BXBX NOVEL Chapter 39 39 - The Castle And The City
On his way to being escorted to the Phoenix castle, Haruki had to part ways with his convoy of adventurers. However, instead of being laid free from their duties, they were offered a fully paid stay at the finest inn in the capital city. All they had to do in return was accompany Snow as his convoy again when it was time for him to return his own duchy.
"Mother\'s been quite fond of you, Duke Laria," glancing at Haruki from the edge of his eyes, Riley whipped the horses to carry the carriages a bit faster. "And being in your presence, I can certainly feel why that is."
Exchanging a quick glance with Riley, Haruki wasn\'t quite sure whom he was referring to. The moment they had gotten off their carriages by the gates, the duchess had fallen ill to some unknown ailment, and thus with no formal introductions given to him about anyone, he left entirely at the mercy of his own guesswork.
"What do you mean...Riley, was it?" Hearing the uncertainty in the duke\'s voice, Riley clutched his teeth in rage. But hiding it behind a facade of indifference he glanced back into the carriage with a warm smile on his face.
"The very same, Riley Phoenix, the stepson to the current duchess of Daria," Turning back around, he whipped the horses to let out some of his anger. "About your journey, I heard you ran into some trouble on your way here, is that true Lord Frost?"
Moving his hand over the hips of his armor, Riley\'s fingers caressed the unopened letter of the report from the mercenary he\'d murdered not too long ago.
\'I wouldn\'t mind knowing what happened first hand, rather than reading a dead man\'s tale,\' To his knowledge so far, the necromancers his mother had hired were supposed to get rid of the duke before he made it to the gates, but now, with him riding behind him in the carriage, his mind was itching with curiosity.
"Excuse me, if I may be so bold as to intrude on the conversation," Letting out a hum, Asuka chimed into the matter. "Sir Riley, Master is quite tired from the journey so can we discuss such matters at a later time? I\'m sure you want to return the duchess, your mother, and check on her health back at the castle as well?"
\'Demi-human scum, why does he even allow such a mutt to sit across him? The emperor should just burn off the Feral lands so we won\'t have to deal with such arrogance from these inferior creatures.\' Forcing a smile again, Riley whipped the horses one more time.
"Certainly, I have a lot of preparations to be made as well," although Haruki and Asuka didn\'t catch up with his dishonest reply, they could around him an eerie aura of some kind.
His words, laced with lies and deception, aided him to conceal his true intentions, and while it would\'ve worked a charm on a normal person, the two demons peering at his back were anything but normal.
\'When I heard about Margarette\'s son, I never would\'ve thought that his feminine appearance would be so prevalent.\' Glaring at Riley, Haruki debated whether he was lied to about his gender. In fact, the only manly thing about him was his choice of armor and other clothing. \'Why would you wear a full plate of armor to receive another diplomat? Is it an intimidation tactic?\'
Storming over all kinds of unusual thoughts about the duchy, the duchess and her son, Haruki paraded around the vibrant city. Filled with merchants, traders, and numerous artifacts, the streets of Daria were shimmering with gold moving from one hand to another.
\'You can smell the gold in the streets,\' being a hub of all trades in the empire, so long as you can reach a road it\'d eventually lead you to the duchy of Daria. \'If we can have half of this commerce in our cities, we might be able to build roads in and out of other places without going through the tundra.\'
Making a mental note to discuss the matter with the councilmen, Haruki noticed the path to the palace finally coming into view. Beaconed with an ember spire, the castle stood witness to the many abundances in the land. From the culture to the trade, from the greenery to the wildlife, it all rested comfortably under the spirit of the Phoenix and the watchful eyes of its ordained ruler.
Upon reaching the main gates to the castle, Haruki\'s eyes wandered about looking at the slaves with tightly squeezed collars around their necks. Asuka was just as aware of how different they were treated than back in their home city.
\'Stay with me,\' just from looking into Asuka\'s eyes, Haruki managed to get that message across.
"Well, unfortunately, I must take my leave and visit my mother, but..." As the carriage came to halt, Riley jumped right off. "I\'ll have our butler show you your rooms."
Getting to the carriage door, Riley opened it up for the two to climb out. As soon as they were outside, however, he left them in the hands of an elderly man, who for a change didn\'t have a slave collar around his neck.
"You\'re a human, right?" Haruki asked the butler while watching Riley make his way to the castle door.
"Yes, Lord Laria, we shame you by leaving you in the hands of a demi-human slave," his answer irked Haruki\'s nerves, but assuming that the butler was told to say something like that, he kept his anger confined to himself.
"Now if you would follow me, I\'ll help you get comfortable in your room," said the butler, holding his arms directed towards the main door.
Following his lead, Haruki and Asuka were led into the main hall of the Phoenix castle. Unlike his own, Haruki was quite encharmed by decorative sigils and insignias carved and nailed all around the reflective tiles and walls.
"Do you mind giving me a tour of the castle mister..." still taking in the beauty, Haruki waited for the butler to reply.
"Morris, my lord, and certainly I can show you if that\'s what you want," clasping his hands, Morris the butler began to move again.
Haruki\'s fascination with the decor wasn\'t the only reason he wanted the tour, instead what compelled him more to survey the layout of the place, was simply so he could use that information for later plans if needed.