by Randi Darren
“I didn’t exactly put terms on it.”
Alex shrugged and looked out his own window.
“I have no desire or intention to force you, Two. Do I want to sleep with you? Sure. Will I make a bargain to get what I want? Of course.
“Am I going to hold it against you for saying no or not agreeing to a deal? No. That’s not how this works. Everything has to be agreed to, made without pressure outside of the terms of the deal.”
Carla grunted at that, but didn’t respond.
I guess that’s the end of the conversation, then.
Such a cunning linguist.
Catching the attention of some sort of god or goddess of luck, the carriage turned off the main road and rolled past a pair of iron gates.
The crest on the gates was that of Brit.
Thank you, Leah. I don’t think that could have gotten any more awkward.
“Strangest noble I’ve ever met,” Carla muttered, just loudly enough for him to hear.
“And why’s that, Two?”
“You don’t travel with a concubine or a whore. You treat your men kindly. You ordered the deaths of bandits but gave me an out that didn’t involve me being passed around as a toy.”
“And is that all normal behavior?”
“Shit yeah. Was something I expected to happen eventually, since I killed my first merchant.”
“Sounds like a great career path,” Alex said. “One can only imagine the benefits.”
The wheels ground to a stop and without waiting, Alex opened the door and popped out immediately.
Only to be shoved to one side as Carla jumped out after him and crammed him up against the wall of the carriage.
With her forearm pressed up against his shoulders, she leaned into him, her eyes scant inches from his.
“Blasted idiot, are you just wanting to get killed?” she said, turning her glare up to ten. “You just assume all is well, so you jump out?”
“Uh… well, yes? I mean… ah.” Alex looked around and had to force himself to not be defensive.
To consider her words.
I did jump out without even thinking about the situation. She’s not wrong.
If this had been a project or a directive, I’d have called the execution rushed, without proper scoping.
“You’re right, Two,” Alex said, holding his hands up in apology. “I can’t say anything other than that, because you’re just right.”
All around him, his guards watched the exchange. They’d accepted her readily enough, though seemed oddly unwilling to engage her in anything other than cursory discussion.
Carla watched him for a second more, then looked to another guard.
“We’re clear out here,” said the man. “Rudolph went inside to confirm things with Walter.”
Carla released Alex and looked around herself.
At the same time, Walter hurried out of the manse followed by a group of men and women.
They all looked the part of middle-class citizens who’d taken work as house servants.
“Ah, my lord. Welcome, welcome. The manse is well prepared for you,” Walter said.
“Good work. Send a runner to the king immediately to let him know we’ve arrived in the city, and humbly ask for an audience at his leisure,” Alex said.
Walter nodded his head and turned to speak to the servants.
“If you still want that deal,” Alex murmured softly, leaning in close to Carla. “Best you use your day off today or tomorrow, Two. I imagine after that we’ll need to deal with the king, and then hopefully be off.”
Carla glanced at him, one side of her mouth turning into a frown.
“Our… deal… still stands? You’ll give me my year's salary, let me have the day off for… for what we agreed?”
“Based on what we discussed, yes. Unless there was something else to add or subtract from the deal?”
“Ah… could…” she paused, her nose wrinkling as she considered whatever she was going to ask.
“Mm? Best ask now before Walter finishes up whatever he’s doing.”
“Can I have two years' salary in advance?”
“Hm. I can agree to that, so long as we amend the deal to include that you’ll also do no harm to yourself, attempt to get yourself killed, or willingly allow yourself to be harmed or killed, without it being in defense of my life.
“Can you agree to that, Two?”
A flash of anger flickered over her eyes and then vanished.
Ah. She’d never even considered killing herself.
A pity. Wasted a perfect opportunity, and she gets something for nothing.
“Deal, on Leah’s name,” Carla said, apparently not wanting him to change his mind.
Sighing, Alex nodded his head. “Deal. Come, let’s go get your money, Two. And by the by, do you have a bounty on your head? I’ll need to get that taken care of if you do.”
***
Alex walked into the throne room of his king with more composure than a count of his age and stature should command.
Or so he liked to think.
After facing down a board of directors, a single despot on a throne didn’t seem like that big of a problem.
The worst this man could do was kill him.
And Alex had already died once and been sent to hell.
He had no doubt Leah would find a use for him somewhere else, even if he failed here.
Useful tools are never wasted. They’re always repurposed.
Walking up to the dais, Alex kept his eyes on the lord of the realm, his pace sedate and measured.
The king was a young man in his early twenties.
He looked to be holding a position given him that he wasn’t ready for.
Gray eyes, brown hair, nondescript. There was nothing that stood out about him, other than the fact that he was the king.
A man described by his position rather than his stature.
To Alex, he looked more like a new vice president who had only just realized his position had a lot more going on than originally assumed.
Reaching the point where the dais began, Alex fell to one knee and bowed his head.
“I, Alex Brit, Count of Brit, present myself to King Harold the third,” Alex said.
The statement was part of the elaborate ceremony of the peerage here in the capital. Especially so for those who didn’t remain here yearlong.
“We receive you in good graces, Count Brit. Rise,” said the king. “We asked you here specifically to discuss a subject that troubles us.”
Saying nothing, Alex stood up and waited quietly.
There was no reason for him to say anything unless he had something to add or was asked a question.
He’d met a number of people in his life that had tried to use the uncomfortable weapon of silence against him.
Pity for him, silence works just as well for me.
The king stared at him.
Alex stared back.
Seconds ticked by before the king realized he wasn’t going to get anything from him.
“Are you well, Count Brit?”
“Quite well, Highness.”
“We understand you had a recent brush with death.”
“I wouldn’t quite call it that, Highness, but I will admit my outlook on life has changed since my ordeal.”
“Ah… well. That’s good, then. For we have a request and a desire to lay on you due to those circumstances you just underwent.
“We would have you find a wife. Immediately. Your line may no longer be as high in status as it once was, but it is still a known and well-documented noble family.
“Your lack of an heir is perturbing to us now.”
Alex took a slow breath as he processed that.
That alone doesn’t feel like a reason to call me forth. The question is—what exactly does he want?
“I understand, Highness. I’ll take action on that immediately and will find a wife within one year after I return home,” Alex said.
It was a pol
ite acceptance without defense, even providing a timeline.
Unless the king had something specific he wanted, there was no way for him to refuse without looking like he had ulterior motives.
“We’re afraid that doesn’t work for us,” King Harold said, leaning to one side in his throne, clearly uncomfortable.
Alex didn’t respond, deciding instead to stand quietly.
It was clear to him the king did indeed have something else he wanted to do.
There was no reason to give him any more information or ammo he didn’t have to.
“We’ve gone ahead and arranged a number of balls and marriage contract meetings, and have called in all sorts of favors to amass a large number of willing women of marrying age. We’d like to have this taken care of swiftly.”
“Ah, His Highness is overly kind,” Alex said carefully.
“Not at all, we just wish the best for you. For the next several months we intend to offer you up to the peerage as our most eligible bachelor.
“At the end of this all, we do hope you can find someone agreeable. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to choose one for you myself.” The king chuckled to himself, as if he’d made a joke about the last part.
Alex had no such delusions about that.
The king had made the statement as a passive threat. Not to mention testing the waters to gauge Alex’s reaction as well as his court's, more than likely.
Keeping his eyes trained forward, Alex smiled as the court chuckled and tittered at the king’s words.
I suppose that’s his play, then. Marry me off to someone he controls or has control over, and then try to wield them as a weapon to change the ownership of the county of Brit.
Maybe.
I’m betting it on our revenue… or he wants to use my wife and her father as a prybar on a duke?
Very well.
A-wife-hunting we will go.
Bowing his head to the king, Alex cleared his throat.
“I thank His Highness for his assistance in the matter. I personally invite all willing bachelorettes across the empire to the balls, and will endeavor to hold several of my own requiring only letters of citizenship and modest donations to cover costs as invitations,” Alex said congenially.
With any luck, that’ll open this up to people the king didn’t personally prepare.
Let’s hope he doesn’t take this as a move against him, and is more just a young man wanting to truly play the field.
Even if I’m older than him.
The king smiled widely at that and nodded his head.
“Well said, Count. Well said. We welcome this as a wonderful occasion for us. We’ll use this as an opportunity to perhaps secure a second wife for ourselves. With so many young women running around, maybe we can steal one away from you,” the king said.
Ah, is that him threatening to take away the best candidate?
“Ah, Your Highness. Your humor is unrelenting. I’m sure you’d have a much wider pool of candidates to choose from than those who would settle for a lowly count such as myself.”
What else ya got, kid? If you really want to stoop so low as to scoop up my offerings, you’re welcome to take that hit to your prestige.
The king’s smile was cold and brittle at this point.
No doubt he knew he’d been maneuvered, but there was little else he could do without looking the part of the villain.
“We look forward to the first ball, which will be held tomorrow. Rest and relaxation would be the best course, but that’s only our suggestion,” the king said, dismissing him.
In other words, either you knew I left from Brit and had this ready to go, or it was a general ball that you’re converting to your own purposes.
Alex knelt down on one knee, bowed his head, and quickly retreated from the throne room.
Walter caught up to him as he came down the palace steps.
“My lord?” asked the older man.
“The king has ordered that I’m to wed. And rather quickly, I might add,” Alex said glibly.
“How quickly is that?”
“Three months, give or take a few weeks. He's also arranged a series of balls, meetings to discuss marriage, and other assorted surprises I’m sure I don’t know about yet.”
“I see.”
“Oh, and if we don’t find a wife by the time it’s all over—”Alex paused to clamber into the coach and take a seat. “Then he’ll find a wife for me.”
“I can’t imagine that going over very well for your health.”
“No, me neither. I publicly invited and welcomed any eligible bachelorette from the empire to participate. With any luck I can get some interested parties outside of his sphere of influence.”
“Ah, a good move, my lord. I’ll make sure to send out invitations just to make sure it spreads itself around.
“I think I’ll even be so bold as to invite merchant families with enough wealth that no one would mind if one married a count.”
Alex snorted at that.
“Did he mention anything about being limited to one wife, or him wanting you to have more than one?”
“Ah, no. He didn’t mention anything. Why?”
“Just trying to make sure we follow his decree. We should stick with one wife for now and assume that as the baseline.”
“Right,” Alex said.
Leaning back into the coach as it got moving, he couldn’t help but worry over the situation.
It all seemed a little strange.
All he’d done was squeeze the envoy out of the city.
And politely, too. Without the envoy losing much other than hard assets, and being paid for them.
Unless the envoy was something more and I missed it? Possible, I suppose.
I personally haven’t been involved for long.
“I suppose we’ll be here a while. Probably should send a runner back to Brit to let them know,” Alex muttered. “Pity. My pet projects are going to take longer than I thought.”
Chapter 7
Banging open, the door cracked into the wall, making Alex jump in his chair.
Carla strode in, an annoyed look on her face. Which honestly wasn’t that different from normal.
“Do be a dear and shut the door, Two,” Alex said, looking back down at his writing desk and the letters atop it. “Preferably without slamming it.”
Carla said nothing, staring at him. Then she moved back over to the door and shut it carefully.
“Thank you, Two.”
Alex didn’t bother looking back up, but continued to read the current letter.
The number of requests for invitations had skyrocketed the evening of his audience with the king.
It seemed his announcement and the follow-up invitations from Walter had achieved the desired effect.
“Well?” Carla asked gruffly.
“Well, what? I’m not a mind reader.”
Alex picked up an invitation, scribbled in the name of a woman and added a hasty signature. He pressed the invitation to the letter and set it to one side.
“I took my day off,” she said, as if that somehow explained everything.
“Oh? Did you get done what you wanted to get done? You never did tell me what it was about.
“Huh. That’s an uncommon name. Amelia,” Alex said, peering at the invitation. “Whatever.”
Filling in the information accordingly, he signed the next invitation, put it to the letter, and set it aside.
“I did. Yes. And no, I didn’t tell you.”
“Ok? Good then.”
Alex finished off the last letter in the pile, then turned to the finished group of invitations.
Pushing them together into a more compact stack, he picked them up and carried them to another table.
Which was already full of such stacks.
Dropping them next to the others, Alex went back to his chair and heavily sank into it.
Looking up, he stared at Carla.
“So… what’s up?” he asked, getting the imp
ression there was more she wanted to say or talk about.
As long as she doesn’t say “nothing” or “everything is fine,” we’re alright.
“I took my day off.”
“Yeah, established that. Unless I’m trapped in a time loop and we haven’t talked about that yet.
“Is this the part where I ask if you got done what you wanted to get done?” he asked with a smirk.
Carla shook her head and looked up at the ceiling.
“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” she asked, looking back at him.
“I legitimately have no idea what you’re talking about, and I honestly don’t have the time to play this game. Spit it out, or get out.”
“When are you going to fuck me then!?” she screamed at him, leaning forward.
Alex sat there in his chair, dumbstruck.
Logically, he knew that was part of their agreement, but he hadn’t expected her to think it was due the minute she came back.
“Ah…? I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”
“What then? Hold it over my head as another threat? Make deals on it so you can dangle me along?” Carla asked, her anger ramping up rapidly.
It won't do her any good to leave it as it is.
Besides, I could use the stress relief.
She had every opportunity to avoid this. She willingly chose this and made the trade.
And she wouldn’t bring it up if she wasn’t willing to pay.
No one forced her, so… why shouldn’t I take my side of the deal?
Holding up his hands, Alex turned his emotions to a neutral place.
“Alright. Let’s get this going then,” he said calmly. “Lock the door and strip, Two.”
Carla froze up, her body going rigid, then briefly nodded her head. Turning around, she locked the door and then moved towards where he sat.
Quickly, with only a little hesitation, she started to undress right next to his desk.
Leaning back, Alex decided to enjoy it.
She was the only pet project he had on hand, so he needed to make sure to get the most out of his deals with her.
If he didn’t want Leah to pull his soul out, that was.
In his moment of distraction, Carla had managed to finish undressing, letting her pants slide down to the ground.
As she stood nude in front of him, he let his eyes roam over her.
