LBC Chapter 8: Teachers?

The visitor stood out from the crowd of maids with her stylish dark, kimono-like dress. Her short black hair shone olive as she confidently strode in the dim light. An unusual color that somehow fitted her bronze skin.

Dark skin and long ears—she had the signature traits of the drow race.

What was a drow doing in the secret tower, and why was she dripping with Japanese culture? No one in the duchy wore these Japanese-styled clothes. So why?

As our eyes met, she put up a smile that could steal the heart of any person.

“Apologies for arriving late, Sir Knight and Lord Enwyld.” She bowed her head. “I lost my way in the duchy… I’ll accept any punishment to make up for this offense.”

“Great first impression,” Lional said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “How did a slothful race give birth to the noble hero Alf? Even royal scholars won’t be able to decipher this mystery.”

Lionel wasn’t a fan of the drow race. Nobody was, really, as their royal family was caught worshiping an evil god nearly a decade ago. The other guardian families denied them entry in the last emperor trials. Mind you, the drow were one of the four guardian races of the mainland, so they had a guaranteed seat in the contest, much like the other two families.

The drow woman maintained her professional smile. “Please do not judge a race based on one person’s mistake.”

“Just call me racist now.” Lionel shook his head and looked at me. “Enwyld, take your time with the decision… The Duchess wants you to have a person who you could trust with your burdens. Like Crimson is to the Duchess… it is sad to say that Shion doesn’t fit the position for her inability to speak.”

Shion didn’t fit the role, rather, she overqualified for the role. I didn’t correct Lionel as Shion’s current whereabouts were unknown. How come Lionel couldn’t recognize Shion despite having a Dragon Seelie by his side? Shion’s high-tech armor must have something to do with it.

It’s only been a few minutes, and I started missing her presence.

Lionel gave a knightly salute. “My work here is done. Elysia, you can take over now.”

“Yes, Sir Lionel.”

Lionel walked out of the room, whistling in a relaxed way. He left without explaining a thing about the drow woman. Could she be set up as my first challenge, an annoying authority figure?

The woman in question came forward, causing the maids to whisper behind her back. She put her hand on her lap and bowed, her movements filled with elegance. “I greatly look forward to my stay here, Milord.”

Her voice was brimming with eagerness as if she truly appreciated the chance to be here. Either she was a master of deception or something was going on here. An arrangement that didn’t include me. Nothing unusual in my life.

Still, I had to keep up my role as ‘Enwyld.’

“A-Are you a drow royalty? You’re so elegant in your approach. Why did you come here?”

As a young aristocrat, showing naivety was my best way to gain information.

The woman put her hand over her mouth, a hint of surprise in her olive eyes. “Pardon my short attention span. I forgot to introduce myself.” she bowed again in the same refined way as if she practiced this motion many times. “I’m Nerys Daerokh, the third daughter of Aeron the Uncrowned Heir.”

I never heard of Aeron, but I recognized the title attached to his name.

Uncrowned Heir.

Drow had centuries of lifespan. So they had developed their own style of monarchy system. The individuals qualified for the throne were given the title ‘Uncrowned Heir.’ The heir with the most achievements to their name inherited the role of the Drow Lord. Every Uncrowned Heir might rise as the Drow Lord. Third daughter or not, the descendants of an Uncrowned Heir received the same treatment as a prince or princess.

Nerys giggled, seeing me lost in thought. “Milord, please don’t feel alarmed. I hope you treat me like a normal servant of yours.”

What she meant was, “My family might be a big deal, but don’t consider them when you talk to me. I am here to work as your servant!”

“How can I have a princess as my servant? That’s so wrong!” I desperately wanted to deny my own words. Drow or not, having a drow princess’s backing might come in handy sometime. You never know when things go awry in this world.

Nerys vigorously shook her head. “I demand no reverence for my status… please—”

“Young Lord,” Elysia cut off Nerys as she approached me. “You can engage in close conversations later… you should bathe and have breakfast.”

This was a first for Elysia to show such disrespect. Did she have a beef with Nerys or the entire drow race? I’ll try to dig the secret out of her when we go to the blacksmith later.

Nerys turned to Elysia and a slow smile worked its way across her face, not quite reaching her eyes. Elysia responded with a wide smile as if she was baiting Nerys into doing something irrational.

Nerys shrugged her shoulders before bowing. “I’ll return to my chamber in the palace. Please call me when you’re ready to receive etiquette lessons.”

Elysia placed a hand on her chest. “I’ll be handling everything with general knowledge, including Seelie.”

She got me with the Seelie part. The ancient library barely taught me anything about them. Elysia, who had one of the strongest Seelie out there, would be a great help.

Elysia gestured towards the maids behind her. “Every one of them excels in a different field that might or might not be important for you. Ultimately, it’s your choice.”

The maids took this opportunity and announced their special skills. Someone even said ‘sex’ as their specialty and that they wanted to give me lessons about it. I’d be happy to take those private lessons if I wasn’t on a one-week leash to get ready for the V.I.P experience in the Capital.

Still to have maids as my teachers… my holy mother had to be behind this arrangement. With one-on-one lessons that would allow me to know more about them. She really went far in helping me decide on my counselor, or she was doing this to set up a fianceé for me. A woman’s brain worked in mysterious ways.

Nerys closed her eyes and her cheeks twitched, a byproduct of gritting teeth in annoyance or perhaps anger. Her weak control over facial expressions left a lot to be desired as an etiquette teacher.

I wonder what and how strong her Seelie is if she had one in the first place.

For now, I said farewell to Nerys. Elysia showed me the way to the spring in the tower. As expected the place was brimming with extravagance worthy of a royal figure. There was a large circular pool in the center surrounded by eight towering pillars. Four crystalline dragon heads made of stone towered over me.

Elysia tinkered with a lever, and the dragon heads lit up and streamed jets of cold water in the center pool.

What a ridiculous way to spend money.

Elysia patted my back. “I’ll fetch your clothes from the palace. Any preference?”

“I’ll be going to the blacksmith with you. Something to hide my ears would be nice.”

“Noted.”