Secret Agreements

"Just keep your mouth shut and let me do all the talking," said the handsome man beside me as the carriage stopped at the city hall.

He is Aubin Arledge, the fourth son of Count Arledge. One of the Emperor Inkav's biggest allies.

It was supposed to be my job, I was to be the guardian of the legacy, but it all changed swiftly when Silver revealed his legacy to the Grade II and Amphitheater Class.

This man, who was in Inam, was quickly sent here to replace me to be the guardian of the legacy.

The only reason, I had even been allowed to come with him, was because I had begged him to let me come.

I don't know why I did that. It is just more humiliation.

I guess, I wanted to see the end with my own eyes for the position, I had spent all my fortune and favors for.

Click!

The door opened and he walked out.

I looked at the young man in front of me and couldn't help, but feel jealous.

Aubin Arledge is young. Handsome. Ambitious. He is only twenty-six years old. Had a powerful house, that helped him in every way, he could.

My house had been powerful once; only second to the imperial house.

Over the centuries. We had lost everything; including the whole region of the empire we used to control. Now, we don't even have a territory and the title had been reduced to mere Lord.

The only thing we have is the name, Rutto.

I looked at city hall as I climbed its steps and the faces of people.

There are humans, but also a lot of orcs; I had even spotted a half-elf.

It is still quite a surprise to me. In my forty-one years of life; I had never seen so many non-humans as once.

I had once made a trip to the Namdar when I was young.

I had the blood of a non-human in me. She was the most illustrious woman. Second only to her husband; the founder of House Rutto.

I shook those thoughts away and focused on the people.

They are vibrant, there is a vibrancy in them, that one wouldn't expect from the city, and they could be attacked by the undead at any time.

"The first thing, I will do after I take over the city is to throw all these filthy orcs out," said Aubin.

He doesn't just want to become the guardian of the legacy but also become a lord of the city.

Which I think, is a thought out of the realm of reality.

I mean, how he will do that? Silver won't just hand over the city. Even His Majesty wouldn't be able to make him.

He is busy, with all his forces. Fighting siblings, along with neighboring kingdoms.

He is having a problem controlling the nobles under the territory he is controlling. It would be farfetched to say, his command would be enough for silver to hand over the city.

I think it is a challenge to even sign the contract of guardianship.

I didn't say anything. I just followed behind.

Soon, we reached Silver's office; the doors were closed. Aubin turned to the secretory.

She is the youngest secretary; I had ever seen. She didn't even look eighteen. Though she is very pretty; it is why Aubin's eyes turned lecherous.

"I am Lord Arledge. I have an appointment with Silver," stated Aubin.

"Lord Silver will meet you at nine," she replied with a professional smile.

There are twenty minutes before time. We had come early. I had told him, but he was in too hurry to become the guardian to listen.

I could see her words made him angry.

He placed his hands on her table and leaned toward her.

"I am Lord Aubin Arledge; envoy of Emperor and I want to see Silver now," he demanded before blasting the poor girl, with his skills.

I thought, she would squirm and sweat, but there was no change in the young girl's expression, other than sparks of irritation in her eyes.

It couldn't help, but surprise me.

Aubin isn't weak. He is Lv. 20 and has a Lord Class. I was in my thirties when I reached the Lv. 20 in my Lord Class.

That makes his skills quite powerful, but despite that, the young secretary seemed unaffected.

"Lord Silver, will you see at nine Lord Arledge," she replied, and I felt Aubin move back, like he was pushed away.

A shock flashed in his eyes before it turned to anger. I could his hands reaching his saber, but stopped as guards standing, not far away appeared beside the secretory.

Aubin's guards had also moved a step closed.

The stalemate lasted for a second before he removed his hands from his saber.

The guards returned to their places, and I took a sigh of relief. It would have been bad. if he had unsheathed the weapon.

I heard Silver is particular about such things and very protective of his whores.

It's how, he had gained, the legacy, they said. He would have rather had his business destroyed, than have his whores disrespected.

He glared at the young secretary before walking toward the waiting room.

"She will be the first person to be punished after I take over the city. That makes whore get fucked by hundred people in public and then lashed till she is dead," he muttered as I sat down.

I shuddered when I heard that.

I had heard the things about him. The things he did in his territory, and I really hope, are not true.

"Will you take any refreshment, Lord Arledge, Lord Rutto?" asked a pretty woman in her early twenties.

"No, thank you," I replied while Aubin remained silent.

She left, while I picked up the newspaper beside me. It had many pieces of news from local to international. Many things are happening, especially in the empire.

His excellency's state isn't good, and this newspaper is stating that clearly without fear of repercussion.

He controls the territory more than double that of Princess Orlene, but she and her allies are slowly chipping away at the terrify held by him.

There are also neighboring kingdoms, conquering the territories of the empire from Kalzan to Renha.

"Lord Arledge, Lord Rutto. Lord Silver will meet you now," said the young secretary appearing in front of us.

I looked away from the newspaper and saw it was nine.

I got up with Aubin and walked toward Silver's office. The time didn't soothe his anger, but instead increased it even further.

I really hope. He didn't mess things up. I really don't want to go back to his excellency with nothing to show; it will ruin me, more than I am already ruined.

I pushed that thought away and cast a spell. Connecting with Mage Bemelmans.

He is the protector of Marquess Hass; the prime minister of his excellency. He had asked for the live updates of the conversation with Silver.

Click!

The door clicked open, and we entered the office.

It is the biggest I had ever seen but isn't the smallest either. Everything is neat and clean.

There are two people there aside from Silver.

One is his guard, a high mage, while the other is his assistant/adviser. She is also a former whore and is strikingly beautiful.

I couldn't help, but feel jealous of Silver. To be surrounded by beautiful women every moment.

I was married once, but she had married me for my ancestors' treasures. Unfortunately, there were none left other than a medallion, I am wearing.

Which is useless to anyone other than blood. Most importantly, it's forbidden for others to have it other than the head of the house of Rutto.

Everything we had, had been sold by the previous generations. Not even our territory had remained.

The little bit of fortune. I had accumulated through my own efforts. I had spent to get this job, but now it had also been snatched from me.

"Lord Silver,"

I greeted the young man sitting at the table, who turned his piercing silvery grey eyes on us.

He didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"Silver, you have to rein in your whore. If I were you, I would have fucked some sense into her," complained Aubin.

I sighed, immediately sending the recorded words to the person on the other side.

I feared. He would do something like this. It is not the first time he did it and nothing will happen to him.

His father will protect him. Count Arledge is powerful and has the ambition to become a Duke. Which he might have if kept he succeeding in battles.

Slap!

I had sent the recording of the words to the other side when I heard the sharp sound.

I saw Silver beside me, with Aubin looking at him with deep shock. It had happened so fast, that I wasn't able to react at all.

Hell, I didn't even see it. He was that fast.

Aubin's cheek is all red and he is looking at Silver with deep shock before anger rages in his eyes.

It scared me.

I knew Silver was protective of his whores, but didn't expect such a reaction. A rebuke at most, but not a slap.

Rubin is not a weak lord like me. He is the son of Count Arledge, who is one of the most powerful men under the emperor. Not to mention, he is an emperor's envoy.

You do not hit envoy.

"I would bear a disrespect toward me, but I couldn't bear it against my people," said Silver, and I felt his skill.

It was powerful. More than, I had expected.

I quickly controlled my shock and relayed it all to Bemelmans.

'Rutto, activate the Listening Link,' I heard the second voice. The prime minister's voice.

'Yes, my lord,' I said and cast Listening Link. So, he could hear everything that was happening in the room.

Immediately, I felt the eyes of the High-Mage. He sensed it and seeing the way, he was looking at me, he knew the kind of spell I had cast.

I thought he would break the spell. He could, for all the spells, I know; I am not a High-Mage.

To my surprise, he didn't. he just kept looking at me.

"You, bastard!" cursed Aubin, reacting finally. "Do you know who I am?" he asked angrily.

"Lord Arledge, you came here sauntering. Didn't show respect to my employees, you disrespected me. For it, I am expelling you from the city," said Silver, once again shocking me.

It is an overreaction.

Yes, Aubin's attitude was discourteous, and his words were deplorable, but he didn't need to be expelled.

I pushed that thought and looked at Silver, was relieved to see, the words are only directly at Aubin.

It feels like, there is something going on. That, I am not understanding at all.

"You will pay for this. I will take my revenge for this disrespect, you have caused me," Aubin shouted.

"Shaun, escort, Lord Arledge out," he said, and the mage moved, but Aubin didn't give him a chance and left after one burning glare at Silver.

"My apologies. Lord Rutto. Sit, we have business to discuss," he said as he returned to the seat.

I sat down, before taking out the imperial contract from my bag.

I placed it in front of me, but Silver barely glanced at it before turning to me.

"This the guardianship contract, my lord, that you will sign with the Emperor," I said.

I could have slowly eased into it, but after what happened with Auburn. I plan to finish it as soon as possible.

"My apologies, Lord Rutto. I am not going to sign the contract of guardianship. I will only sign it with the emperor of an undivided and unfractured empire," he replied.

I didn't expect him to agree readily, but didn't expect to disagree directly.

I waited for the instruction from the Prime Minister Haas, but there was silence

"His Majesty Inkav is the emperor of an undivided and unfractured empire. The others are rebels, that he will deal with very quickly," I said.

Even though I didn't believe these words coming out of my mouth, I needed to say them.

The prime minister is listening.

"No contract," he replied, without commenting on what I had said.

He didn't fall into the trap, that I had laid.

'Ask him for a thousand vials of essence,' instructed Prime Minister.

I feel relieved hearing his voice.

I felt like, I was walking in a swamp here. A mistake and I will become the target of the emperor's ire and I don't think, I could survive that.

"Thousands essence bottles then," I repeated, what the Prime Minister said.

"That's too much; I don't have that many." He disagreed immediately with the shake of his head.

"At most, I could give you two hundred and fifty bottles of essences,"

"Fifty will be actual bottles of essence, while the rest two hundred will be in the form of emotion essence potions and other things," He stated.

"Tha" 'Agree with it,'

I opened my mouth to disagree when the sound of Prime Minister rang out in my mind.

Shocking me.

…

"We agree," replied Rutto with shock.

I kind of pity the man. He had become a puppet of the powerful.

I talked with Marquess Hass last night. I had told him, I would not sign the contract. He asked for quite a lot of essence, but I shot that one down too.

Finally, we agreed to two hundred and fifty emotion essences. Fifty with emotions essence and two hundred potions and other stuff with emotion essence.

He wanted all emotion essence, but I rejected it.

Unlike the parties like merchant state and Namdar. The imperials aren't providing anything in return.

It is tithe.

I have to give it because this bastard could succeed and become a true emperor. While they wouldn't harm me due to my legacy, there are many ways, they could make me pay.

This tithe will help in keeping things smooth.

Crown Prince isn't the only one, I needed to give it. I will also need to give it to Princess Orlena.

She had a reach chance against the throne and was far more capable, than the Crown Prince.

She will agree too, because if they went too hard. I might turn to the other party. Which they absolutely don't want, seeing desperately they needed it.

I needed to take the risk for the agreement. He asked me to humiliate Aubin. For his political purpose.

I had thought about ways of doing that when he presented the opportunity himself.

I was already angry by the letter of Masal Colosseum.

His disrespect for Jill had fueled it. I had let my emotions guide me and slap the smug bastard.

To be honest, it felt good to act on the emotions for once.

It is quite a risk, but I think it was worth it. The Prime Minister agreed to take two hundred essences in the form of potions, in exchange for it.

It will give me leverage with alchemists and merchants' states. It will also save quite many bottles.

There are also the secret agreements we agreed on. For it, I will pay him extra.

"Thank you, for your time, Lord Silver," said the man and got up.

"Have a nice day, Lord Rutto," I said.

The man smiled and walked away, with a faint bit of confusion in his eyes. He likely understood most things and will understand the rest soon enough.

It's quite a regret, that he will be a scapegoat for the Prime Minister, if things go wrong.

Marquess Haas is too smart to let anything fall on him.