The Princess went silent again, and Alex got up, leaving the room right after the King and going to the dining room to warn the Nobles together with Viscount Finley, Anika Wright, Pearl Pearson, and Wenammy, while Miss Olive went with the King and the others to the patio, to grab their horses and the King’s carriage.
While the King, the Princess, and the lady’s maid entered the carriage, Miss Olive mounted her horse with Ghar happily mounting Okami’s armored boar that was also in the stable together with the horses, making the soldiers smile at that sight. They never saw anyone mounting such a dangerous beast, and Ghar seemed strangely comfortable.
As the Royal Guards were crossing the main gate, the King’s carriage followed them, with Olive and the others at the back.
Inside the dining room, Alex was asking if the Nobles and their wives wanted to go for a visit to the hot spring, and while a few avidly nodded, others asked to go to the sauna and only a few wanted to use the swimming pool. Alex made a slight smile and spoke while looking around:
“You can go to wherever you want and I will join you in a moment because I need to go to my manor and take care of a trivial matter. Dinner will be here, later on, and I have two surprises that I am sure will be to your liking. I believe my kitchen already prepared a few special dishes, and I can guarantee you will all enjoy the evening. My finest rooms are at your disposal for when you wish to retire.”
One of the Nobles got up and cleared his throat:
“Aham… Earl Alex, would it be too much to ask you for a bottle of your wine? Because I have a meeting this week, and I would like to offer a cup to my guests.”
“I think that can be arranged, not only for you but for everyone else, together with a case of beer and a bottle of whiskey. I suppose I can also include in the gift package a box with all the varieties of cured cheese and salami. I am sure your guests will appreciate it, not only because they know how pricey they are, but because of the quality, granting you a few compliments and appreciation.”
The Noble made a slight bow with a big smile, and all the presents raised their cup towards Alex:
“You are far too kind, Earl Alex! I will be sure to recommend your products to my guests!”
Alex made a forced smile:
“Thank you, that is very kind of you. Now, shall we go? The hot spring is not far, but I am sure that all of you want to arrive there as soon as possible, to have a good time and forget a little about the worries in your lives.”
The Nobles and their wives followed Alex and the Viscount, and in the patio, the carriages took them to the mountain where the hot spring was located. Viscount Finley stayed in the Castle to make sure everything would be ready for dinner, and Alex entered into his carriage together with Anika, Pearl, and Wenammy.
Along the paved road that led to the hot spring, Anika spoke after one last look to the Castle they were leaving:
“You were strangely polite to those Nobles, I almost believed in your words, if not for the tiny detail that I noticed you forcing your smile.”
“Yes, I don’t like very much to be polite to leeches that only comes with the King with the sole purpose of receiving gifts and enjoying what I have, for free. Some of them did invite me a couple of times for one of their parties or receptions, but they were only aiming to get some sort of advantage, like asking a lot of questions about how I do things, or trying to be nice to me, so that I invited them here more often. I try to keep myself as far away as I can from them, but they are a necessary evil when it comes to gathering supporters to help me in the Chamber of Lords.”
“So, you bribe them with expensive gifts and politeness. That’s smart. Like that, you will have fewer jealous Nobles to worry about.”
Alex shrugged.
“I still worry, because I am perfectly aware that if I make a blunder, they will be the first ones to badmouth me on my back. You heard the King speaking about them and their schemes, right? The world of politics is a strange place…”
Anika made an awkward smile, remembering her youth in her parent’s house when she was often under the constant gaze and evaluation from the other families, during a feast or a bale.
After a while, their carriage turned to the left while the other carriages continued in the direction of the mountain, to the North.
For a few minutes, Alex’s carriage traveled on that road that crossed a thick forest on both sides. Pearl was looking through the open window, enjoying the sound of the wind brushing the leaves, and the chirping of the birds.
When the forest ended, a big grass field surrounded them, with several tri-horned cows peacefully grazing the fresh grass. A group of riders appeared and escorted the carriage to the big manor ahead and Anika noticed that the manor was as big as the one where Earl Kayden lived.
As they approached, a big Rabbit-kind male came from the front door of the manor, with a female Rabbit-kind next to him, followed by four Rabbit-kind young girls. What called the attention of Anika and the others, was the fact that they all had white hair and white pointy ears, with the male missing the tip of one of his. Anika asked in a low voice while looking at the serious male:
“That’s the Viscount that almost attacked that Marquess in the Chamber of Lords, right? Are those his daughters, the ones that he wanted to make you date?”
Alex made an awkward smile:
“Yes, Viscount Tom West and his beautiful wife and cute daughters. It’s just me or he looks really angry? I am never sure because he always looks at me as if he is about to take my head off.”
Pearl looked at the Magical Orb she was carrying and put it on the seat near her, since it wouldn’t be necessary any time soon, considering they were deep in Alex’s lands, with enough soldiers and Mages around to take care of any danger that could arise.
When the carriage stopped, the page opened the door and Alex stepped out. He made a slight smile to the bowing family and helped the girls to exit the carriage. He then faced the serious Rabbit-kind and gulped:
“Hello again, Viscount… Viscountess, amazingly beautiful as always… girls, nice to see you all again…”
Anika frowned at the red-faced giggling girls, and the big Viscount spoke, almost shouting:
“So nice of you to finally come here, Earl Alex! It was about time for you to arrive and apologize for what you said in the Chamber! And you even brought the three ladies, to rub in my face! Shall we go inside? Because I am dying to hear you!”
Alex followed him, with his wife making an awkward smile. As soon as they crossed the main door, Anika gasped. Earl Kayden’s manor had a few decorations on the walls and a very nice carpet on the floor, but that manor was deprived of everything, except for a simple long carpet and a few hand drawings on the walls around the main hall, mostly portraits of Elfians, Humans, and Fairies that she never met. The usual vases on the wall to provide light, but without a big chandelier, statues or sculptures. It was almost as if the entire manor was deprived of all its valuables. Anika frowned and asked while looking around:
“Did you got robbed or what, Alex? On Earl Kayden’s manor there were tapestries on the walls and some nice sculptures everywhere, but here, nothing!”
The Viscount answered before Alex could open his mouth:
“That’s because a certain Earl likes a clean and empty room! Most rooms in this manor are like this, except our living quarters or the rooms that we use more frequently. I also prefer rooms without too much clutter around, but his taste is kind of weird. You should see his room, there is nothing there except a closet and a bed. Talk about a simple life, right?”
A servant opened the door that led to a huge dining room with a very long table, and she closed the door after they entered. Anika asked while Alex was pulling a chair for her:
“You live here as well, Viscount?”
“As well? Oh, right, you thought this house was his, right? No, I am kind enough to let him stay when he gets fed up with living in that huge Castle! I am joking, this is all his, but I am the one in charge during his absence. I take care of the lands around, and the hot spring near the mountain, along with a few facilities nearby. Me, my wife, my older daughter, and her husband, Viscount Finley, Miss Olive, King Otto, and the recently deceased Earl Kayden Burke, we are the core of Alex’s interests and several businesses. He has so many things, that it would be impossible for only him, to take care of everything. So, we give him a hand. We actually live in a manor nearby, but we are often here because it’s easier if we are close enough to all the things that need to be taken care of. Despite the fact this manor with white walls and without furniture or decorations messes with my nerves!”
Anika made a slight smile and glanced to the nervous Rabbit-kind girls:
“And what about your other daughters? They also help you?”
“Indeed they do, but they are still learning. Each of them is in charge of a facility, like a brewery, a vineyard, a distillery, or a blacksmith facility. They take turns between them because I want them to learn how to take care of other businesses besides their own. Any of them would be a fine wife for this rude Earl here, but it seems you girls beat them to his heart. Well, you win some, and you lose some, I guess. So, now that we got that out of the way, is there something you want to say to me, Alex? Or do I need to have a private conversation with you, outside?”
Alex quickly shook his head:
“There is no need for that! I am perfectly aware I took advantage of your bad temper to lay a trap to the Marquess…”
He immediately stopped speaking when he saw the big Rabbit-kind frowning and corrected himself:
“I mean, I used your scary appearance to frighten the… No, that came out wrong… I used your strong presence to make the Marquess nervous and to make him trip on his words… I may have taken your tolerance for granted, considering our long-time friendship, and I deeply apologize…”
The Viscount kept on staring at Alex with a serious face for a few seconds, which seemed to last an eternity to Alex, that remembered the few times that big Rabbit-kind lost his temper and made him have a hard time escaping his wrath. He then opened his face in a smile and said:
“It’s always funny to see the pure terror on your face when I know by now that I wouldn’t stand a chance if you would fight me for real! It seems I may have traumatized you when you were young, and it makes you doubt if you will ever be able to defeat me.”
Alex quickly cleaned the cold sweat that was running down his forehead:
“You are surprised that I am traumatized? Who was the one that for an entire month woke me up in the middle of the night with a dagger against my throat or a punch to my face? Just to make me always be on my guard! More than once I thought I was going to die! Not forgetting the torture you made go through, with constant training of my Magic or shooting targets with my Magic, for two days straight, without any sleep!”
Viscount Tom raised both open palms and pretended to be shocked while disguising a smile because of the funny memories:
“That was not my fault! Shinatobe and your father told me to make you go through all that rigorous training because you were inexperienced with Magic! Not my fault if you lived under a rock before coming here!”
“Yeah, right, like if you didn’t enjoy it a little too much! You were laughing the entire time, up until I fainted from the effort! You are right now almost bursting in laughter! You are indeed crazy, Viscount!”
That was too much for the Viscount. Seeing the way Alex was looking at him with his eyes wide-open and shouting, he exploded in laughter:
“Ahahah! It was so funny! Remember when you almost drowned inside one of my Water Bubbles because you forgot how to use your Wind Magic?”
“Almost? I drowned! You even gave me mouth-to-mouth to save my life, you crazy Rabbit-kind! And you then made me do it again! And I drowned again!”
“Ahahah! Yes, it was so funny! Your father was so angry, he tried to choke me after your third drowning! Hey, it worked, right? Did you ever forget how to use Wind Slashes? See? Was I a good teacher or not?”
Alex slowly nodded while frowning:
“Yes, you were. My father would never have the guts to make me go through all the suffering you made to endure, neither Shinatobe, but it was effective, no doubt about it. I became a very powerful Mage Summoner because of your teachings, regardless of how crazy they were, sometimes.”
“Well, you paid me for all that training by giving me a fine job and all my daughters have a nice future ahead of them. Not bad for a poor Rabbit-kind that grew up in the streets of Beliersia, right?”
Alex made a slight smile:
“You got your title because of your hard work and service to this country, not because of me. I only made sure you had a nice retirement away from all the fighting you went through, for all your life.”
Viscount Tom looked at Alex with gentle eyes, after his scary frowning only minutes ago:
“And for that, I will always be grateful, and I make sure you don’t need to worry about anything, while you travel. It’s just a pity you didn’t choose one of my cute daughters to be at your side, but considering you have a Mermaid, an Elfian, and a High Fairy to choose from, things look good on your side. By the way, you invited the King in the Chamber of Lords, did he already went to the hot spring?”
“He left the Castle before us with his daughter, and they are probably there, by now. A group of Nobles and their wives came with him, and they are also going there. I stopped by to apologize for using you to ruin the plans of Marquess Seth and his friends, and to ask you if you would join us in the hot spring as well, and to have dinner with me in the Castle, tonight.”
While his wife and daughters were smiling, the Viscount made a slight frown:
“I don’t know… considering I can use the hot spring anytime I feel like it, why should I go when there are a lot of Nobles in there? Maybe I can do a huge effort because of King Otto. It has been a while since I was with him because he was traveling up until recently. But dinner at the Castle… Heck, why not? Let’s get ready, girls. Alex, take your pretty women for a walk while we change our clothes, and we will be right back.”