Dressed in fine silk, sporting the crest of the Curze family on his chest,
Julius Curze, current Baron of Evramas and also the father of Ciaphas, stared with surprise written on his war-torn face as his son finally came and greeted him with respect visible in his eyes.
Behind him, Nathan, his son's trusted butler, was about to leave before giving first a meaningful glance to his benefactor, Julius. It wasn't every day his butler was so active regarding Ciaphas.
''The party the second Prince is hosting is quite important, we can't afford to be careless'' The baron suddenly said, acknowledging his son's greetings, gesturing him to sit, trying to figure out Nathan's sudden action.
''With the uproars happening closer and closer to our lands we can't afford to make any new enemies'' He continued, observing Ciaphas as he was trying to take a seat opposite of him. He knew talking to his son about these matters was a waste of time but he had no choice but to try.
The way Ciaphas acted and behaved today was quite surprising, to say the least. Even the way he dressed had an air of a true noble on him.
From the moment Ciaphas greeted his father, the latter knew something had changed. His butler's actions only served to verify it for him.
''He usually complains and tries to get out of these types of events using any means he could think of'' he thought, waiting for Ciaphas to get comfortable before preparing himself for the excuse his son had this time around.
'' I won't allow him to avoid this time's gathering'' He convinced himself,
waiting for Ciaphas to speak.
There was an awkward silence between the father and son duo, only to be interrupted by the trays full of food the maids brought in.
The economic situation of his household was quite grave and the various troubles the Kingdom kept facing this last year only served to make things even worse for him and the peasants under him too.
If the baron could secure through Ciaphas the help of the second prince, apart from elevating the household's standing amongst the various nobles that surrounded him, they would maybe even have a chance to get rid of the critical economic problems that plagued his lands.
Thanks to the constant disturbances appearing near his borders and all around the Kingdom, food was scarce for the common folk, and with winter soon approaching, it would be very challenging for a lot of his subjects to survive it.
''At least we have plenty of good food to eat'' he mused, waiting for Ciaphas to start his excuses.
Even though there was barely any money left to better his lands, he at least could afford a rich meal full of delicacies for his household, letting him enjoy these few pleasures he so much loved.
From roasted beef to seasoned deer, he always made sure he and his family had the best to eat, knowing full well how crucial health was for people his age.
Ciaphas knew that attending the prince's party was critical for the survival of his household, but for him, things were happening way too fast so he truly needed to rest and put his thoughts in order.
Inheriting the memories of the true son of Julius, helped him tremendously, allowing him to understand how vulnerable the current circumstances were for his family.
His father had under his rule the lands northwest of Evramas, a small piece of land that had a small village of around eight hundred peasants, surrounded by fertile land and a small lake that went through the Dead Plains, making it almost useless for trading purposes.
Taxes were not high but were not low either, requiring each house to pay around two silver coins every two months. Keep in mind that an average household earns around four pieces of silver in this period, mostly from farming or hunting wild animals to sell in the local market, so these taxes were already a huge burden for them.
With the treasury constantly empty and with the constant needs of the land, the burden the peasants have to face is not a light one.
With the coming of winter, a considerable amount of peasants tend to die from malnourishment or the extreme cold, making their lives even more miserable.
Ten copper coins equal one silver coin, yet not similar to this ratio, a hundred silver coins were needed to equal a gold one.
The infrastructure of the village was as good as nonexistent. Apart from some crude houses made of clay mixed with wood, there was only a spacious square serving as the village's market and a worn-out clinic for those who had the misfortune to get an injury, situated near it.
Since our land can't afford a proper doctor, the one who serves as the doctor is the village's herbalist. Having barely any knowledge of the human anatomy, he is responsible for the well-being of approximately eight hundred souls, so you can understand the disaster this usually brought, especially during winter when supplies were limited.
Trading was also out of the question since nearly all merchants preferred doing their business in places where their wagons could travel since not even basic roads are built here.
This village luckily had good soil, allowing the common folk to farm for their primary needs, giving them some basic income to feed their families and of course, pay their taxes.
Julius, after a lot of negotiations, had managed to convince a shady merchant to do his business here. Giving a short breath of fresh air to the citizens, providing them with some essential items for their day-to-day life, somehow made this Land habitable.
Even though this merchant was taking full advantage of the desperate situation this land was in, he still dutifully came every four months to trade his goods.
Julius Curze, not only a baron but also a veteran war hero just like his father and the one before him, had no clue on how to run his land.
Letting many people take advantage of him due to his lack of knowledge, the noble household of Curze faces extreme poverty compared to other baronies in the kingdom.
A sigh escaped from Ciaphas, thinking of all the troubles he had to face if he were to help with his father's problems and not just run off, trying to figure out the reason for his transmigration to this world.
'' I first have to increase my understanding regarding this Kingdom '' he thought before convincing himself that he would solve the mystery of his existence after gathering more power and information around him.
After Ciaphas ate the last piece of beef left on the table, he took a paper towel and wiped his hands and mouth before saying '' I don't think is a wise idea to attend his gathering, considering the situation near our borders and the stance our actions will signify towards the rest of the royalty, at least not before securing some benefits for ourselves. Our best course of action is to stay low.
Hoping to get a bone from the second prince will not solve our problems and will only accelerate our decline if our actions were to piss another member of the royalty off.''
A startled look appeared on the baron's face, hurriedly drinking some tea to calm his nerves. He did not expect his son to have such a well thought idea as an excuse.'' He truly is full of surprises today.''
'' You won't weasel your way out of this young man.'' Yelled Julius, raising his voice and slapping the table with his palm, trying to appear intimidating, only to disturb the maids waiting to collect the plates.
'' a display of force always worked towards this stubborn son of mine so this should be enough'' he thought, waiting to hear the begging and crying that always ensued.
''Haven't you always wondered why our household was constantly poor while other baronies near us, sharing similar problems with us, flourish?''
continued Ciaphas, knowing full well his father was a smart man, albeit slightly naive.
It was not a secret that all the neighbouring baronies were way more advanced and prosperous compared to his Barony but he considered this to be the cause of the geographical location and easy access to the main roads that lead to the capital of this Kingdom.
Thinking of foul play, even though it had crossed his mind when he was younger, full of energy and determination to make his barony into a flourishing fiefdom, was near impossible since there were not many benefits that would justify it.
''Our lands have nothing to offer apart from some cheap labour and barely edible crops. Even though our lands are fertile, our crops are always bitter and hard to eat. We have nothing worth plotting against for''
replied Julius, reminiscing his late father, remembering the day he asked him the same old questions, certain he could turn the lands his father cherished into a prosperous fief.
''what if that was not the case? what if, Ciaphas continued, our land has more than meets the eye?''