Ron awkwardly fiddled with his cuffs before nodding.
"You're right. There is no use in thinking about things we can do nothing about. After all, we are both just servants."
A nervous chuckle made his lips tremble while he reigned in the impulse to ask why Mr. Laurier offered no help to his master.
Neera's eyes stabbed him like frigid spikes, taking in every single twitch of the muscles on his face.
"Mr. Ron, I do hope you have not forgotten the conversations you had with my Master before coming here."
"Of course not!"
"Then I suggest you stop stressing over the inevitable and try to remember the that current course of things is quite beneficial to you. Or would you prefer for us to do business with someone else? I'm sure if we spoke with one of the Count's relatives they would gladly take the offer-"
"No! Please don't misunderstand, Miss. I have no intention of backing out of our deal, I just-"
Ron sighed.
"I have been working for my Master for so long. It is difficult to accept the fact that his life will soon come to an end"
An imperceptible smile grazed Neera's lips unbeknownst to Ron who was looking down at his wooden leg.
'Good. Compassionate people can be used more easily.'
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ron. I didn't mean to doubt you, it's just that I have strict instructions to not proceed any further if I detect any deceit or uncertainty from our partners. Please forgive me."
"No, please don't apologize. You are only doing as you have been told."
"Alright then. Shall we go and look for the builders you talked about with my Master?"
"Let's go."
----
The day went by quickly as they talked to the naval engineers in the shipyard, proposing the construction of a whole fleet. Most of the men were old, with leathery skin from the years of exposure to the sun and distrusting eyes that always fell on the young girl in the red dress who curiously looked around the decks as if she were taking a stroll in the city's parks.
Although they seemed reluctant at first, everyone jumped on the proposal the moment they heard they were going to be payed in gold ingots. After the conscriptions took away most of the able men from the ports, those who were left behind were old but skilled carpenters whom were now tasked with building the army's naval fleet in preparation for the expansion of the war towards the sea.
The wages were meagre and the work was hard, so none of them would refuse an extra salary to keep building ships for their commercial fleet in their down time. They all had mouths to feed at home.
Ron led most of the talks while Neera stood by his side, looking curiously at the craftmanship on the skeletons of what would become war ships in the future, with the beams exposed like the ribs of carcasses that laid in silent wait until the day they would touch the waters.
How many more people would the king conscript then to man these beasts?
"It'll take quite some time to make the amount of ships ya' want, but I think we should 'ave at least three in six months if we all put in some effort."
"That would be fantastic. We will pay the first installment for each ship before it's construction and the other half once it has been completed. We are also thinking on buying some more helping hands to speed up the process."
"Fine by me! God must 'ave brought you to us as a saving grace. The Lord knows we need help now more than ever."
"Perfect! Now then, if you gentlemen could all sign these papers to make it official we would really appreciate it."
Neera watched as they crowded one of the working tables, taking turns to clumsily write their names or stamp their thumbs with ink in the paper.
"Hello, m'lady, are you here with your father?"
A young voice pulled her attention to a small child by her side, he was young, probably no older than eight. He was barefoot as he carried a box of chunky rusted nails, presumably for the construction of the ships she had been staring at before. His eyes shone bright amidst his dirty face, soaking in the pretty fabric on her dress as if he was looking at a flower of the same color.
"Must be nice having ya' father 'round. Mine left a while ago and still hasn't come back."
"He is not my father."
The boy's eyes widened in shock, a look of disgust marring his gaze when it fell on Ron.
"Is he your husband then? My mama told me some sick folk like to take young ladies such as ya'self before they come of age. You have a couple more years before 'ya flower, don't 'ya?"
The Duke's face with his perfectly trimmed mustache came to her mind.
"Not my husband either."
The boy stared at her in curiosity, waiting for her to explain, but after a couple of seconds of silence he realized Neera had no intention to continue at all. Exasperated, he finally asked.
"So? What is he then?"
She looked at the man as he shook hands with all the carpenters with a broad smile in his face.
"A business partner."
"Business? What is that?"
"I give him some money and he helps me get ships."
"Only grown ups can have money. My mama said kids shouldn't have money."
Neera smiled at the boy for the first time, bringing a blush to his grimy cheeks.
"Your mother is right. Kids shouldn't have money."
The boy's confusion made her smile widen even more, but before she could hear what he was about to say, Ron called out to her.
"Miss, we are done over here."
Neera's impassive face returned as she turned around to face him.
"Do you have the documents?"
"Yes. Here they are."
"Thank you."
The carpenters looked at the interaction in confusion. Why was this man handing the papers to this child? Did he really not want to carry them himself? Wasn't she his daughter, why was he calling her Miss with such respect?
None of them voiced their questions in fear of irritating their new contractor, opting instead to just say their goodbyes and stare quietly as both of them left the shipyard with Ron trailing behind the little girl while she carefully studied the papers in her arms one by one.
----
The next morning Ron met Neera in one of the shadier parts of the town. This time she was wearing a beautiful royal blue dress with a yellow ribbon in her hair. He was surprised to see another figure by her side, a gorgeous woman, probably as tall as him, with onyx eyes and an impassive face. She had a collar around her neck attached to a rope in Neera's hand.
"You brought a slave?"
"Yes, she is my Master's. I was ordered to bring her here today to ensure my safety."
It was not uncommon for wealthy people to buy slaves from auctions and trade shops, although they were usually relegated to physical labor and pleasure. Given the state of the economy, only the merchants were able to afford it, using them to satiate their dire need for more hands after most of the workforce had been taken to the front.
People from all races wearing raggedy clothes and collars around their necks were commonly seen around the port, carrying boxes, manning ships and securing the merchandise, although they were all men. Women were more of a commodity as they tended to serve for other purposes.
Nobles usually didn't employ slaves on their living quarters, believing it to be shameful, not being able to afford normal people as servants. Hence, Neera had never faced this part of society in the castle or in her original town, were no one could pay for such a thing.
Here, way closer to the Ronna territory and as one of the major trading hubs of the duchy, the slave market was thriving among the warring economy.
Ron couldn't help but stare at the woman. Her clothes, simple but clean, could not do much to hide her impressive figure, much different from the demure silhouette most were used to seeing in the kingdom's women. Her powerful calves peeked from under her skirt that did not reach the ground, showcasing the olive skin along with scars that marred her arms as well, presenting her as a warrior.
He had heard the Ronna did not take gender into consideration when it came to battle, but it was still a rare sight to se a female slave serving as a protective escort instead of a man, who was believed to be more useful in said task.
Apart from that, in contrast with the rest of the slaves he had seen around, this one showed no signs of malnourishment, evidenced by her pristine nails and glossy hair. There were no hollows in her cheeks and her eyes looked bright and imposing.
'Mr. Laurier must be one wealthy man.'
With the clothes the child was wearing and the immaculate condition of his slaves, it was to be expected that Mr. Laurier owned a substantial amount of wealth.
'He even chose a female guard to make the girl more comfortable.'
At this, his eyes drifted towards Neera, who stared at the door of the slave shop with her usual indifferent gaze.
'Well, it makes sense. After all he was able to dispatch that much gold to invest in the fleet in a couple of days. He must be ridiculously rich.'
Neera could feel the weight of his eyes on her face, figuring he must be drawing his own conclusions just like she wanted.
Davina looked at Ron from top to bottom, having heard from Davina that this man would be in charge of managing the business she had invested in.
'Heh, not much. I could take him down in a second,' she thought, pulling her gaze away.
She had more relevant matters to think about now anyway.
From where she stood, Davina could see crates made from wood and iron. Inside, huddled shadows clung to the corners farthest from the light. Although she could not tell much apart from afar, she did recognize some familiar features.
Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. They were her people, treated like cattle by the white men parading among the crates while looking at their bare bodies the same way they would look at the meat in the market; indifferent, scrutinizing, and cruel.
She felt a soft tug on her neck drawing her attention back to the girl looking up at her. Her eyes bore a clear message.
'Stay strong. Don't waver.'