"Wake uuup." A voice whispered into my ear, as quiet as a mouse, but for some reason sounding louder than a scream. Like the voice resounded from within my head.
I jumped up from my seat in fright, banging my head on the ceiling of the carriage. Bending down, rubbing my head from the shock of pain. I look in front of me to see Leo grabbing onto his belly in laughter.
Asher snorts awake, takes one look at us, and closes his eyes again. "Damn, brats."
"No time for sleeping, Uncle Asher. We're here." Leo lightly kicks Asher's shin. Making him snort awake.
I pull back the curtains and look out the window. The carriage was currently on a paved roundabout entrance to the estate, with my window facing away from the building. The road was cleared of snow, while the garden in the center of the roundabout was covered in a pyramid of it.
The carriage came to a stop right at the front entrance, with the door and window I was looking out of still facing the roundabout. There were some footsteps outside the wagon when the door swung open a second later.
The suited man was standing outside, beckoning us to exit.
I stepped off the carriage first and immediately walked to the back of it. Turning to my left, the full size and grandeur of the estate was in full view.
Standing over two dozen meters tall, it looks more like a castle than a house. With primarily stone walls, its appearance was vastly different from anything you'd see in the other Districts with their prominently wood aesthetic. Evenly spaced, at vital points of the building, large spires rose to the sky.
Are those just for design, or do they have a practical purpose?
The estate itself spanned well over 100 meters long, and just above the front door was a massive window, the entire height of the estate.
Through the numerous windows streamed beams of light, signaling that this place was already teeming with activity.
"Quit'ch'ur gawking and start walkin'" Asher elbowed my side while walking past me.
"Y-yeah." I said, stunned of words.
As we made our way up the stairs, the giant front doors opened to welcome us in. Light shone through the crack in the door, brightening up the early morning darkness. Squinting my eyes as I entered, it took a moment for them to adjust.
With my enhanced vision, it only took a moment before I could see clearly. We were in a large foyer that was essentially square in shape. With no second floor above us, the ceiling went all the way up.
Hanging from the ceiling was a larger version of the metal web light from the Inn.
The entire colour trend of the estate was a light blue, with matching carpets, flowers, vases, and drapes. Butlers and workers, in black, rushed by to their duties, and the clamor of conversations and tools filled the air, instantly waking me up. To my left and right were long, stretching hallways that seemed to house all of the servants.
At the other end of the room was a large flight of stairs that branched off higher up, ending in a balcony that wrapped around the foyer. Acting as a second floor to this room.
Below the stairs, and off to the sides, two more hallways were present, leading farther into the estate, with a similar design at the top of the stairs.
The man in the blue suit who took us here walked up next to me. "Come, Disciple Rin. I will take you to see Lord Grimwald."
Looking at him, my face was a little stunned from the whole scene. "After you, then."
Leading the way, the man took me up the stairs, following the left-branching path. At the top, on the second floor, instead of turning right down the hallway, he turned left, following the balcony, and into a hallway trailing along near the front side of the building.
The light blue trend persisted, with paintings of people along the walls complementing the colour. The couple of rooms we passed had closed doors, with the only exception being a small library, which was cracked open. The hallway just outside the library was decorated with bookshelves, a chair, and a grandfather clock.
The suited man stopped at a closed door on the left, the next room down, and waited until I was behind him. Knocking twice, he looked at me and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't forget to bow, young lad."
"Enter." An authoritative voice resounded from the other side of the door.
The servant opened the door, walked in, and stepped off to the side, with his head down. "Lord Elgin, this is the boy, Disciple Rin."
Lord Grimwald, looking down at parchments on his desk, smirks slightly at those words.
Walking in beside him, I quickly scan the room. It was a simple office, but with a different colour tone from the light blue outside. The walls and furniture were all a deep brown. A few bookshelves lined the right wall, and paintings of the same people from the halls lined the left. A small table below the portraits, along the center of the wall, was set up as an altar.
Behind Lord Grimwald was a window nearly the size of the wall, with a Southern view of the Upper District and Voyager District.
While it was dark, my eyes still allowed me to see the distance somewhat clearly, if I focused.
I look at Lord Grimwald just as he looks up from the pile of parchments on his desk. Gesturing for the suited man to leave. The servant quickly passes by me and out of the room, closing the door behind him with a light thud.
Lord Elgin waved towards a leather chair on the opposite side of his desk and spoke in a soft, but assertive voice, "Sit."
I bowed awkwardly before moving closer.
So, this is Asher's brother. He looks so different… but, so alike.
He looks about the same age as Asher, early 30s, but with more life to him. Like his money makes him look younger. He's wearing a black trench coat with gold lining, a white button-up underneath, and a light black scarf, low around his neck.
Unlike Asher, he has no facial hair, but his head hair is just as long. He has light-brown hair, even having some blond highlights, and it's tied up in a messy man-bun at the upper back part of his head.
Like Asher when he's working.
He has slim, glowing hazel eyes, like he's constantly scowling, but it's hard to tell how he's truly feeling. His face is utterly neutral, but he still has that serious air to him.
I walk, with as much confidence as I can carry, to the chair and take a seat. As soon as I get comfortable, Lord Elgin speaks again. "Where does loyalty come from? Is it nature or nurture?"
"What?" I blurt out, confused.
"With your upbringing and life's hardships, do you hold any loyalty to this Kingdom?"
Whether from the pressure he gives off or because of what Leo told me, I answer honestly, "Not particularly… no."
"I see." He spoke slowly. Seemingly satisfied with my answer.
I breathe a slight sigh of relief.
"If you were given a lofty home, more money than you could ever imagine, and power beyond any reason. Would you change your mind?"
"No." I answer flatly. With more confidence, "That could be found anywhere, in any Kingdom. Possessions do not make loyalty."
"So where would you find loyalty?"
Leo said not to lie, but… I have no meaningful truth.
I don't know what my answer is. Is it lying if I say whatever comes to mind? Or simply a means to an answer?
Is it best to be honest? Can I even be honest?
I don't have loyalty, there's no one I truly trust. Loyalty stems from trust, but where does trust stem from? Does it naturally evolve the more time you spend with someone? Or perhaps a grand gesture is needed to prove their reliance.
I am comfortable with my family, and I find security in their presence. Where did that form of trust come from? Was that nature or nurture? But could it truly stand the test of time, the pressure of hardship?
I guess it's simple really. If I have no truth, I will deceit, I will misdirect… I will lie.
I answer him, my words faltering, "I-in the people around me."
"Are people not possessions." He said matter of fact more than as a question. "You can use them, purchase them as if they were a tool… What difference is there between the loyalty to possessions, and people."
"Because you can trust a person," I say, building up my confidence in this lie.
"If you want something done right, wouldn't it be best done yourself? With a trusty tool." He spoke. Staring right through me with his glowing hazel eyes, as if searching for the true meaning behind my words.
"You say that, but you have a whole estate run by others."
His jaw snapped shut, clenching for a moment, breaking his composed image, before relaxing again.
Crap, did I say something wrong?
"Your Will," He paused, but not long enough for it to be uncomfortable. "It is strong, and I want to nurture it the way you would loyalty. Between people, as you say."
"As a soldier?" I said in confirmation, "You want me to be as trusty as your tools?"
He shook his head and stood up from his chair, gesturing for me to do the same.
"Walk with me." He said.
I did so without thought.
As we walked out his office door he continued, "I will give you a lofty home, more money than you could ever need, and power beyond any reason, as a gesture of good faith. You need only work for me."
"You already know I don't care for possessions." I rejected him.
"People then. Your loyalty is with people. No?"
I love my family, but I would never ask them to do something dangerous or something that would leave them uncomfortable. Lord Elgin is partially correct; things are best done yourself. But, if things are best done myself, where does my loyalty lie?
"My family… What's the catch? What do you want me to do for you?" I asked, playing along with his game.
He turned to the bookshelf I had passed earlier and pulled the spine of a black book with sapphire inlaid markings like ice. The bookshelf slid to the side to reveal a wide set of spiral steps that fell far below the ground.
"The catch? You need only be loyal to me, and I, to you."
He looked back, checking to see where I was, before making his way down the stairs. Not even ensuring I was following. I followed, lagging behind him into the dark passage.