Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Aftermath (I)

"Gjaki! What brings you here at this hour?" Duchess Kilthana received the newcomer.

"I wanted to ask you something. Do you know the merchants of the house of Fornh?"

"Of course! They're the main group in charge of trade routes with the City of Light. Somehow, they've almost gotten exclusive rights to those routes, pay their taxes, and aren't more shady and scheming than others. I've seen the matriarch at some parties. She's just as greedy as the other merchants," the black-haired vampiress explained.

"I think I know how they got hold of the routes," the silver-haired vampiress murmured.

"How?" the duchess asked, somewhat surprised. She could sense the irritation in her friend's words.

"She claims to be my friend. That liar even had an ornate emblem that she claimed I had given her. It burned pretty well though," Gjaki explained, and smirked on the last sentence.

"Oh... What happened?" Kilthana asked. She was curious now.

Gjaki didn't take long to give her a summary of what happened, to the indignation of her friend. Boasting a false friendship with the Blood Queen could earn the ire of many of the kingdom's inhabitants. Forging a false emblem was a felony.

"What do you want to do? We can forbid her to do business with our kingdom, even seize her properties here," the duchess proposed, clearly annoyed.

"Of course not! What do you take me for? A vengeful tyrant?" Gjaki refused, though her tone was scathing.

"How could I think something like that!?" her friend replied sarcastically, "So, what have you planned?"

"There's no need to do anything. Although it wouldn't be a problem if the truth came out. Maybe, someone could explain it as an anecdote, and hint that the Blood Queen is a little irritated," she suggested mischievously.

"Who're you and what've you done with my friend!?" Kilthana laughed, before accusing her: "Since when are you so twisted?"

"Something had to rub off on me from hanging out with you!" she stuck her tongue out at her.

"Now you've offended me!" her friend turned around, artificially angry.

"Ha, ha, ha," they both laughed.

"By the way, it wouldn't hurt you to design an emblem one day," the duchess reminded her later when bidding farewell.

Gjaki didn't reply. She acted as if she hadn't heard, while her friend sighed in resignation.

The truth was that what Gjaki was proposing was simply telling the truth, and her friend was more than willing to carry it out. Therefore, she showed up at the next social event, something she did from time to time.

It didn't matter if the merchants who did business with Fornh's house came or not, they would soon find out. Many of them felt chills when the duchess's words reached them, partly because they understood that they weren't accidental but a warning. As if that wasn't enough, they were immediately verified by their contacts. Some had even received notice from the City of Light previously.

Perhaps, the only real news was that the Blood Queen was irritated and offended. Although she didn't usually meddle in official affairs, her power and influence were absolute in the kingdom. No one wanted to get on her bad side, or do anything that would anger her, especially the merchants.

They didn't know if she would act against them, but the mere possibility made them tremble. In the Blood Wars, she had shown no mercy to her enemies.

Plus, they knew word would spread. Anyone who did business with someone who had irritated her queen risked drawing the wrath of the people. At best, they would stop buying from them. They didn't want to imagine the worst.

For all these reasons, no merchant hesitated to cancel their agreements with the house of Fornh. At best, some illegal transactions would continue for some time, though not for long. The pressure came from all strata of society.

Without a doubt, with its main source of income suddenly cut, the merchant group would be in serious trouble.

"Father, did you call me?" a young vampiress with light red hair, perhaps pink, entered.

He sighed. In the past, his relationship with his daughter had been closer, but it had deteriorated lately. He had been pressuring her to marry the rich heir to the House of Fornh against her will, and it had distanced them.

"We have to talk about your future, about your marriage," he began.

"Again!? You already know my answer! I'm not going to marry that scum!" she refused and turned around, ready to leave, irritated and disappointed with her father.

"Wait! It's not that!" he called her.

She stopped and turned, suspicious, skeptical. She looked at her father's eyes, without fear, challenging him, with some hostility.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insisted so much. I won't object anymore to you marrying your boyfriend. What was his name?"

"Ral... Ralko," she stammered in disbelief, her eyes wide.

"From the Mysterious Lady's inn, right?" he wanted to make sure.

"Yes..." she answered. Her eyes were beginning to water.

"Good. At least bring him one day, so we can meet him," he proposed.

"Really...?" she asked in disbelief.

On the one hand, she didn't quite believe it. On the other, she was exultant. All the weight that had lately gripped her heart had been suddenly lifted. The tears that ran down her face were of happiness.

"Really. I'd never lie about something like that," he said, almost feeling offended.

"Thank you dad!" she said, rushing towards him, hugging him.

He couldn't help but sigh as he watched her hurry off to go see her boyfriend. The man, too, had lifted a weight from his heart, even though he felt awfully guilty.

He had insisted that she marry that good-for-nothing for the sake of his business, even when he knew that his daughter despised him. The merchant had convinced himself that it was also the best for her, for her future. He had even felt betrayed by her opposition.

Now, the events had made him change his mind. Besides, his daughter's boyfriend, despite not belonging to any prestigious family, had something much more valuable, a direct connection to the Blood Queen.

"At least, she called me daddy again," he said to himself, unable to get rid of the strong feeling of guilt.

He only hoped that when his daughter found out about it, she wouldn't hold too much of a grudge against him. He knew she was smart, and that sooner or later she would find out.

"You'd better be honest and apologize," a voice came from behind the door, and then footsteps walking away.

His wife hadn't spoken to him in weeks because of it. He slumped back in the chair and sighed, utterly defeated.

"Have I been such a bad father?" he began to recognize.