"Lady Aveline, gentlen. I am butler Guiscard. His Grace, Duke Luc Valderic, awaits you for a private audience."
"Luc Valderic is the descendant of Edwin Valderic and now the head of the family." Aveline whispered to Maxi before dismounting her horse.
She replied politely:
"Good. Please take us to him."
Butler Guiscard bowed slightly, then opened the manor gate with a precise, controlled gesture.
The group moved forward in silence, Maxi in the lead, his senses alert despite the apparent tranquility of the premises.
As for the Saber-toothed Tigers, they walked quietly through the grounds.
The new masked rcenaries were casting complicated glances at each other.
This was not how they had expected to land in the mansion of their sworn enemy.
Aveline and the rcenaries quickly reached the mansion's great hall, a room of austere grandeur, dominated by a huge portrait of a man with hard features and piercing eyes.
"So that's Edwin Valderic, this family's revered ancestor, I imagine." Maxi thought as he gazed at the portrait.
The walls were decorated with ancient weapons, each marked with the black snake emblem.
A deep voice echoed from an entrance to this great hall.
"Lady Aveline."
Duke Luc Valderic appeared. Tall, slender and dressed in a silver tunic edged in black, his presence was imposing.
His sharp gaze passed slowly over the rcenary group before settling on Aveline.
"Welco to our ho. Was the journey uneventful?"
Aveline inclined her head slightly.
"We encountered a slight inconvenience on the way, but it has been resolved. My future father-in-law need not worry."
The duke sketched a cold smile, which didn't touch her eyes.
"I'm delighted." Then his eyes fell on Romuald.
"And you must be the leader of the rcenaries Count Ardam has hired."
Romuald was one of the older rcenaries of the Saber-toothed Tigers, he was tall and on top of that he had a level of strength comparable to an apprentice knight at the entry stage which was excellent for a rcenary leader.
Romuald shook his head at the Duke's surprise and glanced at Maxi.
The duke followed Romulad's gaze and saw a young man with blond hair and blue eyes.
Apart from resembling a young nobleman, at first glance he seed really weak, which disappointed the duke sowhat.
But he asked in spite of himself:
"So I was mistaken, it would be you instead?"
Maxi replied evenly, his eyes gazing into the Duke's without the slightest hesitation.
"Indeed, Your Grace. My na is Maxi, and my n watch over Lady Aveline on the explicit orders of Count Ardan."
The Duke's gaze intensified, as if trying to read Maxi's soul. But Maxi remained impassive.
After a long mont of silence, the duke nodded slowly.
He still had a low opinion of Maxi, after all, what kind of strength would a rcenary from nowhere have?
But at least this young man knew how to keep his back straight.
"Very well, then. However, here at the Valderic court, discipline is essential. Your n will do well to rember that."
Maxi smiled slightly, but behind that smile, he already felt like beating this duke up.
"It's bad enough there was that damned knight of the royal guard busting my balls, and now here's a duke putting on airs in front of ."
"At so point, you really have to go fuck yourself."
Obviously, Maxi kept his thoughts to himself, for he didn't have the strength to fight a ducal family, let alone on his own land.
Who even knew if there were mysterious defense chanisms hidden here?
So he replied formally:
"My n always follow my orders. And my orders are clear: protect Lady Aveline at all costs."
An electric exchange seed to pass between the two n, but was interrupted by a figure approaching the group.
"Father, please stop being so overbearing with my guests."
A young man in his twenties, dressed in a richly embroidered pourpoint, stepped forward. His features were softer than his father's, but his eyes sparkled with keen intelligence.
Surprisingly, despite such a bad reputation, the young genius of the kingdom had a very handso appearance.
Like a young scholar.
He stopped in front of Aveline and bowed slightly.
"Lady Aveline, I am Dorian Valderic. It's an honor to finally et you."
Aveline replied with a polite, if forced, smile.
"The honor is shared, Lord Dorian."
Dorian straightened, his eyes sliding briefly to Maxi before returning to Aveline.
"My father told of your... protectors. An interesting choice. Perhaps you could tell us more about them at a banquet."
A discreet vein appeared on Maxi's forehead.
"Another one who underestimates my rcenaries. I wonder what would happen if he tasted the sword of Kaite or Langus?
"Between the kingdom's young genius and a seasoned knight, who would be the strongest?"
For her part, the word banquet made Aveline flinch slightly.
After all, it was an important step before marriage, which ant she was getting dangerously close to marrying this man.
This man who had such a bad reputation.
The duke spoke up.
"A banquet would be the ideal occasion to introduce you to the court, Lady Aveline, and to officially seal the announcent of your union with Dorian. Until then, you and your n will be housed in the west wing. Guiscard will take you there."
Aveline inclined her head slightly, masking her reluctance.
"Thank you, Your Grace."
She had no say in the organization of this banquet.
They were escorted to the west wing of the manor, the forty or so rcenaries all accommodated in rooms of around 4, except for Maxi who had his own room next to Aveline's.
With night already falling, it was ti for dinner, and a al was brought to them as they settled in.
A short ti later, butler Guiscard knocked gently on Aveline's door, waiting for an answer before opening it.
Aveline, already seated at her desk, absent-mindedly leafing through an old grimoire she'd found in the room, looked up.
"Co in." she said in a steady voice.
Guiscard entered, his face as neutral as ever, a mixture of authority and courtesy. He bowed slightly before speaking.
"Lady Aveline, Lord Dorian awaits you to share dinner."
"May I bring Maxi with ?"
"Lord Dorian wishes to get to know you better before tomorrow's banquet. Being alone with him is essential, in his words, to strengthen the harmony between the two of you."
Aveline frowned slightly. She wasn't lacking in courage, but the idea of being alone with Dorian didn't appeal to her. She put the book down with studied calm and asked in a voice that betrayed nothing of her unease:
Aveline nodded slowly, masking her annoyance. She rose gracefully, adjusting her dress slightly.
"Very well, then. Take to him."
Maxi, who had heard the situation from her room, quickly exited.
His instincts were telling him that this was no small matter.
He imdiately drew the attention of the butler and Aveline.
"Please wait a minute. Lady Aveline is under my protection until the wedding; I must accompany her."
Guiscard didn't flinch, but his tone beca sharper.
"His grace's orders are clear. This dinner is private. No escorts are allowed, not even you, Monsieur Maxi."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Maxi's jaws tightened, but he knew that provoking a scene here and now would put Aveline in an even more awkward position. He forced himself to calm down.
Aveline placed a light hand on his arm.
"Maxi, it's okay. I can handle this."
The rcenary t her gaze and saw in it an assurance he couldn't ignore. Yet he couldn't help feeling that sothing darker was at play.
"Very well." he yielded reluctantly.
Aveline nodded with a slight smile. Then, accompanied by Guiscard, she left the right wing of the manor. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire
She quickly reached the entrance to the private dining room.
Inside, a long table adorned with silver candlesticks and crockery awaited her two guests. Dorian was already seated at one end, a welcoming, if slightly sinister, smile stretching his lips.
"Lady Aveline, welco. I hope you don't find my request unseemly, but I wished to have a special mont with you, away from distractions."
Aveline bowed slightly in greeting, masking her displeasure.
"That's an interesting idea, Lord Dorian. Though surprising."
She took a seat opposite him. Dinner began, refined dishes parading with almost chanical precision.
Dorian, clearly at ease, struck up a conversation on a variety of subjects: art, politics, the exploits of their respective ancestors.
But behind his charming words, there was a palpable tension, as if he were gauging Aveline's every response.
Then, after a mont's silence, he asked a more direct question.
"Tell , Lady Aveline, how do you find the protection your father has chosen for you? These... Saber-toothed Tigers?"
Aveline raised an eyebrow, imdiately understanding that Dorian wanted to inquire about Maxi's rcenary group....
"They were exemplary. My father chose them carefully, and I trust them completely."
Dorian sketched an amused smile.
"Interesting. The young blond man, Maxi, seems particularly... zealous. Doesn't he?"
Aveline sensed a pique in his words.
"So he noticed Maxi's slight movents of expression earlier when we were talking about him." she thought silently.
But she didn't let it throw her.
"Maxi is competent and loyal. Qualities I appreciate."
Dorian leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining with an almost unhealthy curiosity.
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