"Father, have you seen this?" said Lancel angrily as she put a bunch of newspapers in front of his father.
"I had heard about Remus making covert invitations in his part yesterday, but putting it in the newspaper is too much."
He is clearly angry, but also happy. This is a great opportunity to teach Remus a lesson.
He did something that deserved punishment and this time, he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of it.
The Count didn't even look at papers and instead turned to his son. "I know, Remus had asked me permission for it a few days ago," his father replied, surprising him.
"You knew, and you let it happen?" he asked incredulously, not daring to believe his father let such a distasteful thing happen.
"Son, sometimes you need to do things you don't like."
"Remus is an asset. He excelled at every task we had given to him, done it better than we could have imagined,"
"He never asked for much, but when did, I accepted, even when I didn't like, what he had asked. It is the way you keep the people loyal to yourself," he said and Lancel opened his mouth to object, but closed it a moment later.
"Well, it didn't matter, even if he posted on the newspaper. No respecting people would go to the brothel for that, much less take their wives," he muttered.
The Count didn't say anything to his son's words, but there was a small smile on his face and a little bit of curiosity in his eyes.
…
Arlina
"Are you really taking me to the brothel?" I said as I readied myself in a mirror, with my heart beating with trepidation.
It could change things.
We could become a social pariah and it will affect our life and our business where we have poured all our savings in.
It is fine for men to go to the brothel; nobody would bat an eye. A woman going there is an absolute taboo and a crime. If husband and wife both went there, then they would become social outcasts, and nobody would even look at that.
That is the lightest of punishment; the gravest would be arrested by the church. Once that happened, there was no release or redemption.
I heard there are even grey robes in the city.
"We are not going to a brothel, we are going to a different establishment, which is on the first floor."
"It is even a separately registered business and respectful one, that even newspapers have written about it," said Galen, pointing to three newspapers at the table.
"Do we really have to go?" I asked, with desperation seeping into my voice.
"We don't have any choice, dear. You were there with me when Silver invited us,". Said Galen, and sighed in helplessness.
"He didn't say that clearly," I said, trying one last time, pleading. Going there could destroy us.
"He implied it heavily," he replied, before walking toward me and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"We cannot afford to anger Silver. He is the reason, we are receiving so much business, and if he wished, it could disappear, just as quickly," he said softly, and I shuddered.
"I know," I said and got up.
I know the consequences. It is the reason why, I bought the new dress and readied myself.
My words were just venting; there was no choice. It was decided the moment Silver invited us yesterday.
I had heard that he was the reason Mr. Carlson had postponed his son's birthday party, which was today.
"Let's go," he said. We stepped out of the room and walked down the stairs.
We were about to walk out of the door when we suddenly stopped and turned, where two children aged eleven and six coming at us.
Both of them had inherited their father's coppery hair and blue eyes from me.
"My apologies Mr. Harlow, Mrs. Harlow. I had asked them to prepare before their tutor came, but they wanted to say goodbye to you two first," said Martha, coming from behind.
We had hired her two weeks ago. We wanted to hire a nanny before, but couldn't afford to.
"It is fine, Lilian," said Jonas, while I turned to the children.
"Mom and Dad are going to the party. We will try to return soon, but it could be late," I said to them and kissed their cheeks.
I feel guilty for not being present for one more dinner. A few months ago, there was barely any invitation to any parties, but since the contract from the city, our fortunes have changed.
We had even been invited to parties at nobles.
"Goodbye mom, dad," they said.
We said our byes and walked out of the door and stepped into the carriage waiting outside.
We own a small construction business. We had been here for nearly two years, arriving a year before the city's inauguration.
Even in the small city, the competition was fierce. We were at our end, two and a half months ago, planning to sell everything we had to pay our loans and return to where we came from.
Everything changed with the tender.
Galen didn't even want to take part, knowing only big companies would gain it, even if it was an auction.
I still sent him, not because I thought there would be a chance, we would get it. I didn't even think we would get it; only big companies get state contracts or those with connections, like Valentina Elar.
I had sent him because it would be a place where all the representative medium and big construction businesses would gather, and Galen could talk to them about selling the business.
It is very hard to get an appointment for those people.
Galen wasn't able to make a deal to sell the business, but he was able to meet other small-business owners and formed a consortium with them to submit the proposal for the tender.
The proposal which I had created.
After that, a miracle happened. The consortium got the contract and while we had barely made any money through it. The exposure we had gotten due to it, helped us land more contracts.
Three months ago, there was a single project in our hands, now there are fourteen of them.
Nine in the baronies and five in the city. We had a meeting tomorrow. If it goes well, then we will have three more projects.
It all happened because of Silver. A bastard of the powerful house of Silver, who was thrown away here in the boundary city.
Many thought he would fade away with his brothel, but in just a year, he had become one of the most powerful people in the city. Some even say he was most powerful after the Count and his son.
More powerful than Commander Atticus, Damon Hardt, and even the priest of God of War.
It doesn't sound preposterous. Seeing everything he seemed to touch turned to gold, and he was powerful as well.
Fighting undead and even monsters.
The thing is, he is powerful, which means if he is angry, he wouldn't have any problem destroying us. All he would need was a single word, and we will be finished.
That is why, we can't afford to get him angry and go to a brothel, that could potentially destroy us.
"Relax, love, we are not the only ones who are going. I have talked to others earlier and they are also coming," said Jonas, taking my hands in his.
"Let's hope so," I said, pressing his hand tightly.
I turned to the window, watching the scenery pass by, marveling at how fast the city had been changing. When we arrived at the city two years ago, there was barely anything in this area, now, it is lined with houses and stores.
The city is growing at an amazing fast speed, and one couldn't help but dream about their future in it.
Unfortunately, the city didn't have a future.
When we came here, we had already decided when we will leave. We are going to stay in the city for six years before leaving.
Two years have nearly passed and four more have remained. There will be no change in that. The safety of our children and us matters most to us, more than business or anything in the world.
I hope we will earn enough in the four years to settle anywhere comfortably. If we continue to get the business as we are right now, we might be able to.
A few minutes passed, and the carriage entered the entertainment district and, once again, my heart started to beat wildly.
"Darling, look," said Galen, pointing toward the purple carriage from his side of the window.
I looked at him with an arched brow.
"That carriage belongs to Vice-Guildmaster Soren," he informed. "And you think he is going in there?" I asked.
"He might be, I heard he had a good relationship with Silver," he said, sounding hopeful, but I had just rolled my eyes.
Vice-Guild master Soren is a powerful man. He wouldn't risk his reputation going there and was powerful enough that Silver wouldn't be able to do much of anything to him.
Still, I continued watching the carriage and saw it moving in the same direction as ours.
Seconds passed and turned to the minutes, but the carriage moved with ours and soon, we reached near the brothel of Silver.
"It is quite a beautiful building, especially those colors," said Jonas. I couldn't help but nod.
I had come to this road many times and was always impressed with the building and colors. Now, it had become even more beautiful; no wonder it attracts the men like moths.
If I had been a man, I would want to come here too. I mean, who wouldn't want to be in the company of beautiful women?
I pushed that thought where it came, along with so many others, that I had been suppressing for years and focused on the building.
The doors are still closed, but there are a lot of carriages waiting and now, our carriage will join it, along with Vice-Guildmaster Soren.
Our carriage reached as close as the gate could before moving to the park when the doors of the brothel began to open.
Immediately, all the carriages begin to move toward it.