Chapter 75: Lion’s DenEvening in central Curatar. Ready to meet Mirabel’s parents for the first time.

  “Hello, Mirabel.”

  “Nice that you’re already here, David. Shall we go?”

  “Sure. Is the restaurant near here?”

  “No, David, we’re going to my family’s home in Valois. Didn’t I say that?”

  “Not a problem. Let’s go.”

  Maybe I should have taken the advice to dress better. At least I’m clean enough to not look like a farmhand. I join the Adventurer’s party and step through the portal of doom. The sun hasn’t set here, so we’re north and/or east. This is presumably the right pce, but GPS sure would be nice.

  Unsurprisingly, her family home is basically a castle. It looks more like a fortress than the duke’s pce, though not quite as rge of an estate. Rolling hills behind us and forest to either side in front of us. Inside, the décor is notably more military than ornate. A few guards are visible and there’s room for many more. This might have been a frontier region in the past, which I guess matches the title of marquis. Mirabel is at my side and watching me gawk like a bumpkin.

  “David, haven’t you ever been to a noble’s estate before?”

  “Sure, several. I’m just trying to learn more about my surroundings and movement of the servants.”

  “The servants too? What do you mean?”

  “Such as those fake maids. I was curious if they were hidden guards or intruders. The normal guards actively avoid looking at them so they’re probably fine.”

  “If you aren’t just teasing me, I’d like to hear how you know this. Not today though because we’re here.”

  Mirabel brings me to a parlor simir to the one at the duke’s house — that time I was forced to join him for dinner. The main guards stay by the door and a few others are dressed as maids. I guess I can’t tell Mirabel that my brilliant deductions depend on Identify telling me that these maids have combat jobs. They aren’t particurly subtle anyway.

  All of the people dressed like nobles seem to be family. The most relevant are her parents:

  [Marquis of Valois][Gautier Varenne][Male, Age: 45][Holy Knight: 29]

  [Marquise of Valois][Alix Varenne][Female, Age: 41][Priest: 32]

  Either this family is a bit too close or they don’t keep their names after marriage. Could Mirabel keep her high-status name after marrying me? Unlikely. She’ll probably lose it along with her status.

  “Father, may I present ?David Moreau?.”

  Mirabel pushes the French pronunciation of my name — good move. As instructed, I greet him in a serious tone.

  “My Lord Marquis.”

  He gives a stiff nod.

  “Mother, this is my suitor, ?David Moreau?.”

  Oh, that’s so cool — I’m a suitor. Well, I am, but it’s surprising to be introduced this way. I use the French form of the title when greeting her mother. It’s good that Mirabel briefed me earlier.

  “Madame Marquise.” [1]

  As head of the house, her father leads the interrogation.

  “It seems you’ve been taught basic etiquette, commoner.”

  “Yes, Lord Marquis. I am familiar with polite forms of address.”

  “Are you trying to correct me, commoner?”

  “Certainly not, My Lord. Even if unspecific, ‘commoner’ is accurate.”

  “Alright, you have nerve. Mirabel, you prepared him well.”

  “No, Father, I wouldn’t have dared.”

  “You may stay for dinner, Mr. Moreau.”

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  I am seated near the younger children, far from the marquis and Mirabel. It also feels like I’m being deliberately excluded from the main conversation, which centers on Mirabel’s optimistic prospects, heritage, and stability. It’s easy to recognize these attempts to make me lose confidence. Contrary to his expectations, I am happy to be spared culinary quizzes and probing questions. Of course, I hide this with the occasional nod or grunt of agreement.

  Mirabel’s younger sisters frequently sneak gnces, whisper, and giggle. Her brother couldn’t be less interested. No older siblings are here, probably because they have better things to do. Mirabel herself looks at me with some concern. I smile to reassure her that I’m doing just fine. Unfortunately, the marquis notices and expands his rhetoric to the financial instability of commoners and the environmental hazards of commoner life.

  Eventually, the marquis’ smugness seems to turn to irritation. Perhaps I should have feigned taking some damage. There’s a bance between not showing weakness and appearing dismissive. With some spite in his voice, the marquis finally decides to acknowledge my presence.

  “So, Mr. Moreau, I’ve heard some ridiculous stories about you challenging people to duels.”

  “I am surprised to hear that, My Lord.”

  “So, is there any truth to these rumors?”

  “No, My Lord, I do not have such dangerous habits.”

  “I thought as much. It’s hard to imagine a Mage being able to defend himself, let alone a family.”

  “Just to be clear, My Lord, I have answered the challenges made against me.”

  “This is neither the time nor pce to discuss the petty squabbles of commoners.”

  That little exchange ends the dinner conversation rather sharply. It seems that the marquis hasn’t put much effort into investigating me. An unknown commoner isn’t mysterious, he’s irrelevant.

  The children are dismissed and the four of us adjourn to the salon. Thank goodness it isn’t just the two of us with cigars and brandy. Mirabel sits beside me at a respectable distance and her parents sit across from us. So far, Mirabel’s mother has been notably quiet and Mirabel only speaks when spoken to. As before, we wait for her father to lead the conversation.

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  The marquis just stares at me for a while. Rather than be intimidated, I’m struggling not to look bored. Nobles seem to have so much extra time on their hands.

  “Now, Mr. Moreau, it’s time to get to the purpose of your visit. As you are well aware, my daughter’s circumstances allow for some leeway. The fact that you were even invited here speaks to that. I could consider a viscount or even a well-pced baron, but a commoner with a suspicious background is unreasonable. How do you expect to convince me otherwise, Mr. Moreau?”

  “I do not, My Lord. That would be presumptuous.”

  “Well, it’s good that you can see reason.”

  “Thank you, My Lord. Since nothing I say would be able to sway you, perhaps there is something I could do.”

  “Considering your low social rank, the task would need to be truly impressive.”

  “Of course, My Lord. I would not expect anything else.”

  “Well, perhaps I could consider a period of service to see if you are as capable as you pretend to be.”

  “My Lord, could you possibly consider a more challenging task for me? You have so many good people in your service. The addition of one more would provide little evidence of worthiness.”

  “A bold move to question my judgement. Fortunately for you, this conversation amuses me. Suggest a task worthy of my daughter’s hand.”

  “Thank you for your indulgence, My Lord. Perhaps if I cleared the floor of a byrinth.”

  “My knights can do that and they do not ask for such a grand reward.”

  “Of course, My Lord. There’s no benefit in doing what your knights are already doing. Is there perhaps a byrinth in your territory which is not being actively pursued? Perhaps if I were to complete an unexplored floor within a short time period. Let’s say, four days?”

  “No, that’s too easy. Two floors in five, no six days — there is a holiday, after all. There will be no second chances and the task must be verified.”

  “Thank you, My Lord, that is most gracious. I accept.”

  “The task will of course be the easy part. Considering your complete ck of pedigree, you must provide written assurances from persons of good standing who could vouch for you.”

  “Yes, My Lord. It will be done.”

  “Do not take this matter casually, Mr. Moreau. I will not accept trivial endorsements.”

  “I will provide suitable letters, My Lord.”

  “You will be introduced to the 22nd floor of Crespy’s Labyrinth. An Adventurer will meet you in central Curatar early tomorrow morning and again six days ter. He will verify that you can introduce him to the start of the 24th floor and then bring you back here. Is that understood?” [2]

  “Yes, My Lord, perfectly.”

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  With the negotiations complete, Mirabel walks me out to where the Adventurer is waiting to return me.

  “David, isn’t the risk too high? It sounds completely unreasonable.”

  “It’ll be fine, Mirabel. This is a fair and just test to earn the right to marry you.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Yes, just remember what I told you, my own safety is what’s important.”

  “That’s actually reassuring.”

  “I think this went well.”

  “Yes, you were great. Even with your perfect Brahim, I didn’t guess you would be so comfortable speaking to my father. You must have grown up with nobles.”

  “Thanks. I was given a formal education, but not actually with nobility. Many noble customs and practices are completely foreign to me.”

  “It’s funny that you sound even more like a noble when you deny it.”

  “Mirabel, are you avaible to meet this holiday?”

  “Yes, but won’t you be busy?”

  “Never too busy to see you.”

  “David, you are seriously too much. Alright, what do you have in mind?”

  “I’d like to see this territory, if it isn’t too soon to be seen together.”

  “David, you are my chosen suitor. Being seen with you is entirely proper.”

  “I like the sound of that. Should we meet at noon in Curatar?”

  “Perfect, see you then.”

  Being careful includes no smooches behind enemy lines, so we part with a warm handshake.

  Back in Curatar, I wait for my taxi to leave before warping home.

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  “Welcome home, Master.”

  “Thanks, Roxanne. Where is everyone?”

  “Zara and Sima went to bed. The rest will be here soon.”

  Alina asks, “How did it go?”

  “The marquis was mildly hostile and tried to undermine my confidence. So, it went pretty much as expected. Anything less would signal that he didn’t care about Mirabel. Anything worse would have been a waste of his time. When it came to the actual negotiation, he was more than reasonable.”

  “And that makes you suspicious, right, David?”

  “Yes, Alina. The task he set for me seems too easy. I couldn’t tell if he did that for Mirabel’s sake or if there’s some trick to it.”

  “What do you need to do?”

  “Clear two floors of a neglected byrinth in six days. The 22nd and 23rd.”

  Sherry retorts, “That may not be considered trivial to everyone.”

  Roxanne concludes, “But it will be for Master.”

  “Yes, I should see this as a good thing. Rutina’s ceremony will take most of one of those days and another is a holiday, so we really only have four days. He also wants letters from important people.”

  Alina says, “David, that is likely to be the real task. The byrinth duty might just be to show that you are able to support her. The letters will prove that you have status beyond the typical commoner. Besides Rutina, who will you ask? The duke?”

  “Yes, he’s basically the best option.”

  “The duke should certainly be enough.”

  “Anyway, an Adventurer will meet me in Curatar early tomorrow morning to take me to the byrinth and introduce me to the 22nd floor. I’ll bring Sherry to cover as my Adventurer and then I’ll come back to pick up everyone else.”

  Roxanne asks, “Master, can the Adventurer be trusted to take you to the right pce? What if it’s a trap?”

  Unlikely, though easy to expin if I tragically fail a fair test. Of course, I should be able to escape most traps. No, it’s better to discourage the attempt, especially since escape poses exposure risks if I don’t eliminate everyone involved. Also, I’ve been getting a bit less cautious tely. Best not rely too heavily on superpowers.

  “Thanks for pointing that out, Roxanne. I’ll decide tomorrow. Let’s go to bed.”

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  Day 88

  Ah, how pleasant. I wonder if the conversation with the marquis was easier because I knew this was waiting for me at home. No time to indulge now. We have a new byrinth to explore.

  We head down to breakfast a bit earlier than usual. Zara and Sima are probably still asleep so I ask Roxanne to check on them.

  “Early. Cold.” Sima grumbles.

  “We can’t all fit in the Adventurer’s party. Roxanne, I’ll leave you here and pick you up as soon as I can.”

  “Me, Master?”

  “If we don’t come back, it will be your responsibility to investigate what happened. Understood?”

  “Yes, Master, you can depend on me.”

  “Sherry, do you think you could make a simple map?”

  “Yes, David. It should be possible using your abbreviated notation.”

  “Great. Skip it if it becomes too distracting. Once we’re done with breakfast, let’s get dressed and head out.”

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  I switch Sherry to Explorer and all but Roxanne go through the portal with me to central Curatar. We don’t wait long before the Adventurer shows up with three guards.

  “Hello. Are you here to take us to Crespy?”

  “Yes, Sir. You and your Adventurer.”

  “Well, I need to take my party. Your guards can wait here for a moment.”

  “No, Sir. That wasn’t what I was told.”

  “The marquis promised transportation for my party. Do you have the authority to alter our agreement?”

  “Sir, the area isn’t safe.”

  (Remind me not to trust this guy with state secrets.)

  “Take me and my party in one trip, show us to the correct floor, and return here. We will protect you the entire time. Alternatively, take two of us at a time while leaving people there unprotected. Of course, that also means that you will have to travel back and forth, draining your strength.”

  “Guards, wait here. Are you ready, Sir?”

  He doesn’t wait for an answer before starting his chant, Respond to your friend’s trust and provide proper service. Party Formation!

  (Yep, I knew you’d see it my way.)

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  [1] That form of address is also used in formal English. Using French in English can be confusing with David’s bilingualism.[2] This is a higher floor of the byrinth David’s party guessed.