"Lisa, come give me a massage," the Count of Blair ordered his favorite maid, who was standing in a corner of the room.
"Yes, my count."
The Count of Blair was now in the largest mansion of Black City. Half-closing his eyes on a luxurious armchair, he enjoyed the massage. He could not help thinking about what had happened these days: since they entered the territory of the County of Solomon they had not been able to see a shadow of the enemy.
The count was almost certain that it was a conspiracy. His intuition told him that the conspiracy was there, in Black City. But no matter how much he searched and searched, he failed to find anything to prove his theory. The fatigue was noticeable on his face.
"I see that you are worried, my lord count." Lisa spoke into his ear with a melodious voice.
"It is always you, Lisa, who knows me best." The count rested his face against the maid's hand, enjoying that small contact. He had always liked this maid; it was just that he had not hurried to enjoy her. He had been waiting for the best moment.
"It is my duty to always know the lord count, in order to be able to give him better relaxation and consolation. If you feel bothered by something, you can tell me; I am here to listen to you." The count rejoiced upon hearing these words.
"You have always been very intelligent, Lisa. I wonder how you ended up as a maid," the count said.
The words caused no negative reaction in the maid, who smiled and explained:
"My mother was the maid of a small baron in our village. There I learned to study with the children of his family. When my mother died, I thought of continuing to work as a maid there, but the family suddenly went bankrupt and they had to dismiss me. I thought of working as a waitress in a bar when I learned that the county was recruiting maids, and thus I am here."
"I know, I am not speaking of you; I was only saying it casually. Now my concern is another. You know that many people in the camp have opinions about my decision to camp in Black City. They believe I am growing old and am afraid of a direct confrontation with the viscount's soldiers.
That is what is happening: I have had a premonition that this is a conspiracy of the boy, so I do not want to move until I am certain." Unexpectedly, the count told his concern to the maid.
"My lord… eh." Lisa tried to speak, but fell silent again.
"Come on, tell me what you have to say. I am not going to take offense because you give me your opinion." The count encouraged her.
"My lord, I believe you are right. This seems very strange to me. Without speaking of the early evacuation, those roads… I fear that in some way they are planning an ambush." Lisa spoke and suddenly closed her mouth, a little fearful of the count's reaction.
"Do not be afraid; I am not angry. So you saw those roads, eh? I think the same as you. That is why I do not plan to move until making certain that everything is well." The count came out relieved upon seeing that someone shared his same opinion.
Knock, knock, knock. Suddenly someone knocked on the door.
"My lord, it is an emergency."
"Come in, what is occurring?"
"It is the enemy army, my lord. According to news from the scouts, on the other side of the mountain an army of at least 7,000 people has been seen." A messenger hurried into the hall, knelt, and quickly reported what had happened.
"Very well, tell everyone that we will have an emergency meeting in half an hour."
"Yes, my lord." The messenger withdrew after a bow.
"The boy is not a small thing. Quite an army he has formed in the little time he has been in power. But something seems suspicious to me here. You, what do you think, Lisa?" Surprisingly, the count unconsciously asked the maid for an opinion.
"My lord, in my humble opinion, I believe we thought too much earlier. What I believe is that the little viscount was afraid of your army, so he marched along the mountain. In case of a defeat, he can be capable of fleeing through them." The count sank into his thoughts; he had not expected such an elaborate answer from the maid.
The count gave Lisa a look of approval, then burst into strong and cheerful laughter, with a little hysteria included.
"Yes, it seems I think too much. How could a count as distinguished as I have been so engrossed and so cautious against a little viscount? Things should be the other way around, and it seems that is how it is. Hahahaha." The count made his analysis with a little malice about himself.
"Exactly, my lord. And I believe the little viscount must be full of himself. Daring to go head-on against the forces of the lord count… I believe it is the moment to finish them off once and for all." Lisa decided to add more wood to the fire.
The count suddenly felt something strange in the maid's words, but after thinking about it he found nothing. Even so, within his doubts, he decided to ask her another question to test her answer.
At that moment he threw a sharp and dangerous look at her and asked:
"Then, what do you recommend that I do according to my situation? Do you believe I should attack with my entire army?"
"I believe so, my lord. There is a popular saying in my native village: when a lion fights against a mouse, it will use all its strength. But I believe you should leave a large group of scouts and situate them every 100 meters. Thus you could learn of any situation in the rear and give yourself the option of retreat in case of ambush." Conscious of the count's dangerous look, the maid again gave her own analysis.
The count had a look of relief upon hearing Lisa's answer. Then he blamed himself for being distrustful and thinking too much. It seems the maid was only an intelligent woman.
"We will depart at dawn. You know I cannot trust anyone. Now the only person of trust I have is you. I will leave you in charge of the group of scouts, and your mission will be to send them to take positions one hour after our departure." The count said something incredible for which Lisa was not prepared, but after a moment she calmed herself and accepted willingly.
"I know that leaving you here you will run a great danger, but be certain that if everything turns out well you will be very well rewarded." The count said in a tone of concern for the maid.
"It is my duty to serve you, my lord, even if I die."
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