Chương 64: Chapter 63: Off the Record.

I had cleaned up my father's study. The room had been an absolute mess the last time I had come here. It took the better part of a morning to personally clean all of the papers and organize the books -hours spent crawling through clutter and dust. It wasn't a task I wanted to leave to someone else, mainly because there was no telling what I might stumble into.

As it happened, most of the papers were either letters of correspondence between my father and Nobles of other cities or reports from the few outposts and estates we held. It seemed like my father spent a good amount of time every day trying to balance our family's ledger himself. Why he didn't delegate this one task to someone else was a mystery. Some of these letters pertained to events around the Kingdom. This year's monster outbreak in the North was among the fiercest in a decade.

House Bulwark would have its hands full. These outbreaks occurred so regularly that the army was usually ready to intercept before monsters even appeared. Then, a new Saintess Candidate had been found in the Capital. If information on Heroes was scarce, then it was nonexistent for Saints. It didn't have much of anything to do with me, and yet I found myself curious all the same. I spent most of today answering letters that needed immediate answers.

Largely, it was just coordinating agreements my father had already made. Just giving my approval to some Count or Viscount, or even a Baron. It felt odd to sit here. It felt as if I was formally filling the position before he had even truly passed away. My feelings and suspicions aside, I really hoped that didn't happen anytime soon. A knock at the door made me pause and I dropped the report I was reading onto the desk. Anias poked her head inside the room, waiting for my acknowledgment before speaking.

"Lady Esra, your guest has arrived. Should I prepare a room or….?"

"You can have them escorted here," I said.

"Are you certain?" I thought about it for a few seconds before nodding.

"I am." The door opened wider. A large tray suspended by a purple glow slowly floated over towards me. It had two cups, a large teapot, and a set of pastries. It floated and slowly settled onto the empty table next to my desk. The silver tray held three cream puffs, four fruit tarts, and six chocolate cheesecakes. Perhaps I should sponsor this 'Layers' Bakery myself. I smiled.

"You are certainly thorough."

"I had thought you might want to sit here," Anias said.

"I'll have her brought right here." Anias gave a slight bow, stepping back out into the hallway. I tried not to reach for the sweets in her absence. That was almost definitely poor form. I didn't have to wait very long at all before the door opened again. Anias bowed and led my guest in. Dorothy Carter was just as I remembered her: petite, long black hair drawn into a ponytail, wide, doe-like eyes. The woman still gave me the impression of a fox.

Her brown jacket was neatly pressed but frayed at the cuffs, and she held a battered-looking leather satchel at her side. She bowed her head low the second her gaze met mine. I didn't need to use my Gift to know just how nervous she was.

"Anias, you may leave us," I said idly, fixing my gaze on the woman.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"N-no," Dorothy said.

"It-it's my g-great honor to be here, my Lady!" It wasn't just that she was nervous. It felt more like she was terrified of me. What the heck did I do to anyone? Well, there was that one time…and then that other time. I shook my head.

"Please, raise your head and take a seat. I do not bite." I watched as she slowly rose, standing so straight I was afraid her back might snap. She moved forward, her movements rigid, eyes fixed on the seat in front of my desk. After a pause, she lowered herself onto it. I was pretty sure I didn't look that intimidating today. Just a simple, long-sleeved blue dress, a plated corset underneath. I was compressing a tiny amount of mana around my back, as Violet had suggested. Not in any noticeable amount, I was sure.

"Please, help yourself." I gestured to the food in front of me.

"No. I-I couldn't possibly-" I reached for the teapot and absently filled a cup for her. Extending it, I watched her already wide eyes go wider. I really hoped this wasn't how the entire meeting was going to go. The woman quickly took the cup from me. It faintly shook. Luckily, she didn't end up spilling any as she brought the cup up and sipped. She froze in place and looked down at the cup. Anias…had made the tea to my liking, hadn't she? I hadn't noticed before, but there wasn't even any sugar!

"If you don't like it, I can have someone fetch you another batch. Or, I can have someone bring sugar." There was a small rectangular red box at one side of the table. I reached for it right as Dorothy interrupted me.

"It's okay! I uh…I like the different…flavor!" She said, taking a much bigger sip this time. I didn't think it was entirely safe to drink hot tea in that big of a gulp. I poured out my own cup, gestured towards the food.

"Please, help yourself." Dorothy looked scandalized, but after a moment of hesitation, she reached out and took one of the cheesecakes from the tray, leaving behind four.

"Now, tell me, do you know why I called you out here?" I asked. Dorothy let out a delighted hum as she bit into the cheesecake, only to realize that I was staring at her. She blushed crimson and shook her head.

"S-sorry! Everyone is trying so hard to get their hands on these, and when I saw them here, I just couldn't help myself!" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"It doesn't matter. Help yourself." Dorothy pointedly set the half-eaten cheesecake down.

"Um…I have no idea why your Ladyship would want to meet with me. You agreed to an interview with me, but I never thought it would actually happen."

"This isn't that interview," I said. She paused, seemed to wilt a little.

"But, it might be something quite a bit more…useful." I opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out the newspaper, folded inside. I unfolded it in front of her.

"I am sure you recognize this." Dorothy's eyes were wide.

"That's mi- ours. My Lady reads our paper?"

"I have a few times." The newspaper had the words The Aelheim Gazette " printed near the top in big, bold lettering.

"I find your writing rather impressive. It has none of the floweriness of the more popular newspapers. It's refreshing." Dorothy's eyes widened, and she seemed to puff up slightly.

"Thank you! I worked really hard on the Writer's Guild article! Some of my best work!" That article was a report that alleged that the Writers' Guild of Aelheim was currently trying to poach talent from another guild in Myrheim, the capital of the Southern Provinces. It was an interesting little scandal, one that had little to do with Nobility.

"And yet, despite all of that…." I paused, clasping my hands on the table in front of me.

"The Aelheim Gazette is in some trouble, is it not?" Dorothy paused, stared at me. She looked away then.

"That's just…that's just because we're new. People haven't had time to give us a chance."

"Indeed," I said.

"However, I am afraid that chance might never come." Dorothy looked back at me. I smiled.

"You have been blacklisted from all of the major newstands, have you not? You are left to use paperboys. A method both looked down on in Aelheim, while not being nearly as efficient."

"Yes." She admitted, staring down at her clenched hands.

"They say our articles bring disrepute to Aelheim, and that we would be better off writing about simpler things. But then…but then all of the other newspapers end up digging into the nobles anyway!"

"Why do you think that is?" I asked. Dorothy looked up and met my gaze. Hesitated.

"You are free to say anything here you wish." Dorothy swallowed.

"I uh…I shouldn't say this, but… there's a certain pattern to the types of articles the other newspapers are willing to write. The Chief doesn't tell me anything when I ask, but I'm pretty sure they've tried to make him write articles favoring..."

"... a certain Ducal House." I finished for her. Smiled.

"Yes," Dorothy admitted. The poor girl did have a habit of getting depressed awfully easily. I almost wanted to offer her more pastries myself. I reached for the plate. I paused. The cheesecakes were all gone. When had the woman even eaten all of them?

"In any event, I can't imagine your Newspaper has many readers. It's hard to believe that a small paper can survive forever." Dorothy's face flushed. She looked up at me, and this time, there was genuine anger in her face.

"W-we'll survive just fine! It's not about being famous, it's about making sure that what needs to be printed gets printed."

"That's an admirable goal." I tilted my head slightly.

"One I imagined isn't shared by many in this city." Dorothy must have realized where she was and what tone she used, because she hurriedly raised her hands.

"M-my mistake, My Lady! I didn't mean any-" I waved her off.

"Please, I do not mind. That was quite charming."

"I-it was?"

"Yes. Now…." I let the silence hang in the air for a moment.

"How would you feel about House Veyne sponsoring your newspaper?" It was a good thing the woman wasn't still holding the cup, or she might have just dropped it on my floor. Dorothy stared at me. Her doe-like eyes grew wider and wider with each passing second. Five seconds passed in silence. Then she opened her mouth to say something. Words didn't come out. Instead, the woman let out a confused, croaking sound.

I didn't think she was going to make out words at all when she jumped up to her feet so fast her chair tipped over.

"That would be a great honor!" She all but yelled, bouncing on her feet. She reached over, grabbed my two hands, and held them tight.

"A great, incredible, stupendous honor!"

"R-right…." I said, not knowing whether I should be confused or simply bemused. Both? Dorothy let go of my hands and stepped back. I was pretty sure she was going to apologize for suddenly being so forward with me. Instead, her face fell, and she looked…forlorn? Her lower lip twitched as she wrestled with something in her head. She finally made her decision and bowed low.

"A-actually, My Lady, I'm sorry, but I just can't accept this!" What? I stared at her. Almost every single one of the plans I had made would go up in flames if she didn't accept my offer. At the very least, it would significantly delay my plans.

"Why?" I asked finally. It didn't make much sense. From all the research I'd done, they definitely needed help.

"It's…." Dorothy didn't raise her head.

"If you're offering help, then M-My Lady, I'm sure it's because you want something. Many of the other newspapers have leaned themselves towards that man, but…but we refused." She finally looked up, and there was fire in her eyes.

"W-we don't believe in…bias. There's no point to writing a story when the headline is already written for you." Ah. So that's how it was. I found myself smiling. I also found myself quite liking this strangely cowardly and yet oddly resolute woman.

"Then there shouldn't be an issue at all. After all, you haven't yet heard my proposal in full."

"What?" Dorothy stared at me.

"I have no intention of writing your headlines for you. I have no intention of making you write anything you do not wish to write yourself." I smiled and leaned back in the large chair.

"There are going to be a few…public events soon. I would like you to attend those events. Report what you see as you see it. That is all I ask. In exchange, I will get you back onto those newsstands. If that's not possible, we will simply build new ones. That is my offer." Dorothy fidgeted in place. Then…she started to pace around in front of me. She spoke as she did.

"You want me to…report on the things House Veyne is doing. Make that a focus of my writing." I watched her walk. Her path was odd. Every time she approached the right side of the desk, she took a strangely wide, awkward step outward before turning back and continuing her path.

"Only if you think it's worth focusing on." Dorothy barely stopped moving as she paced left and right.

"Some kind of public spectacle then? But it would all go wrong if I saw something or wrote about something you didn't want me-""That's fine." That made her stop in place and look at me again.

"This is not meant to be propaganda. So, feel free to report on what you wish. Oh, but…." I leaned forward.

"It's not just inside the city. There will be an expedition soon. I will be going personally. I want you to come with me. Preferably with a Scrylens." It shouldn't have been possible, but somehow Dorothy's wide eyes went wider still, until her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline.

"Outside…the city…."

"Yes. Unless you think that's too dangerous, in which case-" Dorothy slammed her hands on the table, so hard the silverware rattled.

"I'll do it!"

"You are…sure?" Dorothy nodded eagerly.

"If…if what you're saying is true, I'll do it!" I found myself grinning. Good. It would have been a damned shame if she'd refused. I did find myself quite liking her.

"Then, you should take a seat. We do have quite a bit to discuss." It took an hour of conversation before Dorothy left. In that hour, Dorothy very slowly started to become a bit more comfortable around me, at least to the point where she wasn't constantly stuttering and stammering. That was a good improvement. When she left, she gave me possibly the single deepest bow anyone had ever given me. I did hope she would tone that down in the future. That left me alone in my office, with the pastries.

There were no cheesecakes left. There was one tart left. One cream puff. The mental math hadn't added up. I had been watching Dorothy, and she certainly hadn't made the plate almost empty. Neither had I. I had kept myself perfectly calm and composed. An assassin using some kind of Gift or perhaps an Artifact? No… that didn't make sense. What kind of assassin stole their targets' sweets right out from under them? There was a gentle hum in the back of my mind as I thought.

The Godblade didn't speak, though I felt its presence. Click. Click. Click. I channeled mana even as I improved my vision. Combining Mana Sight with my Gift gave me a vision even Violet couldn't quite compete with. I absently scanned the room. There was… nothing. Nothing at all.

"Hmm…." I thought about it for a time. The chocolate cheesecakes had gone missing first, hadn't they? She did rather love chocolate.

"Sere…." I whispered.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know. You didn't even leave me any of the cheesecakes." There was nothing for two seconds. Then, Sere popped into existence right next to me.