I’ve been through a lot in my life. I’ve killed impossibly strong monsters, trained with the most legendary warriors and Instructors that have ever existed throughout Aspia. Hell, I’ve faced the literal Demon Lord! So when I say that walking to Isobel’s room was the most nerve-wracking thing I’d done in years up to that point, I hope you can understand just how nervous I felt.
I’d done my best to explain myself to her, explaining once again that this was for the greater good, impressing upon her how sorry I was to be doing this to her, telling her that I still cared for her. None of it worked, of course. It wasn’t like I was expecting it to, but it was certainly worth a try.
By the ti I realized my attempts at soothing her were indeed useless, Isobel had led to my final destination: her bedroom. The room was made of dark wood, and a low white bed sat beneath a wall-sized painting of House Greaves’ previous patriarch. For a noblewoman like Isobel, the room was sparsely decorated apart from that painting. There were a few plants on the floor, a vanity mirror to the right of the bed, and, most notably, canopy drapes which hung above the bed itself.
Isobel sat at the edge of her bed, crossed her legs, rested her cheek in her fist, then looked up at . "Won’t you sit?"
I looked around the room for a chair. There’d been a cushioned stool by the vanity mirror, but Isobel stopped that thought with a pat beside her.
"Next to ."
Confused, I accepted the invitation, taking my seat beside Isobel on her bed. She didn’t say anything when I sat down, though the silence didn’t last too long.
"I told you exactly how I felt about this House. I told you how much it ant to , and that I’d be willing to do anything to keep it. Unfortunately, life cares little for your sentints. It, like ti, is a fickle thing. In truth, I’d understood that House Greaves was gone long before the two of us crossed paths. Yet, it was my eting with you that convinced that I shouldn’t have given up. That this House was worth fighting for." Isobel paused, leaning forward as she clutched the bedsheets. I turned to her, surprised to find her cheeks red and her back shuddering. When she spoke again, her eyes were glistening, and her voice quivering. "You were my confidant, Lloyd May. I trusted you...!"
I still can be, Isobel!" I countered, I put a hand on her shoul–
"Don’t touch !" Isobel spat. "You lost that privilege the second you betrayed !"
"Isobel, I didn’t betray you. I’m not here to betray you. I swear I’m not."
"Then how else am I to interpret it?! You show up, whisper honeyed words into my ear, and convince to fight for this House only to do the one thing I’ve been dreading for the past four years! What is this, if not betrayal?!"
"It’s for the greater good, Isobel. There are people in Aspia who wish to do harm to its people, and I need the power of a Great House behind if I want to defeat them."
"Liar! You don’t care for Aspia. You don’t care for House Greaves. You don’t even care for . All you care about is yourself! I’ve seen your type before. Everything you say and do... all in accordance with your own hedonism!"
I stood from my seat beside her and positioned myself in front of her before taking a knee. Isobel glared down at , a far more familiar sight on her. I’d attempted to grab her hand, but she once again smacked it away.
"Isobel," I tried again, reaching my hand out. "Please, listen to . Let explain myself to you. Let this be the last thing I say to you."
Reluctantly, she reached out to , allowing to grab my hand. She sniffled. "...Be quick."
With a soft smile, I explained as much about my and Lyra’s present circumstances as I could. About the Demons in the nearby Rushela Continent threatening to destroy Alan and take over Aspia, as well as the lack of any defense force in Aspia to defend against them. She’d attempted to counter by saying I could make my own Great House, which wasn’t an option. There’s no space in Alan for a new House, the Wastelands are a perpetual warzone, and Ecril is... well, Ecril. She once again attempted to counter , saying that I could simply offer my sword to another existing Great House and leave them alone. What she didn’t know was that we’d attempted that, relatively early on, too. Unfortunately, Alian Great Houses don’t like having soldiers who are stronger than their Lords and Ladies, and neither of us felt like having to deal with poisoned als again. I explained this to her, giving House Brant as an "example" of what "could" happen to if I joined them.
"...E-even so, their leaders are sensible. If you show them proof of oncoming danger, surely they’ll–"
"They won’t, Isobel. House Brant, and every other Great House in Alan, are concerned only with their people and their bottom line. A battle in the next thirty years simply doesn’t concern them."
"Then why does it concern you?"
"Isobel, the sa way you care for House Greaves, I care for Aspia. This place is my ho. It’s done so much for . Accepted when I had no family, showed a way to live, and provided with everything I could possibly want. I’m a child of Aspia herself. I’d be a terrible son if I let her die, no matter how distant the threat is." I stood, leveling my eyes at her with newfound determination. "I’m truly sorry for how this played out, but... I’m not backing down from this. I didn’t want it to co to this, but, unfortunately, it has to. For the sake of Aspia."
The noblewoman glared at . "You speak as though this matter is settled."
I stood resolute. "It is. I will be buying House Greaves with Lyra Knight."
Once again, Isobel made a face that reminded of the Demon Queen she was destined to beco. It went away as quickly as it ca, though, replaced with an almost frantic look in her eye. After a while, she sat back, crossed her arms, and smiled an ominous grin.
"Lyra Knight. That’s the woman you ca here with, correct?"
"...Yes? She is."
"And who is she to you?"
"She’s just a friend. We grew up together at the sa orphanage, and we’ve known one another our whole lives."
"Is that so?" Isobel paused, considering. "You know, they say this House has a will of its own. It always asks of you. Always demands more. Perhaps that’s why my grandfather always worked to grow the place. Perhaps it’s why I feel so compelled to take sothing from you. Is it my own desire, or has the House decided to test you, I wonder?"
"What are you talking about?"
Again, Isobel was reminding of the Demon Queen she was fated to beco. She smiled wider, standing to her full height and walking towards the door. She locked it, and before I could ask why, she snapped her fingers, the room suddenly turning significantly darker. What was once a well-lit room was now a room lit only by faint candlelight, illusory stars above us as scents of lavender and patchouli filled my nose.
"I have a proposition for you, Lloyd May. You’d do well to listen, as this is your only chance to gain my approval for the sale of House Greaves."
"What is it?" I asked almost imdiately. "I’ll do anything."
She smiled wider at those words for so reason, stepping towards and stopping once she was only a few inches away.
"I want you to satisfy . Do so, and House Greaves is yours. Fail to do so, and you can consider negotiations as having fallen through. Do you understand?"
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