Know Who to Count On

Chapter 2: Eat the Cookies, Spill the Tea

"Another letter from Liara, My Lord," Kiver said in his raspy voice. Alexis took the piece of paper from the older man and rounded the desk to flop into the chair. He smiled when he saw his butler's mustache twitch in irritation.

"Come on, K. It's just a chair." Responsibilities or not, Alexis was still a nineteen year old young man who took some youthful pleasure in seeing those older than him frown at his errant ways. Propping his boots up on the desk he unfolded the letter, its seal already broken as Kiver read all Liara's communications before handing it over to the count. She was reaching the end of her month-long mission and they had been discussing if it was better to keep her there or bring her home, but were waiting for her next report to fully decide.

Scanning through the letter's contents he did have to smile at her improved writing capabilities. She had mentioned in one of her earliest missives that one of the other maids had offered to help her improve her reading and writing and it had definitely borne fruit. That being said, he could tell that she wanted to come back to Blackridge as the conditions in Hillbranch were often troublesome and tedious. A primary portion of the irritation she felt while undercover was that she couldn't properly exercise the way she'd like. She was a skilled fighter and in order to maintain that razor's edge, she'd prefer to spar daily and instead she was cleaning after snooty nobles.

He was surprised that she liked a few of the other maids at the Banselva manor, something he knew she hadn't expected when the mission was proposed. The few that hadn't been run off by 'The Family's' horrid ways were cut from tough cloth, much like Liara herself. They had reasons to stay in Hillbranch and were making the best of it, dealing with the obstacles thrown their way each day and coming back the next. Alexis didn't like to think that people had to live in situations that made them uncomfortable or, as in this scenario, caused them trauma and suffering just to make a living. It wasn't how life should be lived, his father had shown him that. Everyone should be able to thrive without worrying that their lives would be at risk if they expressed themselves.

"It seems that after that first week, things got more interesting as the rest of Halstein's family returned from their trips," he said aloud, even though he knew Kiver had already read the letter's contents. "She is ready to get out of there. What do you think, should we have her stay longer?"

Kiver stood stoically nearby, the only movement a twitch of his mustache until he finally was ready to speak. "It would be best for you, My Lord, if she were to stay until you arrive. However, I get the sense that if we leave her there much longer she may kill some of the family for us."

Alexis laughed. "I'd argue that would save so much time and effort, but it certainly won't make the impression we're hoping to make on the people of Hillbranch." He scanned through her letter again, his brain sifting through all the possibilities he could think of for both letting her come back and making her stay. "I know I need her to come back before we go so she can talk to me in person and give me all the details that she wasn't able to put into her reports. However, with my visit date set and about six weeks out, I don't know if it would be better to leave her there another month to collect more data before coming back here." The likelihood that she would find out anything that would affect his trip was unlikely, once he really thought about it. They weren't so concerned with Halstein's ties to his vassals who hadn't changed in decades. Nor were they expecting any major changes within the Banselva household other than a daughter getting married off before he got there. And what a shame that would be, he thought, to have one less rotten fruit to choose from.

He grabbed a piece of stationary from the side of the desk and began writing. As he put thoughts to paper, he announced his decision to Kiver. "I'm telling her to stay one more week, then to return to us. That will bridge the gap just a little and then I'm asking her to survey the route between Hillbranch and Blackridge for anything we could possibly need." He finished and rolled it tightly since it would be ferried by bird.