Asher stared at Kelvin with inquisitive eyes. “Count Tigris sent a message?”
Kelvin nodded and gave him the rolled-up paper.
Asher broke the seal and opened the letter. His eyes wandered over the paper, and he frowned deeply.
“Since when did Count Tigris invite the Ashbournes for his daughter’s birthday after canceling the betrothal between us?” He asked Kelvin.
“He has never sent an invitation.”
Asher narrowed his eyes. “It says here that his daughter just came back from the Eternal Hills Academy in Nubis dukedom and is now betrothed to the heir of Duke Nubis.”
The moment Kelvin heard that, he looked at Asher but couldn’t find a trace of anger in his eyes, but he could tell that Asher felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there.
After all, that woman was once betrothed to him.
It was more than Kelvin thought. The thought of Liya Tigris reminded Asher of Earth Lia, and it reopened the wound he had buried under piles and piles of work.
“I won’t be attending.”
He handed the letter back to Kelvin, turned, and left.
…
An hour later, Asher sat in his study reading a chronicle about the Ashbournes. His eyes drifted to the book concerning Nubis Dukedom, and he found himself moving toward the book, taking it and returning to his seat.
As he read through it, he discovered the Nubis Dukedom was the Eternal Immortal Empire’s sacred land for sharpshooters. They had forces so powerful that the entire continent of Tenaria acknowledges them to be the most powerful army of sharpshooters.
The book went into specifics concerning the Dark Skies legion; it was made up of special sharpshooters who could cause havoc and destruction on battlefields. It went as far as saying one could kill a hundred!
The Nubis Dukedom was the largest dukedom in the northern high plains.
“So she left a cripple and got betrothed to the son of a powerful duke. How lucky.” He scowled and closed the book that seemed to praise the Nubis Dukedom nonstop.
Knock! Knock!
He heard a gentle knock and turned his head toward the door.
“You may come in.”
The door opened, and Kelvin walked in with a tray. On the tray was a cup of warm milk.
“For strength, My Lord.”
After sipping a couple of times, Asher turned toward Kelvin.
“What brings you?”
“The letter.”
Asher’s brows furrowed, but he controlled his emotions by hardening his grip on the cup.
“Go on.”
“It’s been years since Count Williams sent an invitation to the Ashbournes, and this occasion is bigger than a casual birthday. Your presence is necessary in that gathering, or it might be taken as a show of disregard.”
Asher sighed.
“It’s a big gathering, My Lord, and you can remain in a corner. As long as your presence is known, you’ll be out of the count’s eyes.” Kelvin added.
Asher looked in the mirror and saw his face. After looking at his frowning face for a while, Asher puffed out.
“I’ll need a wheelchair. Do we have a carpenter in the fortress?”
Kelvin placed his fist before his mouth and coughed. “I was a carpenter’s son and grew up in the trade before your father picked me at a young age. But what do you need a wheelchair for?”
Asher got up.
“I can’t tell the world that I’m no longer a cripple yet. Prepare a wheelchair and another that can support me on horseback. Also, what gift can we give to her?”
Kelvin distinctively noticed that Asher didn’t want to say Liya’s name.
“What do you suggest?” Kelvin asked.
Asher scratched his hair. “I have no suggestions. That’s why I said we should come up with something.”
“By we, do you mean me?”
Asher glared at Kelvin and walked out.
“Mary, bring my sword.” He said to the maid while walking through the corridor.
By the time he arrived on the training platform outside the castle, Mary was right behind him with his sword, neatly sheathed in the scabbard.
Shing!
He drew it out and began to swing it so fast that Mary’s eyes couldn’t follow. While moving around and swinging his sword, Asher’s mind went into a hyperstate.
All of a sudden, he stopped his sword mid-swing and lowered it. ‘I’ve got it!’
He gave Mary the sword and walked out of the gates of his castle. Although Liya might have dumped him for someone better, he still wouldn’t go there empty-handed.
“Isn’t that Lord Asher?”
People began pointing at him with shocked and excited expressions.
Eventually, Asher arrived before Dan’s shop. Right outside the shop, Dan was smithing something; it was in the last stages, but Asher only had a few days, so he couldn’t be patient.
“Dan, can you make a thousand silver bracelets with the next batch of iron ore? If you can do more, do so.”
Clank!
Dan hit the hammer against the object and lifted his head. “My Lord, a thousand silver bracelets is no problem. Should they be plain or, you know, pleasing to the eyes?”
Clank!
“Pleasing to the eyes, and I need it in two days time.”
“That will be 15 gold coins.”
Asher’s eyes widened. “15!”
Clank!
“My Lord, you want it to be pleasing to the eyes, and that’s much more expensive.”
“I’ll trade you two- weeks worth of Moonlit Starhorn milk for it.” Asher said.
Dan’s eyes glowed. “Deal!”
For now, the milk wasn’t accessible by the masses, but it was being distributed by soldiers two times a week. But no one could buy it.
….
Two days later…
Asher stood in his study, well-dressed in his best attire. His pants were black and his top pure white, without damage.
He looked at himself for a brief moment, and then he took his coat and put it on.
“You look great, My Lord.” Kelvin smiled. He felt like a father looking at his son.
“Finally, for the present.”
Asher said, and they both looked at the silver gleaming bracelets on the stone table. It was about 1078.
They looked beautiful, but Asher wanted it to have more than just casual beauty.
‘System, where are you?’
Ttring…
[Ding!…]
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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