Our Family Has Fallen

The women were also stunned. They hadn’t expected Amanda, who had conceded during their first meeting, to be so assertive now. On one hand was the prospect of earning tens of thousands of Gold Coins annually, and on the other, endless trouble. The woman wasn’t foolish. After setting her emotions aside, she made her choice, realizing that cooperation benefited everyone.

”I hope what you’re saying is true,” the woman replied. She hadn’t completely softened, but her tone had lost its initial harshness.

Seeing the woman agree, Amanda’s attitude softened somewhat. ”I’ll give you a few more pieces of information that will be very useful to you,” she said, immediately tossing out a piece of news. ”Bastia aims to exploit the Empire’s internal strife, ally with the Barbarian Tribes, launch an assault, and seize the throne to become the new Emperor.”

”Ah! Are you sure?” This news so startled the woman that she momentarily forgot their previous grudges. Their sensitivity to information befitted their role as intelligence peddlers; this single piece of news alone was worth several hundred Gold Coins.

”Earl Hamlet recently led his troops to defeat the Allied Army of the Barbarian Tribes and Bastia. I was present during the interrogation of the captives. What do you think?” Amanda skillfully used rhetoric to sidestep the woman’s question, yet it sounded as if she had answered. Even if the woman were to use divination upon her return, she would find Amanda hadn’t technically lied.

It was clear Amanda’s words were precisely as Lance had instructed. It was foreseeable that once Alvin returned to Bastia, the matter of Hamlet’s evil cult would become known to more people. And Count Bastia, eager to usurp Hamlet, would undoubtedly attempt to smear Lance with accusations of leading an evil cult, just as Lance could retaliate in kind against Bastia.

The conflict between the Barbarian Tribes and the Imperial People might not have spanned a millennium, but it had certainly lasted for centuries. It was only interrupted by Count Bastia’s rise to power, not concluded. However, it would be difficult for the Imperial People to forget such history in just over a decade. Once this news spread, Bastia would face pressure from multiple fronts, and more importantly, suffer from widespread public unrest.

Information is time-sensitive. Upon her return, the woman would undoubtedly be eager to sell this news. Through Romani channels, it would likely spread throughout Totnes and then rapidly further afield. Lance had anticipated Count Bastia’s actions and launched a preemptive counter-accusation. The actual outcome was secondary; the main goal was to plant this seed of doubt in people’s minds. Regardless, the more chaos in the Northern Borderlands of the Empire, the better it was for him.

”The second piece of news is that Hamlet has overcome the challenge of treating leprosy, and the medical standards here are very high...” Following Lance’s instructions, Amanda disclosed more information to the woman, further weaving her intricate web. Their relationship, now bound by mutual benefit, grew stronger.

”I must return as soon as possible!” The woman urgently needed to capitalize on this information, and many matters could not be handled from here.

”Pay the fine, and you all can leave tonight. The goods are already prepared, so you can depart first thing tomorrow morning.”

”Good!” The woman didn’t haggle over the cost; the information was too valuable.

”That covers the fines for all the Romani, as per the previously organized mission. You haven’t forgotten why you came, have you?” Amanda felt compelled to remind her, seeing her agree so readily.

Only then did the woman recall that their ship had come to Hamlet to evacuate the Romani. Though parting with the money stung, she had to agree in order to set sail as soon as possible.

After settling matters, Amanda went to meet the other leaders. Dispensing with pleasantries, she stated coldly, ”I warned you repeatedly that this place is different and that you must abide by the rules. None of you listened. Now that you’ve been caught, you expect me to bail you out.”

Those Romani, some of them twice Amanda’s age, couldn’t help but look embarrassed at her words. Theft, deception, and swindling were the Romani’s way of life. Greed and sloth made them prefer this method of earning money over honest labor.

Amanda had no time to waste on them. She followed up on their cases, paid the fines for each Romani individual, and secured their release. Now, all the Romani who had previously resisted her authority became docile.

By the time all matters were settled, it was late at night. However, the thought of sending these individuals away first thing in the morning brought Amanda a sense of inexplicable relief. Without realizing it, she had wandered to the Lord’s Mansion. Seeing a light still on inside, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to enter.

Deep into the night, all was silent. She wasn’t in a hurry to enter. Instead, she took the opportunity to observe her surroundings. She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now she realized the Lord’s Mansion was excessively plain. It hardly befitted an Earl, let alone a powerful figure like its master. There were no decorations inside, no Maids or similar attendants, only furniture so plain and simple that her own carriage seemed a hundred times more luxurious by comparison.

Yet, this didn’t lessen Amanda’s estimation of the man; on the contrary, it made him seem even more formidable.

Fortunately, she was not his opponent. Indeed, standing with him, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.

”My Lord?”

The door to the room was ajar. Standing outside, Amanda could see Lance writing something.

”Oh! You’re back,” Lance said, looking up with a smile and gesturing. ”Sit down first, then we’ll talk.”

A leader with a calm and stable temperament could offer great reassurance to those around them; this was a quality a true leader should possess.