Chapter 96 – the Lady of Alva’s Woes

“What’s the meaning of this!” the door slammed suddenly. A man in his fifties entered this lavishly decorated room. He stomped his legs towards the ringlet-haired lady with a lazy expression.

“Uncle, do you know what is knocking? It is an act of politeness that usually for having manners. And look at you, barging into a ladies room. What if I was naked? What if I had my maidservant dressing me? Where are my guards? Did you send them off? If they die I would have you pay for their coffers and pay me a fee. So why are you standing like a damn fool? Oh my, should I throw you off the plank? I always wanted to play like a hearty pirate.”

The man stomped his right foot. “Enough you brat, what were you thinking? Releasing all the slaves? Giving them leniency and paying them work when you only need to feed them?”

“Oh is that what you are seething about,” Dolce tilted her head. “Are you sure that you should be telling me? Ah, let me tell that this ‘ship’ that you are flying on has been blessed by the Thorn Cross Legion itself. It is their thanks for allowing them to take Avilla City and purging the enemies of their demesne like a good Alva should do. So why are you yelling at me? In my own ship on what I am doing to my own crew?”

“You brat, do you know what you are doing? You are wasting money! And to think that I sent these slaves to you only for them to be freed! Damn your father!”

“And now you insult my dear father,” said Dolce. “Do you know that this lady will get angry? My father is a lenient yet brutal man who hates and loves his daughter. Although, my defiance had made him almost throw me out. Having worked with the Templars made him reconsider. Ah, isn’t it great? And what have you done you, dullard? Sit on your ass enjoying Bali native girls?”

“You...insolent girl, I’ll have your father hear this.”

“Oh good Luci Fera,” she patted her forehead. “Is this what you always do? Gawk like a dotard that could not speak anything else? Good, heavens above. Even a slave would have better rhetoric’s and retort than you do. Urgg, I feel like I want to just sleep or have your head shaved. Mm, maybe I will do that out of annoyance? Elesia!” called Dolce. “Do we have a barber on our ship?”

The maid peeked out of the table. She wiped her mouth and said. “N-no, milady, I don’t think that there is someone like that onboard.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Okay, you can go back to work now.”

The man in his fifties looked at the maid who perked her head on the table. He could not see the maid before since Dolce was sitting on a big table.

“What in bloody heavens are you doing?”

“Something that you should not ask me about,” her face was bland but with a hint of redness in her cheeks. She moaned rather lewdly as well. “So, are you done saying what you want to say to me? Are you done being an annoyance uncle?” she pointed at the documents laid on her table. “I’ve been taking care of work. Unlike you, I have little time to rest. I have fiefs to manage and fools to squander and bribe. I may not look like it. But I am now a hard worker that cares for people’s lives.”

“What do you really want?” the man in his fifties folded his arms. “I’ve known you from the start you brat. You don’t do things like these! What are your true intentions here?”

Dolce looked at her uncle with a baffled expression. “Elesia, are you hearing this?”

The maid that was under Dolce’s frilly skirt popped her head up. “Yes, milady, I heard it all clearly.”

“Why does this uncle of mine assume that I cannot change?”

Elesia held her right hand near her mouth, wiping that suspicious liquid from her face. “She thinks that the lady is a brat?”

“What!” Dolce slammed her hands on the table dramatically. “What an insult to me! O my poor heart has been hurt! Elesia, look at this mean man who can’t please his wife anymore! What a meanie! How could he say something so hurtful to me?”

The man looked at the maid with cold eyes. “You are acting without meaning!” the man shouted. Dolce suddenly reached out to the pistol hidden under the table. There, she showed a cold expression, far too cold that it made the man shiver. His spine tingled. He had the feeling of wanting to run away.

“What are you doing?” said the man.

“I am pointing a barrel of a gun at your torso. Why are you so stupid that I have to explain it to you? This conversation has been me trying to make it a bit fun. First, you intrude my meager time. Second, you hurled insults right at my face. So tell me my impotent past his prime uncle. Why should I not shoot you here?”

“You wouldn’t...dare to do it.”

Dolce pulled the trigger of her pistol. A muzzle flashed and the man felt pain in his stomach. He stared at his wound. He kneeled and screamed in pain.

“Oh my, my finger slipped.”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT HURTS!”

“Oh my, Elesia, please call the doctor. Have my uncle treated okay?. I can’t have him dying until he sees all of Avilla into the hands of the Templars.”

“Yes, milady!” said Elesia.

“Oh wait!” Dolce called out to Elesia who was leaving. “You should wipe that thing on your face.”

Elesia blushed. She hurriedly wiped the liquid on her face. She then left the room. Dolce sighed and turned her eyes to her uncle that was sprawled on the floor bleeding. “Good lord Uncle it’s just a flesh wound. Your clothes will go red at this point!”

“You bitch!”

“Tsk those are some bad manners uncle! You ruin my carpet and now you treating me this badly!”

She stomped on her uncle’s chest. His uncle took a deep breath as he faints. Dolce then turned her attention to the circular window of her room. Down below, past the clouds, she could see smoke rising from Avilla City. It was a tiresome sight, and although she didn’t want to be here. She had to ferry this troublesome Uncle of hers down below, where the forces of the Templar’s and Alva will capture and take Avilla whole.