A Pair Of Maids

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-

Alexis smiles at the clerk bowing behind the counter. After a suitable amount of time passes, she straightens up and grabs the Notice of Transfer and places the slip inside of her desk. She then pulls out a ledger with the seal of the Imperial Family on the front. It is an account book of all of the major houses in the Empire. Despite the dwindling influence of the Lycan family, it is still a Dukedom, so its account details are still recorded in the book.

The clerk's professional smiles twitches ever so slightly when she views the number written in the ledger. A grand total of 0 gold is in the Lycan's account. She turns towards Alexis and speaks in a professional customer service voice.

"Please wait one moment, Duke Lycan." She then moves towards the back of the bank.

Alexis frowns when his eyes settle on the still open ledger on the counter. He tries not to think of the dismal conditions of his treasury. Hopefully in the coming years there will be a sizable fortune in his account.

Samantha and Tilly stand behind him and pick at their clothes. They are clearly feeling self-conscious standing inside such an opulent building. They grew up in a no name village and were not used to large cities such of this. Alexis notices their discomfort but does not comment on it. They are going to be leaving soon anyways and saying anything now might embarrass them.

Sometime later, the clerk returns with a large leather satchel filled with gold coins. She slides the heavy satchel across the counter towards Alexis. She then produces a formal document for him to sign. It is a paper confirming that he had indeed received the gold. This way, a person couldn't try to defraud the bank later.

Alexis thanks the clerk as he grabs the satchel and slings it across his back. The weight is considerable, causing him to let out a small grunt. He sets off towards a stable just a few minutes down the road that they came from. He wants to procure a wagon to make the trip back with the two girls more comfortable.

-

When they are about to exit the gate of Neverand, one of the stationed guards steps forward to stop the wagon that Alexis and the girls now rode in. He holds out a small pouch in his hands.

"Apologies, my Lord." The guard says, bowing slightly. "We sent a small contingent out to investigate the site where you were attacked, and they just made it back not too long ago. They informed us that three of the bandits you slew had sizable bounties on their head."

The guard hands the pouch up to Alexis with a grin.

"Thank you for taking care of them, my Lord." The guard continues in a grateful tone. "They were a nasty bunch. Razed quite a few villages over the last couple weeks."

Alexis accepts the bounty with a solemn look on his face. It had some heft to it and was quite the pretty sum.

"I am glad I was able to help, unknowingly as it was. Farewell." Alexis says smoothly as he grips the reigns, steering the wagon through the opened gate.

"Farewell my Lord, please visit us again."

In the coming days, the common folk of the area would hear tales of a lone Duke who had slain the despicable bandits that were terrorizing their lands. Due to this, Alexis would unknowingly have many supporters among the peasantry in the coming weeks.

-

Alexis approaches the village of Starfall in his recently acquired wagon. The villagers are busy running around completing their daily chores and tasks before they lose the daylight. Loggers are streaming in and out of the clearing that housed the accumulated lumber, dragging felled trees and carrying axes. They belatedly notice their Lord approaching, and many villagers stop to wave at Alexis.

He speaks to the two girls as they take in their surroundings.

"Welcome to your new home." He says while smiling softly to them. Samantha turns and looks into Alexis' eyes and gives a hesitant smile. He has grown on them; they no longer distrust the Duke, their savior. Tilly on the other hand, was too engrossed in the village to take note of his words. Both Samantha and Alexis let her be.

He parks the wagon by the side of his house. Sabrina is already waiting outside with a small smile on her face. She is relieved to see her precious Lord returned to her safely. She notices the pair of girls behind her Lord and eyes Alexis questioningly.

Alexis grins at Sabrina and gestures for her to follow him as he walks into the house. He leads the trio to his bedroom and takes a seat. Sabrina takes her usual place behind him, and the girls stand nervously before him.

"Sabrina, this is Samantha and Tilly." He explains.

Samantha poorly curtsies, something she had never done before, as she speaks to Sabrina.

"He- Hello ma'am, my name is Samantha."

Tilly opts to just bow and speaks quietly. "Tilly." She says simply.

Sabrina smiles brightly at them, quickly spotting the hand shaped bruises on their arms and wrists. She can roughly guess the circumstances they had found themselves in.

"Nice to meet you. I am Duke Lycan's personal maid, Sabrina." She says with the same welcoming smile. "There is no need to be so nervous, you are most welcome here."

Alexis watches them with a look of peace on his face. He is relieved that Sabrina picked up on their situation.

"Sabrina, I want to employ them as maids in the house. They will be assisting you as your juniors." Alexis says while he turns to look at her.

"Yes, my Lord." She replies.

Alexis swivels his head towards the girls, who wore shocked faces, and grins slightly.

"Be sure to treat Sabrina well." He says playfully. "Also, you two will be receiving a wage, so don't be too surprised when it happens."

Samantha is gaping openly at the Duke. She never would have imagined that she would be employed by Alexis. She wasn't exactly sure what he brought them here for, so the anxiety had eaten at her the whole trip. So having a job and being able to make money is a massive relief.

Tilly is feeling much the same. She had always helped her mother with chores around their old home, so she was used to manual labor.

They readily welcome the chance to work for the man who saved them from their miserable fates with the bandits.

-

Alexis sits at the large table in the dining room with Ryan seated on the opposite side. Standing behind Ryan are the six men at arms that he has under his command. Alexis looks closely at the men, studying them. They are poorly equipped and armed but stand at attention like skilled soldiers. Also, the way they carry themselves gives off a certain pressure. This is evidence of Ryan's exemplary training and leadership.

Alexis sets a satchel of gold on the table. It thumps loudly on the wooden surface, drawing all eyes in the room towards it. He smiles at Ryan.

"Ryan, I need you to scout out new recruits to add to your command."