“Inexperienced youngsters often find it hard to believe things unless they witnessed it for themselves. That was probably something that never changed no matter the age, I discovered.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“I think that should be all I need,” said Aideen as she packed up a few copies of maps into the storage ring, gifts from the Duke. The man had been far more friendly - and far less stuck up than she thought the case would be for a noble of the Kingdom - than she had expected. “I have to say, I had not expected such hospitality from what I have heard of the Kingdom before.”

“I don’t blame you. We didn’t exactly have the best… reputation amongst our neighbors,” replied the Duke with a regretful shake of his head. “Most people don't even know that we’re not one united whole, and more like a bunch of small fiefs who struggled with ourselves most of the time.”

“And you are particularly straightforward for someone of your position, Your Grace,” said Aideen to that. The way the Duke had dealt with her openly and honestly was most definitely not something she expected out of someone who was part of the political struggle he mentioned. “I had honestly expected more calculation and proposals for beneficial exchanges and arrangements, not open gratitude. Makes it hard for me to decide how I should proceed now.”

“It’s just because you met me, not my brother,” replied the Duke with an honest grin. “It’s our family tradition that a knight like myself becomes the family head, while my younger siblings trained themselves for fields that would help support my rule. My younger brother deals with the political shenanigans you expected, but he’s in the capital at the moment.”

“That sounds like… an interesting arrangement,” said Aideen in reply as they walked along the corridor. “So I assume the same goes on with your children’s generation then?”

“Pretty much. Pedro is a knight like me, though if anything that boy is an even bigger meathead than I was at his age,” replied the Duke as he named his eldest son and heir with a chuckle. “Sandra and Gavril studied politics and economics in preparation for being his left and right hands. Karlos and Solenia trained as knights because they wished to be his captains.”

“A fine arrangement… Are all of them satisfied with their lot in life?” she asked with genuine curiosity. Aideen had heard of - and seen some - family rivalry over power that ended in bloodshed in her long life. “None of them having any… untoward thoughts about the position?”

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“Ah yes, you are not the first to ask this exact question,” said the Duke as he rubbed his coarse beard with one hand, scratching an old scar on his chin mostly covered by it. “In fact we have had such situations in the past, members of the family shamefully lured by promises of wealth and power by our enemies.”

“After a couple bloody purges, we began to implant a sense of belonging to the house from a young age to our children. Make them realize that they will need to rely on each other to survive. In some ways the training was a bit cruel, but it did its work,” elaborated the Duke. “It might sound horrible to an outside observer, but what we did was to engineer situations where our children would have to rely on each other and only each other to survive. One of my own sisters had not survived such a situation, and it was a harsh lesson that we as the survivors shall never forget for as long as we draw breath.”

“I can see the merit,” replied Aideen. She refused to judge the seemingly cruel tradition - one akin to a lion casting its young off a cliff - for she was not in their shoes, and had no idea what they faced throughout their history. “Would that not breed resentment to the older generation once the children learned of it though?”

“That it does. My uncle was the one responsible for these trials during my generation, and us siblings had never truly forgiven him until he passed away,” replied the Duke as they walked on. “It was funny how we only realized that he must have hated himself as well for what he had to do, yet he simply bore all the hatred and responsibility quietly on his shoulders. My own sister had undertaken the task for my children, though fortunately all of them made it through their trials so far.”

“In case you wonder, an assault like what happened to little Sol was definitely not something we used for these trials. I’m almost certain from all that you’ve told us that the so-called Unburdened Healers behind it,” added Hebor with a near visceral distaste in his voice. “They have a large presence here, especially in the five duchies around the capital and the capital itself. In fact, they’re one of the major financial backers of that faction of leeches.”

“But you have no proof to call them out with,” said Aideen as she caught the implication in his words.

“Indeed. They left nothing usable as proof behind, only circumstantial evidence at best,” replied the Duke with a sigh. “In any case, I presume you would be continuing your travels further into the kingdom then?”

“That is my plan for now. I would like to view the lands myself if possible.”

“If I may ask you for a favor, would you care for some… company while you traveled? Like some of my children maybe?” asked the Duke with a more conspiratorial tone. “Of course, it would not be for free. They will provide you easy passage even to the capital as long as you travel with them. In exchange I only hope that you might lend your aid should they fall into a situation where their lives are in danger.”

“That would actually be convenient for me, so I see no reason to decline your offer,” replied Aideen with a smile.

“My gratitude. Oh, Miriam, have you seen Pedro around?” said the Duke, as he questioned a maid they passed.

“The Young Lord is at the practice fields, Your Grace,” replied the maid with a respectful bow.

“Let’s have a look at what my meathead of a son is up to, shall we?”