Chương 84: Chapter 81 – Visibility

"Aye, guv, two o' em today we saw," the carter said, gesturing out toward the city.

"No… anything?" Alric asked with a frown.

"Not a sausage, guv. We was on that road two days back, ain't that right, Melv?" the carter said, looking over to his partner, who ran the cart with him.

"Nuffink." That was all he said, with some authority.

"Melv ain't much o' a talker, guv. Says he charges extra for words," the carter said with a shrug. Melv grunted in response.

"Dem taverns jus' locked up tight, no one opening a door." Melv looked at a nearby building as though that one word had already consumed his words for the day and he didn't want to give another.

"Alright, well. Just let me know if it happens again," Alric said, which got him a nod from both. That was now sixteen taverns that had up and closed. Some of these had been guild members. At this rate, he was going to run out of taverns before he ran out of problems.

"Oh goodness, Alric, it's so good to see you!" a voice came from nearby. Alric turned to it. The woman who approached him was well dressed in the careful way of someone who expected to be looked at. Good wool, neatly kept, the color worn but even. She lacked the flair Alric would have expected from a typical merchant like Moreen. A shawl rested across her shoulders, pinned back tightly; Alric suspected it would hold for three days at minimum.

There was nothing remarkable about her immediately, but the longer one looked, the more deliberate it became. Everything she wore had been chosen with care.

"Uh… I'm sorry, but have we met?" Alric asked, wondering if this was another name he had forgotten. Her tone suggested he should remember. He did not. She laughed, but it was practiced.

"Of course we have, silly. Although I've never been to your brewery. Even from the outside, I can see it's very clean. Would you care to show me the inside?" she said with a casual smile, but she spoke at a speed that gave Alric no chance to speak at all.

"Uhm… sure, this way," he said, gesturing in bewilderment. He was trying urgently to place where he had met this woman.

"My word, it's even cleaner inside, and all your staff are so organized. I do like the aprons. My cousin runs an inn, you know. Has a daughter with very good hands, even," she said with a smile.

"I see… Are you looking for a price list?" Alric asked. She laughed again, the same practiced laugh from earlier.

"See, you are so funny, dear. What kind of household do you plan to keep?" she asked out of nowhere.

"I'm… I'm not sure what you mean?" he stammered out. He briefly considered saying profitable, but he wasn't sure what fuel he was adding to what fire.

"Well, a man in your position needs order, of course. You run a great little place here, but I really must be going. It was so good to see you again, and I hope to see you soon!" she said, moving off quickly. Alric stood there for a moment, trying to take in what had just happened. Was she being odd? Rude? Another weird cultural thing? Had he met her before? He felt like he had gotten social whiplash. He felt like he'd just failed a test he didn't remember taking.

Deciding retreat was the safer option, he made his way back to his office. Seren and Vale were there. He had meant to mention the extra tavern closures to Vale before he'd gotten distracted.

"Something bothering you, Mister Alric?" Seren asked after glancing at his expression. He wasn't sure what expression he was wearing, though. Seren listened as he explained, her expression shifting only slightly as the pieces came together. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I see," she said at last.

"That was a matchmaker." Alric blinked. That explained nothing. It explained everything.

"I think," Seren continued, tone still even, "I need to have a lengthy conversation with the wall. My employer appears to have informed the matchmaker that he is wealthy, unguarded, and—" she paused very slightly, "approachable." There was a brief silence.

"I feel like I should object to one of those," Alric said, "but I'm not sure which." Vale, however, seemed sympathetic. He raised a hand to the back of his head and avoided eye contact as well when he said, "Considering your age, position, money… I'm not surprised. If that's in the merchants' wives' rumor mill? That talk spreads faster than guild news." He sounded sympathetic, but Alric could also see the hints of a smile.

"Thanks, Vale. Nice to have a buddy for these things," Alric said, knowing full well he did not, in fact, have a buddy for these things. Vale bit his lip to avoid laughing.

"We've received a few letters along those lines…" Seren said hesitantly.

"I turned them down out of hand, though." Seren had the good grace to blush.

"Good call. Keep declining them, but I think you should be ruder in your responses," Alric said, which got a scoff from both.

"If you'll excuse me, Mister Alric, I need to go… somewhere else to sort out accounts," Vale said, keeping his head down and exiting. Alric watched him go with a complicated expression. The accounts must have suddenly been very amusing. Alric walked over to his desk and settled in, trying to figure out how to take in this new development.

"Mister Alric," she said, making eye contact.

"Do you know why Monica introduced us?" What had been an awkward conversation had now moved somewhere else entirely.

"Uh… that came out of nowhere," Alric said, looking at her sideways.

"So you do know." She paused, just briefly.

"She considers herself something of a matchmaker as well." She tilted her head slightly.

"You've never expressed any interest, though, Mister Alric." There was a moment before she added, more lightly, "I wondered if that was deliberate."

"Wha— Hold on. No." Alric took a breath and sat up straighter. This felt like a trap. It was definitely a trap.

"Uh… there's, uh… it's just… where I come from, you shouldn't… see people who work for you. It makes things… difficult." He winced slightly, then forced himself to continue.

"It's not done where I come from. At least, it shouldn't be. If someone was unhappy, they couldn't leave. Not easily. I'm responsible for their work, their housing, food… it just makes things… complicated." He trailed off. Seren seemed to consider that.

"That is why I prefer working for you, Mister Alric," she said.

"When I worked as a maid, I spent a great deal of time avoiding noblemen." A small pause.

"Where you come from, though… that is not the case?" Alric looked at the wall.

"People still avoided the rich and powerful, but, uh... if I'm honest, Seren… I was jealous of Branick. But you two seem happy. That's all I could wish for." He failed to hide the hints of a blush, however. Seren's expression shifted, the edge of her smile softening.

"We are," she said.

"More so now that he's stopped adventuring."

"Huh? Isn't he still—" She shook her head.

"He works for the guild now. Trains greenhorns. That was a condition." Alric swallowed.

"You're not going to tell me where you're from, then, Mister Alric?" He opened his mouth, then closed it again. This conversation was getting worse.

"Uh… it's complicated," he said, feeling smaller by the second.

"I see." A faint hint of amusement touched her tone.

"It often is with you, Mister Alric." She did not press further.

"In that case," she continued, "there is not much for it. As your assistant, I will make do with what I can understand." A slight pause.

"At least I have a head start."

"Uh…" Alric managed, shrinking further into his chair.

"Splendid," she said.

"When do you plan to move?"

"Wha— How do you keep catching me off guard?" he asked. He had not realised he was planning to move. Seren let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh, though she covered it.

"You said this barely feels like home," she said.

"I assumed you had other plans."

"Uh… I hadn't fully thought about it, to be honest—""The staff would be happier," she said, not sharply, but without stepping back from it. That gave him pause.

"I see. Is it really that bad?" Seren hesitated.

"Mister Alric… as much as my… interference has caused problems, you are difficult to read." She chose the words carefully.

"To the staff, you are unpredictable. Kind. Generous. They are incredibly loyal, but they do not know what to expect from you." He looked down at the table.

"I don't think you can help it," she added.

"No one else would take on guilds and win with a handful of staff. They don't think like you do."

"Not sure if we won anything—" he began. She shook her head.

"They backed off. To anyone else, that is winning."

"They are plotting something, I'm sure—""They always will be," she said.

"That will not change, I believe. Was there anything else, Mister Alric?"

"Uh… no. I haven't decided on moving yet. I'll let you know," Alric said, avoiding eye contact.

"For what it's worth, Mister Alric," she said with a small curtsy, "talk to me more. I did a great deal because you seemed to get more and more frustrated. You only seemed to improve recently." After a brief pause, she added, "We thought we were the cause." Then she left. Alric stayed in his chair for a long moment, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It did not improve with reflection.