Chapter 227: Handshakes

The Marquess has little choice but to reveal herself as I wear my smirk. Once again she's wearing beautiful clothing but it may as well be worthless compared to the stiff, itchy fabric I have on my back now.

And why would such wonderful silks be worthless compared to the starch brown I wear? Because war that's why.

"Please...have a seat." She says, still trying to preserve her dignity rather than get down on her knees and beg me for my forgiveness.

Audwin looks confused but I tell him to let me do the talking, he'll catch on to what I see eventually.

I proudly step forward and take the seat in front of her, "No tea?"

Her lips tug slightly and she claps her hands. As I'd seen before, the servants appear out of thin air, kettle and cups ready with teabags already soaking.

As they pour into my cup and straighten to leave, I raise a finger, stopping them in their tracks all while locked in a staring match with the Marquess herself.

"Get me some pastry, not bread, not cakes, not biscuits either..." the servants hearing this request look to their master, and as she has no choice in the matter given she's bvery well played into my hand, she nods.

The servant, not knowing what to make of what's going on clears his throat and asks, "What do you wish to have with your tea then, sir?"

I hum contemplatively and turn to Audwin who is seated beside me with his own awkward cup of tea, "What do you think we should have then, Audwin?"

Caught off guard and in the middle of sipping his beverage, the first he's had in a week, he nearly spills as he tries to answer, "Uah-! I mean, uh...shrimp?"

I nod excitedly, "Yes!" I turn to the servant and smile widely, "Make that Fractian Shrimp."

A nervous, cold sweat comes over the hunched servant, his eyes shift to his master but even she has abandoned him, "Sir....Fractian shrimp aren't-"

He doesn't dare complete his sentence met with my stiff, disapproving glare, "Begone now."

He nods, bows and vanishes, off to get me some Fractian Shrimp. Though I'm not sure how he'll accomplish it, the delicacy is rare and seasonal.

I let myself chuckle a bit and sip my tea. It's delicious. My taste buds have long been deprived of sensory stimulation and now that they have it, it's such and overload.

Hot and scalding as the cup is, I don't realize its finished until I go for another gulp and find nothing in my cup.

The Marquess, as if waiting for this moment begins to speak, "Now then, tea has been had so let's jump right into the reason I've called you here today."

"No."

She pauses, blinks and stutters, "E-excuse me?"

"No."

She clears her throat, presumable to speak some more but rather than let that happen I clap my hands.

She shuts up but nothing happens.

I clap my hands again and wait for a moment as nothing happens yet again. As I go for the third try she huffs and does it herself, summoning another spread of servants.

I smile at the friendly faces, although, one is particularly nervous.

"Where is my shrimp? You had me drinking tea without anything to chew on, why is that?"

The man stands there, sweating, dripping even all while completely speechless and defenseless. The Marquess lets out an exhausted sigh and tries to speak but yet again I don't let her.

"Your servants are so...inefficient, Marquess, isn't that a tad bit too shameful for someone of your status, I requested some Fractian Shrimp to go with my tea and now my tea is gone and I still don't have my shrimp.

The man whimpers, the other servants shift uncomfortably in their boots, no doubt all hoping the attention doesn't fall on them next.

Again the Marquess clears her throat, but this time she waits, as though waiting for me to cut her off in her attempt to speak. I don't, although noticing this makes me want to chuckle at how much power and control I hold in this moment.

"I will be sure to discipline my servants at a later time, Serue, for now if you wish to have something let them know now and they will get it, we have much to discuss."

I turn to her, a pleased look on my face, "Oh is that so?" She nods and so do all the servants.

"Then I'll have the Fractian Shrimp I asked for then." In an instant the elevated and relieved looks of the servants devolves back into that of despair. "If I can't have that then....well, someone is going to have their heads roll then, don't you agree, Marquess?"

Her lips merely tug upwards as she stares back at me, "Very well." She snaps her fingers and guards appear behind her, "Execute that one."

A chorus of whimpers and cries carries through the room, followed by an attempt to flee, a chase and inevitable capture. The guards disappear with the man and I feel just at home.

I turn my attention to the remaining servants lined up and sneer, "My cup...is still empty!"

***

My proper use of the servants and exercise of my birthright as a member of House Ire continued for a moment longer, up until the point where I felt instinctively that the sun had begun to set on the outside of the Marquess' brightly lit chambers.

In this time I retrieved all of my items, a full course meal and of course, better clothes and a proper bath as is only proper for someone of my status.

To buy my forgiveness for the abuse and maltreatment, for her inability to recognize the person who sat in front of her as her superior, I of course demanded the heads of the two guards that doused Audwin and I with water.

Although, their heads remain attached to their bodies for the time being they now sit comfortably in the dungeons they previously guarded, waiting for me to come down to them and give them the pain they have earned.

But the Marquess was getting impatient and tired. In the end, I had to bite the bait and talk to her about the matter that troubles her, the same matter that troubled me not too long ago.

I lounge on the long, soft cushion and finally address her, "So, you called?"

She gasps, surprised that I'd finally spoken to her matter. Quickly composing herself she leans forward, eyes sharp and bright, "You were right."

I chuckle and look around myself, "Of course I was, don't worry, I'll forgive you in due time for your disbelief and your crime against me. But tell me what your men reported, what has he done?"

The He we speak of is none other than the same Necromancer that drove me out of Aste right along with that foul woman....Maylin.

She sighs, massaging her tender forehead, "Apparently they never made it to Aste."

I frown at this, "Why not? Aren't they all skilled Mages?"

"Some of them are, C-ranks."

I nod and let her continue.

"The journey towards Aste was going smoothly, at least so they tell me, they stopped by one of the rest stops, a small village fief under the control of some weak D-rank Mage."

"D-rank?" Audwin's ears perk, "I thought only C-ranks could be-"

She doesn't let him finish before she answers, "He was once a consort of mine, my father sent him to serve under me to teach him his place, but that's beside the point. The point is....that's the only village, the only fief they reached that we still had some control over."

My mouth drops open at this, "What about the others?"

She shakes her head terribly, "The others...they tried to get into the others but they received fierce opposition right at the get go, some monsters, growling beasts of man and even the Mayor of the village fought against them."

"The Mayor himself?"

"Herself, the closest village is Dover, a fief ruled by the only other female in this March."

I nod carefully, "But still, she fought against your forces, even when they came representing your interests?" My hand finds itself on my head and I shake it and laugh cruelly, "I knew he would be ambitious but....I did not believe he would be this quick to consume the March."

"He has consumed nothing!" The Marquess rebukes, "Who ever he is he can not, and will not triumph against me."

I wear a smirk and stare up at her, "And that's why you need me, you wish me to hire an army in my name but for your purposes."

"Our purposes." She quickly corrects, "If what they report is true, if what you've told me is true then we have a common enemy building an army off our own subjects to oust us out of what rightfully belongs to us."

I stand and meet her eyes, "I agree, but what are you willing to do to save face in the Kings court, in your fathers court? If you wish to already use me, the shamed and embarrassed member of House Ire who lost his fief to a mere brigand to hire the army you will use to win this...war, then what are you willing to give for that?"

She gulps, "Anything within my power, what do you want?"

Today has been a very, very pleasant day.