The stopper on Mona's emotions came undone, and she burst into tears, her wails echoing through the city. Despite this, Duke Calo's intense, angry posture remained unyielding. The Duchess maintained a calm demeanor, though I couldn't see her face from my position in Selahe's arms.
Mona sobbed for several minutes before collecting herself. "It is my son. It is all his fault." Duke Calo remained silent as she continued, "He became entangled with an unsavory crowd. I endeavored to warn him to stay away from them, that they were bad news. He refused, claiming they were the only ones who understood him, that the nobility was not worth our service. I tried to tell him you were a kind and benevolent employer, but he would not listen."
She paused, drawing a deep, sobbing breath before continuing. "That is when they came to me. It was at the start of fall, after the high priestess examined the young master's condition. I had the day off and was running errands in the city. I was seized, and a sack was placed over my head. They carried me away. I tried to cry out, but no one noticed. I do not understand why no one came to help." She shook her head as if trying to clear the remembered trauma..
"When they uncovered my head, I had already shouted myself hoarse. I was surrounded by the older members of my son's gang. They said another noble wanted the young master dead and needed me to do the deed." Her tears had cleared enough for her to have an incredulous expression. "I told them there was no way under Sol I would do such a thing. I love the young master! You must believe me!"
The Duchess, in a neutral tone, said, "We know you do, Mona." At those words, Mona started crying again. She sobbed in silence for a few more minutes. The Duchess prompted her, "What happened next?"
Mona was beside herself, and between sobs, she managed to say, "They threatened to kill my son if I did not comply by the end of winter." She broke down, unable to continue speaking. The Duke turned to look at Selahe. The expression on the Duke's face could strike fear into the heart of any battle-hardened veteran. He nodded to Selahe, who then handed me off to another servant.
Selahe spoke smoothly, "Mona, we were already aware of this and were taking steps to protect the young master. Hence the move here."
Mona was shocked out of her tears and croaked out, "How?"
Selahe shrugged and said with a slight smile, "Never underestimate the information network of one of the Five Dukes."
Duke Calo turned back to Mona and said, "I will give you two options. Option one: you and your son are executed to serve as examples to others who might try to harm my family." Mona's tears threatened to burst forth, but she held on, hoping that option two was more palatable. The Duke continued, "Option two: you and your son will be soul-bound to my son." Despite the tense atmosphere, I inwardly jumped for joy at being called his son. It was a small victory in these tumultuous times, but I savored it all the same.
Mona balked and exclaimed in astonishment, "Soul-binding? My son will never agree!"
The Duke smirked. "Perhaps, perhaps not. Let us ask him." He nodded at a guard, who then pulled a young boy from around the corner, just outside the room. The boy had tears in his eyes and had apparently been listening the whole time. He was a youth hardly older than six, clad in simple clothes with manacles around his wrists and ankles.
"Fazio!" Mona exclaimed, jumping out of her chair to embrace him. She cried on his shoulder, and he on hers. After a moment's reunion, she turned and asked, "How?"
Selahe replied, "We heard whispers about an assassination attempt through our information network. After some investigation, your odd behavior clued us into the vector. It led us to examine you and your relationships more closely, and we discovered the gang and their connection to nobility in another part of the country."
The Duke smirked and addressed the boy, "What do you say; will you save your mother from the mistakes of you and your friends?" The boy continued to cry, looking to his mother for guidance.
Mona said, "Honey, you know that soul-binding must be your choice. I will say that Duke Calo is the kindest man I have ever met. His son, if raised correctly, will turn out just as well." The son looked conflicted, his prejudice towards the nobility hard to discard.
The Duke added, "You would be as Selahe is to me. I will allow you to speak with him to understand the work you'd be doing. You must decide by the first bell of tomorrow." Selahe motioned for Fazio to leave the room. Mona, shaken, stumbled back to the chair.
She flopped into it and asked, "Is soul-binding truly necessary?"
The Duke turned to her with a firm expression. "It is. It is a Calo family tradition to have a handful of assets that are soul-bound from birth. Normally, his head butler or maid would have been selected and soul-bound at birth. Due to the circumstances, that was unfortunately impossible. Your son, however, has the qualities to make the perfect head butler."
Mona looked at the Duke in shock. "I beg your pardon, Your Lordship, but I must disagree. The only thing my son has ever been good at is sneaking around and getting into fights." The Duke just grinned. The seventh and final bell of the day rang out through the city.
The Duchess stood gracefully and said, "Let us retire from this stressful day and reconvene tomorrow to discuss the future."