Chapter 84 — A Test Of Fate

When Cassi and Hulle’s back and forth ended without convincing the other, Hulle moodily returned to his book, and Cassi turned her attention back Ria’s way with an awkward smile. “So, did that answer your question?”

Ria started to nod then shook her head. “I sort of get why you could no longer work for the House, but why couldn’t your parents?”

“Hulle’s parents likely guessed the truth of the matter, or at least suspected it, and after taking Vanessa’s side, keeping my parents around was a risk. It didn’t help that I was the cause for their son being cast out of the family.”

“But why would Hulle’s parents take Vanessa’s side? Isn’t that too unbelievable?!” Ria protested, furious.

“Because the worth of one servant girl is hardly comparable to the worth of a Sorrel who had been paid for with the exchange of their first born daughter,” Cassi pointed out with her head tilted slightly at Ria’s confusion—as if the answer should be obvious.

Ria fumed, her rage built with both Cassi’s accepting attitude and each word the girl had spoken. She carefully kept her aura from leaking out this time, but that reason! Was that what the King of Revant thought when he ordered the rounding up of Revant’s villagers? It was all she could do not to grind her teeth.

“Also, because my immature actions put my older sister in danger,” Hulle volunteered, not raising his eyes from the book. “Yseri had already been married to Levan Sorrel at the time. If my father hadn’t cast me out, what kind of position would that leave Yseri in?”

At Hulle’s unexpected admission, Ria blinked, her brain churning to a halt. Would the other family really do that? After the price already paid to obtain Hulle’s sister for their son? The more Ria thought about it, if resentment developed between the families as a result of Hulle’s actions and emotions were running hot, a Novidus in their midst would likely bear the brunt of it. The children from a Novidus mother might be bullied or mistreated, as well.

A knock sounded at the sitting room’s door, and Cassielle’s mother entered the room carrying a tray loaded-up with teacups, cookies, bite-sized sandwiches, small serving plates, and a steaming carafe. “The young lady’s intense aura has Verenzio a bit twitchy, but I convinced him to let me check on the situation. I was planning to bring an afternoon tea setting up anyway.”

“Ah, thanks for that, mom.” Cassi grimaced. “No offense Hulle, but Verenzio is terrible company. The man has no sense of humor.”

Hulle shrugged and maliciously smirked in Ria’s direction. “Could be worse. Lady Janacythe as a chaperone comes to mind.”

Ria nodded vigorously. “I’m thankful for her assistance, but having her around when meeting with friends…”

“Woof?” Ranger asked, head tilted, having apparently enjoyed the etiquette instructor’s tutelage on how to proudly show himself off better.

She tried to explain to him that it was possible to appreciate the results without enjoying the process or constantly being judged to an unforgiving standard, but wasn’t doing a very good job conveying the concept through the bond as Ranger seemed unconvinced.

“In any case, my Cassi hasn’t caused you any offense has she, Young Lady Ria?” Ellane asked worriedly as she set out the plates and teacups on the low table in front of the divan and served the snacks and mint-scented tea.

Quickly shaking her head, Ria made an apologetic gesture. “What happened to Cassi was a lot like the callous way my family and the village I grew up in were sacrificed to the benefit of uncaring nobles. So, I have strong feelings about such things.”

“Oh, my! That sounds dreadful,” Ellane gasped, a hand briefly raised to cover her mouth.

Ria nodded.

Hooded eyes that Cassi suddenly sent Hulle’s direction were met by an unapologetic shrug for some reason.

Cassi’s mother took advantage of Cassi and Hulle’s silent communication to speak up further, “It’s really terrible what happened at Lord Lorenis’ estate back then, and I’m sure we all wished for a different outcome—especially for the young master—but thanks to the young master’s efforts, we’ve all been able to chart new paths forward, and if a way can be found to heal Cassi, perhaps it’s for the best that the young master avoided a fate of a lifetime tied to that girl.”

Hulle grunted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Ria glanced between the three. Mother and daughter were surprisingly alike in outlook.

“The young master has been so kind to bring friends by for you, after all, Cassi. Let us leave such talk of the past to the past,” Ellane pressed her daughter.

“It’s fine, Mom. We’re already done talking about that stuff,” Cassi huffed then glanced from her mom to the hallway as if worried a certain other guest might show up if her mom took too long. “Don’t you need to report back to Sir Verenzio?”

Cassi’s mom chuckled. “Alright, alright. I can take a hint. If you need anything just call down the stairs, okay?”

Cassi happily nodded. “I will. Thanks, mom.”

Once the sounds of Cassi’s mother’s footsteps could be heard descending the stairs, Cassi turned to Ria with a bit of color to her cheeks and an eyebrow-raising sudden shyness. “I’m really curious about Ranger’s coat. I’ve never seen anything like it. Do you think he would let me run my hands through it? Is it okay to ask?”

Ria laughed. Whatever she had been expecting from the older girl it wasn’t that!

“Woof!” Ranger volunteered.

“You don’t mind?” Ria confirmed.

With a “Woof! Woof!” Ranger happily found a place beside Cassi’s chair and regally posed in a way that his back would be in reach.

“Oh! It’s softer than I thought!” the girl was soon exclaiming as her hands timidly came in contact with the lustrous fur. “It looks and feels a bit like stone and crystal, but obviously it’s something different.”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

“It is!”

Cassi contentedly continued to run her hands through Ranger’s fur, kneading the tough skin and powerful muscle underneath. Ranger’s eyes hooded with enjoyment, and he soon began adjusting his posture so the girl’s efforts would keep reaching different spots.

“Ria, you’re from another country, right?” Cassi asked and directed their gazes to the scene of rowhouses and cobblestone road visible from her window. “I’ve always lived here in the capital. What’s it like in other lands?”

Ria smiled, her anger having been successfully pushed to the background of her mind to be dealt with later. She knew just the part of her journey that would interest her new writer friend. “My home village wasn’t that different from Crysellian farming villages, but rather than that, maybe the majestic mountains of the highlands wilds north of Crysellia would be more interesting to hear about?”

“You’ve been to the highland wilds?” Cassi asked, eyes wide with surprise.

“Woof!” Ranger affirmed.

“That’s right. Not just me. And not just going there.” Ria reached over and patted her familiar and fluffled his ears. “Ranger and I, together with a swordsman protector who watches over me, spent two months crossing the untamed ridges and valleys…”

Cassi eagerly devoured the tale of their journey along with the snacks the girl’s mother had brought them, and amid the grungy mundane of real-life travel and the desperate moments of survival, Ria made sure to play up the towering cliffs and vertiginous declines, the swampy mountain grasslands and icy-cold peaks, the dangerous animals and magic beasts.

Hulle did also help himself to snacks and tea but continued studying the tome, not seeming particularly interested in the tale and letting her entertain Cassi as if he wasn’t there.

As her telling of the journey was winding down, Ria noticed that Cassi was physically tiring, holding tighter to the armrest and shifting in her chair more to stay comfortable.

“Um, Cassi?”

“Yes, Ria?”

“I’m not sure how to say this, but I’m a wild-talent… and because of what happened with the grillot, I can use healing magic,” Ria hesitantly offered. She had been wanting to broach the subject of trying to heal Cassi for a while, but could not find the right timing. And there might not be anything her magic could do that real healers hadn’t already tried, but… she still wanted to at least make an attempt.

Cassi looked to Hulle, maybe searching for guidance.

“This isn’t a simply injury, Ria. Her body considers itself healed already and the world agrees,” Hulle warned.

Ria gulped but pressed on, “There may be a way around that. A way only available to a powerful shadow mage.”

Hulle’s eyebrows rose, and he silently considered her before speaking, “Is that really something you should attempt in your current state?”

Coming off an all-nighter, trying to achieve void magic and safely use it on another person was surely a terrible idea, but when would she get another chance to meet with Cassi? When would she and Hulle both have time in their busy schedules as the Grand Games got ever closer?

“I’ll use a focus potion,” Ria committed with a grimace. “And I have a scroll that can restore her current state if I make things worse. Can I give it a try?”

He held her gaze for a score of very noticeable heartbeats before sighing. “I guess if Cassi is willing, it couldn’t hurt.”

“I’m willing!” Cassi readily agreed. “I’ve been meaning to tell you I can wiggle my big toe a bit since the new healer came! He said doing more than a little each time was difficult because it cost so much energy. If Ria’s magic could help even a little, it might make a big difference!”

Encouraged by Hulle’s look of surprise, Ria got the potion ready and placed a hand on Cassi so she could better use her senses to explore and understand the damage that needed fixing.

“Are you sure about this, Hulle?” Martina asked, a concerned glance flitting away from the handwritten note to the girl who would be put at risk by the request.

Hulle smiled to himself as he watched Ria, the girl’s face scrunched up in concentration as she was determinedly filling a pair of orichalcum tokens for the Cartographer Society’s Vesali City shopmaster. The dog made an exasperated whuffle sound at the girl.

The groundwork had been laid to strengthen Ria’s loyalty to him and his goals, the girl’s empathy and history both causing her to identify with Cassielle’s plight in a way that should shield against his ill-repute and inure her to his actions of dubious morality.

Additionally, Iori had really come through for him and their faction of House Novidus by arranging the overnight etiquette session. Leveraging the Vesali’s interest in the upcoming event to land the capital’s preeminent tutor on etiquette was a masterstroke even by his standards. His cousin was rapidly proving herself quite talented and reliable.

His aunt’s discovery of Ria’s royal heritage and recognizing the young princess’ burgeoning talent in aura magic as a way to make use of the heritage was like finding mithril in one’s silver.

Now, with the way Xander’s Whims were aligning in a confluence of chance, he was certain that the moment to take a great risk had arrived. Besides, what would be more fun than to dramatically set all his grand plans in motion, roll the dice, and let Xander sort the results?

As it was, what could be done to improve Ria’s chances of a successful debut had been done—to the extent possible with the amount of time remaining. But, just having Ria successfully attend his aunt’s big event together with Phaelys wouldn’t be enough to create the sort of connection he or House Novidus needed to truly benefit from the opportunity. An incident was required. And not a small incident.

Something Ria couldn’t solve on her own. Something where Phealys could act the hero and where House Novidus could reap the benefit.

A perfect success did depend on Phaelys’ action, and after meeting the Vesali heir, Hulle didn’t see him as the type of person to coldly watch and do nothing. Rather, the impression was that the boy would defend her as a matter of honor—his duty and responsibility as her escort.

While that was fine, to really strengthen their connection, more was better. The incident needed to be something that prompted action on Ria’s behalf for emotional reasons, not because of an impersonal sense of honor. It had to rile his desire to protect. And further, be dangerous enough to create a sense of bond.

He did worry for Ria, but her fate was surely strong enough—if what the girl had already survived was any indication.

After the painful reminders of the day, thoughts of additionally taking advantage of the resulting chaos for some petty personal vengeance did tempt him… but such action might be too much with the suspicion it would draw.

No. The political stakes were too high to risk seeking his own desires prematurely.

I’ll have to tell Aunt Asara ahead of time, won’t I? Hulle mused. Getting his aunt mad at him was a result to be avoided. Especially when the stakes were so high.

Everything would be put at risk. All that he had worked for. The Grand Games. His chance at revenge. Ria’s future. Cassi’s chance to be healed. Everything. Even House Novidus itself would be put at risk.

Was he really sure about this course of action? Martina was still awaiting his reply.

“I am,” Hulle affirmed. “Tests of fate are the stepping stones to great achievements.”

Martina sighed, folding up the note and placing it in a plain-looking correspondence box behind the counter. “Fine. I’ll make sure they are made aware. For all our sakes, I hope you have a plan on your end to deal with the consequences. I’d hate to lose such a promising customer.”

“Naturally,” Hulle assured her.

Verenzio, though clearly disapproving, frowned in silence but did nothing to interfere, and with that, the die was cast.

It was a bolder move than Hulle had originally planned, which was always a good sign. Rather than feeling nervous about his choice and what he had just set in motion, he felt excited. The stakes were beyond high, and the result could be a terrible disaster that he would regret for the rest of his life. Success, on the other hand, would practically ensure his return to favor within the House and maybe even grant him favor within the High Council as well.

They left the shop after Ria’s task was completed, and as the carriage wheels clattered along the cobblestone, Hulle found himself musing over the ways that the innate elemental natures of the various bloodlines shaped all of their personalities and the paths each person walked.

In light of the afternoon’s events, the contrast between his Frost Elf bloodline and Ria’s metal bloodline, in particular, drew his thoughts; their reactions to Cassielle’s plight—his relentless cold fury and Ria’s barely suppressed fiery rage—were an excellent illustration of an observation he was quite enamored with. Both desiring similar outcomes, yet opposite in their passions.

Some argued that fire and ice were both aspects of heat. But that was incorrect. It was a distinction he had long thought about, and directly witnessing the difference again further reinforced his prior observations on the matter.

The concepts underlaying fire and ice were fundamentally opposing. Fire existed as an embodiment of change, carrying a strong aspect of chaos. Heat was a by-product of that change rather than the fire’s true nature. Cold, by contrast, enforced its order upon the world, simplifying and clarifying, whether thought or physical. The embodiment of that powerful sense of order was such that it could give even flexible water a fixed structure: ice.

The Novidus knew order and coldly rational thinking—it was in their blood. That was why he had felt born anew when a chance encounter had pushed him into Xander’s embrace during the dark time in his life following Cassielle’s ‘accident’. The randomness of Xander’s Whims had given him an escape from the lack of empathy shown by his House and family’s logical actions.

Spontaneity and willingness to accept risk brought change and hope, and the aspect he loved most about cladding himself in Xander’s Whims was that even though it was possible to make one’s own luck, it was never a structured thing.

Perhaps it wasn’t entirely unusual for his Novidus blood to be drawn to chaos, to be drawn toward fire—it provided that spark of living that his innate icy nature denied him.

He noticed Ria look his way and gave her a smile, one she was sure to misunderstand.