163: Fairmont

The carriage ride to the Fairmont residence was not very long. They lived surprisingly close. Their manor, however, was far smaller than my own, which really put into perspective how large a gift the king was giving me.

It was built out of dark stone, with a reddish-brown roof. There were two small balconies, one overlooking the entrance where we were coming up from, and the other looked to be on the side of the house, looking towards the palace.

I turned on Arcane Foraging as we entered through the main gates, but there really wasn’t anything of note that I could see. There are a couple of small, brightly glowing items inside the house, but there was nothing I could see in the garden above uncommon.

While looking around, I noticed a man who looked middle-aged, with dark salt and pepper hair, and even from here I could tell he had a hard look, as he was looking out over the entrance, wearing his formal red embroidered suit, similar to what I was given from the king.

Pulling up to the front entrance, we were met by a maid who was already bowing before we had even left the carriage.

“Welcome to the Fairmont residence, Lord Ashmoon. Please follow me,” she said as I stepped out.

I had just opened my mouth to ask her to please just say Trevor when I was stopped by Liane with a squeeze of the arm.

She whispered, “Keep formality for now.”

Nodding, I followed the maid as we walked towards the entrance, when she did a double take at Crisplet, seeming as if she wanted to say something. In the end, saying nothing.

As we entered the foyer of the home, the man who was standing on the balcony was waiting for us.

“Welcome, Lord Ashmoon. Thank you kindly for accepting my invitation,” he said with a smile that just felt… forced? It was hard to describe. It didn’t feel genuine at all.

Up close, the man had a hard look about him. His sharp facial features and dark eyes didn’t help that at all.

“Thank you for inviting me to your home, Lord Fairmont. These are my friends and guardians, Crisplet Ashmoon and Liane,” I said, gesturing to them. As I said that, I felt the faint pressure of Lily appear, causing the maid who led me in to squeak in fright.

“And that would be Lily,” I said with a smile.

“That’s quite the entourage,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Unfortunately, after the encounter we had in the marketplace just this morning, it seems to be required,” I said sadly.

“Yes, I heard about that. Foolish old man. He’s used to getting his way, so I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t amusing to find out he was rebuked,” he said, letting out the first genuine laugh, or even reaction, I felt I had seen yet.

“You’ve heard about it already?” I asked, confused.

“Of course. You’ll soon learn that word travels faster around here than you could imagine. Now, let’s head to the sunroom and have tea, shall we?” he said, gesturing to the side.

As I followed him, I really took in the surrounding home, and compared to my own, this home felt warmer, more lived-in. There was art along the walls, portraits as well as vistas. There were soft rugs underfoot, and even down to the colours used. It felt smaller, but far more cosy.

Entering the small sunroom, I saw tea already served, with three chairs set around a small table that looked out onto a very well-maintained garden that was made up mostly of white and red flowers.

Taking my seat, Liane quickly took a spot next to me as Crisplet left the brazier, inspecting the plants growing inside the room.

“You’ll have to forgive me, Lord Fairmont. I am not good with formalities. Do you mind if I call you Nicholas?” I asked as he took his seat.

“That’s fine. It might be refreshing to have a conversation without the formality,” he said, reaching out and pouring the tea.

Thanking him for my cup, I quickly took a sip, just to provide a distraction from the anxiety I was feeling.

Again, he was looking at me, surprised.

“Was I supposed to wait?” I asked, confused.

He just laughed. “No, you’re too trusting. What if that had been poison?”

There was a part of me that initially wondered if he’d try to poison me or something, but no notification showed up, and I’d still rather go first than risk Liane, who could be hurt by it.

I simply shrugged, earning a chuckle.

“Times are changing, young Trevor, and I suspect it’s a shake-up that this kingdom needs, but I’d be remiss to miss my opportunity to be on the right side of it,” he said, sipping from his own tea.

“You wish to use Trevor to push yourself forward,” Liane said bluntly.

“I’d not put it so bluntly, but yes. I don’t intend on using him however, not directly. I believe Trevor to be moving forward, and I’d be happy to follow in his wake and capitalise on the chaos, instead of being in his way,” Nicholas said.

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The honesty of that statement surprised me, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. Looking at Liane out of the corner of my eye, I felt like I wasn’t the only one.

“Then why invite us here?” I finally asked.

“Appearance. Even if we sat here and sipped on tea, rumours are already spreading through every noble house as we speak,” he answered.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Perhaps you could tell me why you ended up hiring my son to serve your household? I am genuinely curious about that. I didn’t think someone with a warrior class would be very useful in the house,” he asked, looking at me.

I thought about how to answer this for probably far too long. I was wondering if being honest here could work against me, and rather than rushing into it or lying, I tried to think of the angles he would take. When I looked at Liane, I got a very subtle nod.

“Truthfully, he could withstand the pressure of Lily somewhat,” I said, shrugging.

“That’s all?” Nicholas asked, surprised.

“That and the oath, but really, withstanding the pressure is the main challenge they had to overcome,” I said.

“How curious. You’re aware, of course, that it’s likely all your staff are members of the various houses?” He looked at me hard for a moment.