Chapter 140

"I'll take you to your chambers," the butler said, leading the way into the mansion.

Ravis and I walked through the mass of maids and servants who bowed again as we went by. The servants then snapped into motion to unload the carriages. Lina stayed behind to direct the traffic.

"Take that one to the master's room. Wait, bring it down carefully! It's expensive!" Lina seemed at home, ordering the servants about.

As I entered the interior of the mansion, I stopped in shock. "Oh my," I whispered as my jaw dropped. The mansion was already completely furnished.

"The emperor couldn't have you live amongst Count Claude's furnishings, so he had everything removed, the entire household cleaned from top to bottom, then had completely new décor brought in." Ravis noticed my face and added, "Of course, the entire expense came from the money that we took from the Count, so you don't have to worry about how it was paid for."

I wondered just how much wealth was taken. Ridrian was already extremely wealthy, but he had no idea on how to control finances. The entire house was filled with gold. Gold fixtures, golden statues, even the flatware was made of gold. My taste had always been elegant but simple. Ridrian's taste was overwhelming and even gaudy. I started laughing as I entered my bed chambers. It looked identical to the one I had in the palace.

It took until the late afternoon for the unpacking to be completed. I collapsed on the sofa, next to Ravis, exhausted from fatigue. I wanted to see how Lina was doing, but she was still busy running around making sure that everything was in its proper place.

Jihanna, the head of the maids, came in with a tray of tea and light snacks. She waited on me personally, as it was my first day there.

"Ma'am, I have brought you some tea and fruit," Jihanna said, as she set the tray down.

"Thank you, Jihanna. You've done well today. Go rest."

"Then, I'll dismiss myself. If you need anything, please call me." Jihanna bowed politely and left the room. I chugged back a cup of tea and let out a long sigh.

"Tough day, Iona?" Ravis asked

"It went smoothly thanks to your help. Ravis, thank you."

"I had fun," Ravis said, though his face said otherwise. I laughed.

It was definitely easier to function when you had an advisor. If it hadn't been for Ravis, this transition would have been much more difficult. Ravis certainly knew the ins and outs of the dynamics between nobles and servants.

"I almost forgot, but I wanted to give you this." He brought out a little cloth pocket, from which he withdrew a silver ring.

"A ring?" I asked curiously.

"Iona," Ravis said with a sly smile. "Will you marry me, Iona?"

I looked at him in shock. Ravis' smile grew. My blood pressure shot up. "Ravis! You can't joke like that!" I hit the table as I screamed at him.

Ravis actually looked terrified. "I'm sorry. You looked tired. I thought making a joke might cheer you up. Was it that bad of a joke?"

"There are things that shouldn't be said as a joke!" I knew Ravis well enough to not have taken his comment seriously. I was mad at myself for overreacting like I did.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I really just wanted to cheer you up."

"That's alright. I was stupid to fall for it. So, what's the ring for?"

Ravis placed the ring in my hand. It didn't have any pattern engraved on it, but it was thick and elegant looking. As I held it, it felt familiar for some reason.

"Does it have divine power?" I asked.

"I knew you would recognize it. Yes, it does. I endowed some of my divine power into it."

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"It's for self-defense. I'll bring holy water next time, but you can use this for now."

"Is it defense against demons?" I asked, realizing what he meant.

"Yes. If Marquis Pierre shows up or you feel the evil powers you sensed before, use this. You simply have to speak the incantation 'eventa' while you wear the ring and the defense magic will activate."

The only magical object I've ever used was the one to change appearance. Now I had an object with even more power and the best thing about it was that it just looked like a normal ring.

"If you speak the incantation 'genta', then healing magic will activate. Both powers can only be used a single time, but it will help during an emergency."

"Thank you, Ravis," I said, as I fit the ring onto my finger.

There was a knock on the door to the sitting room and the butler, Roban, entered.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour. A guest has just arrived."

"A guest? At this hour?" It was well into the evening, but he stood as if he was expecting this visitor.

"Seems like he finally arrived," Ravis said, heading out the door.

I followed down the stairs to the mansion entrance where Ravis was greeting a familiar face. It took me a moment to realize who it was I was looking at.

"Why is that man here?" I asked.

A crusader, wearing the silver armour and cape of the Order of Theres, waited in the front hall. He had short chestnut hair and a large, sun-burnt body. I instantly knew that it was Dalen Lin Portis. I really wanted to go back into my room and hide.

"Ravis, why is he here?" I asked again.

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