"So that was the woman you were in love with, huh?" Clyde commented, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror. "She is quite the firecracker. My soul almost took a vacation from my body when she grabbed that dancer by the hair."
Vyan was taken aback by Clyde's observation, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Hold on a second, did I ever mention being in love with her?"
Clyde shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Eh, details, details. I would have to be blind not to notice your googly eyes when you were talking about your former master."
"Former googly eyes," Vyan corrected sternly, crossing his arms in defiance. "Regardless of how you stumbled upon this so-called revelation, let me set the record straight. I am absolutely, positively not in love with her anymore. In fact, my life's mission now is to give her a memorable and painfully inconvenient demise."
"Got it," Clyde responded, surprisingly unfazed by Vyan's dramatic declaration.
Relieved that Clyde didn't press the issue further, Vyan scanned the crowded dance floor until his gaze landed on a woman awkwardly swaying to the music.
"There she is. Do you think that's Freya Adeline?" Vyan asked, pointing her out to Clyde.
Clyde nodded, squinting to get a better look. "Looks like it. Though, I must say, she's got some interesting moves."
Without missing a beat, he sprang into action, disappearing into the crowd and returning moments later with the timid-looking brunette in tow.
"Are you Freya Adeline?" Vyan asked, eyeing her with curiosity.
The woman nodded hesitantly. "Um, yes, that's me."
Leaning in closer, Vyan began, "I have an offer for you..."
Instantly, her demeanor shifted, her voice tinged with caution. "What kind of offer? I'm not signing up for any... uh, questionable activities."
Vyan recoiled, holding up his hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. That's not what I meant. Let's chat somewhere else. This place is no't exactly the ideal spot for... uh, negotiations."
"Fine. Give me two minutes," she replied before disappearing back into the crowd.
"Huh. I expected more pushback," Vyan muttered, scratching his head in confusion.
"Looks like Miss Freya is desperate for any kind of cash," Clyde chimed in as they made their way outside. "According to her background, she is the sole provider for her sick mother and her crippled brother. Given how skittish she seemed up there, I doubt she is raking in much cash here."
Vyan nodded thoughtfully, realizing there was more to the situation than he initially assumed.
"Anyway, you will handle the recruitment, alright, my lord? Consider this your initiation into the delightful world of persuasion," Clyde instructed, his tone brimming with mock enthusiasm.
"But I thought there was no training scheduled for today?" Vyan protested, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
"You changed my mind the moment you begged to come here today," Clyde retorted with a casual shrug. "So, make sure you strike a deal that will make us all proud. And if she is not keen on joining us, use every trick in the book to change her mind. She will be a real gem in our team."
"Got it," Vyan replied with a determined nod, ready to take on the challenge.
Before long, Freya emerged from the building, wearing a flimsy white dress that seemed hardly appropriate for the chilly weather.
"Um, that's what you are wearing? It is freezing out here," Clyde remarked, genuine concern evident in his voice.
"It's fine, I am used to it," Freya reassured him with a smile, though her teeth were chattering.
"Clyde, give her your cloak," Vyan ordered, prompting Clyde to widen his eyes in disbelief. Their cloaks were enchanted to regulate temperature, meaning Vyan was essentially sentencing Clyde to freeze in the early chill of Coral.
"Here you go, miss," Clyde offered gallantly, handing over his cloak with a forced smile. Meanwhile, he quietly cast a warming spell on himself, which unfortunately was not very effective and resulted in him shivering uncontrollably.
"So, what kind of job offer do you have for me?" Freya inquired eagerly, oblivious to Clyde's shivering form.
"Ever heard of House Ashstone?" Vyan began.
"Of course. I would have to be living under a rock not to know them," Freya replied nervously.
"How would you feel about being the treasurer for House Ashstone?" Vyan proposed.
"Yes! I will take the job!" Freya exclaimed without hesitation.
"I understand your hesitation, but maybe you should hear about the perks before you commit—wait, what? You are already on board?" Vyan blinked in disbelief.
Freya nodded fervently, her eyes shining with hope. "Please, I will do anything for this job. It's the first decent offer I have had since leaving the palace. Please, Master."
"Don't call me Master," Vyan blurted out. "I'm not a fan of that title." He could not do anything about the servants at the manors addressing him with that, but he would like for the number to not increase. "Just call me Vyan."
"Okay, Vyan. I will call you that until the day I can address you as 'Your Grace,'" Freya replied with a warm smile.
"What...? How do you know about—"
"Well, I used to work at the imperial palace, which I am sure you know since you came looking for me. You mentioned House Ashstone, right? There's only one member named Vyan in that family—the second son of the late Grand Duke. So, it wasn't hard to put two and two together," Freya explained matter-of-factly.
Vyan couldn't help but be impressed as he thought, she is sharp, very sharp.
"Thank you. But hey, isn't the entire Ashstone family supposedly dead?" Vyan countered.
"True, but the bodies of the Grand Duke's two sons were never found. Who is to say they are not still kicking around?" Freya pondered.
"I am genuinely impressed, Freya. That dingy dance floor really doesn't deserve someone of your caliber," Vyan said, extending his hand to her with a grin, which she gladly accepted. "I am looking forward to having you on board."
———
Once Vyan and Clyde returned to the manor, they tasked Benedict with settling Freya into a room. After assigning Freya a room and sending her off with two maids, Benedict launched into a tirade against Clyde as if he had to win the championship of chiding.
"—Master just got back on his feet, and you whisked him away like he is your personal grand prize! You have got to consider his well-being, Lord Clyde. How do you expect to be his right-hand man if you can't even handle his health? An aide should know when to heed his master's wishes and when to put his foot down. Are you following me?"
Vyan struggled to maintain a straight face, leaning against a nearby pillar while Clyde wilted under Benedict's verbal barrage.
Clyde shot Vyan a desperate look, silently begging for a rescue, but Vyan couldn't contain his laughter any longer.
Meanwhile, the young maids going about their chores blushed at the sound of Vyan's laughter.
"Has Master always been this attractive?" Yana whispered.
"Maybe it's the aura of authority he exudes," Teresa speculated.
"I think it's his haircut. He's really rocking that style," Ursula chimed in.
"Either way, he's a sight for sore eyes," Teresa sighed contentedly.
"I hope his future wife is just as easy on the eyes," Yana added.
"Agreed. He deserves nothing but the best," Ursula concurred.
"What are you three gossiping about? Get back to work!" Benedict's stern voice interrupted their conversation, prompting the trio to hastily return to their tasks.
Meanwhile, Clyde seized the opportunity to slip away from Benedict's watchful eye, making a break for it with Vyan in tow.
Vyan was still chuckling when Clyde finally came to a halt.
"My suffering is what makes you laugh, huh?" Clyde grumbled, his tone tinged with annoyance.
Vyan nodded unrepentantly. "Hey, laughter is the best medicine, right?"
His laughter faded as his gaze drifted to the solitary guard stationed outside the hallway windows, prompting Vyan to voice his observation.
"Hey, I have been noticing something," he began. "We seem to be short on knights, don't we? There's only one guard at the back gate and two at the front. Shouldn't there be more?"
Clyde scratched his head sheepishly. "You are right. I have been meaning to bring this up, but it slipped my mind. We definitely need to hire more knights. Maybe a knighting ceremony would be fitting."
"But why the shortage in the first place?" Vyan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Did we lose all of them in the tragedy fifteen years ago?"
"Actually, no," Clyde explained. "Most of them were trapped inside their quarters by a powerful spell. That's how the imperial forces were able to breach our defenses, otherwise, they could never. Feeling guilty for failing to protect you and Lord Aster, they resigned."
Vyan nodded in understanding and stated, "We need to bring them back."
"We could always hire new recruits, but it might be challenging to track down everyone," Clyde suggested.
"Yes, we will have new recruits, but we also need them—the ones my mother personally trained," Vyan insisted, determination flashing in his eyes. "Benedict has told me how formidable my mother's knights were. If I want maximum protection against my enemies, they are the ones we need."
Impressed by Vyan's resolve, Clyde grinned. "Aye, my lord," he said with a mock salute. "I will send a letter to the former commander of the Order of the Phoenix."