NOVEL NEXT DF132 - I Beg Your Pardon (Suliel)
Suliel rode in the carriage to what, she explicitly reminded herself, was not her doom. She was wearing a dress more expensive than any she had ever owned. It was not to her taste, nor had the dressmaker been pleased by her requirements.
Fashion in the capital ran to elaborately billowed dresses in rich reds, blues and greens. Suliel knew her slight frame would be lost in one of those, so she’d asked for a gown with a thinner, more elegant silhouette. That had been bad enough, but the dressmaker had despaired when Suliel had asked for it in black, with silver highlights.
“Oh no, no, no,” the dressmaker had said. “You don’t want that! Your skin will be lost against it, and besides—”
The woman cut herself off, not wishing to point out that Suilel’s skin was just a shade too light for proper nobility. It was dark enough to not be scandalous, but it was noticeably lighter than both her parents. Something that implied interesting things about her ancestry, but Kirido was a dungeon town, after all. Adventurers came from all over.
Suliel had insisted, though. People talking about her skin tone was not even the least of her concerns. If they were talking about that, then they wouldn’t be talking about any of the things she was worried about. Skin tone wasn’t going to get her executed.
Glinting over the dark fabric were some of her mother’s jewels, left behind when she’d fled. Suliel had needed advice from both Seraphina and Princess Elara—solicited separately, of course—on what portion of her mother’s collection to wear. No noble wore all of their jewellery, naturally. That would be gauche. Suliel needed to wear as much as she could, without appearing to be the young, inexperienced, nouveau riche baroness that she was.
It would have been easier to wear less, to call on a simple elegance that went with the gown, but Suliel needed to wear more.
She was a Sovereign, after all. Ignoring, or trying to hide that fact, would not go down well with the King.
The carriage pulled up in the courtyard, and Suliel took a deep breath. This was where it started. The important people were inside, but there were watchers in the courtyard who would take what they saw here and report it to those waiting, and to those Courtiers who were absent from court today.
The door opened, the steps went down, and Suliel stepped out into view, accepting the steadying hand of the royal footman who was there for that purpose. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her, but he didn’t let anything show on his face as he bowed with consummate professionalism.
Then the skeletons stepped out behind her, and he drew back in fear.
The skeletons had been outfitted in Anat livery. Just tabards, they hadn’t managed to find a way to attach pants. Scabbards had been a challenge as well, but they had hung them from a strap going across the body, over the opposite shoulder. They still carried their original shields, but they had been painted with Anat heraldry.
Suliel wondered if her mother would die of shame when word reached her of what she had done to the family colours.
Nodding to the footman, Suliel strode forward, her skeletons falling in behind her. As a baroness, she was entitled to two guards while at court. Few made use of the privilege. For one, it was discouraged, and for another, it served little purpose. The King’s guard outnumbered them all, and disagreements between nobles were not settled with violence in the King’s house.
Suliel wasn’t expecting the skeletons to protect her. For all Kelsey’s promises of their exceeding skill, the Lazybones were only Tier two trash monsters. The guards and many of the nobles had nothing to fear from them. Their grinning faces did make a statement, though.
Suliel stopped at the top of the entryway stairs. She was supposed to be escorted in, but there was no one to greet her. She looked around. The guards were looking at her with concern, but not making a move. Behind them…
“Sir!” Suliel called out. “Do you intend to leave me waiting at the gate?”
There was a pause. Then the royal page slunk out from behind the guards, staring at her sullenly. Suliel just looked back with her best impression of an imperious stare. If the stakes weren’t so high, she would have laughed. The page was barely older than she was, and he’d clearly been spooked by the skeletons. Suliel quickly looked him over.
Tainan Dorel, Level 4, Father, Mother and two sisters all in Bures, Loyal to the Lord Chamberlain, Human, Page
“Well?” she asked.
He bowed shakily. “Please follow me, my Lady,” he said reluctantly. He flinched as the skeletons clattered into motion behind her.
Tainan led her through the palace, but he kept edging away from her, clearly unwilling to be near her guards. It would have been amusing, but Suliel had to concentrate on maintaining her dignified pose and bearing. It had gotten easier since her Agility had improved, but she still couldn’t move quickly.
“Tainan!” she barked. He yelped and stood at attention, giving her a chance to close the distance.
“Do I have to have my guards hold you in place, or are you going to escort me properly?” Suliel enquired. She tried to keep her tone gentle, but more than a little irritation seeped in. She had better things to worry about than this!
Kelsey sent.
Suliel ignored her vulgar partner.
“I—I’ll escort you properly, my Lady,” Tianan stammered.
“Good,” Suliel said, allowing the boy to resume his duties.
“Baroness Suliel Nos!” the herald proclaimed loudly. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Sovereign of the Crypts!”
Suliel stepped forward into the sudden silence. It wasn’t usual to have the herald call out your class as a special title. It would get a little boring with all the “Nobles” and “Ladies” that would be called. But when your class was as unusual as Suliel’s, the rules changed.
Suliel had two options. It might have been wiser for her to not draw attention to her class. To pretend it did not exist, to meekly bow and scrape to the King, and hope that he did not take offence by her mere existence.
That did not seem like the right course to Suliel. The King knew about her class. Half of this room had Nobility’s Privilege and was a higher level than her. They would know, by the simple expedient of looking at her. There was no hiding her class, even as a pretence.
Instead, with Kelsey’s enthusiastic support, Suliel had decided to own her class. She glided forward. Every eye was on her while every part of her attention focused on walking with effortless poise while her eyes roved widely, looking for familiar faces.
She saw Seraphina, casually speaking with another noble lady, carefully not looking at Suliel as she passed. It was best that they weren’t seen as being close.
She saw her mother, standing next to her liege lord, Count Brankil. They watched her go by, their faces expressionless. Lord Brankil had refused to meet with her until she had been accepted into court, which was unsurprising. Should she live past today, she would have to call on him.
She didn’t see Princess Elara until she drew near the king. She was seated on the dais behind him, along with the rest of the family and a few court officials. She gave Suliel an encouraging smile.
They were nearing the end of the carpet, so with a mental nudge from her, the Lazybones stopped and knelt. She carried on another ten feet to the prescribed distance and looked up at her King.
Ranon Kalond IV, Level ??, Wife, son and daughter all in Bures, Sovereign, Human, Wise King
She knelt without hesitation. That had been the plan, but even if it hadn’t been she would have. Even if her inspection had shown her that he was a False King, she would have. King Kalond’s presence was too majestic to do otherwise.
That’s the power of a double Charisma progression, Suliel thought with awe. A counterpoint wormed its way into her mind. One day, I’ll have that much Charisma.
It was said that the rulers of both empires had Charisma scores so high that they could not be looked upon by lesser folk. They were cordoned off, served by high-level officials with strong Willpower and slaves whose minds had been lost to adoration. The King’s Charisma was not that high, but Suliel started to believe that such a thing was possible.
“Suliel Nos,” the King said. “You got married.”
“I did, your Majesty,” Suliel said. If that was where the King wanted to start, then that was fine.
“And yet, he is not here,” the King said. “He is the baron, now, is he not? Why is he not here for my blessing?”
Suliel was pretty sure the King knew the answer to this question. Assuming he listened to the reports of his Judge, anyway. But court was more performance than anything else, so she answered the question without hesitation.
“He is a Hero, your Majesty. He sailed south, having sworn to rescue as many of his fellow townsfolk from the raiders as he could.”
“A Hero, you say? Our last report has him as a mere Adventurer.”
“He has reached his third tier,” Suliel said proudly. There was a murmur of response from the listening nobles.
“And how does he fare on this mission of his?” the King asked.
“The last report I have states that he has rescued the last group of captives and is heading home.”
Another murmur from the nobles. The King’s face was impassive.
“And what is the source of your reports?”
“A Trait from my Class,” Suliel stated. That should be the end of it. It was rude in the extreme to inquire about a person’s class. To do so in front of all the gathered nobles… it was within the King’s privilege, but Suliel doubted he would press her.
“A potent trait for a second-tier class,” the King mused. “Epic classes really are a different beast. My own Class is only Rare, I can’t help but feel jealous.”
He hadn’t asked a question, so Suliel stayed silent.
“A potent Class indeed,” the King continued. “One wonders if we should cut off this growing bud before it flowers into a threat.”
Suilel swallowed nervously. “There is no need, your Majesty,” she said. “As a loyal subject of yours, any growth on my part serves the Kingdom.”
“Does it?” the King asked. “Can you say with honesty that all your actions have been in accordance with My will?”
“I—” Suliel started, but he was still speaking.
“You imprisoned and exiled your mother. You imprisoned my captain for a crime he did not commit. And there is, of course, your Class.”
“I released Captain Oldaw as soon as there was evidence clearing him,” Suliel said hastily. “Given the nature of the crime, I’m sure you agree I had to act swiftly according to the knowledge I had at the time.”
“Now would be a good time to replace that sword you took,” the King said mildly. Suliel winced.
“That sword has been reforged,” she admitted. “And… lost, on my husband’s adventures. It is no longer available.”
Suliel didn’t respond. The Glimmering Sword was more a historical artifact than a useful weapon. The King could afford to commission his own Tier two weapons. Tier three would be a different matter, but she knew that Kelsey couldn’t make those. Yet.
The King stayed silent, so Suliel continued with her defence. “My mother’s actions were equally egregious, and my response to them was within my prerogative as Baron.”
She didn’t elaborate on what her mother had done. The King knew already.
“Finally,” she said, “You have set no law on what classes may be taken. I recognise that the name might seem to be… competition, but there is no such clash.”
She pointed behind her, and the Lazybones stood up and saluted.
“My class may have that word in it, but that is my domain,” she said. “It is a domain that lies outside of yours and one that you have no wish to lay claim to. I am neither an usurper nor a secessionist, but a loyal subject of your Majesty.”
The King was silent for a moment. The moment lasted for about a thousand years as far as Suliel could tell.
“A loyal subject?” he asked wryly. “There is a first time for everything, I suppose.”
The court tittered at the King’s joke.
“I will withhold judgment on your actions, Baroness,” the King said. “Until I can get a better grasp on your character. For now, be welcome in this court.”
Suliel felt a surge of relief. Relief and… something else.
You have reached Level 5.
Please allocate 2 free Ability points
Agility. Agility, Suliel thought immediately. After being clumsy for so long, she was addicted to the improvement in grace that went with an Agility increase.
Applying Benefits for Level 5
Strength + 1
Toughness + 1
Perception + 1
Willpower + 1
Charisma + 2
“Growing quickly indeed,” the King said, his face unreadable. “We will call upon you again, Baroness, for a more private discussion. Until then, you are dismissed.”