Chương 18: Chapter 17: Price

I woke up a little late. After Valentina dropped me off at my place, I went to the establishment and stayed awake until 2: 30 a. m. before sleeping. After showering and eating breakfast, I returned to the office, where Carla was waiting for me with numbers from last night. The numbers were good for the first two days, and after doing quick math, I laid out the things I had to do, and there were many. I had to finish them before going to another party tonight.

I don't think there will be a night during this whole week when I will be in the establishment. There were a lot of parties I had to attend.

"These have come for you," said Carla, handing me the envelopes. I took them, and the first one immediately caught my eye. It's from my uncle; I recognise his pretentious sigil. He had finally called me. I knew he would after I sent the letter to Grandfather. It is not the only letter from the family; there is another one, and when I read it, a mirthless smile appeared on my face.

"Nothing is free," I muttered, especially from my grandfather. If one asks him for something, you must be prepared to pay for it. Although what he asked is a little inconvenient, I will have to do it, considering he has promised to give me what I had wanted from him. The other letters are invitations to parties; unfortunately, I will not attend any of them except today's. I will be leaving the city tomorrow. I hate to leave the establishment just a few days after it opened, but I have no choice.

After reading all the letters, I began to work, especially now that I will be gone for several days. Now that I am leaving tomorrow, I have many things to do. I do not know precisely when I will return. It might be a few days or over a week. Soon, two hours passed, and I left my office for my room below, where I changed my clothes before walking down to the ground floor. A few minutes later, I was in the carriage to meet with my uncle. The carriage turned onto a familiar road.

It was a street where I had rented a house, but I was not going to my house. A few minutes later, the carriage stopped before a blue-white mansion no smaller than the Damon Hardts. It is the House of Silver mansion. The house has one in nearly every city, it does business in. As the carriage stopped, I got out and walked toward the door, where two muscular men stood guard. As I appeared, they stepped to block the door for me, seeing that I couldn't help but smile. They are my uncle's personal guards.

I have seen them many times, and they, too, have seen me, but they still decided to block the way. It seemed like my uncle didn't like what I had done.

"Who are you?" asked the one with the bald head and heavy scimitar.

"Jost, Dan, step aside; I have to meet my uncle," I said to them with a smile.

"We do not know you. Do you have any business with Mr. Silver?" asked curly-haired Dan. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"If you do not step away, I will return and write a letter to the house about what just happened. I am sure Grandfather would like to hear how you treated the member of the house," I threatened, and like always, it worked. They might be guards of my uncle, but it is a house that pays their salary. They stepped aside, and I walked in. I had just stepped inside when I saw a man in his forties approaching me. A faint surprise was on his face when he saw me walking inside, but he quickly hid it.

He is Tony, my uncle's assistant.

"Master Remus, I was coming to get you," he said.

"No need; it is my home, too; I come and go whenever I want," I replied. His smile stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. I could have stayed here since it belonged to the house and people in the city usually occupied it, but I did not. I wanted my own space without any shackles. Tony led me, and soon, we appeared in front of the door, where two more people stood guard.

"Mr. Silver, Master Remus has arrived," informed Tony, "Send him in," replied the voice from the room. Hearing that, Tony opened the door. I walked into what seemed to be an office, which was bigger than I have in the establishment and more opulent, which is understandable. The house had money to spend, but I did not. In the office, a man who seemed to be in his early fifties was sitting behind a huge desk. His thin and short frame looked even smaller with the desk.

"Uncle Raymond," I greeted as I appeared before him.

"Sit," he said as he looked up from whatever he was reading. I took a seat in front of him. He did not speak, nor did I; we just stared at each other. There was no change in our expressions for a few seconds before irritation flashed in his eyes, and a moment later, I felt a sudden strong urge to speak up.

'Bastard!' I cursed. He had used his skill on me, giving me a powerful urge to speak. I have experienced this skill before; my father had it, and his was stronger. So, I had quite an experience dealing with this skill, as my father used it a lot on me. I remained quiet despite the strong urge, which got stronger every second till it became unbearable. I could see the irritation in his eyes flaring up, and there was irritation and a spark of anger.

"Do you want a letter of recommendation from the house?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied without changing my expression. It is for which I had sent the letter to my grandfather.

"You want to be a legal adviser of the Merchant Guild. Do you have any experience in the law or even a class?" he asked, his voice getting louder every second. I want to be the merchant guild's legal adviser. Although the guild has a legal department, legal advisers are unique positions reserved for merchant guild members. It is unpaid, and most people were not interested in it, but it is the only position I could vie for and one that will keep me informed of things and give me some influence.

It is not easy to obtain, as powerful merchants stake their lives on it, so it requires serious backing.

"You will make our house a laughingstock," he said, nearly shouting, without giving even a chance to say the words.

'This useless man!' I cursed in my mouth; of all my father's siblings, this bastard is the most useless one. He had never succeeded in any business he had been handed over. He burned several to the ashes. Now, he has become Grandfather's errand boy, going to places to represent him. He is doing quite well in that job, and my father said he even took a class related to it.

"I am sure Grandfather knows better; otherwise, he wouldn't have given me his permission," I replied finally, making him glare at me in a fury. I received a law certificate from the academy a few months ago. My father was quite proud when he learned about it. It is tough to pass, especially without class, and in less than three years, it usually takes six years, and it is for those who attend regularly, while I did not.

He glared at me for a couple of seconds before closing his eyes; when he opened them again, they were much calmer.

"This is the letter of recommendation Father had asked me to give you," he said and passed it to me. I took the paper in my hand. Seeing it a small, appeared on my face. Though a moment later, my expression turned serious as it was not without a cost.

"Thank you, uncle," I thanked and got up.

"Be here by eight tomorrow; we will not wait for you if you are late," he said as I approached the door.

"Don't worry, uncle, I won't be late," I said without returning. I am going to Blain tomorrow. It's the territory, the family had paid a massive price to get.