Do prepare for it.” Xerte said. The convoy, filled with prize goods, would no doubt hog the market and cause chaos. And as he didn't answer to those in charge, that would leave the butler to be blamed.

Xerte walked out of the palace, ignoring the butler. The meeting had left him reeling, he had been rendered speechless by the arrogant man. Hagril, who was far behind him in cultivation, had performed much better. Though, it might have been a matter of experience. As secretary, Hagril had to answer and talk to people all day.

Xerte, on the other hand, had much simpler interactions. In fact, he had never been put in such a situation before. But now that he had, he would have to learn to deal with such situations, he couldn't have Hagril to deal with it every time.

SCENE CHANGE

A room in the palace.

“Elodia, report.” A young looking woman said into a communicator.

“Yes, your majesty. The situation has seen little change since the last time I reported. The Adventurer Captain is still suspicious of me, and the young Baron remains infatuated with me. But I would note that the Adventurer is furious at your mother’s butler."

"The butler apparently insulted the Archduchess, something that has been reported back home and spread across the convoy. I suspect that we will see an increase in prices and hostility, at least for the coming period. The people are very loyal towards the Archduchess and have taken the insult personally.” Elodia said through the communicator, causing the woman to frown.

“An insult? Why would a butler insult the Archduchess, in public even?” she asked.

“I do not know why, your majesty, though from what I gather he had a rather unpleasant discourse with the Archduchess’ secretary.” Elodia replied.

“Acknowledged. Do not contact me, I will do so, if the convoy is turning hostile then your position may turn dangerous.” the woman said, switching the communicator off. The butler was a worrying development for her, the common people may be unaware of who stood behind the Archduchess, but she, Princess Elutra of the Dark Empire, most certainly was.

A Grand Elder’s granddaughter, an Elder’s daughter, an eleven-year-old Treeling that had only been cultivating for a few months. The Archduchess was not someone the Empire wanted as an enemy.

The Princess opened a portal before her, moving through multiple to reach the Arch Duchy, and then changed her appearance. A few minutes later, she stood before an extremely chatty woman who had just begun the topic.

“…and you must be careful Elutra, those men are quite angry that you snubbed them. But really, you were so good. ‘Not speak about things you have no knowledge of.' Oh, what a genius sentence, those idiots couldn't even reply.

Are you sure you don’t want to join one of the other Organizations? I am sure you would do well with that tongue of yours. I would not be shocked if you ended up in the Administrative Wing!” the woman said.

“Tell me Terril, have you heard anything about someone being rude to the Archduchess in the Empire? I heard some rumors coming here…” Eltura prodded, hoping that the gossip queen would spill some useful information.

The woman was better than the Empire’s spies at gathering information, Eltura was shocked the Rotere guards hadn’t recruited her yet. But she supposed those monsters wanted their recruits a bit more ruthless.

Terril, for all her virtues, could not harm a mouse. The inability was exactly why she wasn’t a cultivator, she had refused to participate in the Adventurer Guild trials.

“Oh, I didn’t know that the information got so popular. Oh, dear this is not going to go well I tell you. The butler apparently called the Archduchess daft. Not really the worst of things, but has still gotten all those military boy's knickers in a twist. I swear, for a bunch of battle hardened soldiers, they do get up in arms over every little thing."

"The Archduchess, though, seems unaffected, in fact she scoffed at the insult. Can you imagine? A noble that scoffs at insults instead of calling for war. As I told Matilda the other day, this is the kind of leadership we need. Not one of those pipsqueaks that can move mountains but can’t take a good old insult.” Terril said, shaking her head as she continued gardening their shared garden.

The garden wasn’t really their job, the administration would keep the lawns around using Earth magic, but anything extra had to be done themselves. Terril had taken to making a flower bed, and Elutra had taken to helping her.

The woman was a machine, she had information straight from the Archduchess’ mansion within the hour. Elutra was glad that the Archduchess was so reasonable, her own mother would never take an insult so well, but she feared the reaction of the populace.

Oh, if the words of a single butler would not bring them closer to war. Now she had to dispose of him quickly and quietly before this got any bigger. And it seemed like it was about to.

“Oh come on you fancy tongued princess, stop daydreaming and put your back into it! The weeds aren’t going to pull themselves!” Terril said, shocking Elutra out of her thoughts. A trickle of Qi and some subtle Earth magic disguised by quick movements of her hand allowed Elutra to remove the weeds without dirtying her hands too much.

“And done!” she said, getting up.

“Done already, are we? Oh fine, go, you fancy woman, to wherever you disappear to all day, I swear, somedays I'd think you were a spy or something.” Terril said.

‘Oh, if only you knew Terril.’ Elutra said as she slipped out.