However, Ras had ways of loosening lips. The fastest way, of course, was greasing palms or pulling strings. With a trusted individual’s introduction, a well-placed coin purse could open a realm of doors for the enterprising investigator.
However, since Ras was working undercover, neither of those options was available to him. Throwing money around was sure to tip off his targets, while leveraging his family name or title would require revealing his identity. As such, Ras had decided to resort to the next best thing—violence.
By bringing such clearly ill-fitting companions to the guild tavern, Ras had been hoping to stir up trouble with a hotheaded mercenary or two. He’d throw a well-placed taunt here and there, then beat them to a pulp the moment they tried to start something. Of course, he’d let them live—but only after they agreed to tell Ras whatever he wanted to know.
Few people would risk being caught in a lie when their own life was on the line, and so long as Ras was the aggrieved party, he could stand to overdo it a little. Best of all, it required the least effort.
However, these two gentlemen had seen right through Ras’s scheme—perhaps that was why they had come to stop him.
“We could really do without a fight breaking out here,” the aura knight said, his expression grave. “The royal guards ain’t takin’ no prisoners these days. Got some big do or somethin’ comin’ up in a few weeks.”
It appeared these two men were bouncers of sorts around this place. It was their job to keep things civil, and they had the skill to recognize any potential threats and handle them if it was necessary.
“Well, sorry for making your lives difficult,” Ras said, “but you’ve come at a good time. Why don’t you join us, and I’ll buy you a round?”
Ras indicated two open seats, while Elmira recognized the potential gains at stake and fetched a couple of drinks. If Ras could get what he needed from a pair of individuals in the know, there would be no need to cause a fuss.
“Might as well,” said the aura knight, scratching his head. “Who knows what you’d pull if we didn’t?”
The other man, the mage, sighed and sat down in the seat opposite Ras.
“Very well,” he said. “What do you want to know?”
“I’m looking for information on the royal family,” said Ras. “Especially Princess Tishna.”
“Princess Tishna?”
“Why do you want to know about her?”
The two men returned puzzled looks. Ras leaned in a little and lowered his voice to a whisper.
“It’s nothing really, but our employer is looking to find a wife for his son, and he’s got his sights set high. We’ve been sent to find out if any bachelorettes of the Charlgian royal family are available.”
“Mm-hmm, I get it. So some nobleman’s contracting you,” said the mage as a look of understanding spread across his face.
Even if Charlgia wasn’t the most powerful country out there, a royal was still a royal. Any potential suitor of Princess Tishna’s would have to be of good blood; a nobleman’s son at the very least, with a member of another royal family being ideal. In Argyll, such candidates would be limited to the Council of Seven and their immediate family, or else Crown Prince Auriol himself.
It was common practice for noblemen to inquire into the reputation and standing of any potential partner. Ras was trying to give the impression he was here for that purpose.
“If your client’s lookin’ for marriage, I think you’re better off lookin’ elsewhere,” said the aura knight. “But we here in Charlgia ain’t gonna complain if you take her someplace far away.”
Ras raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?” he asked. “Is there something wrong with her?”
“You’re damn right there is. She’s a rotten scoundrel, from what I hear. Dirty, childish, and only cares about herself.”
“Oi, stop it. That’s our princess you’re talking about,” cautioned the auramancer.
“Everyone’s sayin’ it,” the first man replied with a hearty grin. “I’ve heard all sorts of horror tales: that she’s insulted other noblewomen and reduced ’em to tears in broad daylight, or she’s saddled royal purveyors with impossible orders and sent ’em packin’ when they can’t make good. She even drove a poor maid to take her own life once.”
“Well, that much is true,” the mage said with a sigh. “I heard she spends like a sailor, too.”
Ras narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected to hear that at all. A lustful appetite aside, the current king of Charlgia was a respectable statesman. He couldn’t imagine a man like that would allow his own daughter to behave in such a way.
“Do the king and her brothers not speak out?” Ras asked. “I’ve only heard good things about the men of the royal family.”
“It’s not that they don’t speak out; it’s that they can’t. Princess Tishna’s mother, the king’s fifth wife, is the queen of Lumede.”
“Lumede? Charlgia’s neighbor? I didn’t think they were such an influential nation.”
“They aren’t,” said the aura knight. “But their territory is all that divides Charlgia from the empire of Registan. From a military standpoint, Charlgia’s gotta keep that alliance alive.”
The Registan Empire spanned the eastern reaches of Danakil. They were led by a military dictatorship that made no efforts to conceal their expansionist agenda, and they were an ever-present threat to the member-states of the Shrumland Alliance, including Charlgia.
With that in mind, Lumede’s importance became clear. It was easy to see how angering them was not a wise decision.
“I see,” said Ras. “So the king’s hands are tied because he doesn’t want to risk angering Lumede.”
“That’s it in a nutshell,” the aura knight agreed. “So tell your client he should find a better princess. There’s six more in our kingdom alone.”
“I’ll do just that,” said Ras. “I’m not sure whether it’ll change this lad’s mind, though.”
Ras flashed a half-hearted smile. The aura knight nodded sympathetically.
“I don’t blame him,” he said. “Princess Tishna’s a real looker, that’s for sure.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah. Ain’t a fairer face in all the land. People say she’d give Princess Fiarca a run for her money were the poor girl still alive. In terms of spitefulness, I’d say ours has her beat, though.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”
Ras tried hard not to chuckle and glanced over at Elmira, who quickly averted her eyes.