Chapter 136 Favor

As Elias walked up the stairs toward Lord Lucien's study on the second floor, a rare idle thought crossed his mind.

He had not expected to be summoned again so soon after yesterday's meeting.

Lord Lucien did not give instructions without reason, as the steward had come to learn over the past half a year since they had been in Ashridge.

While he had...concerns regarding some of the choices his lord had made, that at least was something Elias appreciated.

Turning around the corner, the steward found his thoughts lingering on the recent change that Lord Lucien seemed to have undergone after the meeting in Helvarn.

Earlier in his rule, the young lord used to make confounding choices that nearly made the steward's heart drop at the boldness.

Personally standing upon the wall...going off to rescue peasants after the Fall of Cragwatch...

After his return from Helvarn, the steward noticed a subtle change in how Lord Lucien conducted himself. When Elias heard that he had remained in Ashridge instead of personally going off to rescue the child, the steward approved of that decision.

To needlessly risk oneself for a peasant would invite further risks that Ashridge, and more importantly House Varentis, could not afford.

It would seem meeting peers of his own was a good influence on the young lord. If Lord Lucien continued to gain experience in rule and administration, House Varentis's chances of returning to the capital with a better appointment would only improve.

Though His Majesty had exiled Lord Lucien from the heartlands...such things were never truly set in stone. Few political decisions ever were.

As he approached the study, Elias adjusted his coat, smoothing out any wrinkles in his uniform before giving a small nod to himself.

He gave a measured knock.

"Enter."

The calm cadence of Lord Lucien's voice came from within. Waiting for the appropriate moment, Elias opened the door with proper care before stepping into the room.

Almost immediately, the steward stilled himself for the briefest moment at the sight of Dorian standing before the desk in his usual rigid manner.

It was rare for Lord Lucien to invite both Dorian and him together.

"Elias. Come and join us. We were just waiting for you to begin," Lord Lucien said, gesturing to the spot beside the young captain.

The elderly steward inclined his head before walking over, noting at once the absence of the ledgers and letters usually spread across Lord Lucien's desk. Even the recent stack of village proposals was missing.

Stopping beside Dorian, he exchanged a slight nod with the stoic man, though even the captain seemed confused by his presence.

So this meeting had not been discussed beforehand at the sawmill, then.

Lord Lucien leaned forward, steepling his hands in front of him, his eyes moving between the two of them.

It was another habit Elias found unusual in a noble. Lord Lucien looked at those he addressed as though expecting them to answer him as men, not merely receive his words as servants.

"Dorian," Lord Lucien began, his eyes resting on the captain, who stood straighter. "I had forgotten to mention it to you yesterday, but we will need to have a few of the militia on standby to escort the women to the Easthollow River."

The young lord gestured toward the window. "Ask the men doing the escort what time their wives or daughters would usually go to the river. We can arrange a few specific slots to facilitate it."

"I will have them ready by today, My Lord," Dorian replied, giving a short nod.

Despite the change in Lord Lucien, he still paid more attention to his subjects than was appropriate for a lord. A noble would typically keep a certain distance to prevent personal feelings from forming with the people they were meant to rule.

The young lord looked toward Elias, meeting the older man's eyes with little hesitation.

Elias fought the urge to lower his gaze, as propriety demanded.

"Elias. I called you here to discuss a matter that was brought up yesterday. The proposal regarding a bathhouse."

The steward inclined his head. "Apologies, My Lord. But I have not spoken to Lady Talia yet. She was...preoccupied in the evening."

He left the implication unsaid. Lady Talia had been in this very study for most of the night, which had left him with little opportunity to approach her about the matter.

It would not be appropriate for him to bring that up during the meeting, especially in the presence of Dorian.

Of course, Lord Lucien's next action once again proved...confounding when, with little regard for Elias's concerns, he spoke again.

"That is fine, Elias. I had already spoken with her about it last night, and we decided a few things. It's why I called both of you here, to finalize the details."

Beside him, Dorian's expression remained unchanged, though Elias shuddered inwardly at what the captain must think of his lord being alone with a young lady for such a long period of time.

Seemingly not noticing it, Lord Lucien rested his hands on the desk. "Dorian. You once mentioned that when Ashridge grew in population, crime would inevitably follow, yes?"

The captain's brow creased at the sudden change in topic. "Yes, My Lord. Ashridge is still a ways from that...though if the number of people continues to increase at the current rate, that day will come sooner than we expected."

Lord Lucien's finger tapped the desk lightly for a brief moment, a habit the young lord was prone to whenever he was considering a matter deeply.

When the captain cleared his throat, Elias fought the urge to give a disapproving glance at the man's presumption in interrupting a noble's deliberation.

"What does that have to do with a bathhouse, My Lord?" Dorian asked at Lord Lucien's gesture.

Lord Lucien exhaled through his nose. "A bathhouse will not remain only a bathhouse for long. Not once taverns, rented rooms, and men with coin begin gathering around it."

"...And if we prevent it altogether, they will merely go underground, into places where we will have no oversight," Dorian said, continuing the young lord's train of thought.

"Yes. Which is why you're here. I plan to accept the bathhouse proposal after Talia goes through it again with the group of women who put forward the idea."

Elias could not help but shift slightly at that, causing Lord Lucien to glance at him.

Slowly, Lord Lucien inclined his head. "I know that you were supposed to speak to her about that, Elias. But recent circumstances led me to approach her directly instead."

The steward exchanged a brief look with Dorian. It was rare for Lord Lucien to rush like this.

It was the next words that caused them to understand why.

"I saw a...transaction between one of the women from the second wave of refugees and another man. It was not her first time either."

Lord Lucien spoke briefly of what he had seen yesterday, though Elias could not help but note how the young lord deliberately left out any details regarding the woman.

"...None of my men reported anything of the sort, My Lord," Dorian muttered, a furrow forming on his expression.

"It was a brief exchange, and she likely avoided doing it openly in front of any guards. I only spotted it from a distance when the foot traffic was heavy during the evening," Lord Lucien said as though assuring the captain.

As the captain and Lord Lucien spoke about arrangements to keep an eye out for any further increase in the night trade, Elias found his own thoughts drifting toward another unusual characteristic of his lord.

He had a different theory as to why Lord Lucien had noticed it before the guards.

Despite being a noble, Lord Lucien was rather quiet most of the time. Whether it was in a room during a meeting or while taking walks around the village, the young lord usually did not stand out unless one noticed the fine clothes and the red half-cloak he wore.

It was strange.

A noble's pride would typically compel most nobles to act in ways that drew the greatest attention within a room. This was even more true of younger nobles.

If anything, Lord Lucien was quite the opposite...almost to the point where it might be detrimental to both the young lord and House Varentis.

How ironic it was that Elias would find himself troubled by a lack of pride in the noble he served, of all things.

The steward was pulled out of his thoughts when Lord Lucien turned to him.

"Elias, the bathhouse and communal washing house will be treated as a single proposal. Talia will pass it to you for review once she's spoken to them."

In response, Elias dipped his head once. "Understood, My Lord."

It was just as well that he could lightly probe Lady Talia to ascertain what intentions the Mervaine family had...if there were even any. Lady Talia had not sent a single letter to her family despite the letters from them so far.

He had checked.

Usually, that would be the time for them to be dismissed, but it seemed Lord Lucien still had more to say when the young lord leaned back in his seat, his eyes once more moving to regard both of them.

"Cora's condition. I have made my decision."

Elias exchanged a brief look with the captain, though they both remained silent.

"I will send a letter to Lord Rathenfell. Just as well, I need to ask him if there is any news regarding whether clergy will be sent here anyway," Lord Lucien continued, his eyes finally settling on Elias.

"Elias. The favor with Lord Rathenfell...I plan to ask him to use any connections he might have to bring a mage here. Would that be possible?"

At those words, Elias could not hide his reaction, his eyes widening slightly. He quickly stilled himself before inclining his head faintly.

"...While House Rathenfell itself is relatively new, Lord Rathenfell has led it for many years, My Lord. A noble of his age and position may have some...unorthodox connections to call upon."

Lord Lucien continued looking at him, brow raised.

Elias realized, a moment too late, that he had allowed too much of his concern to show. He coughed slightly before speaking. "My Lord...is it wise to use something as valuable as a noble's favor for a child? Lord Rathenfell's favor was given to you, My Lord."

He wisely chose not to add that such favors were better used for the advancement of House Varentis.

To his dismay, Lord Lucien shook his head. "While Lord Rathenfell might have written it that way...it belongs to Ashridge."

He raised his hand when Elias was about to speak.

"The stirrup crossbow and its development were only possible because of Joren, Harlon, and Alicia. Without their efforts, there wouldn't even be a favor, Elias. It is only fair that it should be used to help one of Ashridge's own."

There was nothing wrong with what Lord Lucien had said...and yet once again, the young lord had left out his own efforts, with the same lack of pride that any noble would naturally have.

Without a noble's support, there wouldn't even be a crossbow to speak of.

When Dorian shifted beside him, a faint sound of metal followed the motion. Lord Lucien turned to him next, waiting patiently for the captain to speak.

"My Lord...wouldn't it be better to use the favor to request aid from Helvarn against the orcs? A contingent of guards to be loaned to us, perhaps. It would help Ashridge more if it were used that way rather than..."

The captain's words trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Instead of responding immediately to reject it, Lord Lucien's fingers tapped the desk lightly for a brief moment.

"I have considered that as well, Dorian," he said at last.

His eyes drifted to the window. "But there is a problem with utilizing the favor that way."

Meeting the captain's eyes, Lord Lucien leaned forward in his seat. "If, say, Lord Rathenfell agrees to loan us some of his guards to deal with the orcs, what happens if any of those guards perish while fighting them?"

He turned toward Elias. "How would Lord Rathenfell respond to that in your experience, Elias?"

The steward folded his arms behind him. "You would be in his debt, My Lord. But it would not necessarily be a bad thing...that is how most houses deepen their relations with one another."

Lord Lucien gave a slow nod. "Yes. It wouldn't be...until he starts requesting something else. Such as the windlass crossbow design."

This time, both Dorian and Elias fell silent as they considered the young lord's words.

"And there is another benefit to it as well."

What happened next reminded the steward of a certain man.

Lord Lucien looked between the two of them. "The variant corpses...we still have quite a few of their parts in our possession. It might be due to the recent skirmishes with the elves, but I have heard little news despite Talia's efforts."

A faint, almost sharp smile appeared on Lord Lucien's lips. "Perhaps with Lord Rathenfell...we can finally find a use for them."

The quiet lord was unlike the previous Lord Varentis in most things...but that look in his eyes reminded Elias that Lord Lucien was indeed his father's son.