It was too early for whatever Lucius was up to.

Not that it was news to Frey that he had a knack for looking out of place in high society. That was part of the reason for his disguise as Lucia to begin with, making her the preferable choice when involving him in important matters.

Which made the fact that he was currently dressed as Lucia while unscrewing the door to the meeting room from its hinges even worse.

"Isn't this overdoing it?" Frey stopped in the doorway just as Lucius detached the door, and the latter elbowed him to get his work space back.

"It's educational."

Frey doubted it, but he wouldn't meddle. Valdís and Damien had already sat down inside the room and the sooner they could get somewhere with the meeting, the better.

As soon as Frey sat down next to his mother however, the present tension prickled his neck, and he glanced between her and Damien with increasing concern. He was aware enough by now that Valdís held no fondness for Damien, but she'd been capable of suppressing it for so many years and he'd assumed it would remain that way. So why were they glaring at each other?

"Well, since we're all here..." Frey suggested as Lucius placed the door just slightly on its hinges to make it stay put for the time being. "... Perhaps we should begin?"

"With pleasure." Lucius sat down, looking between Damien and Valdís as well, but instead of concern showing on his face, it was anticipation. "I really want to hear this."

So as it turned out, Lucius was mostly there with the hope that Damien would be scolded.

"As I understand it, the first shipment is already on its way." Valdís still had her eyes fixed in Damien's direction. "Despite the promised attempt to stall it."

"I did stall it for as long as I could," Damien protested. "But it's been months already and people need those resources. We can't ignore the purpose of this company just because we're in a complicated situation."

"Regardless, the first damage is done and while we can't predict just how great the damage to West Kerilia will be, we can assume it will be noticeable."

"So what can be done?" To Frey's frustration, his mind was blanking. So many years of excelling at his job and suddenly he couldn't find a way out of one single problem? Was he that reliant on the support from others after all? The respect he'd lost after his father passed may have put him in a less favorable position, but it's not like he couldn't do his job while keeping his clothes on.

The problem was that his focus had been directed in the wrong direction, and he should have known better. Instead of just digging up dirt on other companies by entertaining his colleagues, he should have dug up dirt on his colleagues as well, because he knew their kind. He knew they wouldn't be above screwing an entire town over if it saved them money.

Now it was too late. They'd all banded together and just taking one of them down would not be enough. He would need to make massive damage to most- if not all -of them, and with Carrigan in charge, was it even possible?

"I've looked into the company overseas." Valdís gently bumped Frey's arm to snap him back to reality. "We have some connections to Branor where their main supplier is located, and if we use that, it's possible we could buy shares of the company without Carrigan and the others noticing, which would at least soften the blow to West Kerilia since part of what they pay would go to us."

Frey nodded, not ruling the idea out but it went without saying that West Kerilia did not have that kind of money, so to make that happen they would have to look for it elsewhere.

He turned to Lucius, who looked like he was quietly counting down to something, and Frey sighed. If only they could have an uninterrupted meeting for once.

Lucius had barely reached 'one' when the door fell over with a pang and an additional squeak from underneath it.

"Why do doors hate me!?" Luna's voice whined, and Lucius performed a half hearted shrug, apparently not intending to admit to his crime.

"I dunno, they just do. Maybe it's a sign to stop snooping once and for all."

"Because I shouldn't have to snoop." Luna crawled out from under the door, rubbing her shoulder with a pout. "I should get to be at these meetings. I'm not a child anymore, I'm eighteen."

No one at the table looked convinced.

"It's nothing ill towards you, young Lady Hargreaves." Valdís sent a brief, slightly reprimanding look in Lucius' direction before addressing Luna. "But this matter is sensitive and what's being discussed cannot leave this room, so until you have more experience—"

"I'm not gonna get any experience if I'm never allowed to attend these meetings." Luna threw her hands out. "With the way things are now, all I'm learning is how to avoid doors from falling on me."

"Yet they're still hitting you head on." Lucius shook his head with unearned disappointment. "I saw poor Dr. Penhale is still around from yesterday so hurry along and have him take a look at your elbow before he leaves."

With nothing short of a demonic groan, Luna stomped away, taking the chaotic atmosphere with her and Frey released a sigh before giving Lucius a look similar to his mother's.

"I'm rather certain this borders on child abuse."

Lucius let out a 'psh'.

"You heard her. She's not a child, she's eighteen."

"If you could perhaps put the door back, Lady Cromwell?" Damien's expression was no less disapproving as the others. "So we can get back to where we were."

"I know asking for financial assistance is a lot," Valdís continued while Lucius got up from his chair. "But I think we're all in agreement that West Kerilia can't suffer like this."

"I do think in the long run the overseas trade is unstable and the safer option would be waiting for West Kerilia to recover." Damien knitted his eyebrows. "But it should go without saying that the others will notice expenses of that magnitude and question where it went, and of course they'll protest it."

"And while I'd love nothing more than to screw this company over, the town council would be at my throat if I spent money on something I should stay out of." Lucius looked genuinely remorseful while putting the door back, as if the inability to ruin things for Damien was killing him. "South Kerilia has left the trade to The BBT for as long as most can remember and if I start meddling in it and spend money on things that should be left to them, people will ask questions."

Frey stifled a sigh. Perhaps it was time to make the commitment final and move on after all.

"I can pay for it." The effort it took to say it at an audible volume, or rather saying it at all, squeezed his heart, and the others stared at him.

"How would you do that?" Valdís looked more puzzled than touched by the sacrifice.

"I'll sell my land." Frey couldn't bear looking up from the table. "I'll sell all my assets. My shares, my estates... I'll keep the country house, but that's it. I don't need more."

"... Why?" Damien's voice was tinged with disbelief. "I know you think I'm an endless source of money, but I can't keep paying for your whole lifestyle."

"No, I'm not staying here anyway." Frey shook his head. "I'll move to the country house permanently and I can't work for this company from there, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Frey, you don't have to do that." Valdís tried, and Frey could see Damien nodding from the corner of his eye.

"You were just getting back into it. You shouldn't have to leave all this behind."

"With the ways things are going I'll never truly be back." Frey balled his hands to keep them still. "I... Don't want to do it, I admit, but I don't see my life here improving. I'm poorer, I've lost most of my reputation and respect from others, and I'm actively challenged by the other lords constantly no matter how right I am about things. They seem to have agreed with each other that anything I try, they'll decline, so I'd be working in a headwind every day. Not to mention the enemies I'll make if they ever find out about the overseas shares."

"But that would also mean leaving Lord Hargreaves free from supervision," Valdís objected, not a care in the world that the man was sitting just a few feet away.

"Nothing I do here will matter," Frey emphasised. "I'll do better work from West Kerilia. I'll take a job in town, and it will be strenuous to travel every day, and I'll have to get used to walking among strangers, but it's the best option."

He wouldn't say the next part out loud in case it would cause alarm, but there was also a part of him that wished to keep better track of his family in case the town got worse again, risking the return of that nightmare blight. If it happened again, he would be there for them from the beginning.

"Is Captain Vandelay still around?" he asked instead, more aimed towards Lucius than Damien, but the latter was quicker to reply.

"We're not involving vampires—"

Lucius groaned.

"Just shut up about that already. Yes, he's a vampire, but he's also your son in-law and if there's a chance he could help out with this, of course we're going to ask him." He turned to Frey. "And yes, he's still around. I can talk to him later.

Damien gave Lucius a warning glare.

"Lucius..."

"Assface."

"If you truly want to assist us with this and not just have your own company's profit in mind, I don't see why you would reject the help from the captain of a merchant ship just because he's a vampire," Valdís added, looking very much like she wanted to call Damien an assface as well. "From what I've heard, Captain Vandelay is very kind and I believe his position would open up opportunities."

Lucius laughed through his nose.

"As if Damien understands what 'kind' means."

"I suppose that's a fair point," Valdís agreed coldly. "But nevertheless, all he needs to do is stay out of the way."

Despite being the only one fond of Damien in the room, Frey felt no real need to defend the man in this situation. If he was going to reject help because of his prejudice against vampires, he was on his own.

At last, Damien released a tired sigh.

"If I really must, I can offer the company a deal in secret. I know how to keep it hidden from the others and if Frey is willing to handle the money, it should go unnoticed."

Frey exchanged a look with Valdís and Lucius, and while neither of them looked thrilled about it, they still relented with slow nods.

"Just know that if you do anything to ruin this, I will make you miserable." Lucius stared Damien down, and the latter rolled his eyes.

"Again, you already do that every day."

With the meeting adjourned, Frey headed for his room. His legs were heavy and he couldn't be bothered to glare as he walked past two whispering chambermaids who immediately interrupted their conversation upon spotting him. In a way, it was a kind of relief that people still gossiped about him. It was almost nostalgic already, and he felt like his old self again. Not in the bad way, but in the way that he'd still felt empowered back then.

As it turned out, they weren't even gossiping about him.

Frey couldn't help but feel disgruntled. They were just whispering about some other maid who'd quit her job after getting pregnant. Out of wedlock, sure, but certainly not more gossip-worthy than Frey.

"Oh, good evening, Lord Clausson."

Frey looked up to spot a tired Dr. Penhale at the top of the stairs. It felt odd. Frey had barely acknowledged him before, even when his wounds had been treated, and yet Penhale was still greeting him. It would be rude not to, of course. One didn't encounter a lord without a proper hello, but still.

So at least Frey could give him a nod.

"Evening."

It was a change enough to make Penhale blink, but he kept to just smiling as they passed each other by, cautious not to say anything that might set Frey off and moving aside to give him plenty of space.

"Dr. Penhale." Frey still ended up turning around, pausing the doctor in his step. "I... Think an apology is in order."

Penhale looked back, eyebrows impossibly high on his forehead.

"Lord Clausson?"

"You've... Treated me on multiple occasions, and I've done nothing to show gratitude for it." Frey chewed on the inside of his cheek. "So I would like to apologise for that... And thank you for your hard work."

After another long moment of shock, Penhale smiled again.

"It's no worry at all, Lord Clausson." He even chuckled a little. "I've treated every lord passing through here— many of them just yesterday and earlier today because of the party— and very few have thought to thank me, so it's nothing I expect from you either."

Frey furrowed his brow.

"That's kind of you to say, but with that in mind it sounds like you've done much more hard work with little gratitude for it."

"Well, it's my job, and I do it properly no matter what my personal feelings are."

"It's admirable." Frey managed a weak smile back. "I wish others here had that mindset."

"So..." Penhale tilted his head slightly. "... With the risk of overstepping, may I ask what brought on this new outlook?"

Frey hesitated. Like Penhale said, he treated a lot of people and from experience Frey knew any piece of information could prove devastating if spilled, but then again, what did he have left to lose?

"I've spent time away from bad influences, I suppose." He tried to look sheepish. "It's not a becoming attitude for someone of my rank to be so casual, but..."

"Oh, I don't think it's unbecoming at all." Penhale shook his head. "In fact, you sound much more like your father now."

Frey's breath choked. It was not what he'd expected to hear. Not ever, if he was being honest, but that made it all the more meaningful, and all the more painful.

"Oh..." he managed with a slow nod. "... Well, that's kind of you to say."

"I apologise if I caused you discomfort." Penhale's smile weakened. "But I also want to say that he is missed, no matter what some people may imply."

Frey still had to resort to his nodding, and fortunately Penhale was content with that.

"Well then, I should get going." He gestured over his shoulder. "If I'm lucky I'll be home for supper before young Lady Hargreaves hurts herself again."

It broke through Frey's loss for words, and he laughed softly.

"That would be lucky."

He followed Penhale with his eyes, warmth still blooming in his chest as he took a step up the stairs.

Except his foot didn't quite end up on the step, instead landing right on the edge of it and providing no support on either side, leaving Frey no choice but to tumble backwards and onto the floor.

"You know..." Penhale's voice said from the entrance door. "... If you people don't want me to leave, you could just say so."