A few moments since the last chapter…

Tristain, Royal Capitol, King’s Cup main floor

 

“Why do ya’s keep trippin on the stairs?” A royal guard asked as he brought his shield down savagely on a man’s legs who was strung up in irons.

 

A loud crunch filled the room as the assassin cried out in misery and fell over dragging several other of the chained-up assassins with him as he hit the ground and tried to reach for his broken leg.

 

“I didn’t do nothin! I have no idea how I got here!” The man cried pitifully as another guard grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him and began to manhandle him through the main door as several other assassins were dragged along with him.

 

“Lord Grayfield! I had nothin to do with this! Please spare my family!” A woman called who was being dragged away with the other assassins.

 

All of them claimed they had no idea how they got there or why they tried to kill him, many had been stunned and began to panic. The cost for attempting to assassinate a noble was the death of you and your entire family and they were all being treated as the worst of criminals by the noble guards. That was because of several different factors Ashton had discovered while they were rounding up the assassins.

 

“We was able to have a great celebration at the end of last year thanks to all your contributions to the guard! Thanks truly My Lord, we apologize that we couldn’t reach you sooner!” Another guard wearing the symbols showing he was of higher rank quickly came over and began to ingratiate himself. “You do so much for us and we were not able to help you when you needed it! We will make sure that this never happens again!”

 

“It is… fine… I am alright, my maid... handled it.” Ashton said as he tried to smile even though he felt numb inside.

 

So much death had happened around him that he was having problems processing it all, what made things worse was when the fox woman had placed three large bags of gold in his lap and shoved the other three down her top. The hallway had been filled with the corpses of assassins, he counted twenty of them when they were going to the main floor. The main hall wasn’t any better as several of the fleeing nobles had been killed by assassins in the drinking hall and several kegs of beer had been spilled onto the carpet. Pools of blood could be seen that was slowly getting drunk up by the carpet coming from various bodies of the assassins killed by the guards.

 

“We reckons there was about eighty of them altogether. We killed about sixty of them gettin to ya all.” The guard captain told him proudly.

 

“Oh… there were quite a few of them… well done…” Ashton commented as he looked at all of the blood and kept his shaking hands close to his sides. 

 

“Lord Grayfield, are you alright?” The first prince called as he made his way to him under the royal guard. 

 

He looked out of breath and behind him was a servant wearing formal garb who was struggling to carry a small trunk. Ashton felt a sinking feeling entering his stomach as the servant opened it up to reveal glimmering gold that made Ashton sick to his stomach at the sight. His life had almost been lost and the prince was more worried about his reputation. It could be imagined the damage that would be done to his reputation if it was discovered that he had sent the guard of the one who was about to be assassinated into the arena. 

 

Ashton was just about to refuse when the fox woman next to him began to nod her head sagely as one of her tails snaked forward and wrapped around the chest and effortlessly hoisted it into the air. This joined three large barrels filled with alcohol and seemed to be dancing merrily in the air. Pigor who was following closely behind the prince began shaking and breathing heavily the moment he saw the fox woman who smiled at him and licked her lips. 

 

“Kumiho will happily accept this for her Lord!” Kumiho said proudly to the prince's look of stunned disbelief. Holding it over her head she pulled open the front of her blouse as the chest cracked open and a stream of gold fell between her breasts.  She looked very serious as she carefully measured out the weight of the money using her tail. 

 

“I will have to.. thank you later… I have had a tiring day and wish to return to my... estate.” Ashton said as he gave a formal bow and turned to leave. 

 

While this could be seen as rude, he was technically of a higher rank and could get away with performing actions like this because of his past. Prince Valiant didn’t even bat an eye as he turned to Pigor and the robed servant and ordered them to leave with him. Ashton also decided that he didn’t want to stay here any longer with the bloody smell. Walking to the door he could see a priest wearing white robes who was standing over a wounded noble wearing bright blue clothes as he chanted and produced a white light that caused the various wounds to close. Ashton paused as he watched the old man working to heal the wounded with a tired look on his face. 

 

The man’s robe was worn and he could see certain exhaustion in his face that was all too common to him. It was the exhaustion that came from working from sunup till sundown and barely making enough to survive based on his skinny appearance. Ashton walked right up to the man with a flat expression as he finished his treatment and was about to move on to the next wounded victim. 

 

“Excuse me… can I talk to you?” He called out to the priest who turned and looked at him with confusion before his expression went through a series of different transformations when he saw the speaker. The final form his expression took on was fear as he saw Lord Grayfield walking towards him with a flat expression.

 

“My Lord! What can this humble priest do for you?!” He uttered quickly before he began to try to get on his knees.

 

Ashton didn’t care as he reached forward and grabbed the middle-aged man’s shoulder with his hand preventing him from dropping any lower. 

 

“What do you do… besides just heal? Do you also work for the orphanage... in the town?” He felt that it was a longshot, but he was pleasantly surprised by the answer.

 

“Of course, My Lord! I took it up when I came here!” He seemed surprised to be asked this but Ashton breathed out a sigh of relief as he turned to Kumiho who was standing behind him and p[ointed to the chest she was holding.

 

She looked up at it for a moment and had a conflicted look before she gave it a toss and put on a mournful expression. The chest made a heavy thump as it hit the ground and cracked open revealing a golden glow that filled up the entrance of the room. The noble lady with a sprained and swollen ankle looked like she had forgotten about it as she stared wide-eyed at the chest of gold.  She assumed that there had to be close to five hundred or six hundred gold pieces.

 

“Use this on the children… all of it… do you understand?” He asked with a flat expression and a cold inondation to his tone.

 

“My Lord… this is too much… I could never spend it even if I had te-'' The priest began before Ashton cut him off.

 

“All... of… it… Do not make me... repeat myself.” Ashton said, laying it on thick as he starred the man down with his intense eyes.

 

“Yes Lord Grayfield! I will spend every copper of it!” The priest said with a shaking voice and equally shaking hands as he reached for the chest and took it towards his chest and began to look around carefully before he stood up and began walking towards the orphanage.

 

“Wait! My ankle…” The noble girl called.

 

The priest didn’t seem to hear her as he muttered in a panic about spending the gold as quickly as possible. Even Ashton was surprised by the reaction until he heard a voice whisper in his ear.

 

“Ashe liked to attack the priesthood and the healers in particular. He thought they were useless with the advent of healing potions.~” Beretta whispered in her sonorous voice that seemed to echo.

 

“That isn’t my problem,” Ashton muttered.

 

“Why did you give him the money?~” Beretta asked.

 

“It is dirty, so I don’t want it. If you accept money like that once it will quickly corrupt you.” Ashton muttered. It only takes once for a choice to become a habit, then you will start looking for new ways to keep that extra money flowing in. A lot of people think that evil people were born that way but it is usually a gradual and slow process of parting with your morals. 

 

“Is that why you don’t have a shadow?~” He heard her mutter in wonder.

 

This statement caused him to look down where he could see his shadow sitting on the ground. He assumed that he wasn’t understanding something and chose to start making his way back to the carriage. The sounds of the noble lady's curses as he walked away just drifted in one ear and out of the other as he paid it no mind. It didn’t take him long to reach the carriage and he pushed open the door and saw a second chest bearing the insignia of the royal family. 

 

Natalay sat on one side of the carriage with a blank expression as she turned and saw Ashton’s face. One look at the chest and the insignia of the royal family was all it took for him to know the source.

 

“The second prince?” Ashton asked.

 

“That’s right, he came to personally deliver it along with a letter.” She said as she pointed to a sealed envelope sitting on his seat.

 

Ashton wasn’t going to ask her why she didn’t come to help him, he wasn’t stupid enough to think that their relationship was based on anything but benefits. He could see the carriage beginning to lean from the heavy barrels of alcohol that Kumiho was securing to a rack attached to the back of the carriage. Climbing in he took a seat before he sat back and started to get comfortable and kicked his feet on top of the wooden chest. Sighing out tiredly he asked the question that was on his mind.

 

“Did you know that Beretta was… doing whatever she is doing to me?” He asked.

 

“She is hiding in your shadow, it is impossible to detect a Shade if they don’t show themselves,” Natalay said dryly. “She is the strongest fighter you have in the dark.”

 

“I am also fun-sized and very good at cuddling!~” Beretta added.

 

I’m going to go insane… His heart was still pounding from all the adrenaline as he recalled how close he came to death. He knew that the feeling was just in his mind as Beretta had stopped any gun that was pointed at him. The scene of the giant fox and the people getting dragged into the darkness and replaced played out in his mind over and over again as Kumiho made her way to the cabin and sat down next to Natalay. One of her tails darted over and pulled the door closed behind her and she got comfortable as the carriage began rolling down the street.

 

“Has Ashe had attempts made on his life by assassins before?” He asked.

 

“Of course not! An attempt on a noble’s life means the death of your entire family! If it succeeds then they will throw your friends and acquaintances in there for good measure!” Natalay began. “Do you have any idea how many people are going to die as a result of what happened today?”

 

“Is there more than one orphanage in town?” He asked.

 

“No,” Natalay asked.

 

Ashton looked at the trunk under his feet with some disgust before he took a deep breath and tried to calm his emotions. He felt like one of the princes had to be in on the assassination attempt and the second prince was the most suspicious. 

 

I don’t like this… I feel exhausted… He wanted to just close his eyes and sleep but if he didn’t process the emotional baggage he was carrying then he would probably have nightmares. He could see the faces of the dead assassins and the faces of the trampled nobles whenever he closed his eyes. It’s that damn smell… 

 

Reaching down he lifted his shirt and sniffed it a few times. The smell of blood and gunpowder was brought to the forefront of his mind instantly making him want to take another bath.

 

“Tomorrow I want to begin inspecting all of the Grayfield businesses,” Ashton muttered this next bit to himself. “I’m gonna rebuild all of it.”

 

I never thought I would miss my old life. My job, my apartment, my friends, all of it… I wish I could go back…

 

***

Meanwhile…

Earth, ???, Prison cell

 

“They call this… a prison?” Ashton muttered, from the cot he was laying on.

 

He was wearing scrubs and had a carefree expression on his face, it was currently lights out and he had experienced a full and exciting day. Things like television, a computer, telephones, and cars. While the trial he had gone through for assault had been annoying he had learned a lot from it and he felt like he was in one of the best places to learn about the new world.

 

“Hey! I said I want the top bunk!” A deep male voice called as he walked into the cell after his shower. “Do I need to put you in your place?!”

 

“Oh?” Ashton said as he sat up and smiled at the large man in front of him.

 

He was several inches taller than him and weighed twice as much, but things like this were worries for a lesser man.

 

“How... wonderful! I was just thinking… that six months in prison… just isn’t enough time for me.” Ashton said menacingly. “I guess it comes down to… bodily harm… and the amount of… damage done to them.”

 

The other prisoner suddenly felt a sense of alarm that made the hair’s on his arm and back raise when he looked at the eyes of the other man. They were cold and dead, they never changed with his emotions and didn’t match his face. The prisoner had used a line he had seen in a movie because he was worried about seeming weak but he suddenly felt like he might have been bunked up with a real psychopath. A savage smile crossed his face as he turned and reached for the panic button that would call the guard.

 

Just as he was almost there a hand reached out and pulled him back away from the door and after feeling his body roll he smashed heavily onto the floor on his stomach. The wind was driven from his lungs and he could only wheeze desperately as a weight suddenly pressed onto his back making it even harder to breathe.

 

“People like you… they upset me the most. All you had to do was just… take your beating lying down… but you wanted to tattle to someone... thinking they would… save you.” Ashton said from the back of the prisoner who was on the ground. 

 

Suddenly the prisoner felt a hand rub the back of his head affectionately like he was a dog and he turned to see that man was looking at him mockingly.

 

“Good boy… now I can call the guard to look at my artwork when I am… done with you,” Ashton said menacingly. 

 

***

Meanwhile…

Tristan, Royal Capitol, Grayfield estate

 

Ashton could feel warm sunlight hitting him from the window that was next to the bed, and the smell of flowers was strong in the small room. Opening his eyes and looking around, he could see the same stained gray walls and mosaic carpets covering bright polished hardwood and a molded brass ceiling. A large chandelier featuring various colored gems hanging from the metal frame and featuring various magical lights stood grandly on the ceiling. The bed was so large he could spread his arms and legs out as widely as he could and not touch the edges of it.

 

“I guess I fell asleep…” Ashton muttered.

 

It was one of those sleeps where after you are done you don’t feel like you have closed your eyes at all. This is why Ashton had studied things like energy economy and trying to live a more fulfilling life. On Earth, he had many days where he felt this same exhaustion but he was often in a situation where he couldn’t do much about them but approach the situations differently. He cut out the waste and stopped participating in activities that didn’t bring him any fulfillment and tried to make the best of his situation.

 

“Do you know how many businesses Ashe Grayfield has?” He asked his shadow.

 

“No, there wasn’t a single maid who followed him everywhere and there were times where he didn’t take any servants with him,” Beretta explained but this last part came out with deep sorrow. “He also tried to keep me away from him…”

 

I wonder why? He thought sarcastically. 

 

“There is a list of them in the registry for the noble houses, but I doubt that it is all of them either.” Ashton sighed out when he thought of the list of businesses owned by the Grayfields, it was close to a hundred of them.

 

Next to the bed was a large chest of gold bearing the insignia of the royal family that came from the second prince. The moment he saw it the events from the assassination began to play out in his tired mind. 

 

“What happened to the old butler who was running the tavern?” Ashton asked.

 

“Who is that? Humans all look the same to me?~” She muttered quietly.

 

“The old one who entered my booth before the assassins came,” Ashton said.

 

“He was one of the first people killed by them, he was on his way to your booth.~” Beretta replied.

 

“This feels like an inside job, I want to suspect the second prince but I wonder if that is the goal,” Ashton muttered. “If I wanted to start a civil war, having a great noble lord die would be the perfect way to create a divide between the brothers and make it impossible to bridge.”

 

Remembering the petition he tried to remember if had grabbed it when they left.

 

“Did Kumiho grab the first prince’s petition?” He asked.

 

From a small table in the corner of the room where various random documents were discarded, a large piece of parchment sunk into the shadow that is cast on the table before Ashton felt a paper appear under his arm. Without getting out of bed he picked it up and held it up to the light as he began to carefully scan the names on the parchment.

 

“This kingdom has a serious problem that is going to prevent it from being able to grow,” Ashton muttered as he finished reading and tossed the petition on the carpet. “If the great noble houses don’t get involved, nothing can get done.”

 

“That sounds like a human problem! You should just focus on mating instead!~” It sounded creepy coming from such a young-sounding voice, but she didn’t have a fixed shape either. Who knew how old she was? 

 

“The royal family can’t do anything without the Great Noble Lords' support, that is because their costs are so high to maintain the kingdom,” Ashton said confidently. “The first prince grit his teeth any time he had to part with a gold coin, whereas the second prince only cared when it got too expensive for him to grin and bear it. They both run their own businesses on the side to make more money.”

 

Only the British royals and royalty that were truly beholden to the people had to face this issue. The issue of wanting to make more money than what you were provided through a stipend that was provided by the taxpayers. If you can just demand more money freely you are in a dictatorship where you have complete control of the resources. The entire event had given him a lot to think about and consider.

 

“Why does that matter?~,” Beretta asked.

 

“It means that the great noble houses are the ones with the real power, I am guessing that the royal family is required to maintain certain standards in the city. The military, the guard, and the various ministries. This means that the royal family is probably the poorest of the great noble houses in actuality, their rank becomes a shackle.” Ashton concluded.

 

“I still don’t understand?~” She muttered childishly.

 

“It means that this might happen again if the goal is to start a civil war that is. I did hear that Galvos was planning to attack Artollia. No one wants an uninvited guest to join your party.” Ashton explained. “I don’t know, there is too much I don’t know. Has anyone tried to assassinate Ashe Grayfield before?”

 

“No, the penalty is too high for most people.~” She replied.

 

“Alright, you can leave now,” Ashton said hoping she would have gotten the message by now.

 

‘Why?!~” She asked dejectedly.

 

“I need to use the… Chamber pot... and I can’t do it if I know that someone is watching me.” He told her that it was the main reason he hadn’t gotten out of bed yet.

 

“But I watched you do it ye-” She began but he cut her off.

 

“STOP!” Ashton cut her off. “I don’t want to know, but you can’t be here! Please, I need you to leave.” 

 

“I understand!~ I’m leaving!~” She said with a giggle.

 

She had said that she left, but Ashton didn’t feel the sense that he was being watched fade away. He wanted to get up but biology gave him a certain problem that was embarrassing, to say the least. 

 

“I’m not going to be able to pee like this…” Ashton muttered.

 

***

Meanwhile…

Tristan, Royal Capitol, Lost Lamb’s Orphanage

 

“Must spend it all… must spend it all… must spend it all…” A man was muttering as he looked over and saw a chest with the emblem of the royal family on the table next to his bed. 

 

Looking over in the small room the middle-aged priest stayed in he could see a message that was written in what looked like blood on his wall. When he had been counting some of the gold, his greed had flared up and he considered taking some for himself when he heard a bang come from behind him. It had three words written in a childish scrawl that said “for the children” and below it were the words “Spend it all” in a more threatening manner. The two combined sent a chilling message to the priest who felt his greed disappear like it never existed.

 

Then he had tried to sit in his favorite rocking chair when he fell on the floor and found it on the ceiling rocking back and forth as if it was occupied. All the lights in the room had gone out and he could only watch in shock as it moved almost mechanically. Seeing that the sun had started to rise, he screamed out loud at the top of his lungs.

 

“Children! Wake up! We have a busy day ahead of us!” He said as he climbed from the floor that he had been sitting on for several hours. 

 

Then when he recalled the amount of money in the chest, a troubled look came to his face when he thought of how to get rid of it all as quickly as possible. His door was pushed open by a young boy who looked to be about eight years old with a dark tan from his time in the sun and dark brown hair. His eyes were dark green and shimmered with an intelligence that far outweighed his age. He walked with a limp and was aided by a cane he had made from a threaded pipe that allowed it to be adjusted using the threads and a leather strap attached to his wrist.

 

His right leg was damaged in a carriage crash that took his family away from him at a young age, but he was one of the smartest children in the orphanage. Suddenly the image of the young boy holding up a rough firearm he found in a shop and saying he could probably make a better gun appeared in the priest's mind. That was because an apprenticeship in gun making was incredibly expensive and required many gold coins to afford the materials.

 

“Jon! You have incredible timing! Pack your bags, we are going to get you an apprenticeship!” The priest said with a large smile when he thought of how much of the gold that would get rid of.

 

“Did I do something wrong?!” The boy asked in stunned fright.

 

Next Chapter: The Doll House