Seeing the look on Ash’s face, the gate guard of the estate didn’t welcome him but instead quickly opened the gate for him. Word of Ash’s arrival spread fast as before he could take more than three steps into the manner, Emelia ran out to greet him. “Ash back again already?” Emelia said laughing, until she saw the sour look on Ash’s face. “Is something wrong?”
“Can we talk for a bit?” Ash asked, his face pinched tight. “In private.”
“Sure…We can talk in the study,” Emelia said, her voice laced with concern.
Ash didn’t take a seat next to Emelia on the couch like he normally would and instead sat in the chair across from her. Seeing this, Emelia’s face took on a concerned air and even more so when she noticed that Lillanis took up a position behind Ash’s right side. Ash didn’t know it, but Lillanis’s choice of position held a great deal of significance. It was the same reason that Emelia had put Ash on her right whenever people visited. It signified a lover.
“What is this about?” Emelia asked her eyes slightly watering.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Ash said and Emelia gripped the hem of her dress tightly. “Last night after drinking I laid with Lillanis. It was not my intention to betray your trust or feelings. I only hope that you can forgive us.”
“Are you leaving me?” Emelia asked then bit the edge of her lip.
“N-no…that is, if you can forgive me,” Ash said slightly surprised.
Emelia slumped down in her seat and let out a deep sigh. “Ash, I am guessing you still haven’t learned much about nobles,” Emelia said, her voice holding a tinge of anger. “I am sure I told you it was common for male nobles to have two or three wives as well as a number of lovers. Even among commoner families, it is not uncommon. I can’t say that I am happy about the fact, but I understood when we got married that I would have to share you. Just remember what I told you…I will always be first.”
Ash was astounded. He had expected Emelia to start cursing his name and throwing things at him but instead she had taken it calmly. Seeing the look on his face, Emelia let out another sigh though this one was much lighter then she crossed the room and sat on Ash’s lap and wrapped around his neck. “I didn’t think it would be that much of a surprise for you,” Emelia said with a light chuckle. “The thought of keeping you all to myself does sound fun, though I don’t think it would be fair. Do you know the reason that most men have more than one wife?”
“Because men only think with their bodies,” Ash replied, only half joking.
At his jest both Lillanis and Emelia let out a slight laugh. “There is that, but that is not the only reason. For some reason, six females are born for every male. For the nobles that means that there are a lot of unwed noble ladies and also the more wives they have the better chance they have of conceiving a son. For the normal populace, it means that there are a lot more women seeking husbands than there are single men. It wasn’t always like this, but when the population started to decline rapidly the laws were changed and over time so did the feelings about it.”
Emelia shifted her seat and grabbed Lillanis’s hand and pulled her forward. “Lillanis since the idiot is woefully ignorant, I hope that you will help watch out for him when he is not within my sight,” Emelia said, holding tightly to Lillanis’s hands.
“Milady, it was only one night,” Lillanis said shaking her head. “We have talked about this. I have another that I have given my heart.”
“If that is true, then how did you find your way into his bed?” Emelia asked pointedly. “I don’t think Ash would force you against your will.”
“That is not it,” Lillanis replied quickly. “I just needed a little comfort and Ash has a calming presence.”
“Then let him continue to comfort you,” Emelia said with a warm smile, seeming to understand the situation. “It is better for me if there are no deep feelings involved.”
“What about what I think?” Ash said slightly taken aback.
“You already spent one night with her,” Emelia countered, pushing his concerns aside. “Be a man and take responsibility for it. Now if there is nothing else, I have a court today,” Emelia added pushing the two out of the room.
Leaving the manor, Ash walked aimlessly toward the market district. “Told you she wouldn’t be angry,” Lillanis said lightly. While she spoke, Lillanis took Ash’s arm and pulled it tightly to her chest.
“I thought that you didn’t want to continue?” Ash asked surprised.
“I don’t know,” Lillanis said after a long moment of silence. “But I don’t think there is anything wrong with a little tenderness. A woman wants to feel wanted every now and then.”
“Even if you say so, I don’t really feel comfortable,” Ash said, though he didn’t try to remove his arm from her grasp.
“It’s not like we have to jump right into bed,” Lillanis said, laying her head on his shoulder. “Just a little warmth is all I need. Your wife even agreed to it, so there is no reason to hold back. If it really bothers you just think of it as doing a favor for a friend.”
“A favor…How is this a favor?” Ash asked, completely confused at her meaning.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to see Halon flirting with that young slave of yours day after day. For years I have watched him court girl after girl and never look my way and not even caring how bad it hurts to watch. Even if it’s a lie, I want to feel loved from time to time.”
Seeing the sad look on Lillanis’s face, Ash felt a pain in his chest. Seeing the look on his face, Lillanis gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “That soft side of you is really charming.”
Ash didn’t say anything else and kept his pace as he walked in the direction of the guild halls, looking for the Stonemason’s Guild. Though it was called the Stonemason’s Guild, it dealt with everything that had to do with building.
The guild building was well made, but not as elaborate as Ash had imagined. As he entered the building he was warmly greeted and asked to wait while the guild master was notified. Sir Gillan, along with a slightly older gentleman appeared after a few moments.
“Master Ash, this is guild master Walt.” Gillan said bowing. “Since the project is so big, he wanted to speak with you, though I will still be in charge on site.”
“This way please,” Walt said.
Ash and Lillanis were lead to a fairly large room in the back of the guild. In the center of the room was a long table which was covered by small trees. At first Ash thought that the trees were made out of wood, but upon closer inspection he noticed that the image wavered slightly. “This is magic,” Ash said looking closer.
“Yes, it is one of the skills that stonemasons have. It allows us to show everything happening at a project site. Most the time it isn’t used, but since this is a project suggested by the duchess we have to make sure everything is done correctly. We have already hired two hundred laborers to clear the land. They will cost ten silvers a day each. Once enough of the land is cleared we will bring in the earth mages to remove stumps and prepare the foundation so that it can hold the weight of construction. For the prep work, we can use novice earth mages but for the stones themselves we will need intermediate or higher and that will be where most the expense will go. Right now we have five mages hired who are currently making stones using iron thick soil. This way they will be ready when the ground is prepared. They are costing fifty gold a piece a day. We also have to employ one person for every ten workers, but for the common laborers we are using novice stonemasons at twenty silver a day. To oversee each ten novices we have one intermediate stonemason costing five gold a day. And right now there is only Gillan working as the overseer but since it would be wrong to pay him less than the highest paid worker, he is receiving a platinum coin a day. Once the ground is prepared and work starts, we will need two more master stonemasons, and I myself will start as overseer. We understand that most projects of this size often take years to complete, so we would like you to deposit funds available with us so th
at we can ration out the work over time.”
Ash listened to the guild master without saying a word. When he was finished, Ash pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote out a note for them to draw two thousand platinum coins from the royal back. “Right now this is all that we have prepared for the work,” Ash said handing over the paper.
“Is this amount just for this year’s budget?” Walt asked.
“Is it not enough?” Ash asked hesitantly.
“It is a little more than I figured. Normally a project this size would be rationed out over forty to fifty years. Even the king would spread it out over ten years. I was expecting more along the lines of fifteen hundred platinum coins.”
“How much will the project cost all together?” Ash asked. He had tried to figure it up himself and thought a hundred thousand platinum coins would be cheap.
Between sixty and seventy five thousand platinum coins. The most expensive part is the earth mages and transporting the stones once they are made. The best quarry for high level stones is more than eight days away so it is quite the hassle, but we won’t have to worry about that for a while.”
“Then use this as this year’s budget and increase the speed if you can even if only by a little,” Ash said looking down at the table.
“Then we can hire another earth mage and three hundred more workers. That will speed up progress greatly,” Gillan said scratching his beard.
“I will try to come up with some more to add to the funds. I don’t know how much I will be able to gather, but every bit will help,” Ash said nodding his head.
“If you bring more funds, we will start transporting the stones closer so that they can be used more easily once the time arrives,” the guild master said nodding his head.
With his business finished, Ash left the guild with Lillanis following close behind him. He thought of going to the labyrinth, but since he had already given the other two the day off, he decided instead to head back to the manor to enjoy a relaxing day himself.
When Ash arrived at the manor Lillanis took hold of his arm again pressing it tightly between the small mounds on her chest just as Halon came into view. Halon was currently chatting with the young slave that had caught his attention while she hung laundry but upon seeing Lillanis and Ash his smiling face darkened.
“Ash, can I have a moment?” Halon asked, seeming to forget the young lady he had been courting.
“Sure,” Ash said as he sighed internally.
Ash tried to pull his arm free of Lillanis’s grasp but she held tight. Looking back he noticed that she had a face full of determination. His shoulders slumping slightly, Ash followed Halon with Lillanis still holding tightly to his arm.
“Lillanis, could you leave us alone for a moment?” Halon asked, seeing that she was still standing beside Ash when he turned around.
“Why?” Lillanis asked, furrowing her brow.
“I just want to talk with Ash a bit,” Halon said, his lips twitching slightly.
Lillanis lightly kissed Ash’s cheek and she pulled back her grasp. “Please,” Lillanis lightly whispered before walking back toward the front door of the manor. It was only one word, but it held a lot of meaning and not even Ash could miss the meaning behind it.
“Ash, what are you intentions toward Lillanis?” Halon asked as soon as she was out of sight.
“Intentions…I don’t have any intentions toward her,” Ash replied.
“Then you are just using her?” Halon asked, his hand reaching toward the sword on his hip.
“Nothing of the sort,” Ash quickly replied. “If anything, she is using me,” Ash said within the confines of his own mind. “We are just enjoying each other’s company right now, nothing more.”
“She has had bad luck with men,” Halon warned in a dark voice. “If I find out that you hurt her…”
“I won’t,” Ash said, holding up his hands.
“I didn’t think that you were the sort, but she is like a sister to me,” Halon said. “And I will do anything I can to keep her safe,” Halon added, his voice darkening again making his threat clear for what it was.
With his peace said, Halon walked back to the young slave that was waiting on him. “Does he have any room to talk while he is playing around with one of my slaves?” Ash asked, shaking his head. “What kind of trouble did I get myself into now?”
Leaving Halon behind, Ash entered the house and was quickly greeted by Allice who was holding a small glass of water for him. “Gilda said that master should drink plenty of water today,” She said with a worried look on her face.
“Thank you,” Ash said, taking the offered water and quickly drinking it.
“Ash, a moment,” Lillanis said, appearing from the hallway.
As Ash handed the glass back to Allice, he walked toward Lillanis waited. “Even though master has me,” Allice said in a slightly pouty voice.
As soon as they were shut in the meeting room from the night before, Lillanis turned on him placing her face only inches from his. “What did Halon want?”
“He just warned me that should I do anything to hurt you, I would be turned into monster grub,” Ash said sighing.
“So it was his, don’t hurt my sister speech,” Lillanis said with a weak laugh.
“He said something about you being hurt before and not wanting it repeated,” Ash said a slight hint of worry in his voice.
Lillanis let out a small “tisk,” sound as she pulled back. “Why did he have to bring up something like that?”
“What happened?” Ash asked as he took a seat on the sofa.
Lillanis flung herself on the sofa and leaned her head on his leg looking up into Ash’s eyes. Ash could remember numerous times when he had laid with his head on Emelia’s lap, but this was the first time the position was reversed. It felt oddly satisfying in its own way.
“About three years ago I met someone, I thought was a nice guy. He fought in the labyrinth with us just as you are doing now. He was always flirting with me, but I never took him serious. Since I am the only girl in the party, I always have my own room at the inn. One night after we had gotten back, while Halon and Jacob were fighting, the man came to my room. I didn’t think much of it and let him in, thinking he only wanted to talk.”
“Enough,” Ash said, turning his head away from looking in her eyes.
Seeing Ash turn red in anger, Lillanis lifted up her hand and placed it on his face pulling it back toward her. When Ash saw the pained look on her face, he found himself without words all he could think of was hunting down the man and killing him.
When Lillanis brought her head up and placed her lips against his, Ash didn’t pull back. “Thank you,” Lillanis said weakly as she laid her head back down and closed her eyes.
Ash just sat watching Lillanis sleep. She had such a peaceful face. Outside of the labyrinth, Ash hadn’t spent much time with Lillanis and the others. Every night they ate and had a few drinks together, but after that they went their separate ways. His impression of Lillanis had been that she was an easy going, strong type that held the other two in check. Seeing her now though, she seemed almost childlike and incomparably innocent. It was a lot like the difference between the awake and the sleeping Emelia.
Lillanis slept for a little under an hour and woke with a warm smile on her face. She didn’t say much as she sat up and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Allice appeared from one of the small doors that the servants used to get around the manor so that they wouldn’t disturb the guests.
“Master,” Allice said, the sadness in her eyes clearly visible.
Ash knew that while still young, Allice wasn’t a fool. Every night she would make sure everything was ready in his chambers so there was no way that she missed Lillanis being there the night before. He tried to think of something to say to comfort her, but his mind remained blank. Instead he placed his hand on top of her head and lightly patted it.
The rest of the day Ash went through his own personal finances. He didn’t kno
w why the idea of the fort had hit him so strongly, but something told him that it should be built and the faster the better. Ash had lived his whole life going along with the flow and listening to what he felt was right, but even so he didn’t want to spend too much of his own coin on the production of the fort. If he did that, it wouldn’t just be him that suffers but his slaves as well.
Before he knew it, the sun had sat and everyone was once again gathered around the table to eat. Lillanis who normally ate next to Halon now sat beside Allice. Seeing that Lillanis didn’t try to force the younger girl out of her place made Ash smile.
Throughout dinner, Lillanis talked with Allice and Yuki. They didn’t talk about anything grand but just simple things. Yuki’s next grade test was in a little over a week, it was all she could talk about. Allice talked about her brother mainly, but Lillanis directed the conversation into what Allice herself liked. It was the first time Ash had heard Allice talk about herself.
From what Allice said before her mother died, she was learning how to sew and embroider from her and enjoyed it. After her death however, she had been forced to work long hours just to keep a small place to sleep and food so she didn’t seem to have any hobbies of her own.
When Lillanis heard this, she lightly hugged the young girl. Ash had expected Allice to pull back but instead she didn’t resist at all.
After eating, Ash had a quick bath then headed for bed, planning to head to the labyrinth early in the morning so he could try and push through some more floors. Shortly after he had laid down, Allice came to check on him but seeing the candle’s snuffed, she quietly left. When the door opened again a few moments later, Ash expected that it was Yuki coming to try to invade, but when he felt the warm body pressed against him he turned in shock. “Lillanis…What are you doing here?”
“Just sleeping,” She replied as she pressed her forehead against his back. Ash didn’t know what to do and the tension in his body quickly rose, but when the soft rhythmic breathing of the sleeping Lillanis reached his ears his body seemed to calm down.
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