The idea of having even the slightest glimpse of energy left for work was laughable. Lucius couldn't even listen to a word Bezek had to say without wanting to punch him.
It wasn't even necessarily mean or worthy of aggression, but Lucius could use some violence at the time. The past twenty-four hours had been draining to put it mildly and he'd gotten no sleep whatsoever.
Still, he'd made a decision to be more open minded towards the richer side of town, so while stifling a groan Lucius had to make an effort to listen to what the man had to say.
"I think it's not more than fair, don't you think?" Bezek asked, and Lucius clicked his tongue at the inopportune place to return to a conversation.
"Can you elaborate?" he therefore asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just so we're clear?"
Bezek looked taken aback, but he looked down at the papers in his hands again with a sigh.
"Mr. Whitbrow is requesting another talk about the situation yesterday. Says he'd like to meet at your earliest convenience."
So... Never?
"Right..." His mind was already slipping. It scurried back to the image of Mabel's empty grave and he winced. He knew he couldn't be expected to not think about it, but did it have to distract him from everything else? Chances were it would require a lot to get to the bottom of it and he simply didn't have the time at the moment. "... I suppose we could schedule him a week from now?"
Bezek frowned, eyebrows looking as though they were weighed down by his disappointment.
"Lady Cromwell... I'm rather certain we can meet with him earlier than that."
Lucius had two choices. The most preferable one was uttering a sentence containing two curses, one insult aimed at Bezek, one aimed at Whitbrow and a quick lesson in what 'convenience' meant. The other was to play nice.
"Well, if you know a good time, I'd be ever so grateful if you could schedule that," Lucius said with his brightest smile. "Preferably right after tea."
"I'll see what I can do." Bezek's returned smile was strained, but he seemed to at least be content with the answer and turned around to head to his office.
Lucius had just taken the liberty to lean back against his much appreciated, comfortable chair when Bahman walked in, successfully crushing his hopeful ideas of some peace and quiet.
"Lady Cromwell?"
"You know, I call you Bahman so 'Lucia' is alright." To Lucius' surprise they'd somehow managed to match colour-schemes today, with Bahman wearing a silvery blue coat very similar to the colour of Lucius' wig of the day and they'd both gone with dark grey accents on their clothing.
Well..." Bahman didn't look convinced, but he moved on from the subject. "... I just wanted to tell you that Lord Hargreaves would like to speak with you."
Lucius' tired eyes switched to wide awake.
"Really?"
He almost couldn't believe it, but what a relief. If Anthony was willing to discuss things for real this time, maybe it could distract Lucius from the Mabel case until he'd be able to investigate it properly.
"Yes, really." Bahman smiled, though if Lucius wasn't wrong there was a hint of concern in his expression as well. "Should I go—"
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Featherstone," a new voice appeared from the doorway and to Lucius' confusion and disappointment the man who stepped past Bahman and through the doorway was not Anthony.
"Lady Cromwell." The man stopped in front of Lucius' desk and looked down at him, eyes cold enough to send chills down Lucius' spine. Had it not been for the smile on his lips Lucius would have thought he was there to kill him. "It's come to my attention that we need to talk."
"Um, Lord—Lord Hargreaves, if I may..." Bahman's smile was awkward, but he sure tried his best. "I was under the impression you would wait downstairs. I haven't had the time to see if Lady Cromwell is available."
Lucius adjusted his frown before anyone could spot it. Hargreaves, was it? Another one? And another Lord to boot?
He supposed the man indeed looked like another Hargreaves relative, with a paler complexion compared to Anthony and darker brown hair. The two even had the same distinct blue eyes, this man's just being of the freezing cold edition, and despite his thinner physique Lucius was willing to bet he was the oldest of the three, if only by a couple of years.
"I am aware," Lord Hargreaves replied to Bahman as he moved a chair closer to Lucius' desk and sat down. "But I believe she will want to make some time for me."
He gave Lucius another smile and Lucius mimicked the gesture, still not grasping what was going on.
"Right. Well, if it's alright with you, Lady Cromwell, perhaps I should leave the two of you alone?" Bahman then suggested, sending Lucius a sympathetic look that was far from comforting at the moment.
Lucius still nodded. What reason would he have not to?
"I'm certain you know why I'm here," Lord Hargreaves continued as the door closed, eyes relentlessly pinning Lucius down. "Merchants tend to reach out to me when things become... Difficult, after all."
He had an imperative voice. More than any authority Lucius had encountered before, but he would not be intimidated.
"I believe we may have missed a couple of steps." He flashed his best smile, arching an eyebrow just a little to imply amusement. "We haven't met before, have we? Introductions may be in order."
"I did not think that was necessary, seeing how you're the town chief and quite a big topic around town at the moment," Lord Hargreaves replied, looking rather amused himself. "And you're close enough to Anthony to be in possession of his ring, so surely you would know who I am."
Lucius only spared the ring on his hand a short glance, having forgotten he was wearing it. Then his mind began piecing things together, and he scanned the man's appearance as subtly as he could.
While failing miserably at ignoring the man's expensive, navy blue and grey clothes Lucius quickly spotted what he was actually looking for located on the man's cravat. A brooch picturing a fang split in half. The same emblem as the one on Anthony's ring.
The BBT emblem.
Lucius resisted the urge to swallow, shifting in his seat as quietly as he could.
"Well, if I must." Lord Hargreaves rose from his chair with a sigh, and Lucius blinked as if he'd missed something.
"I'm...?"
"Lord Damien Hargreaves," the man introduced himself with a light bow. "Head of the BBT."
There was no room for looking surprised, or showing any emotion at all to be safe. A thousand thoughts and theories wanted to break through to Lucius but time wouldn't allow it.
"Yes, of course. I accompanied Anthony to your ball."
"So I heard." Damien nodded. "I did not see you though, or I'm certain I would have remembered."
"Well, Anthony and I did dance, but I suppose I didn't mingle quite so much."
Damien smiled.
"Derek tells me he found you in the art gallery on the second floor. I would find it surprising if there were people to mingle with."
"I'd simply been looking forward to seeing it." Lucius matched Damien's smile but his eyes wouldn't follow its example. "But apparently such a thing calls for hostile intervention."
"Oh, he means nothing by it." Damien waved his hand dismissively. "Derek's hostile towards everyone, even in a good mood."
"... How reassuring."
Damien stared him down for yet another moment, then he sighed again.
"Lady Cromwell, I'm sure you understand I have more than one question for you, so how about we get them out of the way?"
Lucius drew a silent breath to brace himself.
"I'd be delighted."
"First of all, Anthony won't tell me much about your connection to each other, and I'm curious to know why he would go so far as to entrust you with his position."
"Well, I wouldn't say he gave me his position like that," Lucius protested, refusing to give all credit to Anthony. "But his approval gave me a foothold enough to be given the opportunity."
"So he did not actually recommend you?"
Lucius knitted his eyebrows, mind going back to Anthony's suggestion and he parted his mouth slightly in an attempt to look puzzled.
"Lord Hargreaves, do you have issues with me being town chief?"
"I don't think it's a secret that you're struggling with it," Damien said rather bluntly. "There have been numerous complaints after all."
Lucius opened his mouth again, preparing another speech about ridiculous merchants but Damien was quicker.
"What's more, the Hargreaves family has been in a place of authority for a long time, and with such an abrupt power shift things are bound to become complicated."
More pieces were falling into place. The BBT organisation, the shady business that followed and Anthony's reluctance to explain why Lucius shouldn't be town chief.
"So... I assume you would like me to step down?" He tilted his head, lips curling into a curious smile. "Or am I misunderstanding?"
"It is unfortunate, but I think it would be for the best." Damien knitted his eyebrows as if pitying the poor town chief. "People already require too much from someone as young and inexperienced as you. You should not have to be responsible for something so big."
Lucius nodded slowly, letting the backhanded insult slide as he prepared to fire back.
"Oh? That's interesting. I didn't think your reasoning would come from concern about me as a person," he said with his most innocent voice. "I thought you were worried about the future of your illegal shipments."
If Damien was distressed by the mention, he showed no sign of it.
"I'm sorry?"
"Well, the drugs and stolen artefacts, for a start." Lucius placed a hand against his chin in exaggerated thought. "I did some digging earlier and found out several of the latter had gone missing from museums and homes of wealthier families."
Finally, he stared back at Damien with full intensity.
"And then there are those mysterious disappearances surrounding your organisation, of course. Should any of those rumours be true I can understand your concern with suddenly not having the town chief on your side anymore... Should they decide to investigate, and potentially shut things down."
The two spent a moment engaging in a staring contest before Damien laughed through his nose and looked over his shoulder before turning back. Lucius saw this as a win since he averted his gaze but was disappointed by the smile.
"I'd be far from thrilled if rumours like that would be going around, and I'm curious to know why you would bring such specific examples up."
"I hear whispers here and there." Lucius' smile remained. "The higher class would probably not tell me, should they find the product of these supposed rumours... Enjoyable. But there are other parts of town where things, especially of the not so legal kind, are secret to few."
"Ah, yes." Damien's eyes narrowed. "They did mention you seem to have an odd fondness for the worms."
Lucius' expression betrayed him at that point.
"That's... Quite the unbecoming way to speak of people, isn't it?"
"It's just you and me here, and it's not exactly a rare term." Damien shrugged. "Or inaccurate, for that matter."
Lucius clenched his jaw as fury built up inside him.
"Well, I think you've made your point very clear, Lord Hargreaves," he said, doing his utmost to keep up his Lucia-voice. "As things are however, I have no intention to step down, no desire to enable illegal trade, and honestly? No desire to sit here and be patronised, much less mocked for my aspirations. So if that was all you wanted to discuss, I believe you know where the door is."
Damien clicked his tongue, taking a moment to ponder something before replying.
"Yes, I suppose I've made my case." He still remained in his seat, and Lucius resisted drumming his fingers against the desk with impatience. The man could not leave quickly enough. "Though before I leave, I do have a proposal to make."
Lucius was far from interested, but he waited for the man to continue.
"I would like it if you did not interfere with my organisation more than necessary. Those aforementioned rumours are nothing but that, of course, and I don't need them to spread further by you taking drastic measures over nothing." Damien shook his head at what he evidently considered to be a ridiculous idea, but then smiled again. "In return, I'm willing to back off for the time being. I will talk to the other merchants and smooth things out with them while you work on... Well, how to run the town properly, I suppose."
Lucius' lip curled, not so fond of the man trying to be helpful in an awfully condescending way.
"How helpful of you, Lord Hargreaves," he still replied with a voice as flat as a silver spittle. "But you do realise your willingness to help me after implying the opposite just moments before inevitably makes me more suspicious of these 'rumours' of yours?"
"And yet, they're rumours you don't have to worry about if we both would agree to this arrangement." Damien's smile widened, yet there was something sinister about his entire presence and Lucius considered his options.
On one hand, he would appreciate someone who could deal with all those merchant anglers efficiently while he would focus on more important matters, but then he was already concerned with the BBT and what exactly they were up to, and leaving it unchecked may be unwise.
Then again, they had already been around for so long, and said trade was hardly noticeable. Lucius staying in his lane and pretending not to know for a little while longer could very well be worth it if the upper crust remained content.
Tracking down shady businesses would simply be for another day.
"Alright." He sighed through his nose. "I think it sounds like a fair agreement, Lord Hargreaves."
"A good decision," Damien said, voice surprisingly impressed. "Perhaps I was wrong in doubting you after all."
Lucius knew he was just playing nice, but he'd never reject a compliment.
"I certainly hope I won't give you more reasons to doubt me from now on, Lord Hargreaves."
"We shall see." Damien finally rose from his chair, straightening his coat before bowing his head at Lucius. "Regardless, we will face that problem when the time comes."
"If the time comes," Lucius corrected him. "Which it won't, of course."
"Of course." Damien gave him an amused look as he began turning around. "I'll be seeing you around, Lady Cromwell."
Lucius exaggerated a smile so his nose scrunched up.
"Have a good day, Lord Hargreaves."
He then waited a few seconds after the door had closed.
"Scourgefucking angler," he then muttered under his breath before standing up to retrieve the property documents. His mood was far from improved, and he'd be more than happy to get that Hargreaves bastard out of his head, even if it meant looking for Mabel's kidnapper.
... Corpsenapper.
To his annoyance he wasn't entirely sure where to look to find that specific part of the forest, and only after flipping through the entire, large binder of documents he realised it only contained buildings and smaller estates surrounding them within the town.
He groaned, turning around to find another binder.
"Here," he mumbled as he quickly found a large, folded map in the next one, and spent a good while discerning exactly which lot of the forest would contain the meadow, finally settling on the lot marked as number eighteen. A tiny drawing of some kind of flower had been pinned to it, but Lucius was too tired to care about every little thing.
Sighing, he began flipping through the pages to find the corresponding number.
"This really should be someone else's work," he said to himself as he scanned the documents, head growing more and more jumbled the more text he took in. He was way too tired for everything going on.
"Oh thank Dyris," he finally said as he found the paper with 'lot eighteen' at the top and began reading through it. "Property owner... Lt. Ivan Vieryshkin."
Not someone Lucius had heard of before, or he would have known. It wasn't the most common name in a place like Wypera. Still, he supposed he should write it down to find out where he lived.
A knock on the door interrupted the search however, and Lucius let out another sigh of exasperation.
"What is it?"
"Just wondering how things went with Lord Hargreaves," Bahman said as he opened the door. "After all, he can be quite... Well, between you and me I'd like to express that he can be very scary."
Lucius chuckled.
"Let's not be that generous. How about intimidating?"
"Ah yes, that sounds better." Bahman looked amused as well.
"I noticed," Lucius admitted, still. "Nothing I can't handle though. I've gotten along with Anthony for so long, I should be able to come to terms with his brothers as well."
Bahman then blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
Lucius blinked in return.
"I... Should be able to come to terms with his brothers as well?"
"Oh, well... Anthony doesn't have any brothers," Bahman replied, to Lucius' great confusion. "He's an only child. No siblings."
The cogs in Lucius' head were so tired. What the Waste was he on about? On second thought, perhaps he could understand Ethan was a secret to some since he had apparently died once, but then Bahman should have mentioned that, right?
"But..." Lucius looked towards the door, face like a question mark and Bahman shook his head.
"No, Damien is Anthony's father."
Lucius only stared at him, waiting for the man to laugh and tell him it was a joke, but nothing happened.
"He could hardly be more than a couple of years older than him," he finally replied as Bahman's laugh never came. "What was he when Anthony was born? Six?"
"He's had luck on his side while aging," Bahman declared, cheerful as ever and Lucius wanted to scream. "They both have, actually."
And just like that, Lucius' willingness to leave the Hargreaves family and BBT mystery alone vaporised into nothing. He could only manage so much. No matter what Anthony or Damien implied, Lucius was in charge of the town now, so sketchy organisations and secretive, supernatural families would just have to deal with that. Sure, Lucia had promised not to get involved in the trade, but that didn't stop her cousin from investigating it.
And he would investigate all of it.
But how would he begin to? Even if Bahman knew anything he likely would not go behind the Hargreaves's back. No one would, Lucius guessed. Of course Anthony wouldn't tell him, and he had a feeling Damien would be a dead end as well. That didn't leave many options, because Lucius was certain he wanted nothing to do with that Derek person and his bloody shenanigans.
Then his eyes widened as another, rather obvious option struck him.
There was one person he hadn't thought of interrogating yet, and no matter what Bahman claimed about their family, Anthony did at least have one brother.