“Lady Seren, another envoy sent by your family has arrived.”
“Ugh, again? Doesn’t father know when to quit?”
Lately, a revolving door of envoys from Seren’s family had been coming by to bring her back home. The first one had come three weeks ago. Word of the village had apparently made it to Bazlata’s domain, and they’d come to see if Seren was here.
She didn’t feel the need to hide, so she greeted the envoy properly and then promptly turned him away. He’d hung around for a few days trying to persuade her, but when it became clear she wouldn’t change her mind, he gave up and returned home...only to come back soon after.
“Please let me move here!” he’d said. “I’ve already submitted my resignation!”
Apparently, his few days here had been so ridiculously comfortable that he’d decided to stay—permanently. And he hadn’t been the only one. The next envoy, the one after that, and even the next had all moved into the village.
It’d happened so many times now that Seren figured her father would’ve given up, but he didn’t.
“He’s gonna run out of vassals at this point. Maybe we should just start turning them away at the gate,” Seren muttered.
“Well... This envoy claims to be your younger brother.”
“What?! Sirius is here?!”
She couldn’t believe even her brother had come all this way.
✦ ✦ ✦
“What... What is this place?” Sirius stammered, looking overwhelmed. The town that rose up out of the wilderness was far larger than anything he’d imagined. He stared up at walls so massive they rivaled those in the capital of Bazlata itself.
Even while helping the Arvale army conquer multiple cities during its campaign, he hadn’t seen a single settlement with fortifications this impressive. Not to mention, the roads leading up to this town were immaculate. He’d never seen anything like it.
How many years did it take to build all this?
He couldn’t reconcile what he saw with the fact that none of it had existed a year ago.
Eventually, he arrived at the front gate, an imposing structure as grand as the surrounding walls. As he came closer, a group of armed guards approached. Their gear was convincing enough, but at first glance, their faces looked so rough he almost mistook them for bandits.
“I am Sirius of House Bazlata. I’ve come to see my sister, Lady Seren,” he declared.
The guards looked slightly surprised. After a brief delay, they allowed him to enter.
Sirius passed through the gate and found himself surrounded by farmland. “What in the world...” he muttered.
He hadn’t expected anything to grow in a place like this, much less massive, thriving crops.
“Hm? What’s that?” He studied the tree standing in the center of the farmlands. It was enormous, unlike anything he’d ever seen.
“Oh, I’d steer clear of that thing if I were you,” said one of the guards escorting him. “It’s not very fond of outsiders. And trust me, it’s dangerous.”
“Not very fond of them?” Sirius repeated, utterly baffled.
Hang on... Is it me, or is that a dragon’s face on its trunk? No, surely not...
After crossing the fields, they came to another set of walls and a second gate. He couldn’t believe this town had two layers of fortifications. It would’ve been practically impenetrable if they had the manpower to defend it.
“This place is certainly impressive. But if the population is ten thousand and mostly made up of random refugees, then it’s unlikely they’ve got a proper army...”
As the guards escorted him through town, he detected an incredible smell. “Hang on, is that grilled minotaur?! I’ve gotta— No! I’m not here to sample street food!”
He fought his urge to ask for a detour and continued to the mayor’s house, where his sister was reportedly staying.
“Hm, I thought she’d be living in a castle or something. This place isn’t much to look— Huh? What’s that steaming pool of water? An outdoor bath?! That huge thing? And it’s open all the time?! That’s... No, I’m not jealous! You only need a bath now and then anyway!” he muttered to himself.
A young boy suddenly approached him.
“It’s nice to see you again, Sirius.”
“Lord Luke...” Sirius had last seen Luke years ago, in Arvale’s capital. Honestly, he didn’t look much different, which secretly filled him with relief. He’d been half worried that Luke had turned into a man, whereas Sirius was still often mistaken for a girl.
Seren stepped out of the house.
“Seren!”
“I’m not going back home, Sirius,” she said without hesitation.
“But you have to. Father’s been eagerly awaiting your return.”
“Father doesn’t care if I come back. All he wants is to strengthen his ties with House Arvale.”
“That’s for the good of the family. And as a noble’s daughter, it’s your duty to follow the lord’s wishes.”
“Then he can disown me. If I’m not his daughter anymore, I can do whatever I want, right?”
“You mean you really won’t come back?”
“It’s not happening.”
She shook her head calmly and firmly without a shadow of doubt in her eyes.