POV: Eunice/Roanne

Lerna was a young man with light blue hair and deep green eyes. I assumed he was younger than Aesar, maybe the same age as Roanne. My first impression of him was that he was very quiet and composed. He would only greet me and speak when I started the conversation or when it was necessary.

I had heard from the footman that there was trouble at his home before he came to the manor. I didn't think that the royal family would also need his services at the same time as I did. I understood that scouting for any skilled person like Lerna would be useful for protecting their family. It would've been nice if he was loyal to me as well, but I was just a lady of low significance in the empire compared to the royals. Then again, he declined a royal order and went with me instead, which kind of surprised me.

Before he left, I asked him to do me a favour. I wasn't sure whether it was fair for me to ask such a thing to a commoner without an extra Dranne to give him, but I needed to seize the opportunity to use him for my own benefit just once. I asked him to get more information about the black market. If such a place still existed in Valbara, I could use it as a resource for all kinds of stuff, most importantly to find the weapon that I wanted. After the lesson with Lerna, I didn't feel at ease with handling a longbow and it wasn't what I had expected. My aim and control with the longbow were really bad. It would take more than a month to familiarise myself with it. If guns were invented in this era of the story with the comic's author being influenced by actual world history, it would most likely include the early practice of gunpowder and pellets. I just hoped that I could find them in the black market somehow.

Early in the afternoon, Baroness Marches arrived at the manor, and I escorted her to the parlour. She asked what type of etiquette skills did she want to reeducate me on and I said I wanted to learn all of it; from table and conversation manners to dressing appropriately for every kind of party.

She gulped and asked, "Forgive me for assuming, Lady Roanne, but have you completely forgotten all of your etiquette lessons that you had with me when you were young?"

“It's not that I've forgotten them,” I chuckled guiltily, knowing very well that it was because of my exposure to an entirely different culture and era. “It's been a while since I received an invitation to any parties, so I used none of my formalities for the longest time and have gone a bit rusty with them."

"Oh, I see," she gave me a look of pity.

Josephine told me that Baroness Marches’ husband swore allegiance to Duke Imrora before the emperor when their family was given new peerage of barony under the nouveau riche faction by the duke himself. Despite the declining reputation of the duke’s family, the Marches kept close with the Imroras in both private and public matters. Thus, Baroness Marches knew that Roanne’s relationship with most of the nobles of the empire was bitter and hostile.

"I also want to prepare myself for the New Year banquet. I'm hoping that I can make amends with a few nobles next year"

She blinked a few times before rejoicing, "Why, of course! In order to make good impressions of people, we must always uphold our etiquette along with our kindness. I have no doubt that you will make good-hearted relations again with the nobles."

She taught me a few conversation formalities such as politeness, topics of interest and how to avoid conflict. I honestly felt quite bored with the lesson but I kept my feelings hidden. I thought the lesson would go on forever, but she only taught me for about an hour. She promised me she would teach table manners and dress codes in the following week because she needed to prepare herself first, and I agreed.

After I sent Baroness Marches home, I went back to my room and laid on the bed, letting out a long sigh as I stared at the crystal ornaments of the chandelier. It had been a while since I met and communicated with people that were newly acquainted to me. It was exhausting to play pretend and greet people as if I had known them before. I really wanted to just stay in the bedroom and not have to attend so many activities of parties and lessons. But, I knew I couldn't give this a rest because my image as a lady wasn't the only thing that I was worried about.

I was anxious about facing the enemy and the prying eyes within the manor. I was anxious about the upcoming rendezvous on Sunday. I forced my eyes shut and crumpled the fabric of the bedsheets.

I need to think back. How did Roanne get to meet the king?

After Roanne tracked down Calisa's origin, there was a scene in the comic where she had requested to meet with the Neborian king through a secret broker. The secret broker was a Valbaran citizen who associated themselves with several merchants and tradespeople inside and outside of the empire. It was said that they held great intel about the diplomacy of the empire towards other countries, but they kept themselves anonymous because they weren't part of the peerage.

The broker got Roanne into contact with a person who had done business with the king. That person was a rich mason who lived and built his own guild on the outskirts of the Duchy of Brugaria, a neighbouring duchy of the Imrora's dukedom which was near to the borders that separated the empire and the Neborian kingdom.

When she met and crossed the border with the mason to meet the king, he gave Roanne an inhaled sedation to not remember the route towards the king's castle. Throughout the travel, she slept until she woke up in the guest's quarters.

Sedation, huh?

There was a knock at the door, and Josephine appeared in the small slit of the opening. I sat up from the bed and told her to enter. She closed the door behind her and pushed the serving cart with plates of roasted chicken along with steamed vegetables and gravy.

"You're just in time, Josephine. I'm having quite a headache at the moment."

"Maybe you'll feel better once you've eaten your lunch, my lady." I went over to the velvet couch and watched as she served me a cup of water and placed the plates on the table.

"How long have you worked here?" I asked.

"For about three weeks now."

"And who is in charge of you and the other maids?"

"The female housekeeper," she replied and pondered at me for a while. After she finished serving, she looked down at the floor and asked, "My lady, what have I done wrong that would make you want to interrogate me?"

"I'm having difficulty trusting my own servants lately, and that includes you."

She gulped and lowered her chin even more to her neck. She didn't actually do anything wrong. I was more concerned about that maid and butler, but I also had to be wary about other servants in the household. I hoped I could at least trust Josephine. If she ever betrayed me, I'd have to prepare a contingency plan.

"Tell me honestly. Have you ever communicated with Butler Hursten since the beginning of your employment?"

"Yes, I have, my lady!" she shouted as she winced at the floor, expecting some kind of scolding from me.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" I snapped at her, taking precaution that someone might listen in front of the door.

"Ack! I'm so sorry!" She panicked quietly. "I... I greeted him the first time they welcomed me to the manor. And the last time I talked to him was when he ordered me to clean the west gallery."

"But don't you usually take orders from the housekeeper?"

"Yes, but sometimes, I wouldn't have any tasks to do and I would fill my free time in with some extra chores when needed by the butler."

She seemed sincere enough. The fact that she was only employed for three weeks also meant that she was getting accustomed to the other servants and the tasks of the household. I had to trust my gut to confide in her.

"I'll give you a raise."

"P-pardon?"

"I'll give you a raise in condition that you serve only me and report to me about the activities and backgrounds of two people in this household."

"Who?"

"Butler Hursten and the maid named Cleo."

"H-how much will my r-raise be?"

"Additional 150 Dranne to your daily salary. Enough for you to save up in the bank, leave this place and live comfortably in the capital."

Her eyes widened, and she became speechless. It was either the amount of money or the word 'capital' that got her hooked.

I stood up from the couch and approached her, putting my hands firmly on her shoulders. I noticed she was nearly the same height as me. "Don't you want to experience the high society, Josephine? I can do that for you."

I gave her a smirk, and she gaped at me. She immediately looked back down to her shoes.

"H-how lo-long would I need to serve you to save enough for the capital?" She murmured.

That's it, Josephine. Don't be ashamed to take the bait.

I moved my head towards her right ear and whispered, "until my death."

She had a frightened look on her face. "D-d-death?"

"Yes," I said softly, her cheek inches away from mine. "But don't worry. I still plan on living out my life for at least a month."

She stared mindlessly at the food on the table before answering quietly, "I'll do it."

I moved my head back, smiling at her as I tucked the strands of her hair behind her ear. "I need you to do the background check tonight. Do it secretly and don't get caught."

"Ye-yes!" She flinched and hurried towards the door.

"Oh! And one more thing," I called out to her. "Send two male servants here. I need them to go to the weapons shop to buy some targets for practice."

The next morning, the servants tidied the jumbled haystacks of the barn and set the two targets at the further end, opposite to where the entrance was. I opened all the windows and heard footsteps approaching. I looked back and saw Lerna standing in the middle of the spacious barn.

"Good morning, Lady Roanne," he murmured.

"Good Morning!" I beamed. "I finally bought us new targets."

He didn't respond. He kept his gaze lowered, looking more timid than yesterday. I skipped my way towards him with my hands clasped behind my back and tried to get his attention. "Shall we get started?" I smiled.

Lerna demonstrated the first hit on the target. He was in a steady stance with both his legs set apart and firmed to the ground. He raised the bow and arrow, pulling the string gently and close to his cheek whilst maintaining his aim. He took a deep breath before releasing the string. The arrow flung speedily across the room and pierced the centre of the target. At that moment, my respect for him rose and his potential amazed me. "That was impressive!" I applauded him. I didn't know what my face looked like, but somehow I made him titter.

He handed me the bow and an arrow and we continued our lesson. I missed a lot of hits, with most of them being at the edge of the target, but I kept trying with Lerna advising me on my technique.

As I was pulling the string of the longbow, he told me he received more information about the black market.

"It's been relocated."

I released the string, and the arrow flew a few millimetres away from the centre. I turned to him and asked, "Where?"

"They've kept the location hidden this time. Those that want to get in to the place have to present their identification document to the market's guide and pay a hefty entrance fee."

"How much is the fee?"

"Around 2300 Dranne per entry."

I gaped after I heard the price. It was equivalent to buying a small mansion in the capital. “2300?!"

"Yes, that's the fee for people of nobility and chivalry," he added. "Commoners only need to pay 100 Dranne."

"I guess the biasness shows how detached they are from the empire's government."

"It's only sensible that they do so, your ladyship," he replied, "or else they'd be on the run again."

By the end of our two-hour practice, I was sweating beneath my white dress and black corset. My right biceps felt sore because of the tension of the string’s pull. But I was finally getting used to the longbow. I got at least 11 hits out of 35 at the target's center, and Lerna said he was satisfied with my improvement.

The heat of the midday sky spread with the rays of the sun through the opened windows. The chirping of crickets and cicadas outside of the barn grew louder.

We sat next to each other on top of the hay bale. He was polishing the tip of his arrows with a white cloth, and I was staring at the crown post of the barn’s ceiling.

“Um… My…”

I turned to him as I heard him mutter something. He placed the arrow beside him and avoided my gaze.

“My family would like to invite you over at our house for lunch tomorrow.”

It took a while for me to process what he said. His house was in Felsaberg and he was asking me to go all the way there.

"Sure!" I grinned, "I'll go!"

He looked at me bug-eyed, and I noticed his ears turned light red. "Are you sure you'll be available tomorrow? I don't want to burden you or anything."

"Yes, it's fine! It's fine!" I waved my wrist in the air. "I have nothing to do anyway. What time should I be there?"

"12 o'clock should be okay," he mumbled.

To be honest, having lunch with his family wasn't the only thing I was looking forward to in Felsaberg. I let the silence consume us for a few minutes before I admitted it to him.

"Actually... when I get there, could you also introduce me to the black market's guide?" I muttered, "if its not too much to ask."

I gulped as he glanced at me with a deadpan expression. He now knew that I had my own interests for going to his town and that I wasn't being completely genuine to him. He was offering me his kindness and in return, I was asking him for trouble.

God! I'm such a shitty person!

"Alright then," he responded. "I'll help you get into the market."

A/N: Roanne Imrora above