“I thought the assassins would try again, but maybe they’re opting for after the tournament?” Gregory mused as they went up to the boxes.
“Hmm.. possibly, but the college isn’t an easy nut to crack. They could’ve just been very discouraged by your intervention and decided that going against foresight is too much.”
“That means you’ll have to be more on guard later,” Gregory said.
“Yes. I hope the archmage and sage extracted information out of the two men you left alive.”
“Hopefully,” Gregory sighed. “Room three today?” he asked Griselda.
“Yes, sir. I’ll bring the tea shortly.”
“Before you do, the guards need you to run an errand,” Claudia smiled. “Another round of bets need to be placed.”
Griselda bowed her head. “I will do as you need, mistress. Might I add my own funds to those?”
“Of course,” Claudia smiled. “Go, and then come back with the tea.”
“Yes, mistress. I will pull the curtains aside for you, first.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said.
Once they were seated in box three, they had to wait a moment— Griselda had been opening the curtains from the first box down the line every day, helping to mask which box they were actually seated in.
When she was gone, Claudia sighed. “It’ll be years, possibly decades, before things bring you back here.”
“You’ll be Aliminus’ apprentice fully by then. Do you think he’ll explode when it comes to light?”
“He very well might. I believe he’ll try to groom me to accept him, which won’t work. I already have a contract with my future husband in place. I will learn and study to be my best so, when you do return to enact the contract, we can stand proudly together.”
“Ma’am, excuse me,” the guard captain’s voice came from the hallway.
Gregory frowned. He triggered his foresight a minute into the future before sitting back. “We have a guest, and the captain isn’t sure about what to do.”
“Who?”
“One of your least favorite people. I’m very curious as to why he’s here. I can’t push my aether enough right now to see the answer ahead of time.”
Claudia frowned— the archmage wouldn’t need to bother the guards, since he’d just appear in the box with them. That didn’t leave many people she’d consider a least favorite. “Wait… Yulin?”
“Yes.”
“His family does have a lot of power because of their money…” Claudia murmured. “Even knowing we’re here means they spent coin… but why?”
“Invite him up and see?”
“While Griselda is out?”
“She should be back soon if she was just getting the other captain.”
“Yes, but we’d need her to bring tea. We can’t be lax on what society dictates.”
“We can stall for some time, then,” Gregory said. “First, I’ll close the curtains.”
“If we can get a few more minutes, it should be fine,” Claudia agreed, but she was already looking for the angles as to why Yulin would appear now.
Gregory stood up and closed the curtains to the arena. “Shift over to my seat, just in case.”
Claudia did what he told her, still looking into the distance while she thought.
Gregory stepped out of the box and held up a hand to the captain. “Curtains first.”
“Ah. Yes, sir,” the captain said, moving to close the curtains in the first two boxes.
Gregory went to the last three boxes before meeting the captain in the hallway again. “Explain, please.”
“A bit of a problem. A wealthy merchant heir is here and asking to speak with Firetongue. I tried to deny her being here, but he produced a pass from the archmage saying that he could meet with her. I checked the seal. It’s the archmage’s, and intact.”
Gregory was silent as he thought about why the archmage would do that. He came up with lots of theories, but no real answers. “Griselda is still out?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How impatient is he?”
“Fine right now. He expected one of us to have to check.”
“That’ll change,” Gregory snorted. “Everything I’ve heard paints him as a spoiled brat.”
“Ah, well… he is from wealth, sir.”
“Coming from wealth and power doesn’t mean you’re a brat. One of my wives comes from a wealthy merchant family and she’s far different than him. Claudia comes from power, and she isn’t like him, either.”
“She has been nicer than I thought she’d be, sir,” the captain admitted.
“Hmm… Turning him away would likely piss the archmage off. Don’t want that, but letting him up will piss off Claudia. Bit of a problem.”
“Between the two, sir, I’d worry more about the archmage.”
“That might very well be the case.”
The captain stared at Gregory for nearly a minute in silence. “Sir?”
“Hmm?”
“Do we let him up?”
“Have you ever needed to stall for time, Captain?”
“Oh… for the maid?”
“Society has standards, I’m told.”
“Yes, it does. Even when it’s a bad idea, society demands people still do it.”
“So I’m trying to buy time for Griselda to come back,” Gregory said. “We have to admit him, but not having tea would diminish Claudia’s standing.”
“I see. And since I’m up here and not there, there is a question about it really being a stall or if there’s something else going on… Well thought out, sir.”
“I’m trying to learn how things should play out,” Gregory grinned. “I think this is about as long as we can take, though.”
“Might be a little over, sir.”
“Sir, there are…” Griselda started, then paused, seeing the captain. “Oh, you know.”
“We need a tea service for guests. We’ll be having them in room three. Say… two minutes to bring them up?”
“Yes, sir,” the captain said, saluting.
“I’ll get it ready,” Griselda said before hurrying off.
Gregory went back into the box and opened the curtains. “Guest or guests coming up. Griselda is off to make tea.”
Claudia inhaled slowly. “Yes. Last names, Greg. We have to do as we are expected to.”
“As you wish, Miss Firetongue.”
Claudia’s lips twitched. “Hmm… that is my title now, since I’m not part of the nobility anymore. I find that I like it better than Lady Firetongue. Not as much as I’ll like Mrs. Pettit, though.”
Gregory chuckled from where he’d stayed by the door, waiting to accept visitors. “They have to agree.”
“They will,” Claudia smiled.
It took a few minutes for Dan Yulin to come upstairs. He had a woman with him, along with a scowling, heavily-armored man. Dan looked like he expected the world to bow to him. He carried himself with his head held high, but slightly tilted back as if looking down his nose. His fine silks spoke of his family’s wealth, as did the jewelry he wore.
The woman at Dan’s side was a little older than he was. She walked with a sway that nearly forced attention to her ample hips. Lips twisted into a smirk, her eyes gleamed with the knowledge that she was special, at least in her own mind. Gregory thought she deserved to be married to Dan.
The heavily-armored guard who trailed them wore an empty scabbard at his waist. It was obvious he’d been disarmed before he could come upstairs. Cold, flat eyes stared at Gregory— it was clear this man had no compunction about killing people.
“I am Gregory Pettit,” Gregory said, introducing himself before the others could speak. “I’m here as a guard to Miss Firetongue, appointed by the archmage and the sage of the academy.”
Dan’s lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. “Pettit? I’ve heard of you. Did you marry Yukiko Warlin?”
“Yes.”
Lip curling back in distaste, Dan sneered. “I see… Well, someone had to after she became a magi. Though as a magi yourself, I am shocked you’d want a eurtik-tainted as a wife.”
Gregory kept his face impassive. It was a lot harder than he thought it would be, as he wanted to punch Dan in the face. “Tainted? Hmm… I guess some have those views. Love, though, sees only the heart.”
Dan’s eye twitched at the word “love.” “Well, no accounting for breeding.”
“True, there isn’t,” Claudia said. She wore a smile on her lips, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Introductions should be done. I am Claudia Firetongue, and who are you?” She addressed the woman beside Dan.
“Wanda Yulin. I’m the wife of the esteemed merchant, Dan Yulin,” the woman replied with a haughty smile. “I was happy to accept his proposal of marriage when I found out two others were foolish enough to let him slip away.”
Gregory wanted to interject the word “escape” in there, but he held his tongue. His dislike for the couple was climbing, and it hadn’t started low. “The maid will bring tea shortly. Please, sit.”
“Are you a guard or not?” Dan sniffed. “Guards should be silent.”
“I am more than just a guard,” Gregory smiled.
“Please, sit,” Claudia said, motioning to the chairs. “Tea will be here shortly.”
Dan looked like he’d sucked a lemon, but he took a seat, his wife sitting beside him. “Of course. It has been a few years since we last sat for tea. I see you’ve fallen from standing.”
Claudia’s smile brightened. “Really? I find that my life is much better now than it would have been when we’d last had tea.”
Dan’s head jerked back fractionally as if her words had physically hit him. “You would.”
“Life married to Yulin is wonder given form,” Wanda smiled. “Only a fool or simpleton wouldn’t embrace the chance.”
“Only a woman heading toward barrenness would jump at the chance to embrace it,” Claudia replied before Griselda knocked, then walked into the room. “Griselda, four settings. You know how Pettit and I like ours.”
“Yes, mistress. How might I prepare your tea?” She addressed the guests with a smile.
“We’ll pass on the tea,” Dan said a little tightly. “I had thought someone separated from society would enjoy seeing an old friend.”
“You have friends?” Gregory asked, unable to stop himself.
Dan’s nostrils flared and he looked at Gregory. “Just because you took my castoff doesn’t mean you should speak.”
Gregory snorted. “Funny. I know two women who both thought life was better when they didn’t marry you.”
“Well, since one of them married you, she obviously had no idea what she was missing,” Dan sneered. “A soft life of ease and comfort? For what? From what I’ve heard, a backwater village boy. Both of you in a dead clan.”
“Oh, your information is out of date,” Claudia laughed. “Pettit has won nearly every tournament he’s been in. His clan has garnered the best magi the academy has had in the last two years.” She nodded to Griselda when she was handed a cup of tea.
“Hmm… Well, it’s not like your standing is going to go up,” Dan said, standing up and staring at Claudia with disdain. “What will people think when they hear you’ve been sleeping in close quarters with a married man?”
“That I do what the archmage tells me to,” Claudia said, sipping her tea. “I do pity anyone who tarnishes his name. He’s not known for kindness.”
Wanda stood up taking Dan’s arm. “Shall we go see real people now?”
“Yes, we should. This has taught me that useless women just aren’t worth seeing again.”
“Your wife is standing right there,” Claudia said, setting her cup down. “Be kind to her. It’s not nice to remind her that your mistresses are waiting for you.”
Wanda spluttered.
“Very low, but expected from one who fell from nobility,” Dan sniffed. “Come. We are leaving.”
He took Wanda’s arm and guided her out, the guard going with them. Gregory walked them to the stairs, making sure they left. Shaking his head, he went back to the room.
“Close the curtain, Griselda. We’ll be switching rooms. I don’t trust that visit.”
“Neither do I,” Claudia said, standing up. “I thought maybe he’d come to talk about business of some kind. Instead, he came to be socially insulting.”
“Which is why we’re switching rooms.”
Griselda closed the curtain. “I’ll get the tea shifted.”
“You and Yuki had the right idea,” Gregory said. “That man is a slime.”
“Now you see why we both wanted away from him.”
“His wife is there for the money only.”
“Of course. She was also not wanted for other marriages. She’s at least ten years older than him.” Claudia snorted. “Well-past normal age to be chosen as a wife. She hated the remark about his mistresses, meaning he’s already taken at least a few.”
“She knew what she was getting into,” Gregory shrugged. “Come on, let’s go have some tea with better company.”
“That sounds lovely,” Claudia smiled.
