NOVEL NEXT 302. Problems, Always Problems
After Kevin's shocking announcement, a heavy silence had taken over the private lounge. Liara's eyes were wide open, her jaw hanging slackly while Sahro slowly lifted a finger.
"Wait, I probably heard wrong. You said...?"
"Marriage, yes," nodded Kevin. Glenn snorted in disbelief and leaned back in the sofa.
"Marriage. Hah." He lifted his arms in disbelief. "Just like that?"
"Well, there was certainly a lot of paperwork filled and twice as many invitations sent for the marriage, but..."
Glenn waved away, interrupting the assistant. "I got your point, but that doesn't answer my question."
Kevin nervously rubbed his forehead, his glasses falling off his nose slightly. "To tell you the truth, Sir Glenn, we only received the information now from the Indigo Bureau. Something about paying back their debts, I believe."
"Sigh..." Glenn buried his face in his hands. 'Why are things always getting more and more complicated?'
"Kevin, who's the unlucky bastard?" Sahro asked with his arms crossed. Kevin opened his mouth, hesitated, and picked up his notepad to check the name out.
"...Talor Rosenborn, of the Rosenborn family. A very ancient family, with a Count's title. It was quite a surprising announcement, but it was made clear when Milena's identity as a daughter of the Dela Lune family was revealed. It would be a very good alliance for the Rosenborns, but not so much for the Dela Lunes, who already have one, if not the highest, standing in the Court, thanks to the Omniscient."
Glenn frowned. "Any information about Exan's opinion on this marriage?"
Kevin shook his head. "The latest report told rumors of a steel Colossus fighting against a dark presence near the passageway to the Beyond."
"Something strong enough to hold itself up against Exan is bad news..." muttered Sahro. He stood up and silently paced the room as steam pumped out of his brass and steel prosthesis.
"Wait." Glenn raised an open palm, his frown deepening. "Rosenborn... Rosenborn... Shit, I know this name."
Nelg cleared his throat. "Wasn't there a kid who was crushing on your sister? Ary, I think?"
"Ary Rosenborn... yeah, that little fuck who was trying to flirt with Lina." Glenn clenched his fists with murderous rage.
'Not to say, but that Prince who was transformed in a thorny abomination was also a Rosenborn, right?' Diamanes' comment forced Glenn's anger to fade away. The young man clasped his hands together, thinking.
'Shit, you're right. Prince, Ary, and now Talor, Milena's mysterious fiance. How many boys did they birth in this damned horny family?'
"That's quite the insult, considering you never met them," remarked Nelg.
'I met Ary, who was head over heels in love with my sister, and knew Prince was an entitled, arrogant fool. That's more than enough to get an opinion.'
"Sure, if you say so."
Glenn's face darkened. 'But considering all this, it does make me wonder if Ary's attempt at flirting with Lina was as simple as it seemed, or some sort of scheme. I'll need to see Lina once we're done with the award ceremony.'
'I say we kidnap Ary!' Diamanes happily exclaimed.
Glenn grunted. 'Excellent idea.'
"Care to share your thoughts, Glenn?" Sahro said as he squinted at his friend's left, purple hand. Glenn shook himself awake and nodded.
"We've already interacted with the Rosenborns twice: first was Prince Rosenborn, whose identity we learned in Palancar, and second is Ary, the scum hitting on my sis'."
"That doesn't help us whatsoever in telling Milena's situation," mocked Nelg. Liara looked at the armored doppelgänger with a worried expression as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"I apologize," interrupted Kevin as he looked at a wristwatch, "but we're going to be late if we don't leave now. The award ceremony will happen in the Court, and it will take at least an hour to pass the customs."
Glenn stood up and sighed heavily. "Alright. Nothing changes anyway, our objective remains the same." He rubbed his neck and made it crack. "Try to mix up with as many nobles as you can, and learn everything possible." He glanced at Liara and smiled apologetically. "Of course, that doesn't apply to you. You don't have to worry about breaking the tradition."
Liara nodded slowly with a complicated look. She rubbed her bare shoulders and bit down on her lips. Once more, that damned tradition made it harder for her to help. It was seriously starting to get on her nerves, not because it was a stupid rule, but because she couldn't break it herself. The only person she felt comfortable speaking to who wasn't a Black Heir nor woman was Glenn, and that was it. Not even his magical twin counted as the rare, lucky individuals who she allowed herself to talk to.
'It's so stupid,' she thought. 'Why can I talk to Glenn and not the others? I already resolved myself, why can't I...?' Her thoughts were interrupted when Glenn reached a hand out to her, to help her out of the sofa. She grabbed it without thinking, still not too used to walking with the classy high-heels.
"Let's go," he said. The group followed Kevin's guidance, with Nelg returning to Glenn's soul sometime along the way. The assistant led them to a carriage adorned with the emblem of the Cleaner's Workshop, the burning flame on a black background.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"I'm not going with you. Kevin smiled apologetically. "I wish you the best of luck. And please bring Miss Milena back. She and Miss Liara have brought a much-needed delicacy to your team, Sir Glenn."
"You know us, Kevin," Glenn grunted as he jumped into the carriage and helped Liara in. "I'd rather burn the Court down than let my friend with some perverted family."
"Felling King's Rise by ourselves sounds like a glorious idea," jeered Sahro as he followed in. Kevin chuckled softly and closed the carriage's door before shouting something at the driver. The latter used his magic to pull it forward, driving it through the streets of the Bourgeoisie.
Liara looked at the scenery through the window, pensive. Glenn noticed her and smirked.
"Nervous?"
She shook her head. "Worried."
Sahro scoffed. "Nothing to worry about. In the best of cases, we cut it all down. In the worst, we burn it. All good in the end."
The Black Heiress laughed lightly with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. A shadow crept up her face, and she turned away. Glenn saw that there was something on her mind, something else than Milena's situation, but he couldn't find the words to say. For the second time today, Sahro pulled out a rag and began to clean his prosthesis, going as far as oiling a few creaky parts.
Nothing stopped them from getting to court, apart from the sound of the driver's insults whenever someone cut him off. The carriage eventually stopped and the driver knocked on their window. Glenn pulled it down and passed his head through. The driver pointed ahead. In the same fashion as walls separated the outside world from the Fringe, and the Fringer from the Bourgeoisie, huge ramparts stood on their path to the Court. The customs post was a jump away, guards in brass and steel steampunk armor approaching.
"We've arrived. They'll probably ask for some means of identification, I'd recommend pulling your Fixer Daggers out."
"Sure. Thank you." Glenn pulled his head back and passed the advice to Sahro and Liara. They all quietly summoned their Fixer Daggers out of their souls, just in time for a few more knocks on the window. The door opened, revealing a mechanical helmet glowing with two green lights in place of eyes.
"PRIVATE NIROS OF THE WATCHERS. PLEASE PRESENT YOUR MEANS FOR IDENTIFICATION." Private Niros' voice was like a robot's, cold and inhuman.
"Here you go." Glenn handed him his dagger. The Private looked at it for a moment before smashing it on the floor.
"I REPEAT, PLEASE PRESENT MEANS FOR IDENTIFICATION OR ENTRY WILL BE REFUSED."
Glenn was so surprised by the soldier's action he momentarily forgot how to respond. It came out so out of nowhere he simply wasn't prepare for it.
'Oh, the sweet and tasty smell of corruption! Oh, and I'm talking about the money-kind, not the tentacular, disgusting one.'
"Thanks for the clarification, Diamanes."
Nelg and Diamanes' voice startled him awake and his Mana immediately surged out in one violent wave. The gears of the soldier's armor spun increasingly faster in reaction, heating red from the toll. The soldier raised a rifle-looking weapon and pointed it at Glenn.
"USE OF UNAUTHORIZED ENERGY-BASED ATTACK WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXECUTION. I REPEAT, IT WILL RESULT IN—" The steel and brass helmet was ripped off the soldier's head as Glenn worked his Gravity Manipulation. The soldier, a bald man with mean scars on his head, watched as his helmet flew above him and was crushed into one tiny metal ball. Whatever protection there was on the armor, it had done nothing to defend against Glenn's magic.
"—Immediate execution..." finished the soldier in a small voice. His finger pressed down on his rifle's trigger, but the cannon had been bent to the side, resulting in a misfire and the weapon blowing up. Glenn slowly extricated himself out of the carriage with a deep, disappointed sigh. Private Niros couldn't stop himself from taking a step back and falling on his arse, terrified. There was something in this calm, disappointed face that absolutely terrified him. A certainty that if he stepped wrongly, his head would end up the same way his helmet did.
"Now, I'm not a very materialistic guy, but this dagger had some measures of importance, you know?" Glenn said, speaking each word and insisting on every syllable as he struggled to keep himself from transforming the soldier into one tiny can of meat.
"So, please, tell me, why did you do that?" Glenn grabbed the soldier by the collar and lifted him effortlessly, despite the heavy armor. His colleagues rushed closer with their weapons raised, alerted.
"UNHAND HIM OR WE WILL—"
"—Do what? Shoot me? Please amuse me and try," Glenn snapped, his expression cold and unforgiving. The soldiers stepped back, intimidated. Liara and Sahro stepped out of the carriage, their weapons out of their dimensional storages and covered in their respective energies. Red, Primal lightning crackled around Sahro while wings of light appeared in Liara's back.
"I-I simply obeyed the orders—!"
Glenn violently shook the soldier. "Whose orders? Give me a name or I might start swinging."
"D-Direct orders from General Vander Sorenas!"
The soldier coughed as Glenn threw him on the floor, wondering. 'Sorenas? That's the name of the family on Milena's mother's side.'
"WAIT!!!!" A voice screamed from the sky. Glenn raised his eyes just in time to see someone fall and crash in front of him. The young man's eyes widened and he temporarily let go of his hostility.
"Lucian? What the hell are you doing here?"
Munirp's Crowned Prince briskly stood up, dusting his shoulders off. "Oh, you know, the usual. Anyway," he turned to the other soldiers and pointed at Private Niros. "I command you, seize this man and throw him in a cell."
The guards obeyed without a word, taking away their terrified comrade. Sahro stored his weapon away and patted Lucian's shoulder.
"A timely arrival. What was this all about?"
Lucian sniffed. "Politics. Nobles are terribly boring, always using the same tricks and all. I should have taken you to the ceremony myself, but I wasted too much time searching for some suitable clothes. So I just gave up!" He happily declared. He was still in his regal, dark and gold suit, with Munirp's setting sun embroidered on his chest and the back of his purple cloak.
"For once, we're better dressed than you," noticed Glenn. Lucian opened his mouth to retort, only to do a double take at their clothes.
"What the shit—you look like the brothers and sisters I never had! I didn't know you could be so handsome, Glenn!"
"Why, I was ugly before?"
"No, just often covered in grime and blood. But I digress. Let's get to the ceremony, we don't want to be late. How dare they try and stop my friends from attending the ceremony I prepared?"
Glenn paused and gave Lucian a surprised look. "Wait, you were the one organizing the reward ceremony?"
Lucian nodded with a wide smile. "Of course!" He stopped and rubbed his chin. "Well, to speak the truth, the ceremony was prepared by my father's administration to build connections between powerful prospects and noble families. But since everyone works for me, it automatically makes it my ceremony, right?"
Glenn shrugged. "Whatever pleases you, Lucian. Ever heard of Talor and Vander Sorenas?"
"Hmm... Sorenas, an old but useless family... lots of alliances, lots of marriages, lots of pain in my ass too..." Lucian frowned. "Wasn't the Sorenas Duchess Milena's mother too?"
Sahro grumbled. "We don't care about all that. Milena is supposed to marry Talor, and Vander is the bastard who gave orders to that soldier earlier to keep Glenn away from the Court."
Lucian stammered. "M-Milena's marrying who now? And a General dared to do what?" He clenched his fists tightly and drew one, long deep breath.
"Oh, I'm really feeling like turning the ceremony into an execution now."