"Whoa… a fiancé? So Hera, you brought your younger sister here to get married?"
Lafinia was the first to pipe up, her eyes practically sparkling. "Brave adventurers protecting a beautiful princess on her journey to the royal capital to meet the prince — it couldn't be more romantic…"
Leilin also offered a few words of congratulations alongside Old Bam, bringing a faint blush to Arani's cheeks. He was secretly a bit surprised, though. He had assumed Hera was the main character of this trip, only for the spotlight to fall on Arani, a girl who wasn't even of age yet.
"And the older sister is escorting the bride? I don't think that's a custom in the kingdom. Did something happen to your elders?"
Leilin caught a whiff of something unpleasant.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't you know this is the Viscount's residence?"
Seeing a bunch of mercenaries clamoring out front, the two guards standing at the gate could hold back no longer.
One guard stepped forward. He wore pristine, gleaming armor, polished to perfection without a speck of dust. He looked down at Leilin and the others with undisguised contempt.
Mercenaries. In the capital, their reputation was only marginally better than bandits and street thugs. They were never synonymous with law-abiding behavior, and the nobles loathed being associated with them — far too embarrassing!
As for some talk about a fiancé? The guard eyed Hera and her sister's plain clothes and clearly chose not to believe a word.
Arani tugged at her sister's skirt hem and glanced down at her own outfit. Her family had never been well-off to begin with, and after a devastating upheaval, even fine clothes would have turned to rags over such a long journey.
She and her sister right now looked like country bumpkins visiting the city for the first time.
The young girl lowered her head, wishing she could bury it in the ground.
"Good sir…"
A blush crept onto Hera's face as well, but she steeled herself and stepped forward to negotiate. "We're from Aimon City…"
At the same time, she carefully produced a small cloth pouch from her person. Layer by layer she unwrapped it to reveal a well-preserved noble's crest.
Perhaps it was the crest's effect — after one more glance at Hera, the guard entered the residence to make his report, albeit with a skeptical expression.
Leilin and the others waited in the wind for another half hour. Just as even Lafinia was growing impatient, the great doors of the Viscount's mansion slowly opened and a man who looked like a steward walked out, a professional smile plastered on his face.
"Which of you is the young miss of the Lanta Family?"
"I am Hera Lanta! This is my younger sister — Arani!"
Hera took a deep breath and stepped forward, even forcing a hint of an ingratiating smile onto her face.
It was the helpless reality of their situation. She and her sister had no one to rely on in the capital. If they wanted any semblance of a decent life, they had to cling to Arani's Viscount fiancé, and naturally they couldn't leave a bad impression on his trusted steward.
"Ladies, please follow me. The Viscount is waiting for you!"
The steward stood by the roadside and bowed.
"And… they are the mercenaries I hired. They're the reason I made it safely to the capital. On the road, I owe them a great deal…"
Hera glanced at Leilin and the others, offering a few words of explanation.
"Mercenaries?!" The steward's eyes filled with an extra measure of disdain. Only Lafinia, mounted on her warhorse, drew a second glance. "But the Viscount only mentioned the two young ladies…"
"Hera, you two go on ahead. We can wait a bit longer…"
The blatant dismissiveness made Lafinia flush red, but Leilin immediately pulled her back.
Leilin smiled at Hera while noting the contempt in the steward's eyes, chuckling inwardly. "That look… Could he have taken the Lanta sisters for impoverished relatives coming to beg for handouts? Amusing. Very amusing."
With the attitude of a man enjoying a show, Leilin magnanimously pardoned the slight. He even held Lafinia back, and watching her fume with nowhere to vent, he nearly laughed himself into a cramp.
Hera cast them a grateful look, then took her sister by the arm and walked through the gates.
"Lei! Did you see their faces! That expression!"
Lafinia completely lost it, bristling like an angry cat.
"Ugh, I can't take it! Forget the commission, I don't want it this time!"
"You can give up your share all you want, but don't drag us down with you," Leilin remarked coolly from the side. Old Bam nodded with deep sympathy, his eyes glistening. "Miss, you can't let poor Old Bam lose this pay too…"
"You haven't even gotten paid yet? The ogre ears alone on the road should have made you a fortune…"
Lafinia grumbled but didn't erupt again.
In truth, the Lanta sisters had virtually no assets to begin with, and announcing a commission increase along the way had been a disaster — by the time they were halfway there, they realized the money on them wasn't even enough to cover what they'd promised!
They hadn't even paid half of what they owed for the carriage and driver from the Dark Night Forest castle!
Lafinia herself couldn't care less about the money, but she couldn't very well ignore the others. Hearing this, she stomped off to the side, pouting. "Fine, I won't take a single coin of it. Split it among yourselves…"
"Oh! Lafinia, you are the kindest girl in the entire world!!!" The dwarf Bam cheered instantly, and even the driver standing nearby cracked a smile.
After spending time with this odd band of mercenaries, he had come to understand them somewhat.
Lafinia clearly had money to burn. The mysterious Lei appeared to be the same. That left only him and the dwarf Bam to split the remaining pay.
For people at the bottom, they never minded getting one extra share, even if it was only a few copper coins!
Clang!
The great gates opened once more. Arani walked out arm in arm with a young noble, Hera and the steward behind them.
"So these are the mercenaries you hired this time? You even brought a dwarf? I think it'd be more suited to a circus… Oh! Have you ever seen the Gold Dwarf Circus perform…"
The young noble had a pale complexion and deep, dark circles under his eyes, looking as though drink and pleasure had hollowed him out. His spirit seemed thoroughly lethargic. He completely ignored Leilin's party and instead turned to chat with Hera behind him.
"Daniel, Lafinia and Lei are both very powerful professionals…"
Hera wore an eager smile and began steering the noble's attention toward Leilin and the others. "If you could take them on, I believe it would be of great help to you…"
Though she had already noticed the unsettling gaze he directed her way, Hera still made a point of accentuating her curves — which earned her a displeased look from Arani.
In her heart, she genuinely believed she was doing her best to 'help' Leilin and the others.
Setting Lafinia aside, for professionals among the common folk, the only path forward was to serve a noble.
If they did that, then after a few decades of distinguished service, they might receive their lord's favor — perhaps an honorary knighthood or even a minor title.
With that, they could acquire a fiefdom and become hereditary nobles, ascending into the ranks of the upper class.
In fact, Leilin's grandfather had risen in precisely this way, only his allegiance had been sworn to the king instead.
"Mm! You make a fair point!"
Viscount Daniel's gaze lingered on the fullness of Hera's chest, and he swallowed. Compared to his fiancée, who was still a little girl, her sister clearly had the flavor of a mature woman — though, of course, having both would be ideal.
"You're in luck. I, Viscount Daniel, am willing to take you on as my retainers. Kneel and swear your oaths!"
Only under the beautiful woman's persuasion did Daniel finally deign to give Leilin and the others a proper look.
"And you — you could serve as my honorary knight. A personal one, at that…"
When his eyes fell on Lafinia, a glint of interest appeared in them. His gaze lingered particularly on her long, shapely legs.
The steward behind him pursed his lips but said nothing.
He knew his young master's temperament all too well. The man wasn't about to listen to any advice right now. But the promise to accept retainers — how could it be made so lightly, especially when the group included a dwarf and a coachman?
Fortunately, the young master would most likely go back on his word within a few days. At that point, they could simply be given some minor post as guards or servants, and they ought to be satisfied.
Even as servants, people in a Viscount's household outranked ordinary commoners! In the steward's mind, this was an inviolable law.
"Well? Why aren't you thanking the Viscount for his generosity?"
Hera shot meaningful looks at Leilin and the others, smugly convinced she had found these mercenaries the best possible future.
After all, compared to the life-and-death gambles of mercenary work, what was wrong with becoming a noble's vassal?
It had to be said — clever as she was, her thinking was still somewhat rigid. Or rather, the mindset of the noble class had always been like this.
"Great master, I, Bolon, hereby swear…"
To her surprise, neither Lafinia nor Leilin — not even the dwarf Bam — moved. Only the coachman's eyes lit up as he rushed forward and threw himself down.
"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Lord Viscount, but I have no intention of serving a noble just yet. We came this time solely to settle the commission…"
Leilin rubbed his nose and stepped forward.
"You…" Hera's face flushed crimson with anger. For the first time, she found Leilin truly detestable — how dare he refuse her generous offer!
Didn't he know the vast gulf between nobles and commoners?
Even Arani, standing nearby, furrowed her brows at this. She had already begun thinking of herself as the lady of the Viscount's household, and Leilin's rejection felt like a direct affront to her dignity.