"I swear on the Poly Guild's name, Baron Merrick-if the Kayas region really has been cleared of Cerberus packs, our guild will serve the Merrick family from this day forth."
Chairman Porter's voice rang with conviction, eyes full of opportunistic fervor.
He had waited years for a chance to align with a true noble house in Willtown. Now, with the Merrick estate extending an olive branch, he was more than willing to grasp it with both hands.
The alliance was sealed quickly.
After that, the atmosphere relaxed.
With trust growing, Porter opened up-chatting about local customs, merchants, and regional news across the duchy. Nothing too politically sensitive… at first.
Until he suddenly leaned forward and lowered his voice.
"…My lord, there's a rumor spreading in the outer districts."
Lister raised an eyebrow, sipping his tea.
"About the duel?" he asked evenly.
Porter nodded nervously. "Yes. That, and… something else. Something involving Lady Anna."
Lister's hand paused mid-sip.
"…Go on."
Truthfully, he hadn't expected anything useful.
But the moment Anna's name came up, his mind sharpened. Regardless of what anyone believed, he was not infatuated with her-but she was the reason he was being pulled into a duel with a duke's son.
Even if she wasn't worth caring about, the consequences surrounding her certainly were.
Porter hesitated, eyes darting left and right.
"It's not my place to say, but…" He leaned in. "There's word she may have… feelings… for someone else."
Lister's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Who?"
"A man named Luis," Porter said, glancing up to read the baron's reaction. "An artist. A portraitist. Used to work with the Poly Guild."
Lister's brows furrowed.
"A painter?"
Porter nodded quickly. "Yes, my lord. Not nobility. Comes from a modest background. But his skill is remarkable. He's done commissioned portraits for several low nobles in town."
"Continue."
"Well, some months ago-nearly half a year-he was commissioned to do a painting for Viscount Ambet's household. After that, Lady Anna… began reaching out to him personally. Several times."
He watched Lister cautiously, expecting fury, jealousy-anything volatile.
But Lister merely leaned back and crossed his arms.
"…And your guild facilitated these meetings?"
"We did, yes. But it was long before any talk of duels or baronial titles, I swear. At the time, many of our people were jealous of Luis, thought he might climb the ranks by gaining her favor."
Porter cleared his throat.
"I even invested in him a little. Thought he might become someone valuable to the guild."
Lister didn't flinch.
But his mind was already processing.
"Remind me," Lister said slowly, "wasn't it the Ambet household that recently hired a full-time painting tutor for Anna?"
Porter nodded. "Yes, my lord. That tutor… was Luis."
A silence fell.
Lister stared into the distance for a long moment, then gave a dry laugh.
So that's how it is.
He had been told by his steward that Viscount Ambet brought in a painter to teach Anna-he hadn't thought anything of it at the time.
Now, with this piece of the puzzle…
Anna had a history with the man.
Possibly romantic.
And she was still seeing him.
That changed things.
A lot.
Porter, realizing he hadn't yet been killed for bringing bad news, relaxed slightly.
He had debated whether to bury the information. Normally, merchants stayed far away from noble scandals.
But now that the Poly Guild had aligned with House Merrick, he'd rather be safe than sorry.
Better to confess now than be blamed later if Luis's name ever came up again.
"Thank you for sharing this," Lister said at last, his voice low.
"I'll have Steward Anco coordinate the remaining details of our agreement. Profit splits, route schedules, permissions-all of it."
Porter rose and bowed quickly.
"Thank you, Baron Merrick. We're honored to serve. I'll take my leave now."
He waddled out of the parlor like a purple velvet cannonball, leaving Lister and Anco alone.
Anco waited until the door closed behind the merchant before speaking.
"My lord… is the Kayas region truly… cleared?"
His face was tight with concern.
"Or… are you using the Poly Guild to test it?" he asked cautiously.
Lister chuckled.
"I wouldn't send our new allies to their deaths, Anco."
"But… you went alone?"
Lister didn't answer.
The steward's face went pale again.
He assumed-logically-that some high-ranking professional must've helped the young baron clear the region. That was the only explanation that made sense.
The truth was just too absurd to consider.
But Lister's thoughts were elsewhere now.
Anna and Luis.
So she had a romantic past with this painter. And the timeline suggested their relationship began long before Lister had inherited the barony.
If so…
Why challenge him and Quint to a duel?
If Anna wanted to be with Luis, why risk marrying either noble?
A duel had consequences. One of the two combatants would marry her. That seemed like a stupid move if she had no interest in either man.
Unless-
She was buying time.
If Anna had no intention of choosing either Lister or Quint…
Then she may have orchestrated the duel to stall for a few weeks.
Long enough to escape.
To elope.
Maybe even leave the duchy entirely.
Lister's jaw tightened.
A reckless plan. But possible.
He turned to Anco.
"Send someone to look into Luis. Quietly."
The steward nodded.
"And if what we suspect is true," Lister added, "then I want you to prepare a letter."
"To the Duke's estate?"
"To Quint."
If this rumor could be confirmed-and if Quint learned that Anna was secretly in love with a lowborn artist-it might be enough to cancel the duel.
And if Lister could avoid crossing swords with a member of the Duke's bloodline, he would take that option in a heartbeat.
It wasn't fear-it was calculation.
Because no matter how strong Lister became, no matter how many Cerberus dens he cleared-
He was still too small to go to war with a Duke.