It's afternoon. I get ready to leave. Fay is ready as well. I have informed everyone that I will be leaving for this meeting.
"Where is this place? The House of Aves, where exactly is it?"
I don't have any idea where is the house.
"It's not too far from here. Well, I will bring you with me." (Fay)
Fay extends her right hand. So she is going to teleport. I hold her hand we teleport.
When I open my eyes, I see a big building. It's similar to a palace. There are two startled guards at the door. But when they noticed Fay, they heaved a sigh of relief.
"So this is the Aves house?"
"Yes. It's a bit away from the capital so it's better to just teleport here. Come on, let's go." (Fay)
She pulls me along. I didn't let go of her and let her lead me. It's better to do as she does. Because I have no idea what to do.
I was planning on meeting with the Aves family but what will I say?
(Sorry, but I totally massacred your son's army and erased him from existence.)
I imagine myself saying that. That's a bit too straightforward. I have to be tactful.
We walk through the gaudy corridor. And it's a long one. But eventually I saw a door. After passing through the door, we arrive at a room which can be called a lounge.
There is a sofa set. Too gaudy for my taste. The entire room is just flashy. It's understandable since this is a Duke's house.
We take a seat. Fay seems used to this place. She must have come here a lot. And Fiona said that she was adopted by the previous Duke Aves.
I wait for the person I am meeting. But who exactly am I meeting?
"Fay, who am I meeting with?"
It's better to ask.
"Didn't you say you wanted to meet Martin's mother?" (Fay)
"I did. But she really agreed?"
"That's what I said. Weren't you listening to me?" (Fay)
"Sorry. So, what is her name? I should at least know her name."
"Lady Martha Aves. She is the current head of the Aves family. Since the head is missing. But he will be announced dead soon. It means that the Aves house will need a new successor." (Fay)
"I seem to have created a lot of trouble for them."
I kinda feel guilty. But it was Martin who struck first. I just responded in kind.
And the door opens. A woman wearing a gaudy and long dress enters. Her dress is long enough for it to drag itself. Well, the floor is carpeted so it won't damage the dress.
She sits across us. I look at her. She looks her age. Must be older than my mother. Some of her hairs have turned gray. She isn't wearing thick makeup to hide her face.
Looking at her, she is still beautiful but she must have been a breathtaking beauty in her heyday. Her eyes are striking. Dark blue eyes that are determined.
She looks at me.
"You must be Clive Belmont. You are a bit different from what I have heard. I thought you were more rugged and ruthless. But you just seem like a bit gloomy teenager." (Martha)
"You didn't mince your words, did you? Yes, I am Clive Belmont. It is nice meeting you. I have been meaning to meet with you for a while. But now that I am meeting you, I am wondering. Why did I want to meet you?"
She seems like someone who I can frank with. Let's try being a bit frank.
"Hmm..your speech and conduct are truly different. I am nonetheless, a duchess. And you are treating me like a normal person. I have to say, this doesn't feel bad." (Martha)
"My world was a world ruled by the people. Monarchy fell in my world a long time ago. So pardon me if I am unable to give you the proper respect."
I get the feeling that I can be a bit more respectful. Being respectful isn't a flaw. It's a virtue. I choose not to do it most of the times.
"How interesting! So let's cut to the chase. When Fay informed me that you want to meet with me, I was skeptical. Why would you want to meet with your defeated enemy's mother?" (Martha)
"To be honest I don't remember. I just thought I should. I did kill your son, after all. If you resent me then I can help you vent."
She weakly laughs. It's a laugh of utter surprise.
"I didn't think you would care for such trivial things. Fay, he is a strange man, isn't he?" (Martha)
"He is. He is a strange man who would first kill his wife and then revive her only to be beaten to a pulp by her. Well, he let's us do whatever we want to him so I would say he is pretty different from the men we know." (Fay)
"His wife? He is married?" (Martha)
"Yes. Although we did not have a ceremony, we are married and we have a daughter as well."
"To think that a boy this young would be a father. I wonder, where did my Martin fail?" (Martha)
So we are getting to the Martin topic. But the door opens and a maid enters pushing a cart. The tray contains teacups and a teapot and a snack stand.
I have only seen these in archives. So this is a snack set. She pours us tea and puts the stand on the table and leaves.
"Please, have a taste. I baked today's cookies and cakes." (Martha)
She baked them? They look good though. I pick up a cookie. It has chocolate chips and smells good. I take a bite. The cookie isn't too brittle or too hard. Just enough to bite in and enjoy.
The taste is strong so I wash it down with some tea. The tea has no sugar in it. But it is mildly sweet and the sweetness from the cookie evens it out.
It's a nice combination. Then I pick up a square cookie. It has two different colors. I forgot what it's called. Well, I take a bite and yes, this is a bit salty which is a great contrast.
I then take a pastry. Well, it is a cake just bite sized. The cream, it's vanilla. That's the kind of feeling I get from this. The pound cake is probably vanilla as well. A pure vanilla pastry. Hmm…a classic taste. Not too overpowering and not underwhelming either.
A classic for a reason. But I had forgotten that I have two other people sitting with me.
"You sure love to eat, don't you?" (Martha)
"He does. Even in our home, he buys too much groceries and eats all of them." (Fay)
"I didn't think of it like that. But am I a glutton?"
I have never paid much attention to what others eat and how much they eat. So I may eat more than others.
"It's good to have a healthy appetite. You seemed like you were enjoying the cookies." (Martha)
"I can't bake to save my life. So it's nice having some cookies and cakes every once in a while. And the flavors are good. I always accept good food no matter the person."
It was kinda embarrassing but I try to hide it with bravado.
"Martin didn't like sweets. He didn't even like my cooking. He would just sit in his room and drink alcohol. I was always worried about him." (Martha)
Her gentle face becomes sorrowful. Another Martin episode. Then let's have a discussion.
"Then, would you like to have him back? Martin, I mean. I can easily bring him back from the dead."
She looks at me unamused. She must have thought I was joking.
"Clive, I know that you don't mean any harm by that but don't joke about the dead. It took me a while to accept his death." (Martha)
"Lady Martha, I know this might sound ridiculous. But he isn't joking. He can bring Martin back if you want." (Fay)
Fay vouches for me. Martha starts thinking.
"Can you really? But how can you bring back the dead?" (Martha)
"It is easy. I am the harbinger of death. I can easily bring back someone from the dead. The only question is, do you want him back?"
"I would rather not. He is dead. And that's that. I don't want to bring back the dead to life. That would be a sacrilege to life itself." (Martha)
"Life isn't going to mind. But if you have come to terms with it, then I won't. But I suspect that the god of intoxication was controlling Martin. That's why he proposed that ridiculous plan to the king."
It has been a long time suspicion of mine. But hearing more from her about Martin gave me the necessary information.
Narcos was involved in this. But why didn't Apollo know of it. The mystery thickens.
Our tea party was over. Martha is good person to talk to. I should introduce my mother to her or maybe not.
"Then we should leave for today. And my mom still at your house, Fay. She has to go back as well."
I get up saying that. But Fay stopped me.
"Aura sent me a message. Your mom is enjoying her time here. So she is going to stay a few days here. As for your dad, he is having fun with his fishing buddies." (Fay)
"When did this happen?"
"And Ms. Pablo came by. She met your mother as well. They had a good conversation about you. Oh..the guild has sent your reward. It's a hefty amount so you won't have to worry about money for a while." (Fay)
Why are you giving me these messages now?
"You are an adventurer?" (Martha)
"Yes. I recently became an S rank and completed my first S rank job today. I didn't think I would get the reward so easily."
"My..isn't that nice! So Fay, when's the wedding?" (Martha)
"Not now. But it's coming soon. But are you going to have different ceremonies or all at once?" (Fay)
This puts me in a bind. A very random question.
"If you want separate ceremonies, you can. I have no problems. It all depends on what you all want."
I play is safe and push it onto them again. Fay snickers.
"You wriggled your way out again." (Fay)
We are done here. Martha said to visit her again. I definitely enjoyed this visit. She is a good person and a genuine one. She won't backstab me. Then another one crossed from my bucket list.
Now, let's deal with a few trivial things and Galdur, here I come.