His reaction befuddled the lords and ladies around him. It took a few moments before Adrian calmed down, his laughter finally dying away.
“No, I apologize. The rumor is so ridiculous, it’s just funny.”
“Is it not true then, of course?” one of the ladies asked.
“Of course not. I don’t know how the rumors even started.” Adrian said, looking toward the lord who had mentioned it. “Where did this even come from?”
“I just heard them through the servants of the keep. And some ladies and lords, too.” The lord said. He looked Adrian in the eye, but Adrian got the feeling there was more to it than what the man was letting on before he shrugged.
“No matter.” Adrian said simply.
“No matter? Are you simply letting the rumors be?” the lord asked, incredulous, while the others around him looked just as curious.
“It’s not real anyway, so why not?” Adrian looked into the distance where some people were dancing.
“Still, could it not be a stain on your reputation?” The other lords and ladies nodded in agreement.
Adrian couldn’t stop himself and snorted. “Let others say what they want. It’s not true anyway, and besides…”
Adrian thought of the earnings he had made in this tourney and how he wouldn't be returning here again for a long while. “No matter how much people try to throw mud on something, gold is still gold.”
‘And besides, it will be a long while before I come back here.’ Adrian added inwardly.
His response seemed to make the lord who had brought up the rumors gape a bit.
Then one of the younger lords chuckled. “I heard another rumor, Lord Harrow, this one more agreeable to you. I heard you faced dozens of monsters alone during the attack on the camp to save a single child.”
“Did you?”
The attention of the lords and ladies in the room shifted to him. Adrian could only smile wryly and explain the truth behind the exaggeration.
“The common folk are already calling you the indomitable Lord Harrow, pushing through to win the joust and then surging to face off dozens of monsters to save someone.”
Adrian was taken aback by the title. He paused, tasting the words in his mouth, and found that he actually liked it.
He liked it, he liked it a lot. It was certainly better than the Butcher of Laluga, that was for sure. The lords and ladies then transitioned into discussing the details of the attack.
Adrian then spied Lord Bronsone in conversation with another lady, with Lord Hardinge standing beside her.
“If you’ll excuse me.” Adrian said, using the sight as an excuse to excuse himself before leaving. The group immediately dove into a whispered discussion the moment he walked away.
He was about to reach Lord Bronsone’s side when someone tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He turned to see an unfamiliar man.
“My lord asks for you…”
Adrian looked down slightly, noting the colors of the man's livery, and realized who his master was.
“Of course.”
Adrian followed the messenger and soon found himself in front of the earl, who sat at the end of the hall on a grand chair. The last time Adrian had seen him, he was talking with the prince, but it seemed the royal family had left, as they were nowhere to be seen now. There was a small buffer of empty space around the earl, ensuring people couldn't easily overhear their conversation.
“Lord Harrow, I haven’t properly thanked you for your deeds.”
Adrian bowed and said, “I only did the right thing, my lord, and nothing more.”
The young earl laughed, a casual sound, but laced with a sense of tiredness that Adrian could clearly feel.
“Truly, if only there were more like you… Prince Cale has a good lord under him.” Lord Winthrope nodded, then gestured to a servant. “I apologize for what happened, the competition abruptly ending, risking your life in the tourney I declared, and protecting and escorting Lord Jayson and the prince. As a gesture of thanks…”
A servant appeared and presented a small chest. Adrian looked at it curiously, then at the earl, who nodded at him to proceed.
Adrian opened it and caught his breath slightly when he saw the gold coins, probably hundreds of them.
“Eight hundred pounds. You can take it with you now, or I will have a servant deliver it to your room, whichever you prefer.”
Adrian, despite himself, swallowed hard as he steadied his gaze. “I thank you for this. I would prefer it be delivered to my room.”
As much as he’d like to carry it himself and gaze adoringly at the coins, he knew that would invite unwanted attention. Besides, he was nearing the point of social exhaustion.
“Very well.” The earl gestured, and the servant closed the chest and left. “Regarding the matter from before, the offer…” The earl said, bringing up the exact thing that had been bugging Adrian’s mind this entire time.
‘The exploration group will be called off, right?’ Adrian thought.
That could only be the decision. Sure, the horde was dealt with, but there could easily be a large number of wandering monsters around Creviceton now. Going through them to get underground was no different from suicide.
“Circumstances have changed.” The earl said. “There won't be a group sent to explore the underground area. Instead, it will be changed to something else…”
Adrian raised a brow at him. “And that is?”
“You remember the monster that attacked you and wiped out a team?”
How could he forget it? All this time he had been hoping it had been killed during the defense, but apparently, no sighting of it had been reported at all.
“Yes.”
‘Don’t tell me…’
“Our elven friends want to capture this beast, and they have asked for our help.”
“…Why?” Adrian finally asked, unable to help himself.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you until you accept. Forgive me for springing this on you, but I need an answer now. The group will depart to hunt this creature by morning.” Lord Winthrope said, leaning slightly forward as he waited for his answer.
Adrian's mind went blank for a moment before thoughts began racing through his head.
In the end, considering the circumstances, the compensation, and the shifting nature of the task itself, Adrian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his choice was made.
“I accept.”
--
“Will I ever have a chance to beat you at this, Lord Harrow?”
“Of course, Your Grace. The time one spends playing certainly plays a part, but a flexible and smart mind can match, if not surpass, experience too.” Adrian said as he moved a pawn to trap her steward.
Princess Skyla knitted her brows, trying to figure out her next move.
Adrian, however, tried his best not to look uncomfortable. He was currently in the room where Princess Skyla stayed and slept, and it was just the two of them so late into the night. As little as he knew about noble affairs, he cared even less for the drama, being alone in a room with a princess was guaranteed to cause questions and gossip.
He could ignore the rumors he had heard about himself before, but this…
Adrian stole a glance at the princess. Her beauty seemed haunting and terrifying tonight.
“Have you accepted the offer?” the princess spoke up, moving her piece.
“I have.” Adrian answered, taking her steward piece with his pawn.
“And do you know the truth of what the elves are looking for? What do you think of it?”
Adrian furrowed his brows. After he had accepted the earl’s offer, the earl had immediately taken him to a private room and answered some of his questions. He hadn’t really had time to process them, because right after that, he was invited to the princess’s chambers.
“They are looking for signs of growing dark magic… to see if it had a hand in the surge of monsters. Honestly, it's such an important information, I haven’t properly taken it in yet.”
The princess smiled faintly at him. “Off the top of your head, what first entered your mind?”
“That I picked a good time to be alive.” Adrian blurted out sarcastically, before immediately wishing he could take it back.
But the princess, surprised by his response, actually laughed before catching herself and placing a hand over her mouth to regain her composure.
“What I meant is that…” He cleared his throat. “With the troubles and rumors I've heard from the South Sea, and now here in Creviceton, though it isn’t confirmed yet, the following years might prove to be troubling.”
The smile disappeared from the princess’s face. “Indeed. But then, to nobles, especially those of higher rank, it is always a troubling time.” Her lips curled slightly, and Adrian got the distinct feeling she was talking about her own position.
“Dark magic… the very thought seems so strange to me. I don’t exactly know what to think about it, nor what it even is.” Adrian said, looking at the princess in hopes of an answer.
“Sunhaven knows very little about it, aside from the fact that it mostly originates deep underground, and its entire purpose is to twist the natural order of things.” The princess offered the explanation, but it was so vague it might as well have been nothing.
“Hmm…” Adrian pondered her words and made his move on the board after the princess completed hers.
“Got nothing to say to that?” Princess Skyla asked.
“I don’t know enough to say anything meaningful about it. It all feels so unreal, if I’m to be honest… like something straight out of the legends you hear as a child.”
“Is that something you always do? Doubt things?”
“No, just some things. Well, to be perfectly honest, I doubted the existence of elves in the first place.” Adrian said, not entirely sure what had prompted him to admit that.
Princess Skyla raised a brow, an amused expression crossing her features. “Did you? Most common folk believe it the moment they hear of them. Why didn’t you?”
‘Is it because of my dreams? Because it all feels so unrealistic?’ Adrian answered in his own mind.
Aloud, he said, “Common folk believe in a lot of things, and rumors tend to become exaggerated. I always try to be… rational about things. Obviously, I was wrong this time.” The words that came out of his mouth were entirely different from what he was actually thinking.
“The world is bigger than you think, Lord Harrow.” Princess Skyla said, her tone almost ethereal, her eyes turning reminiscent.
“Indeed it is.” Adrian laughed dryly.
For a while, they just sat across from one another playing chess, occasionally tossing out comments about their own moves or their opponent's strategy. It was strange to feel comfortable in a silence like this with a princess, but Adrian didn’t overthink it. He was mostly just glad when he managed to checkmate her after they pushed deep into the endgame.
An excuse to leave was already forming in his mind as he looked up at her, but before he could utter a word, she spoke.
“‘And I would like to choose a person I truly care for.’ You have some… interesting words you said before, Lord Harrow.”
Adrian’s mouth twitched. It seemed the night wasn't over just yet.