Sebas sat across from the elegantly dressed Solution Epsilon, a radiant smile on her face as she smoothed out the black and white fabric of her maid clothing. “So, ‘Lord Tian’, how much longer do you think it will be?’ She asked and gazed out the window.

The roads of Arwintar were in excellent shape, even though they were made of cobblestone, which made the ride relatively smooth. The sky was clear and the sun high in the sky. Sebas had enjoyed the view through most of the city. While it was not ‘Nazarick’, the population of the bustling metropolis was open faced, confident, and energetic. ‘People confident in their future.’ He considered that to be the best way to think of them.

Predictably enough, based on what they’d learned from Nigun, there were a number of dark elf slaves seen working in various places, but not in great numbers, and even those seemed well fed and none appeared to bear marks of mutilation and they didn’t carry themselves as if they were terrified of those around them. It made Sebas think more deeply about the Bloody Emperor, who was said to be a hammer to the nobility, and a warm blanket to the commoners. ‘No mere brute, but a cunning mind who recognizes the value of the basis of his empire and his power.’ It was reassuring, but it also kept Sebas mindful of the need for caution.

The carriage began to slow down and finally stopped. It was then that Sebas answered Solution’s question. “Now.” He said in the understated way he did that passed for a sense of humor.

“Then it’s time for me to play my part.” Solution pouted for only a moment when his ‘almost jest’ came at her expense. The polite and demure smile of a maid became her mask as she emerged from the golden carriage.

With small, light steps she descended soundlessly to the stone in front of their new manor, and held the door to allow the ‘lord’ to exit.

While the new carriage caught the eyes of passersby and many a well dressed figure stopped their horse or even carriage to get a look at who was moving into the empty estate, Sebas remained aloof. ‘Be seen, but never be seen caring that you are seen.’ His posture was that of the supreme gentleman, a formal suit with a pinstripe pattern, a cane of onyx with a white ivory head carved in the shape of a dragon’s head. At his side, Solution appeared every inch the beautiful, demure maid. He walked toward the door with his back to the street, while Solution paced herself just a little faster to get the door for him when he reached it.

The manor was a combination of white stone and golden colored wood, all polished smooth,while stained glass windows caught the light of the sun and sent a cascade of colors into the many rooms. The estate had once belonged to a high ranking noble that made the mistake of engaging in a conspiracy against the emperor on his ascent to the throne. That foolish noble’s head had been the first to be lost when the purges began of the old upper class.

Sebas recalled the head on a pike at the city gate, it had been well and truly picked clean of flesh, and Sebas couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Was this his home?’

It was a trivial question however, and he didn’t indulge the pointless curiosity any further. The door shut behind him, and his superhuman senses told him that the world outside had begun to move normally again, however it would not be long before word spread.

“What did you learn about our neighbors, Solution?” Sebas asked as they gave themselves a tour of their estate.

Solution’s face hardened in contempt, food was food, but stupid food was disgusting. “We have only one neighbor, the ‘Furt’ family, fallen nobles, mostly worthless trash, but the eldest daughter is an adventurer. The father is a fool, the mother is a fool, and their two youngest… who can say?”

“An adventurer?” Sebas asked, and Solution corrected herself.

“A ‘worker’ to be exact. The adventurer’s guild is going through hard times here, so a great many have become workers to make ends meet.” Solution said when they entered the dining hall. The estate was a thoroughly dusty place. Fine furnishings had been left as if they were just waiting for their owners to return, but left untended, and thick layers of dust that grated on both Sebas and Solution’s nerves had accumulated.

“Good, so this will be fertile ground to find some test subjects for Lord Ainz. I think it won’t be long before we’ve gotten what we need here. Not long at all. Now… until then, this place needs a thorough cleaning. Wouldn’t you agree?” Sebas asked, dragging a white gloved hand over the redwood table and holding up a finger stained thick with gray dust.

Solution’s maid instincts went into overdrive, she couldn’t suppress her shudder of disgust. “I’ll get started right away.”

Sir Furt was chatting excitedly with his wife when Arche entered the room. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, ‘He’s usually this excited after he buys something, and the same for mother.’ The eyes of her parents were always so frantic and fervent after a little ‘shopping spree’ and it troubled Arche’s weary heart to no end. And yet… nothing new appeared in the room to burden her strained purse strings.

Her father was dressed in formal green clothing with a white ruffle coming down from the neck and protruding from a tan vest, his burnt umber pants hung down to the knees to meet high white socks that were covered with gold buckled black shoes. His blonde hair and thin mustache made him appear every inch the nobleman he no longer was.

Arche’s mother was no better, clad in a brass colored top that came down over a long white dress that was obviously recently cleaned, the blonde woman still had a pretty face despite being old enough to have a working daughter. ‘Leave them.’ The words came to Arche’s mind again. Tonight she would say them out loud, but that thought was driven away by the nature of the conversation she heard when she came closer.

“I don’t know anything about him ‘yet,’ but he’s surely wealthy beyond measure if he can afford the old Duke’s estate!” Her father wrung his hands in the first hopeful sign Arche had seen. They were sweating.

‘Maybe he does know we have a problem.’ Arche was forced to admit, his face had become puffy and red, flushed with anticipation. She chose not to interrupt and let herself pick up on the topic.

“He only had a maid with him! That means he’s surely unmarried, if we can only entice him, all our concerns will be over with!” Her father exclaimed, Arche felt the bottom fall out of her stomach when she began to understand.

Her mother turned a loving eye toward her eldest child, “Arche Eeb Rile Furt,” Arche felt her heart race, her mother never said her full name except when there was a heavy subject to be brought up, “it’s time we talk about your future.”

Born of noble society and educated to it from birth, Arche knew what that meant. ‘Marriage.’

‘I thought I didn’t have to worry about that nonsense anymore. That was one of the good things about losing our title! Why are they bringing this up now!’ Arche screamed inside her mind.

Sensing her dismay, her father cleared his throat and explained, “We have a new neighbor, he bought, or rented, the estate beside us. Nobody knows anything about him, but he must be tremendously wealthy and knowing that is enough by itself.” His eyes almost bulged out of his head, “We ‘must’ make a positive impression on him, and by ‘we’ I especially mean you. It’s time you did something worthwhile for this family-”

Arche’s mind went white hot with anger to the point where she heard nothing else. ‘Bastard! You selfish, selfish bastard! Me risking my ass is the only reason you’re still eating every day! Do something?! Do something?! The best thing I could do is gut you here so I can save my sisters from your stupidity!’

The speech raged in her head so loudly that she wasn’t even aware he’d finished speaking until her mother reached over and gently covered her daughter’s trembling hand.

“If things were now as they were a year ago… you’d already be married or at least engaged.” The silken voice of the family matriarch was almost pleading, though her father was oblivious as gold coins danced before his eyes in his own imagination, and the imaginary noise of their clinking drowned out the real words being spoken around him.

“No nobles will have a cast out family married into theirs, but this is a new man, he’s older, and will not live forever. I caught a look at him, he was very handsome too, despite his age.” Her mother’s voice was rushed, almost frantic in its own way, her fingers closed over Arche’s hand, the slight pressure a hint at her hopeless sense of urgency. Her mother’s other hand formed a fist and covered her heart.

“Think of us, we’re your parents… what will happen…?” Her mother’s eyes filled with tears that she wouldn’t allow to fall, Arche remained unmoved, her stare became hard at the woman who bore her.

“Think of your sisters. Our best hope is new money, nobles typically won’t marry a newcomer, but… but… but new money needs ties, you don’t move into an estate like these if you don’t plan to stay. It means you have a chance, and maybe he’d take care of-” Her mother cut off her own frantic plea to convince her daughter when Arche’s hand began to shake in her mother’s hold.

“What if I’m not his type?” Arche objected, her short hair was not finely done, her clothing cheap even by worker standards, with a rose red shirt. Her tan boots came up to her thighs, and though by Arche’s own estimation, her face was pretty and her blue eyes nice to look at, she knew quite well she was lacking the ample bust most men preferred. Her two copper staves fell from her unheld hand to land with a clatter on the floor after bouncing and then rolling off the edge of the table. ‘I’d almost feel suspicious of someone attracted to me.’ She taunted herself over her almost childlike appearance, only being of the proper height for her age saved her from being mistaken for a girl half her actual age.

“Then be his type!” Her mother hissed, “Do anything it takes, he has a beautiful maid, be polite and ignore it if he is obvious about sleeping with her, or anyone else… just so long as he marries you!” Her mother’s words became a pleading whisper and the woman leaned forward.

A few feet away, her father was busy rebuilding the family legacy in his own head. “...why, with wealth again, we could buy back what was stolen from us, reenter noble society, and I could start making the fools who abandoned us, pay for it! Everyone will want the daughters of the Furt household, we can arrange marriages for our youngest, early, and then…”

Arche tuned him out again, her mother’s own hand shook with fear, the opposite of being inspired by her husband’s rants, neither could take it any longer and the pair of women stood up.

That caught Sir Furt’s attention, “I’m going to prepare our daughter, please, don’t mind us.” Arche’s mother said with haste, and seeing this as eminently sensible, he waved them off.

Arche didn’t resist as her mother grabbed her arm, though she did pause long enough to bend down and pick up her staves before allowing herself to be taken away by the older woman.

Alone together in her room a few minutes later, Arche locked the door behind her and said what was on her mind. “Leave him.”

Her mother stopped cold at the wardrobe of her daughter, hands still grasping at the smooth pearl covered handles. “What?”

“I said, leave him.” Arche clutched her staff, “You’re still young, still pretty, and you have noble bearing and education, you could become a merchant’s wife and start over. There’s a lot of new money in Arwintar now, you might not be a noble anymore, but he’s destroying whatever we’ve got left.” Arche’s contempt for her father was thick as rising bread and, for once, it showed.

Her mother slowly let slip her hold on the handles of the highly expensive wardrobe and approached Arche. “I’m no better. I see things, I buy them, I like to pretend, the only difference between your father and I is that I know I’m pretending. He doesn’t, not yet. I don’t know why I can’t stop, but it’s all I can do anymore. He’s not wrong, though. If you got a rich husband, you would be able to look after your sisters. You wouldn’t have to risk your life in those dirty, dangerous jobs…”

“Mother… you can’t be serious.” Arche said, stupefied when her mother’s soft, unworked hands went up to her daughter’s cheeks, in an instant, the woman seemed to have aged thirty years.

“Arche, women don’t have choices, we have duties. I’m failing in mine, and your father failed in his, but you’ve got a chance, you have a duty to your sisters, even more so than to me.” Madam Furt laid it on thick, desperation was thicker in her veins than the blood that pumped through them, ‘I have to make my daughter see!’ She urged herself, “Sooner or later you’ll not come home, then what do you think will happen? Our estate will be gone, and everything in it. Your father and I will be sold into slavery, I’ll be a maid if I’m lucky, a prostitute if I’m not, your father has never done a hard day’s work in his life, he’ll die in a mine or on a farm. And your sisters… how long do you think those two little girls will last…?”

Arche hung her head. The world around her seemed to grow so dark that it threatened to swallow her up. “That doesn’t change that I’m not likely to be his type.”

“And that doesn’t change my advice, become his type. Your tie to this city is a path to establishing himself, your old noble blood might not be a taint forever. Maybe the Bloody Emperor will die and the next one won’t have his grudges.” Madam Furt suggested the hopeful option with a wan smile, and all Arche could do was breath slowly in and out.

“I’ll… mother… I’ll meet him, if you can arrange it, I’ll meet him. I’ll… try. On one condition, and one condition only, I’ll do my best.” Arche said, and her mother’s wan smile became a tiny frown.

“What is that?” She asked.

“That, if everything goes well, I be allowed to take my sisters with me, I don’t trust them around father.” Arche said, adding polite emphasis to the word ‘father’ as if to say, “or you” without having to spell it out.

It didn’t need to be said, Madam Furt hung her head in defeat, “Alright, Arche, alright. Do this for the family, and I’ll let you take them with you. I’ll convince your father it’s for the best.”

“It is for the best, mother.” Arche said with a chilly voice while her mother returned to the wardrobe to help pick out suitable clothing for her daughter, and, with that, Madam Furt did not argue.