Trashes of the Counts' Families || Trash of the Count's Family || OC

57

The children nodded understandingly, giving her space. Adara handed Maes a bag of pastries she picked up on her way here. "Share them among yourselves, I hope I got the flavours you liked."

The children focused more on the bag of pastries than on her when she looked at Odeus with a look on her face quite unlike one the children had seen previously.

Odeus didn't say a word to her, only walked up those steps. He knew she would follow him. He didn't dare look back.

And then they were in that room. The same one where Adara drank a toast with Billos to the best contender. She sat down on her chair as if she owned the whole inn, staring at Odeus expectingly.

"What do you want?" Odeus asked, still standing.

Aadar frowned. "How rude, you're not even offering a glass of wine."

Odeus deadpanned. "It's barely past noon."

"And?"

Odeus sighed, getting a single glass and a bottle of wine. He set the glass in front of her, pouring it full.

He sat down on the chair across from her, watching with narrowed eyes as she swirled around the wine and took a sip. "Mhm, North-Western wine is not that bad."

She wasn't smiling, but he could still picture her viciously sly smile in front of him.

He's woken up several times, images of that smile ingrained in his mind. Having dealt with the Underworld time and time again has made his thoughts vicious. He would rethink all the possible things she could mean by that sentence, wondering if she planned to kill him or torture him. Not a single thought of his involved actually drinking.

She leaned into her seat, crossing her leg over the other, turning to stare at Odeus. "I haven't come here to give the children pastries from a bakery so close they could have bought it themselves," she said, no emotion on her face. "Do you remember our last conversation?"

Odeus nodded, swallowing thickly. "I do."

Adara took a sip of the wine again. "I said we should have a drink sometime soon. Though I am the only one drinking, and it is quite a bit later than 'soon', I am here, and I need to discuss something with you."

Odeus did his best to pretend not to know what she might be hinting at. "With me? Is it about the children?"

Adara shook her head, not impressed with his attempt to be innocent. "No. It's about my head."

Odeus's eyes turned cold. His suspicions had been right then, she did know who he was. "So, you know."

Adara smiled slightly. "I knew since the moment I shook your hand. But that's not important right now."

Odeus caught on. "You want your head off the Underworld."

She took a sip of her wine. "Yes."

Odeus frowned. "You are surely aware I can't do it alone."

"I am aware."

Odeus frowned even further. "Who else did you drag into this?"

Adara lifted her glass to her lips. "The Quillens." She took her sip, observing the person across from her.

His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "The Quillens?" But then he gathered himself. "What do you have to offer?"

She was glad he gathered himself and got straight to the point; it would do no good if he went on and on about the fact it was the Quillen Family. She set the glass on the table, making Odeus flinch. "I have two things to offer. The first; a business opportunity with the Quillens. If you both like the way the other works, you might have many business profits together if you continue to work together in the future."