After Daniel and the Vittore twins left city hall, the coachman brought them closer to the Noble district of the city. This place wasn't far from the center, but it was at a higher elevation. From here, one would be able to see the entire city. Most of the wealthy merchants and nobility lived in this sector- or at least met here regularly. It was surrounded by an inner wall half the size of the outer walls to prevent anybody from getting in without permission.
The district had three gates- all of which were guarded by two dozen city guards. When the carriage approached the eastern gate, the guards had it stop just a few feet from the wall. Adrian quickly noticed the presence of six guards surrounding the carriage as they began inspecting every nook and cranny they could see.
Daniel opened the carriage door and stepped onto the road. He approached the first guard he saw- who appeared to be in charge of this group- and extended his hand in greeting.
"My name is Daniel Breaton," Daniel expressed. He took the guard's hand in his own and shook it vigorously, "I've never seen you. Are you new to this gatehouse?"
"I am," The guard nodded. His eyes gazed at the carriage in confusion before turning back to Daniel, "I don't see the Breaton crest on your carriage."
"We were traveling incognito. I'm sure you can understand," Daniel smiled. The guard pondered in silence for a moment before he turned to his other guards and nodded. As soon as he did so, they all backed away from the carriage.
"Have a good day, Master Daniel," The guard told him as the two shook hands once more. After this short interruption, the coachman directed the carriage into the Noble district, which was much smaller than Adrian expected. Although there were nearly two hundred Nobles with influence in Solarum, the majority of them had their main estates outside the capital.
This disparity created a divide in the Noble population. The dozen or so that lived in the capital were known as Central Nobles. They were the ones with true power and influence. Their location allowed them to effect laws and legislature easier than other Nobles. The rest, known as Regional Nobles, lived throughout the land of Solarum. Some were minor Nobles like Barons or Viscounts, while others were Counts and Earls. The Regional Nobles ruled supreme in their land, but they had little influence in the capital or beyond.
Thus, there were only twenty mansions in the Noble district. Most of them belonged to Earls and Dukes, though a select few belonged to wealthy merchants. The head of the Breaton family held the position of Archduke, second only to the King of Solarum. Thus, the Breaton estate was the most impressive in the Noble district.
Located in the center of the district, the Breaton estate wasn't as large as the city hall, but it was still larger than its neighbors. The mansion was three stories tall and stretched for two hundred feet in either direction. The front and back lawns- combined- occupied more land than the mansion itself. The front lawn was very ordinary, with a marble fountain in the center surrounded by four flat grass beds as large as baseball fields. The back lawn held a massive hedge maze with another fountain in the center, though the maze was surrounded by a beautiful garden.
"Damn," Adrian whispered in awe as he viewed the estate. Daniel's smug grin widened as he saw Adrian's reaction.
"Impressive, isn't it? The estate is a symbol of our wealth and our power, so the family does its best to show the world our strength," Daniel explained, "I suspect my mother will make this place your home until she can find something suitable for your purposes."
Adrian turned to Daniel as his attention was stolen from the estate. As Daniel spoke about his mother, Adrian suddenly remembered his encounter with the woman. This raised a question that floated in Adrian's mind like driftwood on the sea, so he had no choice but to speak his mind.
"Why is your mother so young? She only looks a few years older than you," Adrian asked.
"She was trained as a mage. She's been using magic to make herself look younger," Daniel answered with a shrug, "Most mages will do the same if they learn so. Our head butler, Darren, was the one that taught her. Before he served us, he was a mage in the royal army. He tried to teach me, too, but I didn't have much talent for the craft."
"You weren't?"
"My rune gives me a certain nimbleness with my fingers and improves my command over my mind," Daniel nodded, "I create gadgets and tinker with technology, not summon fire or golems."
When the twins finally took their first step into the estate, Adrian was surprised to find a group of servants standing ready for them just inside the building. Adrian didn't even have time to gaze upon the front hall, as his attention was immediately stolen by the man in the center of the crowd.
He wore a butler's suit and carried a white towel in his arms. Adrian thought the man looked like some sort of action villain, but didn't comment on it. The man's hair had already long since turned a pale shade of white, but he had very few wrinkles on his face.
"Welcome home, Master Daniel," Darren spoke. He and the other servants bowed.
"This is Adrian and Amber Vittore," Daniel explained, "Give each of them a room to stay in and see to their personal needs."
"As you wish," Darren replied, his head still bowed. Daniel turned to the twins, a smile on his face.
"I have to go, now. My workshop needs me," Daniel explained, "Go with Darren and get some rest. I'll see both of you at dinner."
With that, Daniel disappeared further into the mansion. Adrian took this moment to look around. The estate was very similar to the basement of the city hall. The ground was the same checkered marble and the walls were decorated with paintings. This time, however, Adrian couldn't see any portraits of past Librarians. Instead, the paintings depicted historical events important to the family itself. Adrian saw a few portraits of past battles and a few of important political meetings.
In the center of the room was a large staircase that led to the second floor. From there, it split in two at the wall and separated to form two separate flights to the third floor above. The staircase was covered in red carpet that connected the doorway to the stairs. Just next to the carpet, Adrian saw chairs and couches on either side of the main hall- each placed next to a burning fireplace.
"Welcome to the Breaton family estate," Darren spoke, redirecting Adrian's attention. He looked to the old butler and listened closely, "If you'll follow me."