It was almost sinful how much Yulia was enjoying her vacation. When she offered to return to Quest with her sister, the best she hoped for was repairing their relationship but she willing to settle for bringing the negotiations with the guilds to a peaceful end, bolstering both her own reputation and that of the north’s.

Whether he knew it or not, her father had taken the first steps of revolution by encouraging hunters to join the campaign but if she was ever going to change Victory, she would need more than fighters. She needed to entice the dreamers. Those who could take the bleak winter land and infuse it with colorful visions and vibrant ideas. She needed builders and artisans. Thinkers and inventors.

What she needed most of all were merchants. If she could get the money flowing, the rest would naturally follow. Unfortunately, few traders ventured further north than Rosentheim, as they thought Victorians only dealt in blood and murder. Showing a bit of reason and mercy about the March would go a long way to correcting that…she hoped. Also, the very public collection of such a large debt would be an announcement to the traders of the kingdom that the north did in fact have gold. A lot of it. That alone might be enough for some of the merchants to overcome their fear and brave the road to Victory.

To that end, she prepared herself to suffer the harsh realities of travel and being an unexpected guest in her sister’s home. But there was nothing harsh about traveling with Lourianne Tome. The noblewoman had been eager to return home. So eager, she suggested that they leave behind Yulia’s escort.

Normally, it would be unthinkable for someone like Yulia to travel without a small army, but the Tome clan had proved they were more than the match of any roadside bandit or random manabeast.

It didn’t take long to convince the Stars to agree to her arrangement, namely that they would go ahead with the chest of gold Lou had reaped from the guilds and the Stars would set off a week behind them. Hopefully, by that time, at least one other army would have returned and the Stars would feel comfortable sending more bodies. While the fort hadn’t faced an assault since the first years of its founding, it was tradition that Victory was always manned by a minimum number of forces. The goal was to resolve the March without violence but such an outcome might require a show of force. Her admittedly biased experience had taught her that someone was much more likely to listen when the speaker was holding a sword and knew how to use it.

Not only was the trip fast, despite her selfishly asking for several breaks to allow Allen to appreciate the coming spring, but it was comfortable. Sleeping on a bench could never be comparable to a bed but the custom carriage was better than most, the hard wood softened by ample cushions and a wonderfully warm blanket. She still had to squat behind bushes, but she could take a bath every night.

And the food! By the ancestors. She always wondered how Lou had managed to seduce her stoic sister but the first night of dinner had answered that question. What a way to break the ice, both physical and metaphorical. She’d never had spicy food before but now craved the dishes that burned long after they were consumed.

If she were her younger self and still considering suitors, the chance to eat the delicious food every day might have trumped her husband’s overflowing love. A terrible thing to think but Yulia didn’t feel bad. Anyone who dined on the succubus’ cooking would agree.

She wasn’t a terrible person. It was just that good.

The comforts only multiplied once she arrived at Lou’s estate. Soft beds, large baths, and a garden that made her silly trick with water and dye look sad by comparison. What really blew Yulia’s mind was that, although they didn’t own the home, they were allowed to live in it for free, so long as Kierra remained an instructor.

It wasn’t at all different from how the northern orders gave their high-ranking members homes based on the distinction of their service but even the most respected knights lived in huts compared to the estate.

Then there were the servants.

Without prompting, Earl, the estate’s steward, appeared at her side and refilled her tea. Another lovely surprise. Tea in the north was bitter. Truly, most things were. What she was drinking now was…she didn’t have a proper word for it because she’d never experienced such a taste before. It was spicy but without any heat, the sharp taste mellowed by milk and sugar.

“Thank you,” she said, not because she was in the habit of thanking servants, though she did say a kind word on occasion, but because she wanted to make sure she left a good impression for when she subtly pumped the boy for information. There was nothing sinister about her actions. In order for her to accomplish her mission, she needed the full picture and people never spoke the whole truth if they could help it.

Especially not nobles. Yulia was quite fond of her future sister-in-law, but she didn’t think Lou was the exception. The young woman was rather vain. Yulia imagined she would keep any failings or perceived weaknesses to herself, things she needed to know.

“Does Lou not usually eat breakfast?” she questioned. She expected to be the last one at the dining table having woken late, but she and Allen were the only ones present.

“The ladies of the house eat when the mood strikes them. Dinner tends to be the most regular meal.”

“I see. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find yourself working for Lou? And in such a prestigious position, no less. Men can work all their lives and achieve nothing greater than wielding a broom for their masters.”

It wouldn’t have been unusual for the young man to take her questioning of his qualifications as an insult, but Earl smiled softly. “Before meeting my lady, I was a pitiable bandit, a child forced to take from others to support the little family I had left. My old compatriots assaulted her carriage but rather than dispatch us, she spared our lives. Some of us, she gave another chance. I used up the luck of a hundred lifetimes to be chosen to serve her. Yes, it is unusual for someone to be given my role at my age, but it is a sign of the lady’s trust in me. I will not fail it.”

Yulia fought the urge to frown. There was no problem with Earl’s words. Any lord or lady would be thrilled to hear their servants speak of them in such a manner.

It was his tone that caught her attention. She recognized it. Earl did not speak of loyalty. He spoke of devotion. The way the most fanatical families in the north spoke of her own family. Something that begged unsettling questions.

Her worries didn’t show on her face as she smiled. “I’m sure you won’t. You’re quite a capable man already. I’m tempted to steal you for your brewing skills alone. Who would have thought tea could be so enjoyable?”

“I’m flattered but I could never accept.”

“Of course, of course. You mentioned family?”

“Yes. My lady chose to spare me along with my younger sister, Anna.”

“Oh? And does she work in the house as well?”

“She helps with the chores, but her main duty is the care of the animals. For now, that is the flocketts.”

“The what?”

“I’m sure you will have the chance to see them. Perhaps before the tour of the garden.”

She was about to ask him another question when he turned his head toward the front of the house. “One moment, Lady James. We appear to have a visitor.”

Yulia scooped Allen into her arms as Earl swept from the room, wondering if she had missed a knock or a bell. The answer came a moment later when a shrill ring echoed throughout the house. Her brows furrowed as she wondered how Earl had known someone was coming if the bell had just been rung. The question hot on the heels of the first was about the young man’s abilities in general. She was forced to put off getting answers to either as Earl returned with a guest.

Yulia looked at the newcomer with interest. She wore the simple robe Yulia had learned was common to those of the Hall, the scarlet color matching the woman’s hair. She was older but she wore the age well, with only the faintest lines around her eyes and mouth. Her dark eyes are shaped in a natural glare but there was no sign of tension in the rest of her body.

The stranger came to a stop when she spotted Yulia. “Wait. You’re the James girl. The oldest. Yulianna.”

“I’m surprised someone from the Hall would recognize my family,” she admitted with genuine surprise.

“From the north originally.” She took a seat at the end of the table and Earl quickly served her, setting a plate of lukewarm food and steaming tea in front of her. “Waning Stars. Went up to the house once with Big Ana.”

Yulia chuckled hearing the Stars’ name for her aunt, a succinct way for the woman to prove she was from the north as she claimed. “It seems redundant but for the sake of propriety, let me introduce myself. Yulianna James. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Alyssa Filagree, instructor and sometimes hunter.”

Yulia beamed at her. Alyssa ignored the smile and dug into the plate of food, shoveling eggs into her mouth with obvious relish. “Can I ask why you’re here? It’s a bit early for a casual visit.”

“Same reason you’re here,” the instructor muttered around her food. “The March.”

“Oh? Come to support the north?”

“If the north wants to burn the city to the ground, then absolutely not. But I also don’t want the guilds screwing over this house.” She picked up her teacup and sucked it down like it was juice. Yulia tried not to look too judgmental about the appalling manners. “I was a bit of a bitch to Lou so I want to make things right.”

“You call her Lou.”

“Don’t give me that look.” Alyssa pointed her fork at Yulia. “I could never call that pervert something like Lady Tome. At least, not to her face. Ugh. I would burn my tongue off first.”

“Pervert? That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”

“Yeah? You telling me she hasn’t made a pass or twelve at you?”

“Not a one.”

Alyssa paused, looking up with such blatant shock that Yulia giggled. “You’re joking.”

“No. Is that really so hard to believe?”

“You obviously don’t know her. Or maybe I don’t. Didn’t think that girl had any boundaries but apparently, it’s married mothers. Cute kid, by the way.”

“Oh, pardon me.” Yulia held her son up under his arms, standing him up in her lap. “This is my boy, Allen. Say hi, butterball.” She waved one of his small arms as the little boy giggled.

“He’s lucky he takes after you.”

“Thank you, but my husband’s rather handsome. If a little spiky.”

“What the fuck does that mean? Actually, no. Don’t want to know.”

“I did not expect our table to be so lively.” Yulia looked up at the new voice to see Kierra entering the room with Talia in her arms. She didn’t know until that moment that there was a proper way to be carried but looking at Talia perfectly cradled in the strong green arms, her head laying on Kierra’s shoulder with one hand lightly resting on the other, she was convinced she had been doing it wrong. She certainly didn’t believe she’d ever looked so picturesque while being lugged around by her aunt when she was too tired to stand after a particularly hard training session.

“Alyssa. What a pleasant surprise.” Kierra expertly set Talia in a chair before taking the seat beside her. “I thought you would never grace our home again.”

“Yeah, well. I overreacted before. And I’ve gotten used to it now. Been coming for tea every once in a while.”

“Hm.” One of Kierra’s hands grabbed Talia by the chin. “Lily, you did not mention Alyssa as a visitor.”

“She asked to speak with you about her purpose herself.”

Yulia watched with interest as they stared at one another, trying to discern their relationship. Alana described the taciturn woman as everyone’s mistress. That sounded like the wife of pleasure, the one meant to comfort the duke’s cold heart, but Talia was anything but warm.

The wife of pleasure also tended to be weak, a noncombatant like Ariza. While Talia was physically outmatched by the elf with a pure physical affinity, she did not feel like a weak woman. Rather, Yulia’s instincts, honed through years of training and a single but harsh campaign, told her there was an air of danger around the quiet woman. Yet, she was more subservient to the whims of the women in the house than a trained dog.

“Earl. Warm up two plates and bring me a bottle of wine. The peach. I’m in the mood for something sweet.”

“Right away, mistress.”

“Now.” Kierra leaned forward. “Tell me what brings you to my home.”