"So? Do you have any jobs for me?" Asked Alex as he sipped his tea from an expensive porcelain cup.
He didn't expect Violet to send word this quickly, but as he had nothing else to do in the city, Alex left Hedda's inn and made his way to Night's Sky, the brothel he spent last night.
Violet, sitting opposite him, nodded.
"The man I hired previously has died. Had his head cut off."
Alex nodded before asking. "I'm assuming he had all his belongings stolen?"
Violet nodded and turned her attention to Vie. She stood by the door, looking at Alex's face and body, waiting for her mistress' orders. "Vie, dear, would you be so kind as to bring Sir Alex the down payment?"
The woman nodded and left Violet's office, but Alex raised his hand a second too late. "There's no need for a down payment. You can pay me after seeing how difficult the job is."
"Oh?" Violet raised an eyebrow. "So you want to rip me off my money?"
Alex merely shrugged. "I'm only returning the favor. Besides, it isn't that outrageous of a proposal. If the danger turns out to be greater than what you have told me, I think further compensation is required."
The Night's Sky's owner shrugged and nodded soon after. Alex's request was very sensible, after all.
Alex saw Violet's nod and continued speaking. "So, can you share the finer details of this job?"
"There simply are no finer details, sweety. I simply require you to exterminate those fuckers. Yank them from the ground, roots and all."
Alex sighed and let the matter go. "If that's the case, I'll need at least a day to gather intel, and only then would I start. Would you like me to share all the intel I gather?"
Violet nodded. "That would be appreciated, yes. We can then finalize our contract and discuss the pay."
Since there was nothing else to talk about, Alex slapped his knees and stood up. "In that case, I won't take any more of your time; you must be busy."
Violet stood up as well and saw Alex out of her office.
Outside, Vie waited for Alex to exit, overhearing his objection to the downpayment.
Alex didn't look too surprised by seeing Vie wait for him and, in fact, felt this was for the better. Now he wouldn't have to run around asking where this band of thugs liked to hang around.
"Perfect. Vie, could you lead me to where you last saw the thugs?"
Nodding, the woman led Alex out of the building, out the city's gates, and into the nearby woods.
***
Night fell over Blackwater's capital, Caelumara. The wind bearly moved the trees bordering the "Imperial Road," as it was commonly called by citizens and guards alike.
The Imperial Road was a straight line that connected Caelumara's main gate to the entrance of the Royal Palace and stretched far into the distance. It is said the founder and first Empress of Blackwater, Seraphina Aurelius, created the road and built the palace at the end of it, thus marking the end of the Barbaric era.
With the final swing of her wand, Seraphina divided the heavens above and the earth below, thus killing the tyrannical king Grimmok. It is said the Imperial Road was built atop the divided ground, and Seraphina laid every foundational stone herself.
Ayla rested her elbows on the balcony's railing as her eyes followed this significant road into the distance. The wind suddenly picked up, bringing with it warm air from somewhere.
The princess brought a hand up to stop the wind from disheveling her hair too much while deeply breathing in the summer's fragrance.
The sound of porcelain tableware temporarily overwhelmed the wind's sound, but Ayla didn't turn to see who entered the balcony.
Bera rolled in a white-blue set of porcelain cups and a tea kettle filled with spiced herbal tea. She placed the tea set on the small, round table and addressed her mistress."My lady, would you like some tea?"
Ayla nodded and pointed to the chair across. "Bera, I've told you can call me by my name when we're alone."
Bera, her maid, bowed low. "Yes, Miss Ayla."
Even though Bera didn't entirely remove the formalities in her speech, Ayla could only sigh. There was no getting through this stubborn friend of hers.
The maid poured tea into the princess' cup and turned to place the kettle down but was stopped by Ayla's glare. "Pour a cup for yourself."
Bera nodded and sat down across from the princess. She held the porcelain cup with both hands like a squirrel holding a chestnut. In her defense, the cups were exceedingly valuable as they were beautiful, made from expensive materials, and brought from Nyfilim, a distant land where glass-like sand filled the surroundings.
"How was your day, Bera? Did anyone bother you?" Ayla started the conversation the same way she always did. Bera was too shy to ask such questions to the princess, so it was Ayla's duty to shoulder the conversation.
"No, Miss Ayla. No one bothered me in any way," The maid started, looking up at the princess like a kid looking at his mother during a rehearsal. Knowing the look on her mistress' face, Bera continued stutteringly."...H-how was your day, your Highness?"
"Oh, glad you asked, as no one seems to care." The princess said with an overly deep sigh. "My father talked to me about marriage proposals arriving from all around the country and even from beyond our borders.
Fortunately, there are no powerful countries bordering us, and Father is not willing to give my hand to some Northern Empire bastard either."
Ayla said, sipping the spiced tea. She leaned further into her chair, enjoying the richness and vibrant flavor of the tea. "Father refused the proposals coming from the neighboring countries as they did not want a matrilineal marriage, plus they hold too little power and land to even pick Father's interest."
Bera sipped her tea, similarly enjoying its high quality and richness, and said. "It sounds like it's an embarrassing topic to talk about. Are you even comfortable with that?"
Ayla shrugged. "It is an uncomfortable topic, but I can only nod with a smiling face. I hate having no control in choosing my partner, but this is the life of a princess."
Bera sighed beside her mistress but didn't express her thoughts, so Ayla asked her. "How is it to have complete freedom and control over your life?"
The maid smiled wryly, somewhat amused by the princess' lack of understanding of the commoner's life. "Life as someone outside nobility isn't as free as you might think it is, your Highness. My parents may allow me a degree of freedom but not much larger than a princess.
"My parents may let me make friends with other girls, they may allow me to attend any festival as long as they are around, and they even may allow me to look and choose a partner. However, at the end of the day, my parents choose whether or not I will marry said partner. They still choose who I hang around with and who is and isn't a potential husband."
Taking another sip of her tea, which was cooling down, Bera continued. "What's worse, living as someone outside nobility brings a lot of negatives and hurdles. Our men are required to work since they can run, and our women are taught how to cook, clean, and raise kids. What's more, there's no guarantee of enough money in the house; you constantly wonder whether you can make it past the winter, whether it will rain in the summer."
Hearing Bera's words, Ayla fell silent. Things like this seem obvious to any commoner and even to any noble, but Ayla didn't know about this. She just didn't think about this.
Sighing, her maid continued. "Knowing how nobles live and how we, commoners, live as well, I would rather live my life as a noble."
Ayla remained silent. She looked over the Imperial Road as if trying to find the answer she so desperately needed. 'Is having a carefree life that hard to come by? What do I even need to do to achieve that life?'
To her maid, she responded. "At least your parents love you unconditionally."
Nodding once, Bera fell silent, allowing the night's sounds to take over the surroundings.