City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 193: Party

“As I was saying, adviser; it would be great if the widening of roads is also done around our territories.”
 
“It will benefit my territory and the territory of Baron Moss and Baron Schafer here and will also provide a second way to the Mirador Hold,” said the blond-haired man in his fifties. 
 
The two men beside him also nodded at his words.
 
“I would love to, my lords, but the road is decided by the Lord Count. Since you have asked me, I will mention it to the Lord Count,” I replied.
 
“That is all we ask, adviser,” said the man.
 
I talked with them a minute more before moving to other nobles.
 
I am at the birthday party of Baron Ardo; it is the first party I have attended since coming but won’t be the last. 
 
I have already got invitations to two others. 
 
It is a part of the responsibilities, and I don’t mind it. I get tired of working all day, socializing is relaxing.
 
I was mingling with guests when I felt the sharp gaze again. I didn’t have to turn to look, to see who was giving me the eye.
 
It is, madam. She had been giving me an angry look from the moment I came here.
 
She hadn’t stopped blaming me for her son’s death. For which only he was responsible and no one else.
 
I mingled with a few more nobles when I saw Leila coming toward me. She had left her mother with another guest and now, coming toward me with a man, I saw with her at the funeral.
 
“Lady Leila,” I greeted, with a faint bow. “Adviser,” she said, and the awkwardness appeared behind us again.
 
We might share blood, but we are unfamiliar with each other, and it is not something that could easily be fixed, nor I am enthusiastic about fixing it.
 
The only thing I want is to have a cordial relationship and nothing more.
 
“Alaric Thalian. I wanted to meet you at the funeral Adviser, but you had left too soon,” introduced a man standing beside Leila.
 
He is about her age, with a tall physique and a handsome face in a classical way.
 
“It is nice to meet you, Mr. Thalian,” I said as I shook his hand.
 
“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know Lady Leila?” I asked, to which he smiled. 
 
“We were classmates at the academy,” he replied. 
 
I first thought he was her boyfriend, seeing how they acted, but that didn’t feel right. It is likely that they are just good friends.
 
“I was able to find things you were looking for, but the price they are asking is high,” she informed.
 
“It is within a range, right?” I asked. “Yes, but on the higher side,” she replied.
 
“It is fine, as long as it is within a range,” I said.
 
I had asked her to get a few things for me. They are mage-related and need to be brought from a trusted source. 
 
“Ok,” she replied.
 
Once again, there was an awkward silence, but this time, I didn’t let it stretch it for far.
 
“I have news for you, too.” 
 
“The thing you have been waiting for has arrived. The Count will contact you about it in a few days,” I said.
 
There was a surprise at first in her eyes, before they lit up with joy.
 
“It is the best news I could hear,” she said. 
 
“Thank god it came; at least now, all the wondering will stop,” said Thalian, and she glared at him.
 
“Contact me when you finalize the price,” I said and walked away from her.
 
…
 
“It is horrifying how you two behave with each other. So much awkwardness, even strangers are not as awkward as you two are,” said Al.
 
I glared at him before my eyes softened.
 
“We are strangers,” I said with a tint of regret.
 
I could tell Remus didn’t have a tint of love or affection for me despite sharing the blood. It is the same for me; though, there is now a useless regret mixed in it.
 
I could still remember those loving eyes, which he used to look at me when he was a child.
 
One time, when he was three or four and I was fourteen, he had tried to hug me and I pushed him away. It was not my intention; it was an instinctive reaction to all the conditioning my mother gave me.
 
I felt bad but didn’t apologize or help him. Instead, ran away, watching his mother console him.
 
He continued to try for my affection for years after, till his mother disappeared when he was around eight.
 
He had approached me, calling me sister, but I didn’t acknowledge and walked away. From then on, he never approached me, always looking at me as if I were a stranger.
 
‘The things we want to change,’ I thought with a sigh, before pushing away those thoughts.
 
I had just pushed away those thoughts when my mother approached me, with clear anger in her eyes.
 
“I still can’t believe he had brought a whore, in the gathering of peers,” said Mother. Looking at the beautiful woman, following behind Remus, which he introduced as an assistant when people asked.
 
“Leila, you should report to the Lord Count. He needs to be punished for this offense.” 
 
I don’t know whether to be angry with my mother or simply laugh.
 
Hun!
 
I opened my mouth with a really harsh word in it when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.
 
“Madam Silver; it wouldn’t be a wise thing to do,” said Al. “Why? Aren’t you seeing what he is doing? People are going to report, and it will be better that we would be one of them,” 
 
I wanted to massage my head, hearing that.
 
“It is unlikely that anyone would report him. Adviser Remus is an important man and has the trust of the Count.” 
 
“Reporting him, won’t earn them more than a few minutes of time with Lord Count, but it will earn them the enmity of Adviser Remus,” 
 
“They don’t want that, since he could make things very difficult for them, and for us if we did that,” All explained in language she could understand. Which is also the truth.
 
Remus is currently powerful. Count trusts him explicitly otherwise; he wouldn’t have handed him such tremendous responsibility.
 
“So, we do nothing?” mother asked, still angry.
 
“We do not have to report it. Count has men everywhere, and he is going to know it or already knew it by now,”
 
“If he decided to punish Adviser Remus, we will hear it. If we didn’t hear anything, then we should remain quiet,” said Al, and it is clear. Mother didn’t like the answer, but she didn’t seem to want to press further.
 
“The bastard is always lucky, getting with everything,” she muttered but didn’t speak another word about Remus, in the rest of the party.
 
…
 
“It was a wonderful party. Thank you, Lord Ardo,” I said to the middle-aged man. 
 
“I am gland, you had a good time, adviser,” he said.
 
“Have a good night, Baron, Baroness,” I said and walked out, with Lola following behind me.
 
In the whole party, she had barely spoken more than a few words but attracted the attention of everyone. It was a risk a bring her here, but the one, I took, after thinking deeply.
 
Now will come the time in consequence. 
 
Count Darrow will definitely know, and I wonder what he will do. There are many things he could do, but I am sure even with the harshest punishment, I won’t lose this job.
 
That is why I decided to take this risk.
 
It is such regret that Carla isn’t here; I wanted her to be first and would have asked her to come, but she was busy.
 
She is not only handling the establishment, but also the liquor business. Contacting all the business, taking the orders, which are rising every month despite the competition appearing.
 
Many had started to buy liquor from Navr. This is not surprising, seeing it is the biggest producer of it, on the whole continent.
 
These established players aren’t able to beat me, and I won’t let them beat me. This business is earning me immense profit; it is because of this profit; that I decided to take a chance with the big expansion.
 
Carla contacted Valentina today for new plans for the establishment.
 
I was going to wait for it a few months, seeing I would need to keep the establishment closed for one month for this expansion. 
 
Losing the business of five hundred million crowns. It is what the establishment is making every month.
 
It was not an easy decision to take, but I decided to take the risk. 
 
This will be the biggest change the establishment will go through. Not only in architecture but also in business models.
 
It will also be very expensive. 
 
I planned to overhaul nearly every enchantment in the building and change furniture, among other things.
 
If it works; it will be worth it.
 
We sat in the carriage, and it moved toward the Castle Radcliff. It would take around an hour and a half to reach there.
 
“Thank you,” 
 
I was reading when I heard those words. I turned to Lola, “There is nothing to thank me for,” I replied, but she just shook her head gently.
 
An hour passed by silence, and I finished reading. Instead of starting another file, I turned to Lola.
 
“How do you like the experience?” I asked.
 
“These people are no different from us. Some of them are worse, trying to slander others with polite words, asking for things, without offering anything in return,” she replied, and I couldn’t hold back my laugh.
 
Not only me, but even Zela, beside her, who was expressionless, had a smile appeared on her face.
 
“Many of them are no different from common people, but with power come change,”
 
“They go to extremes rather easily than normal people, and that makes them dangerous,” I replied, with my expressions turning somber.
 
The nobility of here and earth or no different. They squabble, they plot, they fight. Thankfully, Nakar baronies are much calmer and controlled, but they have just started.
 
Let a few more years pass. Let them experience this power more thoroughly and gain the classes.
 
They will become, like every noble in the world.
 
A few minutes passed, and the carriage reached the Castle Radcliff. We got out and walked into the keep.
 
It was eleven. Usually, I am asleep at this time, but now I am walking to my office. Someone had come and I have to meet them. 
 
Soon, I reached my office and saw Jill talking excitedly about a teen girl of the same age. They stopped as they saw me. 
 
I nodded at them and entered my office, where two beautiful women were waiting.
 
“Master Silver,” they greeted.
 
“Ina, Andrea, how was Navr?” I asked. “Successful. We brought our biggest order yet,” Ina replied.
 
I smiled, and I turned to Andrea.
 
“I hope it was not too much for you,” I said. This was her first trip to Navr. It was brave of her to go there without hesitation, with only a day of notice.
 
A few people have such courage.
 
“No, it was wonderful. It was not a death land; I had expected it to be,” she replied. My expression turned serious after hearing that.
 
“It is a death land; they just hide it very well,” I replied, with my expressions all serious.
 
I had experienced one of its horrors firsthand and, to be honest; I shudder whether I think about it. 
 
I still have nightmares about that place.
 
“I will remember that,” she said somberly, which made me smile.
 
“Don’t worry too much; it is safe. Safer than even Empire and Renwell region,” I replied. I don’t like to say it, but it is the truth.
 
I talked to them for a few minutes before turning to a real topic.
 
“Here is the list of merchants, you will have to meet, after you reach Oksall,” I said and forwarded the list to them.
 
They have a week-long tour of the Oksall and its cities, including Amberhold. Meeting merchants, who will be trading through the route.
 
“I won't be a problem,” she said, looking at the list.
 
The list is small, as only these merchants have agreed to meet. 
 
Still, it is bigger than I had expected. 
 
Being responsible here and belonging to a house of silver helped a lot in making them agree to meet with my representatives.
 
“It is a regret that you didn’t get to rest for even a day after returning from Navr, and I am already sending you both on another arduous journey,” I said with a hint of regret.
 
I especially feel regretful for Andrea, who had only ridden when she was a child and now going to make a journey in those hills.
 
Ina, on the other hand, has taken lessons in the past few months and gained enough experience in riding. Even for her, the journey will not be easy.
 
I wouldn’t have made them do it if I had time, but I didn’t. I have to act fast if I want to make use of opportunities.
 
“You do not need to feel regretful, Master Silver; we enjoy the work tremendously,” 
 
“Never in our life, we have expected to do something like this,” said Ina, with her eyes watering.
 
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but sigh.
 
I finished the business quickly. They have to wake up early tomorrow and leave for Fort Renin. 
 
Where they will make the journey with Blackwell’s men to the Amberhold. 

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