A few hours later, I’m in front of a full-length mirror with Kierra tying the strings of my vest for me. She’s humming as she does something I could easily do myself but I don’t dare interrupt. She’s in a great mood, face lightly flushed green with a small smile. No need to ruin her fun.

The door opens and Geneva steps in, slapping it closed with her tail. “Your uncle is ready to move, Lou.”

“Mm, thanks.” Sigh. Even though it would be better to let Senior stew for a bit and boil over, Uncle and Father are eager for an audience with the king. After Fen and Geneva chased the startled soldiers out on the heels of Senior, taking my orders to harass them very liberally, they liberated my family from the kitchen. The soldiers hadn’t been kind to them.

They were in the midst of despair, certain that Senior would destroy their minds and leave them as destitute beggars on the street. Then the monster disappeared with his tail between his legs. They don’t understand it, but they are eager to make their move before he comes back. The Tome family is going to the palace in full force to make our case.

“Time to get moving.” I grab Kierra’s hands that are still fiddling with the vest. “It’s great.”

“We should go shopping soon. I’m not one for posturing but someone of your status shouldn’t be outshined by these wealthy nobles, as something tells me we’ll be mixing with them a bit more.”

“Ehhhh.” Shopping’s always been a pain. Father insists on buying clothes that match our family colors. Not only are the dyes rare, they rarely look good. “I suppose…”

“You seem unenthusiastic. Don’t worry. I know what you’re thinking and I already have a plan. Might require a bit of a trip however.”

“Uh huh.” I run a hand through my hair. “I think you’re right.” When I’ve changed so much, it seems right I change my appearance. “I’d look better with braids.”

She smiles. “The braids meant for the head family of the Tome house?”

Hah. As if Uncle has more authority than I do. Kierra alone could destroy the Tome family. “Exactly those. Though head of the Tome family might be a little too small for me.”

“That’s my wife.”

Terrible influence. “Let’s get this charade over with.”

-

The sun is starting to fall as our two carriages arrive outside the gates of the palace. Royal knights stop us, two standing in front of it with their hands on their swords while four others practically pull us off the seats.

“My name is Javarius Tome. I demand an audience with the king. His lapdog has gone too far! Are you listening to me?”

Uncle continues barking. The knights ignore him for the most part but one of them runs off, probably to alert someone. Fifteen minutes later, he comes jogging back out. “Advisor Lightam will see you now.”

An advisor is quite a step down from the king but from the unpleasant look on the knight’s face, that’s the best we’re going to get. Uncle settles down and we follow the knight around to the side entrance of the palace.

The inside isn’t as extravagant as I imagined it would be. Nothing but gray bricks and mounted torches as far as I can see. The only sign of their wealth are the large glass windows in the hall.

That changes as we move deeper into the palace. The stone floor is covered by thick carpeting. Tapestries hang from the walls. They glimmer in a curious way so I sneakily run my fingers over one. I almost can’t believe it but given how hard the threads are and the way they shine, I think these threads are made from precious metals. Just one of these is worth enough to live off of for a year.

“Stop touching,” Jac hisses as she discretely pulls me away from it. She frowns as I shrug her hand off. Really, do I look like a kid? “We’re about to meet one of the advisors. Show some decorum.”

I scowl. “Already met an advisor today. Wasn’t that big of a deal.”

She gives me a sideways look. “I’m not sure what happened in that room. Geo’s story is…interesting at best. But no matter what, you can’t take that into this room. Gordon Senior may have been an advisor but everyone knows he was simply the king’s lapdog. People are afraid of his succubi prying out their secrets so they give him leeway. The other advisors are different. They’ve wielded their power from the founding of this kingdom and are nothing to make light of.”

Hmph. You think I don’t know that? Unlike you, that alone isn’t enough to leave me shaking in my boots. Beside me, Kierra huffs. I agree with you completely. “Be sure to keep it in mind.”

From her frown, I can see she wants to respond but it’s too late. The knight opens a pair of large double doors and leads us into a meeting room dominated by a large circular table.

I’m surprised to see Marquis Guiness standing beside the advisor we’re supposed to see. For one of the most powerful people in the country, he doesn’t look very imposing. In fact, the advisor is shorter than me, with dark eyes sunken into his pudgy face. He reminds me of a frog, an impression reinforced by the dark green robe stretched over his wide figure.

“Jackal, good to see you,” the marquis says as he holds out a hand. “I was discussing some business with Advisor Lightam when I heard you were outside. Is there some kind of problem?”

“A big problem. He has gone too far! Gordon Senior stormed into my house accompanied by soldiers. He beat up my servants and threatened us both physically and mentally, blatantly declaring he would erase our memories to keep us from exposing his treachery. This is an abuse of power!”

“Calm yourself, man.” Lightam says. Saints have mercy on him, even his voice is like a frog’s croak. “That’s a very serious accusation you’re making against one of the king’s advisors. I’d hope this isn’t another ploy in a long feud between families.”

“You can see the proof!” Uncle points to the bruises on his face. “Some of the offending soldiers are now tied up in my basement and we are all here as witnesses. I am willing to submit myself to an Interrogator to prove I am speaking the truth.”

Lightam looks at Uncle with respect. Interrogators are those with the mental affinity specially trained to work for the crown. They can dig out anyone’s deepest secrets. Offering yourself to them is the last thing a criminal would do, as there’s no place to hide in the mind. No one would think he’s lying.

“If you’re going to go that far, I’ll be confirming your stories. Your family will stay here while we collect these soldiers. I suppose we should invite Advisor Grimoire here to straighten this out.”

“If Advisor Lightam doesn’t mind, I would lend my forces to secure the Grimoire manor,” Marquis Guiness answers. “This could be a complicated affair for the royal knights to get involved in.”

“That would be appreciated, Advisor Guiness.”

Hoho. You’re getting involved personally, huh? As I thought, he was simply waiting to see who’d come out on top. Sneaky old man.

…I have to remember to ask why he looks so young. From what I remember from Father’s talks with other nobles, he should be at least eighty years old but he barely looks out of his twenties.

“In the meantime, you all will be waiting here.” Lightam waves for us to take seats. “We’ll be asking all of you questions. You can let the knights know if there’s anything you need. What a mess.”

The last part is whispered under his breath on his way to the doors.

“I’ll be taking off. Please, don’t worry about anything. This mess will soon be sorted out.”

Marquis Guiness gives us a deep bow before leaving the room. There’s a tension in the air. Uncle came ready to scream and rant to get people moving. I’m sure it would have come in handy if the marquis wasn’t here. Now, he’s got a whole lot of energy with nowhere to put it. He takes a seat at the table with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

The rest of the family settles around him. I take a seat on the opposite side, Geneva and Kierra settling on either side of me, and close my eyes. I can feel their gazes on me. Wondering about what my action means. Yes, this is a statement. I’m not saying I hate them but there’s no love lost between us.

Can you hear me, Geneva?

[Yes]

I stiffen, resisting the reflex to jump. Wasn’t ready to hear her voice in my mind. Again, useful but unsettling. Lightam is fishy. What is he thinking?

[He is an ally of Gordon Senior. More so, I believe Senior is something of a problem handler for the Council of Advisors. Him being brought in is bad for all of them because he will leverage their secrets against them.]

Oh, that’s all? With how uninterested he seemed, I thought he had something against us. Never mind then. If profit is motivating him, he’ll act as we suspect. Senior in his current state can’t keep anyone’s secrets. It’ll be a race to see who kills the lunatic first between the advisors and his own family.

The thought makes me laugh, drawing stares from across the table as their conversation is interrupted. I dodge their curious eyes. You’re not invited to this party.

[Curious. You’re very hostile toward your fellow humans. Is there a reason?]

Hey. I’m not hostile toward everyone. I only hate the Grimoires. As for my family, we aren’t close because we’ve never been close. They’re people who I happen to share blood with. I have no doubt they’d dime me out for profit, just like every other noble.

That’s the main reason for my attitude. I’ve simply been disillusioned to people’s nature by my upbringing. I’ll respect someone who’s worth respecting. If that makes me a bad person, well the saints can judge me.

[Not bad, Lou. Practical. Though more emotionally compromised than your words might suggest. You sound bitter.]

Hmph. You sound bitter.

I’m suddenly yanked to the side, nose shoved into my wife’s chest. “Why are the two of you talking in secret?” she says with a grin as she keeps pulling me. I’m on her lap when she finally stops. Pushy woman. “I’m getting bored.”

“What do you want me to do about that? I’ve got a feeling the knights at the door will have a problem with us exploring the place.”

“Mm. Tell me what you want to do now.”

“Train.” I lean forward, dropping my voice to a whisper. “With Geneva here, I can figure out how this body works. And she has four of my seven affinities, so that’ll work for that.” As for earth, air, and light, I’ve got no idea. Especially light. All greater affinities are hard to train but light and celestial are on their own levels.

Ah. Just realized while I have my immediate future handled, I didn’t think about what she might want to do. Doubt she’d like to continue hovering over my shoulder forever. “What about you? What do you want to do when this is over?”

She chuckles. “How sweet. I do have something in mind. While I was reading, I came across records of the Grand Hall. I think it may be interesting.”

The Grand Hall, huh. Where I was headed to in the first place. Not the most unreasonable thing. In fact, I think with my new leverage and her treasure stash, I could afford the tuition. “Sure, but what are you planning to do? Don’t tell me you want to be a student.”

“Would that be so strange?”

“For so many reasons. Chief among them, you have a pure affinity. You don’t cast, you work on instinct.”

“That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to learn. But no, I don’t plan on studying beside you. The pet can teach me anything I need to know. I have a different role in mind for me.”

“Hmm.”

-

It’s hours later when Lightam returns. He has a naturally displeased face which is made worse by his heavy scowl. “Members of the Tome family,” he announces, practically biting off every word. “After an investigation into the events, we’ve found proof of Advisor Grimoire’s actions. Please be patient for a little longer while we fetch an interrogator to verify your statements."