"Thanks for the tea," Ethan said with a smile picking up the teacup placed on the table. Maya and Sera who were standing at the side in their maid outfits clasping their hands in front of them bowed in response.
Ethan took a small sip from the teacup, slurping without making much noise as he drank the sweet, delightful, and refreshing herbal tea.
"Have you done what I asked before?" Ethan asked nonchalantly, not looking at the two girls after gulping down the tea.
"Yes, Master." The two girls replied in unison with a respectful tone.
"Well, out with it then. Tell me." Ethan said bluntly, sipping his tea once again.
Maya and Sera both looked at each other and then Maya opened her mouth to speak.
"Master, rumors are circulating in the city that the attempt on your life that happened two months ago was done by the Shadow Dwellers disguised as the cultists." Said Maya in a perplexed tone.
"I see, Roly is doing good work. I assume that you are regularly going out to the city, you must have heard the gossip, then tell me… How many people believe this rumor to be true?"
Maya and Sera once again looked at each other briefly looking at Ethan once again. This time, Sera responded timidly, "Umm… That… Not many people believe… Master."
To this, Ethan smiled to himself and muttered, "And why do you think people did not believe this rumor?"
"I have heard them say the Shadow Dwellers do not work this way. They have never done anything in this manner before but the cultists are unpredictable and radicals. People think that only they would have the guts to ambush Master and identify themselves brazenly as well. The Shadow Dwellers on the other hand are an underworld organization and would not be so brazen as to ambush you in a sacred place and announce themselves on top of that." Maya explained after giving it some thought.
"Yes, Good work."
Maya nodded and a look of hesitation flashed on her face as she spoke in a doubtful tone, "M-master… If the rumors aren't effective then why spread them?"
Ever since she had heard the rumors and the gossip in the city, Maya had been questioning in her heart as to why a rumor that no one believed was being circulated in the first place. This was purely due to her curious and attentive nature as the thought of questioning why such a conflicting and suspicious rumor was being spread by Ethan in the first place never even crossed her mind.
In this regard, Maya was a witty child as she knew that the minds of nobles and the wealthy were complex and a servant such as herself had no right to question them. Her job was to serve as asked and nothing more and that was still the case even if Ethan was a lot kinder than other noblemen.
Ethan raised his head in surprise but then he nodded in approval. He liked the girl's considerate thinking very much. Although Ethan wouldn't want his personal servants and retailers to meddle in his affairs too much but that didn't mean that he wanted them to be dumb and completely useless.
The more sharp-witted people he would be surrounded with, the more it was beneficial and so Ethan responded to Maya's question calmly without showing any discontent. "Rumors have the potential to topple countries like toppling castles made of sand. But sometimes rumors don't have to be particularly useful, rumors can be used to merely plant an idea in someone's subconscious that otherwise, they wouldn't have."
Both Maya and Sera nodded with understanding at this answer as they thought deeply about what Ethan had said.
Even if no one believed that the ambushers were the Shadow Dwellers, the idea of such a possibility was indeed planted in people's minds. Although both the girls couldn't understand how this was going to be useful in any way, they did not pry any further, simply standing at the side with their heads bowed.
Suddenly a thought entered Ethan's mind as he sipped another mouthful of tea, his eyes glowing, he asked, "Oh… And what about the slums?"
"That's right! There is major activity going on! A conflict has broken out between the gangs of the slums. The criminals and hooligans are being prosecuted by a particular gang called the Liberation Front. There are reports of killings and excessive violence as well. This is all I know from what Master Roly told me."
"Very well," Ethan said while nodding in satisfaction.
Although it was a long shot, it had worked as with Ethan's backing, Gareth had been incited to clean up the mess that was the slum using his influence.
"Master, can I ask a question?" Maya suddenly called out.
"Yes!"
"Umm… If the goal is to clear the radicals and criminals from the slum, then why do it in a roundabout way? You could just send the knights and kill them all."
"You do have a point but that would be troublesome. Even if we kill the current batch of scum, without a proper direction new scum will simply resurface eventually. We must solve the root of the problem. And not to mention that such blatant involvement of the State may incur dissatisfaction from the populace. It's not a good look for the family as even if these people are violent, they mostly commit crimes inside the slum and most of the city is unbothered. So we cannot simply slaughter them mindlessly. This is why an internal cleansing is needed without the State's blatant involvement." Ethan explained patiently.
Maya's eyes brightened with understanding as she said, "Master is wise."
Ethan smiled and did not reply as he leisurely finished his tea. He suddenly looked at the two girls standing beside him, his eyes narrowing slightly he spoke in a solemn tone, "Remember, you are not to report any of my activities or conversations to anyone else without my permission."
The two girls trembled to feel the icy chill creeping behind their backs as both of them bowed deeply almost prostrating themselves on the ground and said in a desperate tone, "Master has saved us from a terrible fate, we would never break the trust of master. Please believe us!"
"Alright alright, don't be so dramatic. As long as you know then everything is well." Ethan reassured with a gentle smile.
At this moment, a knock sounded on the door as, after a moment, the door opened revealing the maid, Selene, who was beaming with delight under the pretense of her poker face.
"Young Master, the breakfast is ready." Selene bowed and informed respectfully, her behavior almost carrying a hint of reverence.
Her attitude was quite obvious as Alier, the demon who had threatened her life was now dead just as Ethan had said. Although the details of the entire affair were very ambiguous, she did not care. In her mind, Ethan was enigmatic and mysterious, like an angel sent by God.
Ethan sighed inwardly once again seeing Selene's attitude. It was vexing to be revered like some sort of God at the very least. However, unfortunately, that was the most effective way to gain loyal followers.
Getting up from his chair, Ethan dismissed Sera and Maya and responded stoically, "Alright, I'm going."
***
The dining table was a lot emptier as only Luce, Naenna and Aisha were present. Luce looked stoic but had an aura of gloom around him. In fact, the entire atmosphere was rather gloomy.
No one was speaking as only the noise of utensils clinking could be heard, Ethan took his usual seat beside Naenna and greeted her and she greeted back in response.
Ethan noticed that Aisha was trying her best to take care of Luce who was rather inattentive and indifferent to her attempts of making him feel normal. He was like a mechanical robot who was lost in his own little world.
"How was your morning?" Aisha asked, looking at Ethan with a gentle gaze.
"It was… Not bad. I woke up early and went with my daily schedule as usual."
"Your father isn't here so you should also take interest in handling the office and the Dukedom, this is what your father wants you to do. I think he will need rest when he returns. You should be prepared." Aisha said solemnly.
"Mother… How will I do that if I can't even step out of the mansion? It has been two months since I last went out. My wounds have been healed and I'm perfectly fine. Please allow me to go out." Ethan requested with a pleading tone as he yearningly looked into his mother's eyes.
Ethan totally expected to get a no for an answer but surprisingly, Aisha responded beyond his expectation after a look of contemplation appeared on her face.
"You are right. Even though I'd rather not allow you to take the risk, it is something inevitable. I, or your father for that matter, cannot shelter you forever. It is always better to be prepared instead of running away. You can go out but Commander Wolfe and Sir Albert will always accompany you. And you must listen to their advice no matter what. Understand?" Aisha spoke with complicated feelings with her voice calm and resolute.
Aisha came from a family which had a military background and she was no stranger to death and blood. She knew that no matter how much she wanted her children to be safe, in the end, she was the Duchess. Her duty was to care for her children as much as possible but also to make them capable. Especially in the case of Ethan, he was the heir and everyone had a lot of expectations from him in the first place—his special status only made things worse for him.
Aisha's thinking was simple, is there was no choice but to face anything that came head-on; then it was better to face it fully prepared. And certainly, grounding Ethan like this would definitely not prepare him for the standards. And so she had allowed his freedom.
"Thank you mother, don't worry. Nothing will happen to me!"
"Hmph! You liar, you had promised to not make your mother worry and yet you still got hurt, making me worry. Eth, I only want you to be safe and that is what your father wishes for as well. However, we are not commoners. We have no such luxury of complacency. We carry the pride, and dignity, of our lineage, our blood, and the expectations of our ancestors, our Kingdom, and our people. This is something that we can never escape, and neither should we. Do you understand what I am saying, child?"
Ethan could feel exactly what Aisha wanted to convey as he saw her complicated expression, her kind and loving gaze as well as the tinge of nervousness and fear that she hid underneath the mask of her identity as Duchess, Albaer White's wife, and as a noblewoman.
Nodding reassuringly and exuding a soothing natural Aura, Ethan solemnly affirmed in a confident, firm tone, "Yes, I totally understand. Please do not worry."
Seeing her son's mature and dignified demeanor, Aisha felt a sense of comfort welling up inside her heart. Smiling, she also nodded and the quiet breakfast continued in silence.
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