{Milo's POV}
The looming balcony leading to the mayor's private quarters, seemed to stretch deeper into the building as we walked past various rooms and servants alike.
Finally, we made our way to the largest room in the mansion, close to the end of the hallway.
Rosemary tapped gently on the door, followed by a greeting to announce our presence.
I turned to stare at the paintings done on the walls, as we waited for a reply from the Mayor or a servant.
The aesthetic nature and neatness of the work, left me in awe as I ran my fingers over them, repeatedly.
It was an obvious fact at this point, that people of higher status in this world, appreciated art like in my original world.
"Come in, the mistress has been waiting for you" A maid, dressed in a white and black uniform beckoned, stepping out as we entered.
Her short sapphire coloured hair, grazed my face briefly as I stepped in.
She smelt of raspberries and rotneg; a special ingredient for brewing tea native to our continent.
"Have a seat" Rosemary offered, gesturing at the chair directly opposite the Mayor's seat.
A door was at one end of the room and it creaked open as I sat, revealing an unfamiliar face and aura which undeniably belonged to the mayor.
Dressed in a loose night gown, she walked up towards her desk, sitting with legs crossed as she stared at me.
Her voluptuous body and blazing red hair were both qualities that were hard to miss at first glance, as even I couldn't hold back the urge to stare at her for a prolonged moment.
She adjusted herself comfortably on her seat, smiling as she spoke.
"It's finally great to see the protege Rika bragged about" She noted, examining me from head to toe.
"I am Tanya Ardelis, mayor of the city of Ethos. I'm glad to make your acquaintance young Lord". She greeted brazenly, hardly even moving from her seat or blinking her eyes.
I shrugged in my seat, adjusting myself before I replied to her greetings.
"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Tanya".
'That reminds me, where is Rika though?' I asked myself, quietly searching for her presence in the room.
"I believe you were told the reasons for your stay" she asked, signaling Rosemary to serve us tea.
"Initially, yes but not in details" I responded shifting my view towards the desk in front of me.
From the lack of documents, I could already surmise that this wasn't her main office.
Meaning I wouldn't be able to work from the comfort of my room as I had wished.
Even though I knew that wasn't an option, it still hurt.
"You'll take on the position of my secretary and help organize and research data concerning the city's affairs.
You'll also get compensated personally, although the terms for that would be discussed later on." She stopped, wrapping up her explanation as she sipped the tea Rosemary poured for her.
Altogether, it wasn't a bad offer since I wouldn't be in charge of complex financial data management, I still disliked the idea of being forced to work.
"And when do I start?" I inquired, less curious than intended.
"So you're not going to argue with the terms still" she criticized calmly, crossing both hands as she tapped her index right finger on her left elbow.
"No, since that would mean changing the terns of the previous agreement." I responded mildly, trying to hide my discomfort.
"You do know this is your chance to edit the offer"
"I don't think that's necessary" I responded, feeling troubled by a recent observation.
The pattern of her constant habit of tapping her fingers was something I had seen before but couldn't remember where.
"I guess this is why you were picked. You posses such a unique ability for decision making" she pointed out, staring at Rosemary as she laughed.
"If you dont mind me asking, where is Rika"
There was silence the minute I asked, giving away the advantage they had over their secret.
"She's in-"
"She went out on an errand." Rosemary quickly interjected, coming up with a much faster excuse than I had expected.
"I was beginning to wonder why you suddenly picked my services as collateral, but now it's all lining up nicely." I chuckled in both disappointment and mild relief as my guess proved right.
"Oh, and why is that" she asked Impatiently, leaning towards me.
The reason Rika who had gone through the stress to recommend me and postulate the terms of the agreement, was absent, was undoubtedly because she didn't exist at all.
"You're Rika, aren't you, Mayor."
Whether it was a test, or that they had a really good reason for going through the hassle of faking identities, I sincerely didn't care about.
What I simply wanted to know was how.
"And how did you come up with that idea?" She beckoned, growing even less patient.
I raised up my palm, before closing my fingers and revealing only my index.
"Well firstly, no one would take the word of another person regarding a recommendation, without finding out for themselves, especially if is money is involved.
Secondly, and this one was purely by observation, you have a strange habit of tapping your index and middle finger on your elbow when you speak.
The only other person I have seen do that, was Rika." I elucidated, stopping only when she abruptly remarked on the second observation.
"How does tapping one's finger point to a unique habit. Maybe Rika just coincidentally copied it from watching me." She replied, smiling like a prey after catching it's predator.
" Well that true, but the reason I could tell it wasn't a coincidence was because of the remarkably precise pattern of the action.
That cannot simply be replicated by coincidence.
If truly she had copied it, she wouldn't do it exactly whenever you did it and with the same cycle of taps." I concluded, sounding like a detective unraveling a complex case.
When I had first read books on mana, I discovered that the convenience it brought was astounding.
Even though naturally, I had a very akin sense of observation, it wasn't enough to notice the intricate details regarding any action.
Mana allowed me to monitor the most delicate flux in most actions, meaning my perception of things weren't just heightened, but accurate.
And also, since she had spent most of the time in her meeting ogling me, I unintentionally began to watch her also, noticing the pattern in her habit eventually.
"I'm guessing there's a last reason, possibly the obvious one." She inquired, this time more calm and composed than she usually was.
She was right though, since the last observation was what I had drawn my conclusion from in the end.
"Your escorts, you picked an extra attendant on your journey, even though "Rika" was just supposed to be a representative. Meaning you had special needs that had to be attended to. And I just happened to have passed the same maid as we entered your quarters. That was the giveaway." I ended, shaking my head quietly.
She was smiling now, making it even more awkward for me who was already feeling tired of the farce.
"Veronica is the only one that knows how to brew my tea just the way I like it." She admitted, hands raised in defeat.
'I guess that's what she was here for then, sorry Veronica you might lose your job' i thought jokingly.
"I told you he was special didn't I?" Tanya complimented gleefully, starig at Rosemary.
"Well, his level of deductions are actually outstanding to be fair" Rosemary replied, sighing tiredly.
I looked from one of them to the other, wondering if it was both their ploy in the first place.
"But why come all the way to a low ranking noble's home just for an errand." I asked confused by her decision.
She could have easily sent an actual attendant rather than risking her safety as head of the city.
"Truthfully?... I was getting bored of all the paperworks and woes of being a leader. Felt I needed a little escape to experience something small and less intriguing." She lied clearly from her teeth. I dropped my curiosity though, accepting the reply she gave me.
" I heard you're currently fighting for the position of next patriarch with your elder brother. My advice is that you drop it and just concentrate on something small and within your control." She blurted out, raising valid points in her advice.
Inasmuch as I had wanted to do just that, I couldn't since with the position of patriarch, i could compensate for my lack of a substantial ability within my control.
And besides.....
"I crave power I guess" I replied, raising both shoulders and hands adamantly.
"Oh..... Is that something someone like you should be saying. Anyways, you can go for now, you'll resume your duties by tomorrow, Rosemary wil be your guide from now on."
I stood up and walked over to the door, then remembered another important piece of information I needed to acquire.
" How did you pull off the look though" I questioned once more, staring back at the mayor.
"Concealment magic" she replied.
"I thought that cost a fortune?" I inquired shrewdly, proving my point that she had ulterior motives for coming to the county.
"For an average person, yeah sure. But for me, not so much". She lied again.
I left immediately, heading directly to my room so I could get the valid rest I had desired.
Judging from today's encounter, it was painstakingly clear that the rest of my days in Ethos were to be filled with overbearing stress from unwanted expectations.
Just as I laid on my bed to ponder a solution, sleep overtook me, dragging me into the subconscious realm.