They were stopped shortly after entering by a woman in a white shirt and black tailcoat, black trousers, and shined black shoes. White gloves covered her hands, which she held behind her back.
She was quite attractive, with black hair tied back into a ponytail and maroon eyes that regarded Samantha's guests with veiled suspicion.
"Young mistress Samantha," she said courteously. "What an unexpected visit. And I see you brought friends. Does your father know of this?"
"We're here to see him, Fanedla," Samantha said nicely. "I thought it would be best to surprise him, so he doesn't run off to his factories to avoid me."
"He's been looking forward to a visit for a few months now," Fanedla said plainly. "But his work means that dropping in unexpectedly might leave you sorely disappointed, a lesson I had thought you'd learned.
"Luckily for you, mistress, he thought you'd show up. He's in his study. I'm afraid your friends will have to wait in the hall; Master Sedronol has not permitted them to wander, on account of you visiting unannounced."
"The one with the dark hair and darker eyes is my fiancé," Samantha stated. "What I and my father are about to discuss is his business as well."
"And the other one?"
Samantha turned to Venden. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait in the hall for us, Venden. I'm sorry for making this trip pointless for you," she told him apologetically. "But Fanedla here will make sure you're fed and comfortable."
"Not an issue," Venden replied, his face a mask. The helpless glint in his eye told a different story, however.
Fanedla led Venden off as Samantha and Fate went deeper into the estate, Fate sparing his fiancé a glance as they traipsed down the halls.
"Do all nobles hire Adepts as butlers?" he asked her. "The Grendevens' head butler was an Adept as well."
"Masters and Arch-Mages are either too busy or too full of themselves to take a job like this, and likewise are much too rich or preoccupied to attack or rob us.
"Adepts are just powerful enough to discourage would-be assailants at or below their Stage, while simultaneously acting as a status symbol. Mages are expensive to employ wherever you are, so a family that can afford an Adept is often wealthy.
"They're also magically bound to put the noble family they serve above all except their own life and death so long as they are in service, so my Father who's also an Adept does not need to worry about betrayal."
"And if they do betray you?" Fate asked. "I can think of dozens of ways they'd be forced to do so to live."
"The family head is notified of their intentions as soon as they make up their minds. If what they intend to do is something the butler perceives as a betrayal against the family as a whole, the head will know of it."
'That explains why Terry Grendeven hadn't known about what Helga was doing to Venden,' Fate thought.
In the butler's eyes, bringing Venden back into the fold would help the family down the line rather than hurt it. Even Fate knew that indoctrinating Venden would help the Grendevens keep their status as an Earl-rank family.
They descended a set of stairs to come into a room as expansive as the estate above, built to resemble a grassy field.
The roof and walls were a hazy blue to simulate the sky, and an artificial sun hung in the air to light the room as if it was broad daylight.
The floor was covered in lush green grass an inch tall, and a gentle, babbling brook flowed from a small opening along the ground, cutting down the middle of the room.
A small wooden bridge allowed one to cross the stream, which the duo did to find Benedict Sedronol sitting in a rocking chair with a serene expression on his face and his eyes closed.
He had the same blue hair as Samantha, with shirt blue hair and a beard peppered with darker blue flecks. He was getting on in years, but even the slight wrinkles around his eyes did little to conceal the handsome features underneath.
He wore simple clothes, not flashy or colorful but certainly expensive judging by the faint sheen of Imprints coursing through the fabric.
His eyes opened when they were close enough for him to hear the sound of their clothes rustling, which went to show how sharp his hearing was. The brook was over two hundred feet away by now, but it could still be heard as if they were right next to it.
Two orbs of bright yellow appeared, the whites of his eyes nowhere to be seen. They resembled the sun above in color and even gave off a faint glow. In the center of each was a small circle of light blue, which, based on the way that they hopped from Samantha to Fate and back again, were his pupils.
His serene expression cracked into one of parental joy as he hopped out of his chair with more vigor than his appearance would suggest and grabbed Samantha into a hug.
He pulled back with a happy smile on his face, his hands resting on his daughter's shoulders. His smile turned into a furrow of the brow as he noticed the look in her eye.
"What's wrong, my little ocean?" he asked. His voice was as vibrant of full of life as his actions, so much so that Fate could hardly believe this man was at death's door.
"Father, this is my fiancé, Fate," Samantha said gently. Whatever rage she had held inside had frozen after remembering how much her father loved her. "We're here to talk to you about our engagement."
Benedict's face softened with realization as his yellow orbs turned to Fate, scanning him from head to toe.
Fate started to feel awkward and uncomfortable as the man did so. He could faintly feel some kind of wave-like pressure flowing against his skin and soaking into every inch of his body.
It was an invasive feeling, one that reminded him of his unpleasant encounter with Principal Alessandra a few weeks ago. He felt like all of his secrets were being laid bare, and he hated it.