Chapter 125 - Dhampir Knight

"This is insane," Theora groaned. "It has to be some joke. I can't possibly be carrying that much money around or get free meals whenever I- Cylea, would you please stop laughing?"

"Oh, come on, it was so funny," her cousin laughed like she had rarely seen her do before. "Theora, I swear, you should have seen your face while that guy was explaining it all to you. He deserves a raise for staying so professional!"

It took them being in a quiet part of the city, seated on a bench near a canal, for Cylea to be relaxed in public enough to laugh out loud behind her hand, be brought to tears, and slap her thighs.

"This isn't funny! This doesn't even make sense! What kind of world is this? Just because I got a tiny wolf embossed on a notebook, I'm entitled to get free meals and transport whatever I want at any time? It makes no sense! I used to hunt and forage most of my meals, Cylea!"

"Welcome to the big wide world," her cousin shrugged. "Come on, you're making this sound like the worst thing that has happened to you. It is fairly typical for nobles and most wealthy people, you know. Paying for a meal is nothing for an establishment like the Royal Bank, and they probably can't afford to upset a duke."

"I'm not complaining. I'm... processing things. My mom would be astonished by-"

"Your mom was born into that money, Theo," Cylea sighed. "Remember? You just never knew that side of her. I understand being upended so suddenly is cause for some denial and anxiety, but you've seen young Lady De Boreal this morning, right? You've seen how much money that little girl was born into, just like you. You were raving about their house to me just an hour ago. This isn't so different from how your parents would have... you know, raised you, in different circumstances."

Theora let out a heavy sigh and let herself fall onto the bench next to her cousin. This was a little area that she had spotted during one of her morning runs a few months ago. It was off the main routes, behind a row of houses, but it had a nice pedestrian path with trees bordering the canal, benches now and then, and a couple of bridges to cross the canal. It wasn't completely deserted, but crossing a handful of other pedestrians every now and then was far better than the bustling streets in the afternoon.

"I know," Theora finally muttered. "It's just... I think it wouldn't have bothered me as much if it was just His Ma- I mean, my 'uncle'. The fact that my father gave me so much money off the bat, without having met me yet, is just..."

"It's probably his way of showing he cares," Cylea said, patting her thigh. "Theora, I'm sure this money was meant for you in the first place. When your mom disappeared, her own funds must have been split between her father's family, which, after his death, might have been the Crown, and your dad. I think they're trying to give you back what you should have had in the first place. If your dad didn't care for you or acknowledge you, I doubt he would have done something like this... If he knows you're skittish about meeting him, this is probably his way of showing he does want to take care of you. He could have just given you a bunch of money, but he gave you the family seal. He probably had to request His Majesty's help to give it to a girl who doesn't share his name or any known relationship with him. I think the seal is his most... significant gesture."

Theora pulled out the bankbook, staring at the embossed wolf again. She had learned about the symbols of each duchy family in her classes, of course. The House De Winter was represented by a winter deer, the House De Boreal by a forest brown bear, the House De Nova by a red stallion, and the House De Crescent by a black wolf. Every noble house had a symbol, most of them animals, but those were the four main ones, so imposing that no other family had picked an animal remotely close to theirs to avoid any blunders. That howling wolf on her bankbook had a lot of power, and it was her father's family symbol... Her family's symbol. Theora let out a faint sigh and thrust her bankbook into her cousin's hands. Cylea frowned.

"Theo?"

"Can you hold on to it for me?"

"But-"

"I promise I'm not being a chicken again, but it's going to be safer with you than in my dorm at the Academy," Theora explained. "I'm sharing a room with five girls, and only Lylesia knows about my background. I don't want to raise questions, and you, better than anyone, will know where to put it or hide it. It's not like I'll be able to use it in the north anyway. And the money, too..."

Theora took out the little pouch and sorted out a few credits that she shoved into her pockets before handing the rest of it to her cousin.

"There. Can you send this to Danell for me? Just let him know it's for the village. I'll write him a letter, too, to explain, but you probably know how to mail money."

"...Fine," Cylea sighed, taking the money. "I'm going to take a fee as your secretary someday, you know."

"As if you don't enjoy being penpals with my best friend," Theora grinned, making her cousin blush. "Anyway, I plan to treat you and Mym to a shopping spree."

"What happened to feeling shy about using that money?"

"I'm not shy about the nineteen silver credits I earned," Theora chuckled. "I might as well use it on you two. You're like my sisters."

That made Cylea smile, and lean her head on Theora's shoulder.

"You're our sister, too. ...I'm kinda happy my estranged cousin who sounded so cold in her letters turned out to be a decent woman, after all."

"This is why I pay you to be my secretary."

They laughed together, but Theora was unfortunately running out of time. She insisted on escorting Cylea back, as her cousin carried a lot of money, discussing with her the last details of how to hide that money and Theora's bankbook, and while Theora had a hard time remembering who had lent her how much, Cylea promised she'd sort it out with Danell and bully him into accepting the money in her next letter to him as well. Somehow, Theora was pretty sure things would go her cousin's way.

With Cylea dropped off, Theora rushed back to the Military Hall just in time to catch an early dinner with her teammates, including those who were about to leave for the night shift, before she hauled herself to bed. All her roommates promptly fell asleep, or were about to, so their room quickly turned quiet. Theora had been worried about struggling to fall asleep, but she needn't be; she had been awake for sixteen hours straight, and she fell asleep right away.

The next awakening was predictably worse than the first one. Theora herself had never experienced such a tortuous wake up, and she groaned into her pillow, stretching while still on her mattress before she found enough energy to get up. They all groaned some form of greeting, but other than that, the room was fairly quiet as everyone got dressed half-asleep.

"Think about the pastries," Themid was mumbling. "Think about the warm, yummy, delicious pastries..."

Theora sure heard him, and she nodded, thinking that was the best motivation of all. Still in a joint silence, they left their room and the Military Hall as soon as they were ready, venturing into the cold night with a few yawns and a few more stretches. There was a drizzle that night, making them feel cold and more than relieved by the time they made it to the De Boreal kitchens to share breakfast with the family knights. Again, both the staff and the older knights greeted them like they'd been there forever, and freshly baked pastries welcomed them, so warm they happily burned their palates a bit. Theora groaned out of happiness, and their little group brightened up in a matter of minutes, thanks to the food and tea.

"I think I'm going to apply to work in the House De Boreal," Keffen declared solemnly. "I'm never getting over these pastries, Chef.”

"You can always get them from my sister!" the man laughed. “The Duke poached me from our bakery after he tried them, but my sister is still using the same recipe! Our bakery is not in a well-frequented area; those were too expensive, so we were struggling to get enough clientele despite having a few frequent customers until the young Duke started coming and convinced me to get this job here! Now I have a good salary to support my sister, I still have time to help her, and we don't have to worry about keeping our shop!"

"That's a nice story," Theora smiled.

"Oh, there are plenty of those around," one of the knights smiled. "The young Duke is a good man. It was a relief when he took over from his father-"

He was interrupted by his colleague, who elbowed him with a glare. Theora and her teammates exchanged glances. They could guess that what he was about to say wasn't so flattering for their employer and probably not allowed in their jobs. There was an awkward pause, during which someone cleared their throat, and one of the kitchen aides asked who wanted seconds- nearly all of them raised their hands immediately.

With their stomachs full and feeling much more awake, Theora and her teammates walked inside the residence to relieve their friends. She met up with a tired-looking Selvie, who went for a hug without warning.

"That bad?" Kleis chuckled next to them.

"Eight hours of nothing happening is way more tiring than I thought," Selvie grimaced. "I can't wait to be in my bed."

Next to her, Charle didn't look any better, yawning without restraint. They left as Theora and Kleis took their positions, their shift starting right on time. With a full stomach and a lingering sweet taste on her lips, Theora felt a bit more awake, and she kept herself alert by listening to the sounds of the residence. There was a melancholic atmosphere as the rain had intensified, battering the windows. Maids were greeting them as they crossed paths going around, and Theora noted it felt like they were busier than the previous night, visibly checking on the windows, keeping the fires going in the fireplaces around the house, and changing candles or cleaning the melted wax. Such a large residence probably made it easy for little things to go unnoticed, hence the night staff being a bit more attentive than usual. The knights, on the other hand, were fairly more relaxed; with the windows tightly shut and the rain, it was hardly likely anything of note would happen. Thus, Theora and her teammates watched their shift go by, barely exchanging a few words and nods until the dawn came, although the sun was still behind the dark clouds, and the rain had gotten worse.

"Theora, you and Kleis are escorting the young lady out today," one of the knights said as they met outside Venilla's bedroom minutes before she finished her breakfast.

"Sure, but isn't it Themid and Keffen's turn?"

"The young lady's maids said she likes you, so they'd like female knights to escort them today. I already told your teammates, don't worry. They're coming with us anyway, but you're on target duty."

Theora nodded, a bit happy to have been picked by the young lady and a bit sorry for her teammates, who would most likely be stuck near the carriage. When Venilla came out of her bedroom a little later, she greeted Theora with a shy little smile.

"You have one lesson with your dance teacher this morning, my lady," the older maid informed her. "And then your cousin, Lady Aloysia De Banksea, should arrive to accompany you for an outing."

If Venilla was excited at all by her schedule that morning, she showed none of it. She went to her lesson, which only lasted an hour, but from what Theora heard, she had a much nicer teacher for dance than the other lessons. A few minutes before the lesson ended, however, there was some noise coming from the entrance of the residence. Theora frowned at the commotion, but far from being alarmed, the De Boreal knights they were paired with rolled their eyes. Probably the cousin, then.

"What do you mean, she's not ready yet? I said I'd be here to pick her up this morning!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Aloysia," Theora recognized the older maid's voice. "The young lady had a prior appointment with her dance teacher she couldn't miss. Then she would need to change into city clothes. But we will be happy to serve you some tea while you wait."

"While I wait? Do you think I have all day? I came personally to get her, and she makes me wait? Sorry, is my schedule less important than some dance teacher's?"

"I apologize, Lady Aloysia," the head maid replied with impressive patience. "The Duchess made the appointment, and she insisted that we keep it in the young lady's schedule. I will make sure she's ready as soon as possible."

"Fine! I guess it's my fault for thinking my younger cousin would be grateful I took the time to take her outside. I hope she does get etiquette lessons, too, about how it is not polite to make a guest wait! And don't you dare serve me anything with sugar, I am not getting fat before going to try on dresses!"

The lady was quickly escorted to a salon, but Theora had already decided she couldn't stand her. How could she blame a nine-year-old for sticking to a schedule adults pushed on her?

"She always does this," one of the De Boreal knights whispered. "She was scheduled to arrive half an hour later, but she always shows up early to spend more time here."

"Why?" Theora frowned, confused as to why she'd make a fuss about staying if she did it on purpose.

"Makes her look good," the other knight shrugged. "We don't get many guests, but she makes sure to be seen coming in and out of the main entrance every time. Insists on getting the family carriage, too, because she's with the young lady, so hers is parked next to the entrance all morning..."

They had to stop talking, as the music coming from the ballroom had stopped. The dance lesson had ended, and Venilla's teacher was praising her blooming talent. The next minute, the head maid appeared, followed by two younger maids. Theora's esteem for that woman jumped up, as she still had a smile on after being heckled by a fifteen-year-old brat. She escorted Venilla back to her room for a quick change, while Theora and Kleis met with Keffen and Themid in the corridor as the rotation of knights changed.

"Turns out I'm not sorry I'm not stuck to the lady's side today," Themid whispered. That cousin is going to be a nightmare."

Theora was sure of it, too, and simply nodded, feeling more sorry for Venilla than for herself. She was happy to escort the young girl, but she prayed that she would find the patience to endure the cousin's temper all morning.