Chapter 366: Renfelds!
Callista stood up. She smiled politely, giving a graceful curtsy.
"It is very good to meet you, My Lord," she said, her voice smooth and practiced.
Alaric blinked but kept his expression completely neutral. He gave a slight bow, acknowledging her greeting without committing to anything beyond basic courtesy.
"Good to meet you too."
Vanessia patted the empty space on the sofa next to her.
"Sit."
Alaric walked over and took a seat beside her, while maintaining awareness of the room’s dynamics.
Two merchants. One merchant’s daughter. All watching him with varying degrees of interest.
Mirelle leaned forward slightly. Her blue eyes studied him with the kind of assessment that made his skin prickle.
"Is this the young man you were telling me about, Vanessia?"
Vanessia nodded. "Yes. His name is Azra."
Mirelle’s smile widened.
"He’s indeed striking."
She shifted in her seat, a deliberate movement that made her dress’s neckline dip lower, making her cleavage more visible.
"Young man, what did you say about—"
"Mirelle," Vanessia cut in sharply, looking right at her friend.
She then turned to Alaric, "He’s not interested."
And before he could process what was happening, Vanessia reached out and squeezed his hand. Her fingers interlaced with his. Claiming.
Alaric’s eyes widened slightly. He looked down at their joined hands. Then at Mirelle, who was watching with obvious amusement.
Mirelle blinked, then burst into laughter.
"Oh, I’m just kidding, Vanessia! I already have many husbands. I don’t need another one cluttering up my household."
She winked.
"I won’t steal your man."
Alaric felt something twist in his stomach. Something between discomfort and anger.
Even though knew how the dynamics worked in this kingdom. Had read about it. Observed it. Understood intellectually that gender roles were inverted, that men were treated as secondary, that possessiveness over male partners was normalized.
But sitting here in this guest room, being discussed like livestock, like property to be traded or claimed.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay calm and keep his face blank.
Before he could say anything, Vanessia squeezed his hand tighter. "Well. Good you know it better."
"Good. You should know better," Vanessia warned, squeezing his hand. "And don’t ever joke like that. I already gave up my previous boyfriend for you. There’s a limit to how much I can sacrifice."
Alaric blinked. What the fuck...
Mirelle just waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, come on. It’s not like you liked Jake that much anyway. He had nothing going for him besides his looks. He was boring, and such a loser in bed. He couldn’t even—"
"Mom!" Callista squeaked.
Her face had gone as red as a tomato.
She stared at her mother with sheer mortification. "What are you saying?! We’re sitting in our guest’s house!"
Mirelle just shrugged, completely unbothered.
Alaric internally cursed.
What the fuck is wrong with these women?
Vanessia sighed heavily.
"I already told you, Mirelle, I’m not interested in polygamy. I only wanted a stable relationship. And to answer your question about that... No. Henry is only the second man I’ve ever slept with."
Mirelle made a disappointed sound. "You’re so boring!"
Before this conversation could derail further into territory Alaric absolutely did not want to discuss.
He loudly cleared his throat and looked directly at Vanessia.
"I’m sure you didn’t summon me here just to listen to your sex lives."
Callista groaned and buried her face in her hands.
Mirelle, however, just smirked. "What a bold man. So much for you not being interested in polygamy, Vanessia."
Vanessia straightened her posture. "He’s just temporary."
Alaric’s eye twitched.
Temporary. TEMPORARY. Like I’m a fucking rental...
Ignoring his reaction, Vanessia finally got to the point.
"The reason I summoned Azra is to introduce him to you both. Specifically to Callista."
She gestured to the younger woman.
"Azra will be joining Royal Academy as an exchange student, sponsored by House Valcieri."
She looked at Callista directly.
"You’re going into your second year this term. I was hoping you could help him navigate the academy. Show him around. Introduce him to important people. Make sure he doesn’t... stumble."
The request was phrased politely. But the underlying meaning was clear... Keep an eye on him. Make sure my investment doesn’t get wasted.
Callista straightened immediately. Her embarrassment from moments ago vanished, replaced by professional competence.
She gave a polite bow.
"I’ll do my best, Lady Vanessia."
She then turned fully to Alaric.
"Azra, how much are you familiar with the academy and its curriculum?"
Alaric immediately noticed that she had dropped the honorific "Lord."
But he said nothing about it.
"Nothing much. Just the basics."
Callista blinked.
Then she sighed.
"Alright. We’ll start tomorrow then. I’ll come by and we can go over everything you need to know before term begins."
Alaric nodded, "Alright, fine by me."
They talked for a few more minutes... logistics, schedules, expectations.
Mirelle made a few more inappropriate comments that Callista shut down with increasingly mortified protests.
Finally, the Renfelds stood to leave. Exchanged pleasantries. Departed with promises to return tomorrow.
The door closed behind them.
And Vanessia immediately released Alaric’s hand and slumped back against the sofa, letting out a long breath.
Alaric rubbed his hand, looking at her. "What was that for...?"
Vanessia blinked, then smiled softly.
She reached up and gently caressed his cheek.
"Of course," she said smoothly, "to protect you from bitches like them."
Alaric stared at her.
"Protect me."
"Mmhm." Vanessia’s smile widened.
"Mirelle is wonderful. But she’s also a predator. Collects husbands like trophies. If I hadn’t established you were mine, even temporarily, she would have spent the entire visit trying to seduce you. And trust me, she’s very good at it."
"I can handle myself."
"Against combat? Sure." Vanessia’s expression became more serious.
"But against experienced merchant women who’ve been playing these games their entire lives? You’d be eaten alive and not even realize it until you were signing marriage contracts."
We’ll see who eat whom. He scoffed internally.
She patted his hand condescendingly. "You’re welcome, by the way."
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