“Daniel, what can you tell me about the contract?”
Digging into my trench coat, I pulled out the contract and passed it to her.
Alessandria unfolded the contract.
“Wait, he wanted a lot of ships and men,”
Her eyes widened as she read the price, he was going to pay us.
“He couldn’t have expected us to sign this off. Not without at least the Queen’s signature,”
“My theory is he thought we have commoners do all our work like the other Nobles Houses,” I suggested.
“And a commoner would have presumed this was normal?”
“It’s logical,”
Alessandria nodded.
“What about the food supplies, Daniel? He must know we don’t have control over them,”
Now, I had to smile because that comment just shows how little the rest of my family knows about how we make our money, and the legal powers we’re granted.
“Incorrect, dear sister,” I lent closer towards her. “Whilst the Greenscales are the Nobles who have control over the food industry. If we need rations for the military, I can and normally write a formal request and they normally grant it. Or I can invoke legal powers to make them give us the rations,”
Alessandria nodded her head in surprise.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, Daniel. Ares must have some sort of backup plan if he wants his rogue crusade to happen. How else could he get the rations without raising too many eyebrows?”
Now, I had to think about it. Spinning my dulled blade slowly in my hand, I thought about how I would gather secret rations.
“Alessandria, he would have more legal powers than me. He could force the Greenscales to provide him with the supplies without going through any sort of court,”
“You know the Greenscales Daughter, right?”
“Albania. We’re still friends and she does have a great knowledge of military history,”
“Good to hear. At least you have someone else to talk about your limited interests with,”
I nodded with a bit of delight. As much as I don’t like people, I did enjoy Albania’s company. Especially, when her family found some ancient war object in the fields. I remember a lot of great evenings with her.
“I’ll go and see her for you,”
“Thank you, and one last thing, if I may?”
Of course, I knew she was going to ask about Nemesio but she wanted to be nice, so I supposed I needed to play along.
“What?”
“Why are you still avoiding Nemesio? Hasn’t he proved himself yet?”
I shuffled across the bed to sit closer to her. As I breathed in her sweet perfume, I replied:
“I am getting there. Please just be patient. I’m still coming to terms with what he caused, and I still wake up screaming most nights at the nightmares,”
She slowly nodded her head and looked to the floor. Clearly, ashamed of bringing it up. I didn’t have the heart to tell her my arms often feel like they’re burning from my own wounds and the wounds inflicted upon me during my torture sessions.