“They don’t look like alchemists to me.”
“Looks can be deceiving, you know that more than anyone, father!” Lady Jacidia chirped playfully.
Rufian secretly rolled his eyes at his sister's response, while Lord Alpinuer's expression remained stoic. I couldn’t shake off the undercurrent of annoyance in his vibe. It felt like he was not fond of outsiders meddling in his family's affairs, and I was crossing my fingers that our presence wouldn’t cause Jacidia any problems with letting us in.
“Regardless of appearances, they are my guests and should be treated kindly, wouldn’t you say, father? Warm hospitality and goodwill are important virtues that we all strive to uphold,” Lady Jacidia said with a pointed tone, earning a surprised look from her father.
“Of course, my dear,” Lord Alpinuer replied, clearing his throat. “I apologize for any rudeness on my part.”
Finally, he cracked a smile. That saccharine sweetness from Jacidia worked, and I felt less tense as I approached the stairway to face Lord Alpinuer and his wife. When I broke my gait, I bowed respectfully, Rufian doing the same.
“Mom, dad, this is Sir Rufian and Sir Syodas.”
The man’s eyes flickered to us for the first time, taking in our ragtag group.
“A pleasure!” Lady Alpinuer said flatteringly.
“The pleasure is ours,” I replied courteously.
“Likewise…” Rufian added, before I realized the Lord’s stare lingered on Rufian for longer than I was comfortable with.
“Alchemists,” Lord Alpinuer started, “if I’d known we’d have guests, I would have rescheduled my affairs this afternoon.”
Lady Jacadia chuckled, but it wasn’t a reassuring one. “Why would you say such nonsense, father? You were never interested in any of our guests, unless of course, someone had summoned you for an audience.”
“Well, it is not every day I am graced with the presence of alchemic masters.”
“You’re too kind, my lord,” Rufian said almost nervously. “But please, let us not deter your plans.”
“Oh, I insist,” he said, and suddenly I felt a large lump in my throat.
“Honey?” Lady Reness asked, looking over to her husband confused.
“Cancel our plans with Lord Callian,” he ordered, his advisor behind him fumbling with his notepad at his hip.
“But honey, this is the fourth time we are rescheduling,” Lady Reness begged.
“I’m sure they’ll understand. Besides, it isn’t like they are going to advance without my say-so.”
“Father, I—”
“Welcome to my humble home,” he said, interjecting his daughter. Lord Alpinuer offered Rufian his hand, Rufian hesitant to take it.
Shit, where was a good diversion when you needed one?!
“My lord,” I spoke up, hoping to draw his attention away from Rufian. “We don’t want to impose on your plans. Maybe we can meet another time.”
But Lord Alpinuer only laughed, his eyes still fixated on Rufian. “Nonsense, Syodas. I insist that you stay and enjoy the hospitality of my home. And perhaps Sir Rufian here would be inclined to enlighten me on some of his alchemic prowess.”
As Rufian reached out to shake Lord Alpinuer's hand, I caught a glimpse of Rufian’s sister in the corner of my eye. Lady Jacadia looked straight at me with an intensity that made me numb. I tried to keep my composure, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was thinking the same thing I was—Rufian’s dad was onto him…
Just like she was able to decode Rufian, his dad might have caught onto his charade as well. This had bad idea written all over it, and it was too late to hit the eject button and get the hell out of this hell ride.
“Come, let’s get better acquainted in the sitting room, shall we?” Lord Alpinuer said, gesturing toward the door. When he turned his back toward us, Jacadia whispered ‘sorry’ under her breath, and I answered her back with furrowed brows. Rufian on the other hand kept his eyes forward. Judging by the expression on his face, he was pissed, but plotting. He knew we needed a way out of this, and he was going to do whatever it took to make it happen.
We followed Lord Alpinuer to a cozy sitting room with plush sofas and a fireplace. Lady Jacadia took a seat on the armchair and gestured for us to sit as well, while her mother politely excused herself, hearing one of her daughters call out to her in the hallway. Lord Alpinuer took the other armchair across the coffee table, while Rufian and I sat on the three-seater adjacent. A slave human in a short green and red maid’s dress came in shortly after, offering all of us tea. I kindly took a cup, while Rufian refused. My eyes tried to ignore the fact that he was the only one who didn’t have a beverage in his hand, feeling like his dad noticed it too.
“Lovely home you have, my lord,” Rufian complimented.
“Isn’t it? You could say that it has a sense of familiarity to it, doesn’t it?”
Rufian chuckled. “You can say so, yes. Your taste mirrors that of Exhavier’s.”
“Hungry?”
Rufian straightened his back at his father’s comment as another human servant passed him by, holding a tray of pastries in her hands. “Ah, no, thank you I appreciate the offer, though. Here,” he said, taking the tray and offering me some food. “How about you, Syodas? Peach filling, freshly baked! Try one.”
“Heh, no, I—”
“Go on, try it. The aroma alone is mouth-watering!” Rufian insisted, and it was then I noticed he was trying to tell me something through his intense stare. The back of his head faced his father, so only I could see his face when he pointed his eyes toward the bottom of the tray, something written with thin lines of ice on it—chk stat.
Chk stat?
Check stats?
I opened my system screen internally, noticing there was a fading envelope on the bottom right flickering at me. I selected it and then read his note quickly, ‘My father is onto me. I need you to search these halls for the codex. I doubt he is aware it is here. The codex moves on its own, never alerting anyone of its presence. History dictates that it likes dark and cold places. Try the cellar, or any place in the subfloors. Please, Silas, do not get caught. If a guard finds you in a restricted zone, you will be brought in for questioning before the council. This is their home after all.’
I managed to read the note before it faded. Great, retrieving the codex was on me now, and I had no way of leaving this forced gathering to go searching for it. I could pardon myself for the bathroom, but we’d just gotten here. It would seem rude. I had to wait a while, and forge an excuse, gulping down my cup of tea, right after I’d just used the bathroom, too.
