We headed back out, and I handed Calmar the sheet of paper. He looked it over and handed it to Porter. He took it and folded it up before putting it in a pouch on his waist. “Proof enough, right my lord?”

  Calmar nodded, “Can’t argue with that, though I hadn’t known you knew any spells. And a healing one no less.” He whistled. “That’s going to make you popular.”

  I shrugged and looked back to the old priest, “Thanks for the help, Grandpa Toren.”

  Porter laughed alongside Toren while Calmar looked taken aback. “Anytime, Lady Danielle.” His gaze turned to Porter, “And you.”

  Porter froze.

  “Stop by more often. I haven’t seen you or your father in more than a year, and I was worried.” He wagged his finger at the bodyguard, who took a step back when Toren stepped forward. Almost like Toren was holding a blade to his throat.

  Porter gulped, and smiled nervously, “I’ll… see what I can do… I’ll tell dad to drop by too.”

  “You do that.” He said in a huff and turned to face Calmar. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to attend to.” Without another word, he headed down the hall and disappeared from sight.

  We all watched him go and then looked towards the door. Calmar broke the silence, “So, shall we head home then?”

  Porter straightened himself up and then nodded. “Y-yes, I think that might be for the best.”

  I shrugged and headed for the door without responding. I was trying to avoid looking at the massive list of things on my brand new quest log. A few caught my eye though..

  Moderation Task: Investigate Incident AR-3323683

  User ID mak6drydkwz9 is currently being held against their will within the D2R5C21 region. Investigate.

  Moderation Task: Investigate Incident AR-3323682

  User ID 256tpksa4lr3 currently being held against their will within the D2R5C21 region. Investigate.

  Moderation Task: Investigate Incident AR-3323681

  User ID axelsxmnj50s currently being held against their will within the D2R5C21 region. Investigate.

  That's concerning. Even the brief look saw dozens with the same text, just different User IDs and distances. And I had more immediate concerns.

  We all climbed into the carriage again. “Home, Samuel.” Porter called as he got inside. As soon as we were all settled, the carriage started to move.

  “Alright, Danielle.” Calmar said, “With that out of the way, we’ve a few things to take care of when we get home.”

  “Like what?” I asked, looking out the window as we rode along. As we moved to a main avenue the number of other carts, carriages, and other modes of transport were visible. I saw one person riding on a large cloth that could have been a carpet, if it was thicker. He had large bundles of cloth behind him.

  Another pair were riding giant four legged creatures covered in colorful scales and massive muzzled mouths. It made the carriage feel small by comparison. Then there was the man riding on a transparent disc of force and-

  “Danielle?” I heard, and winced as I turned towards the voice. I’d apparently missed something.

  Calmar turned to see what I was looking at and groaned, “Oh no… Lord Germaine is going to have another party soon.” Porter groaned next, and I tried to figure out what they were looking at.

  A rather… flamboyant man rode a carriage. The man’s outfit had been bright orange with various purple and green embroidery. It looked expensive. It also looked like someone ate a color palette and threw up over his outfit. The carriage itself was pulled by two men with hooved feet and bovine heads. They had horns that were shaved down and decorated with gold metal swirls, wearing simple orange and green shirts and pants.. On top of the carriage were four casks. I couldn’t help but comment, “Is he always dressed so… brightly?”

  “That’s a polite way to put it…” Calmar said without mirth. With a sigh, he snapped his fingers to catch my attention. “Focus. You’re going to have to relearn some skills sooner than I’d intended. Etiquette, Dance, and likely some History.”

  “Sounds fun.” I said with the enthusiasm of wet paper. “I’ll also need to schedule some time to go to the barracks.”

  Calmar paused, “Why?”

  “I have Unarmed Combat. I want to try and develop it. Figured I’d see if I could get training from someone there.” I said, my lips quirking in a smirk. “Need to be able to take care of myself, right?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, “I’ll find you a combat instructor. Training at the barracks will have too many complications.”

  “Like what?” A simple question that caused Calmar to squirm a little.

  His hand wiped down his face from the bridge of his nose and he sighed, “We can’t have it look like we’re influencing the guard, or they’re influencing us. On top of that, people will talk and think you’re trying to join up.”

  “I hadn’t considered it.” I did think about it briefly. “Probably wouldn’t, not without a major incentive.”

  Porter cleared his throat. I looked at him. “That’s exactly what he’s talking about, Lady Danielle.”

  Blinking, I stared blankly for longer than I was proud of. Then it clicked into place, “Oh. Cause it’d look like they were buying our influence, right?”

  “Uh that’s…” Calmar paused mid sentence. “Actually, that’s accurate. Not how I’d have phrased it.” He reasserted his posture and cleared his throat, “Right. And on top of that, our family has a lot of allies who don’t get along with them, so we don’t want to alienate them.”

  My head tilted to the side and I looked at him, “Sounds complicated.”

  “A bit.” He sighed, “Which is why the History. Specifically, recent History related to our family and the city. You need to know where the Rosecrest family stands on certain issues.”

  “Alright.” I nodded. In reality, I thought it all sounded like the kind of thing that would be boring, but necessary for the position I was in. It likely wouldn’t be fun, or entertaining, but I’d deal with it. “What else? And why are you looking at me like that?”

  Calmar like he was waiting for something to explode. Porter was mostly just watching the people out the window. When I didn’t say anything else, Calmar just sighed, “Sorry, you usually tried to argue more.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I leaned forward and flicked him on the forehead. He winced and put his hand where I’d flicked him. “Ow! What was that for?”

  I leaned back against the seat, “Trying to test how thick your skull is.”

  Porter tried to cover his burst of laughter with a cough, but it didn’t fool me. Calmar either from the glare he gave the back of the bodyguard’s head. “Guess we’ll need more etiquette training than I thought.”

  Rolling my eyes, I turned to look out the window. “If you think it’s necessary. As long as I get some pants and a decent shirt when we get home I’ll take whatever lessons you think are necessary.”

  “Pants?” Calmar said in confusion. “You don’t want to look at what you have before deciding?”

  I turned back just enough to see him from the corner of my eye. “You haven’t painted a good picture of me. So, I’m imagining frilly dresses and maybe one or two practical skirts that never got any use.”

  Porter nodded, “Sounds right.” He slapped his fist into his hand as if an idea just came to him, “Oh, we need to send a message to Elayne. Otherwise Danielle is going to be stuck at home until we find a replacement bodyguard.”

  “Who’s Elayne?” I asked, turning back to the conversation. The window had gotten boring anyway, since we were going down an emptier road lined with ostentatious manor homes with walls high enough to block the view.

  “Your former bodyguard.” Calmar shook his head, “And after last time, she swore she’d never work for Danielle again.”

  “She also swore out Calmar, your father, you, the estate, the butler...” Porter added. He'd have likely gone on if Calmar hadn't stopped him.

  “Not to mention refusing a rather exorbitant amount of compensation.” Calmar sighed, “Unfortunately, she’s good at her job, even if a bit dogmatic in her beliefs on security.” Porter responded. “I’d also like her back so I can stop managing the guards.”

  I didn’t mind listening to the two talk without me. They bickered like best friends and it was probably more candid than they’d show to anyone but family. It made me happy with my choice to go with them. They seem like good people.

  We eventually arrived at the manor we lived in. It was a two story sprawling affair that took up one side of the street. I only saw the garage where the carriage was stored in any detail. There were a couple more of different sizes that looked like they’d be for carrying things more than people. “I take it we don’t use animals as transport?”

  “Oh, those went out of style after some advancements in magical item development.” Samuel was actually the one to respond as he came down from the driver’s seat. “The empowerment crystals were developed in Terramie after a new vein was discovered.”

  “And they cost several limbs to import, but the convenience is worthwhile.” Porter responded, even as Calmar was trying to speak.

  “I can imagine it cuts down on costs enough to make up for it.” I observed as we headed inside as a group.

  Samuel excused himself with a small bow to Calmar and myself before heading off down a smaller hallway. Several men and women greeted us as we came in. They were all dressed in rather plain clothes, but all had a pin emblazoned with a rose winding around a shield and blooming in the middle.

  I stared at one and the maid got visibly nervous before we walked past. “What’s with the pins?”

  Porter responded, “Questions can wait till after you’re cleaned up and changed.”

  I got the impression he was also not wanting to talk about it in front of the help.

  Calmar stopped in front of a rather serious looking man whose skin had a faint blue tint to it and pointed ears. He was dressed in a well made suit and had flowing black hair that was slicked back into a rather complicated braid that ran down his back. “Grimoire, I need you to find someone to help Danielle get cleaned up and dressed in something suitable for wear around the house.”

  “Right away, sir.” He said with an elegant bow before turning to look at me. “Miss, if you would follow me.” He then turned on his heel and started towards a set of stairs. I looked over at Calmar and shrugged before following the man up the stairs.

  Being honest, it wasn’t as big an issue as I thought it’d be. I refused the bath, something about submerging myself in water set off alarms in my head, but did get a shower. The system was magical in nature, but the water only had lukewarm or cold temperatures. It also gave me time to take in my appearance.

  As I’d noted earlier, I was short. Likely not even over 155cm. I was thin, but pudgy in places and not as much in the spots most girls would want. I didn’t mind, since it was less jarring getting used to a small chest. They even had a full length mirror in the bathroom I took a chance to look at. It just so happened to be the first time I’d seen my face.

  It was… cute enough. My hair was a light brown color that would probably look better dried and combed. And cut. I thought as I tugged at a strand that went past my shoulder. My eyes were a piercing green that gave off a sense of sharpness even as I tried to change my expression. The face was mostly round, ending in a slightly longer chin that kept me from looking like I was five years younger than my status said.

  The rest of my body was… fine. About average for the age and height. No visible marking or injuries. But looking made me feel uncomfortable after a few minutes. It wasn’t mine, after all. One of the few things I was sure of.

  I looked over the clothes that were set out for me and suppressed a sigh. It was clearly something meant to be worn under other clothing, some kind of long shift with plain undergarments that were surprisingly comfortable. There wasn’t anything else, though, so I poked my head out.

  A maid was standing outside, holding a dress over her arm. It was pink with green accents from what I could see. I looked at it, then to the maid, “Please find me pants, or at minimum a skirt. I am not wearing that.”

  Before she could say anything, I closed the door again and leaned against the sink, looking around. I could live in a space this large, why make this a bathroom?

  A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. When I called out that it was open, the maid came back in. This time she had a blouse that was a red just shy of pink with a black skirt that had thorns and roses embroidered onto it. “Will this please my lady?”

  I nodded and took the clothes, throwing on the blouse without fanfare and stepping into the skirt. It took me longer than I want to admit to get the skirt on, not figuring out that it had clips to attach to the blouse, on top of resting on my hips. The maid had needed to help me.

  The maid then insisted on taking care of my hair, which took longer than I wanted as she dried and brushed it, mostly in silence. Awkward silence, because I didn’t want to ask her name, and apparently she didn’t think it was okay to talk without me going first.

  I then was guided to a lounge where Calmar, Porter, Grimoire, and another woman I didn’t recognize were already mid-discussion.

  “And it’s clearly an attack on the family!” I heard Calmar shout as he paced the floor next to an empty fireplace. Over it was a larger version of the badge everyone seemed to wear mounted on a plaque.

  Grimoire was the one to notice me, “Lady Danielle. I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a few refreshments.” His speaking caused Calmar to turn. His shoulders slackened and he looked relieved, even though I hadn’t been gone very long.

  “What’d I miss?” I asked, as I walked over to where Grimoire had motioned for the drinks and snacks. There were a lot of candies and sweet smelling drinks. I tasted a couple, but they were either too sweet or had a flavor I didn’t like. With each one, I noticed Grimoire observing my reaction closely.

  Porter answered my question, “We got off topic and Calmar started going on a rant.”

  Grimoire gave him a pointed stare, but Porter just rolled his eyes. “I believe what Mr. Porter means is, we are concerned with the safety of the household going further and discussions became heated.”

  I nodded, “Makes sense. I don’t imagine we’ll have any answers for a while though, so it’s best to focus on other things, isn’t it?”

  With a few deep breaths, Calmar seemed to settle down. “You are right, of course.” Clearing his throat, he grabbed his own drink that he’d set on the mantle of the fireplace. It was something amber colored. “Before that, we were informing Grimoire here about the situation.”

  The man in question bowed at the waist, “Such a tragic occurrence is unfortunate, but I will do my best to assist you on the road to recovery. Anything you should need, simply ask.”

  I looked over at Calmar. He nodded, “Grimoire has been a part of the household since our father’s father’s time. He’s exceedingly competent.”

  Focusing on the man, I nodded, “So… are you going to help catch me up on things I need to know for…” I furrowed my brow as I thought, “The party Lord…”

  Calmar groaned, “I forgot about that.” He turned to Grimoire, “Lord Germaine is back in town, and it looked like he was getting ready for a party.”

  “Hm.” Grimoire considered that, “Etiquette will take too long to learn if you intend for her to attend. Dance would be a better use of our time, and as much political history as we can in the time. A focus on current events, I think.”

  “Agreed. She’s also expressed an interest in Unarmed Combat, can you assist with that?” Calmar added. I smiled, perking up before I took a drink of something sour without any sweetener.

  Grimoire turned his gaze on me, “If you’re okay with it, miss, I would be willing to lend aid until a more appropriate instructor can be found.”

  Clapping his hands together, Calmar gathered everyone’s attention. “With that in mind, it’s time to figure out what we’re going to tell our father.”