"I didn't know how I should go about enticing you at first, but now I have an idea," said Marquis Armstrong from behind a broad desk.
He sat on his high chair in the private tent, only three people keeping him company. His wife who sat elegantly on his right, and in his presence stood Kevin and his little sister, Lexia.
While Marquis Armstrong was talking to Kevin, his eyes were in fact resting on Lexia's body.
"What do you think, Elaine?"
Marquis Armstrong narrowed his eyes and asked. To his side, Elaine reluctantly bated her eyes away from Kevin's face and swept them over Lexia's body— more accurately, she examined the little girl's talent with magic.
Elaine nodded her head with a smile. "I can recommend her to join the Magic Academy in the capital, no problem there."
"Can you see her magical affinity?" Kevin was beyond surprised, he hadn't expected this delicate-looking woman to see through Lexia's potential at a glance.
"What are you surprised about?" Elaine rolled her eyes, resting them on Kevin's body once again as she spoke softly, "You're the real treasure in this room."
"My wife, Elaine, is an official mage apprentice in the Magic Academy… She will be returning back to the capital in two days, and she can definitely bring back a recommended student to study at the Magic Academy…"
Elaine didn't seem to care about being interrupted as she continued nonetheless.
"Both of you are novices, yet your mental power is very advanced for someone who awakened recently— you're not far from reaching the peak of your realm, perhaps you're only lacking the push of a mental cultivation spell and you'd change right through to the realm of amateurs."
Marquis Armstrong's face twitched from anger, but he couldn't do anything to this wife of his as she had a powerful sorcerer behind her back. As for Kevin, he observed the naked desire in this woman's eyes and responded with a faint smile.
"Thank you, Marquee Elaine. Sadly, I'm too entrenched in the secular affairs to leave for the Magic Academy," Kevin tacitly rejected, resting his right palm on Lexia's left shoulder even as she attempted to huddle behind his back.
What a joke! Oblivious as he was to how many dukes the Onyx Kingdom had, Kevin had a figment of political awareness— enough to realize that he couldn't reject the upcoming mission no matter what.
It's simply a question of how much profit he could net from this endeavor, not whether or not to accept it. If he decided to leave this mess behind and join the Magic Academy, he'd be dead the moment he set foot in the capital.
Moreover, Kevin didn't necessarily require help from some Magic Academy to elevate his realm as a mage.
"What a shame," said Marquee Elaine as she stood up from her seat, a faint smile touching her lips as she graced Lexia with an inviting gesture of the hand.
"Come sweetie," she said. "I'll take you to my private tent to rest, leave these boring men to discuss lousy politics all they want."
Lexia didn't budge a muscle. Instead, she looked up at her big brother Kevin, and only when his reassuring black eyes smiled back at her, she nodded and left with Marquee Elaine as they two held hands.
Kevin didn't turn his head and watch their departing figures as the gesture could prove quite misleading— especially thanks to the unremarkable charm and beauty Marquee Elaine was endowed with.
Finally, Marquis Armstrong's face relaxed as he rested his fierce eyes on Kevin, a broad smile slowly forming on his face. "You're good, very good! Not many kids your age are capable of keeping the big picture in mind when exposed to such beautiful women."
"Thank you, Your Grace," Kevin bowed respectfully, his face a mask of calm under the watch of those blue eyes.
Marquis Armstrong nodded. "We discussed things, Marquis Louis and I— we find your efforts in the late period, coupled with the contributions of your father the late Baron Issac to be commendable. Despite standing in opposing factions, you and that lass Jean worked hand in hand to protect the bigger picture."
Kevin's eyes flashed, having understood where this was going thanks to the tidbit provided by the messenger. Thinking about it, there was a striking resemblance between that guy and Marquis Armstrong.
"We decided to anoint Jean as the Commanding General of the joined forces while we dispatch you into the heart of the enemy kingdom to sabotage and assassinate key personnel; figures that are very vital for this war. If you were to succeed in this endeavor, by my blessing as your lord, I will wed you Knight Jean, the daughter of Viscount Jodi of House Estmond.
"That's not all! With the power invested in both me and Marquis Louis, the reclaimed Sun Crow County will be delegated to you both as Count Kevin and Countess Jean of House…"
Marquis Armstrong paused for a moment there as he let the suspense hang in the air, as the last name of a house was very, very crucial.
The man smiled. "House Rogger."
Kevin pretended to be shocked, his eyes snapping wide open for a split second before he hurried to bow, expressing his willingness to take part in the mission and pursue nothing but perfection. In fact, Kevin was indeed a little surprised that he wasn't forced to marry into House Esmond, but the other way around.
This means that at the end of the day, Marquis Armstrong wields more power than Marquis Louis, or perhaps the former had closer ties to the duke in the shadows.
Even if the alliance split in the future, the county would fall under House Rogger and by extension, under Marquis Armstrong. This muscle head wouldn't have the political acumen to make such a move, so it must be the influence of an external party.
The duke might have pulled this off as a power balance check against Marquis Louis' ambitions.
Whatever, I stand as the winner here, so I wouldn't complain. Kevin thought to himself.
"These are the documents containing names and profiles of your targets, memorize them this instant and burn the papers," Marquis Armstrong tossed a folder to Kevin, which the latter caught reflexively and nodded after a pause.
In a few short minutes, Kevin scanned through every paper in detail before approaching the ignited oil lamp in the corner, and proceeding to burn the papers.
"Very good," Marquis Armstrong nodded. "You can withdraw and rest for the night, make sure to leave tomorrow at first light."
Kevin bowed once again and retreated from the tent, leaving Marquis Armstrong behind as the latter continued to browse through military intelligence for the upcoming war.
As for Kevin, many thoughts raced through his mind, the least important of them was his upcoming marriage. When Kevin entered his tent, he felt as though he phased through a barrier that was both real and elusive, while a faint yet heavy breathing tickled his senses.
"I can hear you, whoever you might be," Kevin immediately grew vigilant, not having expected someone to make a move when the tent of both the marquis and his wife, a mage apprentice, weren't that far from here.
"I want you to hear me," a gentle voice that sent shivers down Kevin's spine echoed from the dimly lit corner. From the shadows, Marquee Elaine, her body nude in its full glory, stepped out and crashed softly into Kevin's chest.
Her body felt boneless in his embrace as he instinctively rested his arms around her thin waist, the dim lighting leaving much for the imagination to desire as her wet lips smeared his collabone.
What the fuck?! Kevin almost wrestled her into the ground out of pure, conditional reflex.