Before Cass went with Hall to apply Natalie’s tattoos, she went with her Master to meet with the soldiers who would be accompanying her. The Warriors of Beergmutar favored light and flexible armors to complement their individual skill. In contrast, the soldiers of the Haj Empire were mostly heavy infantry- focusing on heavy armors and powerful formations. Honestly, Cass thought the glyphs were of more use in Beergmutar’s style, but there certainly were benefits.

The most notable benefit was that the soldiers were easily able to march in their armor now- something that would have been unthinkable before. For that matter, their armor was heavier than normal. Plate armor was incredibly expensive, and the entirety of Cass’s escort, a full twenty men, were outfitted in that way.

“Our Lord favors quality over quantity after all,” the large man who led the soldiers laughed. “And now with the magic he has given us, I would wager we are the strongest soldiers in the Empire!”

The man was really a giant of a man, with bright eyes and short cropped dark hair who introduced himself as Sir Darius Ramusson, a knight who served the Hall family. He was a really cheerful person, so much so that it rather unnerved Cass who was simply unused to such happy people. Unlike the soldiers, instead of a shield he wielded a massive greatsword, which was rather abnormal for a knight- but Cass could imagine how effective it would be when used in conjunction with the glyphs.

“So my dear Lady,” the knight bowed to Cass, which was very impressive in his armor. “I am charged with keeping you safe on this journey. On my honor I will see you there and back safely.”

“It is appreciated Sir Rammuson,” Cass acknowledged the knight. “Though I must confess I hope for a quiet trip.”

“Haha!” Rammuson laughed, “Well if you do not mind me saying so, Lady Cass, we soldiers also feel the same way. Nothing like collecting pay for standing around!”

“Rammuson ended up serving under my family with Vincent’s recommendation.” Hall said as if that explained everything, and if Cass was honest, it did. Cass could totally see how this came to be.

“I presume that when we actually arrive you alone will be escorting me at the Baron’s estate?” Cass asked, thinking that the amount of guards seemed a little excessive. “Having twenty soldiers following me down every hallway might be a bit… Much…”

“No, no!” Rammuson laughed, “They will be staying in the barracks, I will be your bodyguard inside the estate. But we are all yours to command, my Lady.”

Cass also got to take a look at the carriage that was being prepared for her, and it was quite an extravagant affair. Not so much for its decoration, but it was large- large enough that it included two beds that could be made from the seats. That was good, Cass would rather not sleep outside if she could help it- especially since she had to keep up her appearances on this trip.

There was a single issue however, but Cass did not think it was worth bothering Lord Hall over and decided to deal with it herself. She, reluctantly, said goodbye to Lord Hall and made her way to the Head Maid of this section of the castle. Honestly, ‘Head Maid’ was a bit of a misnomer- she was more of an administrator than a maid, and that was what made her so useful.

The size of the Imperial Center, combined with the many nobles and dignitaries each with their own staff, made it next to impossible to know where or what servants were doing. This is where the Head Maid’s came in, they were responsible for knowing who was doing what and where for the section of the castle they oversaw. Last time Cass had been here, this section had actually lacked a Head Maid due to the lack of inhabitants and the efficiency of Maurice- but as the amount of activity increased, it was decided for one to be assigned here.

Cass went to her office to find the whereabouts of Owin and Svala, who would be accompanying her on the trip because there was an unfortunate problem. Natalie was small enough that she could sleep next to Cass, but that still left only one other bed in the carriage- and there were two people. Cass’s first instinct was to make Owin sleep outside, but she wondered if that was the correct decision.

Technically, the ones with the privilege to sleep in the carriage should be the ones highest up the hierarchy and this is where things began to get complicated. Natalie was a free woman employed by the Hall Household, but Cass, Svala, and Owin were slaves- however, Cass had the position of a Hand and was thus a representative of her Master, almost a noble by proxy. Owin, on the other hand, was noble by birth, but his family had been destroyed and was now a slave. However, once it was discovered that Owin was from the Rattan family, his enslavement became somewhat complicated. Legally, a noble could become a slave- but the laws regarding their treatment were far different than the treatment of a common slave.

Which would solve the issue, if Svala was not Cass’s first maid- and theoretically responsible for organizing Cass’s servants. A position that Cass could not, and did not want to, put Owin in. To summarize, the social standings of this group were a complete mess and a massive headache for Cass whenever she thought about it.

Of course, she could simply do what she wanted and ignore it entirely. But while she had the ability to do so, her tutors had driven home the point that that was unacceptable at her current position. As a Hand, she had to be cognizant of these issues and deal with them accordingly, ignoring them could even put the Hall family in a bad light if another party was to observe it.

Having had all of those thoughts going through her mind, Cass was absolutely unprepared for the response she was given.

“Well, it is not an issue if we share the same bed.” Svala had said, looking at Cass as if wondering why she had to say something so obvious. “And I am glad to leave it at that, I suspect I would end up sleeping outside if this was discussed further.”

“Svala, no- Birdie, you know that you do not have to do that, right?” Cass had been aware of this months ago, but she had not been the same person then. While it was true that Cass still struggled with sympathy and empathy, to the point she often appeared to lack both entirely, she did not hate Svala and did not want her to suffer under Cass’s management. Her dream was to improve society, how could she claim that stance with a straight face while allowing this to go on under her care?

“It is not like it was before!” Svala said firmly, “and even if it was, are you one to talk?”

“Svala, both Lord Hall and I recognize that there is something- probably many things- greatly wrong with us.” Cass admitted with a sigh, “My Master, our Master, has given me a lot, and I could never have imagined a life like this when I was starving on the street- but it is also true that he broke me while doing it. Owin gave you some crusts of bread to serve him in bed back in that cell- but what has he done for you since? For that matter, you ask ‘who am I to talk,’ and the answer to that is that I am the one who knows best. My Master and I have a relationship that is unhealthy and we both hate ourselves for it- that is not something others should ask for.”

Then, as an afterthought, Cass added, “and really, Owin? He might be able to give someone a beating, but there are people far more practiced in the art of breaking people than him. Even if, against all reason, you decided that is what you wanted- there are better people out there.”

Svala listened to Cass, but clearly was of a different opinion- and so Cass dismissed her with a sigh. She was unsure what else to say, or even if it would matter. The only person who could do anything about it was-

“How long are you going to sit there and listen?” Cass called out to the seemingly empty to courtyard only to have Owin stroll out with perfect posture and confidence as if he had not just been eavesdropping on that entire conversation.

“You know Cass,” Owin said casually, not bothering to hide the fact he was running his eyes over her body before meeting her own. “You are rather naive, it is actually quite funny.”

“Oh,” Cass arched a single eyebrow. “How so?”

“Haha, well let me tell you a little secret about people- one of the unfortunate truths about the world that most goodly folk ignore.” Beneath his polished and formal exterior Cass could catch a glint of the brutal thug who had raped and intimidated people in that underground cell. She still thought he could be a better person, but maybe that was naive of her after all, regardless she continued to listen.

“The truth is, I did not break Svala- and given a twist of fate, you two could have been easily switched.” Owin laughed darkly, “Let me ask you, do you remember how you were when they threw you in that cell? You might think back over your life and compare it, but I bet you don’t think too hard on that point in time, right?”

Owin leaned forward, uncomfortably close to Cass. If he got any closer she would likely break his jaw, but Owin seemed to know that line well and stopped just before it as he whispered.

“The streets break people without any need for intervention. The weak serve the strong or suffer, and if they live that life long enough the sheer force of years shatter their wills and they will happily follow anyone with a shred of presence left. Svala spent too long on the streets, and then too long quite literally under me. She is so terrified of what would happen if I left her and her terror is not remotely rational.”

Owin stepped back and began to walk away with a slightly amused look on his face, but he stopped to throw one last comment over his shoulder.

“If you want to help her, give her a life she can trust and believe in. Stability, a future, and security- it will not heal her, but it would be the start. Do take your time though, she is a lot more fun now that she has some meat on her bones!”

Owin left with a crude laugh, leaving Cass to wonder about whether or not she even had the right to judge good from bad. She was still so far from her dream of a better world that even Owin could point out the direction better than her.