The increased level of caution when it came to Lucius' health was hardly a surprise. Rather, the fact that Anthony had agreed to help Lucius find the rumoured Cyril-person was a much bigger one.

"So remember, you need to match my father's attitude if we run into him," Anthony instructed as they walked through the BBT manor's ridiculously enormous garden. "I made sure to keep him busy all this time and he never had a reason to send for you, so that's your argument if he criticises you."

"I don't care if Damien criticises me." Lucius' lip curled at the undesirable advice. "He may be immortal, but he's also a human man. A human man who's not going to plant the portrayal of an inbred family tree on my chest, so I've seen worse."

Anthony smiled. It was in no way genuine, but he made an effort.

"Sounds like there's nothing to fret about then."

"I believe you will always find something to fret about," Lucius pointed out as he kicked at the path, stirring up a couple of pebbles. "So you might as well do the worrying for both of us."

"Oh, I already do," Anthony said in a voice of doom, and Lucius' lips quirked, but he tried to feel sorry for the worrywart.

"Let's hope for your mind's sake that Cyril has some answers then."

He looked forward as they approached the door, and to Lucius' astonishment an older gentleman had stepped outside, seemingly in order to greet them.

"Lord Hargreaves." The plump man gave Anthony a polite nod. "I was beginning to wonder if I had the day wrong."

"Last evening was a long one, Toma," Anthony replied, urging Lucius forward. "And there's no need for you to wait by the window for me. Rest assured I managed to get dressed myself."

Lucius snorted at that, and even the man he assumed was some kind of servant failed to hide an amused expression.

"And who might this young man be?" Toma moved on to address Lucius' presence, still with a warm smile on his lips. "Work acquaintance or... Friend?"

"It's not important," Anthony said, to Lucius' surprise and great displeasure. "Since I'm already late however, we shouldn't linger here by the door making small talk."

"Of course, my Lord." Toma bowed his head again and Anthony once again pushed Lucius forward.

"What the fuck was that?" Lucius hissed as they walked through the entrance hall. "One day we're in bed kissing and the other I'm 'not important'?"

"People should know as little about you as possible, shouldn't they?" Anthony glanced to the side as they passed by two men in the middle of a discussion. "No matter how things play out, Lucia is going to interact with most people working here, and every time they see Lucius they will compare the two more and more, and perhaps even wonder why they're never seen together."

"Splendid," Lucius commented dryly, acknowledging a maid on her way down the stairs while they were going up. Why did the place need to be so busy during the days? "No attention for Lucius."

"You wanted it that way, remember?"

Lucius scowled.

"... But I don't like being ignored," he muttered.

"I'll give you all the attention you want later," Anthony encouraged him, causing Lucius' ears to redden. "But let's not forget the situation you're in. It's distressing, but Cyril is our best option right now."

"Can't believe you don't know where he lives though." Lucius adjusted his sleeves as they reached the top of the stairs. "You oughta keep track of your friends."

"He moves around." Anthony shrugged before gesturing in the direction of Damien's office. "Never too far, but he likes to avoid my father and Derek, and, well... People in general."

"So does Damien even know where he is, then?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, and Anthony grimaced in return.

"They always find out. Then they track him down when they need him, and he moves again so they'll have to go through the process of finding him every time. It's a circle."

Lucius snorted.

"Why?"

"So they'll leave him alone unless he's really needed."

"Well, can't blame him on that one." Lucius sneered and followed Anthony through the corridor.

"Father—" Anthony began as soon as they entered Damien's office, but he chose not to further his sentence, and Lucius frowned while leaning sideways to look past him.

To his unnecessary surprise, Damien had visitors. It wasn't as though he expected a businessman to never meet with people, he just found it hard to imagine people wanted to meet with him.

"Anthony," Damien said dryly, glare more tired than actually angry. "I'm assuming you forgot that we have company today."

A man looking to be around Anthony's age, or at least the age Damien appeared to be, turned around to eye the intruders. Perhaps it was his disgustingly expensive attire, or simply the air of authority around him, but Lucius' indifferent facade suddenly ran away and was replaced with reluctant admiration.

"Lord Hargreaves," the man acknowledged with a nod, a wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. "... The younger."

To Lucius' dismay he wasn't even greeted, but he obediently stayed quiet as Anthony bowed his head as well.

"A pleasure having you, Lord Clausson, and my sincerest apologies for the interruption." Anthony then shifted his gaze to greet the other visitor. "It's good to see you in good health as well, young Lord Clausson."

"So honoured to be here," was the cheerful response, and looking closer, Lucius realised that the other visitor was not an unusually short adult. He was, in fact, a child.

An instantly lovable child, with a smile that could flatter royalty and an accent lavish enough to match his father. The thought that Lucius could have had that life if he'd stayed in Wyrmdon occurred from out of nowhere, and jealousy surged through him.

The boy looked just a year or two older than Lucius had been back then, but things hadn't turned out so poorly for him. He seemed happy, had a healthy appearance, and obviously the time to focus on etiquette and charming smiles instead of mere survival.

Lucius could have had that as well. He refused to regret his actions, but it was still unfair. He could also have been a rich child who would grow up to actually be someone without even trying. That young lord would never have to struggle with the cruelty of society, or work himself to death while switching between identities. He already had everything Lucius had sold his very soul for, and it all came down to nothing the circumstances of his birth.

It seemed ridiculous of course to be upset with a child whose only crime was being born in the right family, but Lucius would take any chance he'd get to do an inner hate-monologue about the upper class.

"We were just going over the details regarding young Lord Clausson's education here in South Kerilia." Damien gestured at the boy, and while his expression looked pleasant enough there was a certain chill to his voice that Lucius had come to know rather well. "... And accommodations."

"Oh, he's..." Anthony's eyebrows arched in surprise, and he paused to address the boy instead. "... I mean, you will be staying here at the manor?"

"It was not my intent initially." The older Clausson took the liberty of replying, flashing a smile that revealed where his son had gotten that pleasant grin from. "But as things are, anything else was simply not good enough for him."

Lucius' tiredness level increased, but he found some joy in the steadily growing dismay on Damien's face.

"Well, I suppose it is convenient," Anthony agreed, avoiding looking in his father's direction. "What better way to learn about trade than staying at the BBT manor, after all?"

"Indeed." Lord Clausson gently ruffled his son's light blond hair. "While I do wish he would reconsider, I cannot force him to inherit my position, so if trading is what he wants, he will learn from the best."

Both Anthony and Damien smiled at this as mandatory gratitude for the compliment.

"Of course, one should not inherit such an important position if it's not in one's best interest," Damien agreed, this time looking genuinely relieved. "I believe both you, Lord Clausson, and Anthony can testify that being a town chief is quite the undertaking."

Lucius perked up, and instantly felt bad. The visiting man was a town chief, and Lucius had been clueless. He hadn't even learned the names of Kerilia's other town chiefs.

"And if that's not enough, I'm certain Lady Cromwell would agree wholeheartedly." Damien added with a smile of the mocking kind. "It simply isn't a job for just anyone."

Lucius balled his fists, but he kept his composure. He had other things to worry about at the time.

He then noticed the younger lord was looking at him, rather surprisingly as he hadn't even acknowledged him before. It was hard to read the child's face though, and he soon let his gaze wander away as if he'd simply been looking around the room.

"And yet, you proposed to her," Lord Clausson pointed out to Damien, who shook his head with an amused look.

"Things will be back in order once we're married. Her incompetence won't matter in the end."

This time Lucius drew a breath through his nose. Talking ill about him was apparently not enough for Damien, because he also had to remind him of that supposed marriage? As if Lucius would ever set foot near a sanctuary with that dreadful man.

His stomach sank at the thought. Could he even set foot inside a sanctuary anymore? What if it hurt him for real after what happened? Ethan had said he would turn to dust if he stepped on holy ground, so was that what would happen to Lucius as well?

Well, if he hadn't already been against the marriage, he certainly had a reason now to make sure it never came to that.

"What do you think, Mr. Cromwell?" Damien suddenly asked, still holding on to his mocking smile, and Lucius snapped out of his worries. "I'm sure your cousin has told you about the offer I made. Surely you would agree with such an arrangement? What with Lucia's reputation at stake, not to mention the future of the company you just joined."

Lucius gritted his teeth, but he swallowed his fury and did his best to sound calm.

"From what I hear, I'm rather certain she'd like her first name far from your mouth, my Lord." How perfect. He couldn't even pretend to be nice. "As for me, it hardly matters what I think. I may wish for your company to thrive and for my cousin to get the appreciation she deserves, but not if the price is her well-being."

Lord Clausson blinked at this, and while Lucius apparently had a hard time reading Clausson-faces he almost looked impressed.

"Oh, this is not a servant?" The lord asked, looking genuinely surprised, not to mention amused, and Lucius felt his rage returning. So much for looking impressed, and so much for Lucius laying low. "And here I've assumed the younger Lord Hargreaves had a valet stalking him for some reason."

"Not quite." Anthony smiled, and Lucius was certain he had an amused quirk to his lips as well, but he wouldn't comment on it. "This is Lucius Cromwell. A cousin to Lady Cromwell and as of recently, a member of the BBT."

So the Cromwell secret was already blown, though in Anthony's defence Damien had been the one to reveal it. For better or worse, Lord Clausson finally gave Lucius some proper attention.

"My deepest apologies for showing such poor manners, Mr. Cromwell." He bowed his head slightly before holding his hand forward. "Lord Claus Clausson, the town chief of West Kerilia."

Lucius raised his eyebrows to hold back a frown. Was two 'Claus' really necessary?

"Well, Lucius Cromwell, as you've heard." He shook the man's hand, trying to balance a proper greeting with a more casual twist. "A pleasure."

They'd barely let go of each other before the younger lord grabbed Lucius' hand as well. Not quite in the polite way Lucius would have expected from his first impressions, but in a way, the enthusiasm made for a nice change.

"I had no idea Lady Cromwell had a cousin in the same town!" The boy's pale blue eyes were wide with an excitement Lucius couldn't quite understand, but he reluctantly felt the cheerfulness rubbing off on him.

Not that he'd show it.

"Frey Clausson," the boy then introduced himself, blinking as he thought of something, and then laughed. "Or, well, Lord Frey Clausson, that is. Young Lord, if we want to nitpick."

Lucius smiled, though rather taken aback by the time the handshake stopped and he reached the conclusion that he would not have ended up like this boy had he stayed in Wyrmdon. They were two different kinds of rich children. One who'd been uncomfortable with that life and longed for other things, and one who'd embraced it entirely.

Both precocious little bastards though.

"I think that's more than enough attention for Mr. Cromwell," Damien noted as introductions were over, and he gave Anthony and Lucius a disapproving stare, most certainly ordering them to leave. "We will discuss whatever matters of yours later, Anthony."

A frustrated wrinkle formed on Anthony's forehead, but he nodded.

"Of course." Then he turned to the visiting lords. "Lord Clausson. Young Lord Clausson."

"Have a nice visit," Lucius added before turning around to follow Anthony, muttering under his breath in the meantime. "If that's possible."

"I don't think we will find Cyril's whereabouts if we don't ask my father," Anthony said as they reached another office on the other side of the corridor. "We might as well wait."

"I'm about to lose it." Lucius finally acknowledged his feelings. "I can't get married. I don't even think it's physically possible for me to have a wedding under The Unity anymore. Chances are I will be turned to dust before I can enter the gates of the sanctuary."

"You won't have to marry my father," Anthony tried to calm him down. "We'll figure something out. I doubt he's that determined to go through with it."

"But my reputation," Lucius whined. "Lucia's reputation. And how am I supposed to keep her identity a secret if I live with the man?"

"It won't come to that. We just need to give Lucia a reason to turn him down."

"Oh, that easy, huh?" Lucius crossed his arms and leaned against a sturdy writing desk next to the window. "Like what?"

"Well..." Anthony shrugged. "... Your only reason, society-wise, not to marry him would be that people don't like you, and he can sort of force them to, right?"

Lucius' upper lip curled.

"Right."

"So we need to make them like you, without his help," Anthony continued, as if it was that simple. As if Lucius hadn't already tried.

Just enough to sway them, remember?

Terror struck Lucius as the Scourge's voice appeared. He'd been certain its silence had meant it wouldn't bother to speak to him anymore after what happened at the sanctuary, and certainly not help him.

Still, it made a good point.

Lucius didn't actually need to win people all the way over to liking him. He just needed to get them on the fence, and the Scourge's influence would tip them over to his side.

"I... Think you're right," he then said, partly to Anthony and partly the Scourge. "... Just to sway them. Even indifference would be good enough."

"I... Maybe?" Anthony frowned. "I think having them like you would be better."

Lucius nodded slowly. Of course, Anthony didn't know about the pact, and he didn't need to.

"Not sure how the Waste we're supposed to manage that though," he said under his breath while trying to think. "Think I can make an educated guess that Damien's gonna get in the way."

"And you can't behave around upper-class people," Anthony added, regretting his words as Lucius gave him a devastating look, but he wasn't wrong. Even if he could get around Damien he was likely to mess up anyway as soon as he opened his mouth.

"So swallow my disdain and get along with rich assholes?" Lucius raised his eyebrows, far from thrilled by the idea. He'd already tried getting along with them, but all it had amounted to was suppressed anger and conversation-hiccups. "Honestly, that's gonna be a tough one."

"I can help," a voice suddenly said from the door, making both Lucius and Anthony flinch.

"Young Lord Clausson." Anthony tried smiling as he addressed the boy standing in the doorway. "Are you... Done already?"

"Oh, I actually prefer Frey, at least when speaking just like this," the young lord said before walking inside to invade the conversation properly. "And yes, I am done. Although my father and Lord Hargreaves are not."

"They shut you out?" Anthony's eyebrows arched. "I'm surprised your father would have you go alone."

"I will be staying here a lot after all." Frey walked past them and jumped up on the large desk, dangling his feet from it while continuing. "But yes, it would be surprising if Father ever did that. I just left because things were starting to bore me."

"Ah, so having a look around now? I'm certain Mr. Hauke would be pleased to give you a tour."

"No, no, it's more interesting this way." Frey waved his hand dismissively with an amused grin. "Now I get to speak with the residents more... Well, closer to my age."

The other two in the room shared a glance. Anthony's age was a mystery even to Lucius but he was most certainly nowhere near early adolescence, and even Lucius had gone through a number of excruciating years since that time.

But in fairness he supposed there weren't a lot of children present in the BBT manor, and thank Dyris for that.

"So, going back to your unfortunate situation," Frey continued, voice as tirelessly bright and peppy as his eyes. "I believe I can help you, Mr. Cromwell."

Lucius paled. He hadn't acknowledged the proposal before, mostly startled by the unusual interruption, but it suddenly dawned on him that the boy had heard them.

"Oh, well..." he began, considering his options. He hadn't been around children a lot, but with his memories of that age in mind, a wool-wrapped boy like Frey was likely unaware of how serious Lucius' predicament was. "... I am humbled by your offer, young Lord-- Uh... Frey, but it's nothing you should have to bother with. Just a minor inconvenience that Lord Hargreaves and I will solve soon enough."

"You're certain?" Frey raised his eyebrows, gaze wandering between Anthony and Lucius in surprise. "I would be more than happy to help."

"Your father sent you here to study, after all," Anthony took on a softer tone. "No need for trivial distractions."

Frey blinked, eyes wide in confusion, but he still dared to smile as if Anthony was making a joke.

"Is... Hiding the fact that Lady Cromwell does not actually exist 'trivial'?"

Both Anthony and Lucius tensed up, and the latter opened his mouth to laugh it off, but ultimately failed.

"Because I agree with you, Mr. Cromwell." Frey fixed his gaze on Lucius, now with a look of concern. The way he managed to act like an adult clashed hard with his innocent appearance, to a point where Lucius found it unnerving. "Neither of your options are good. Whether it's marriage or charming people, it will be more difficult than you may think."

Lucius finally managed a short laugh, determined to dismiss the boy's ideas as hasty conclusions.

"Now I understand. See, young lord, I'm afraid you've misunderstood the situation. My cousin is—"

"No, I don't think that I have," Frey interrupted him with a shake of his head. "And I really want to help you for the sake of your town, and by that, my town as well."

"Listen, Frey," Lucius lowered his voice, using his best tone of authority. "As much of a lord as you may be, you are still a child. A child who is still being educated, and a child who can't understand these kinds of situations. So meddling and jumping to conclusions can only do harm. Understand?"

Frey's wide eyes blinked, finally taken aback by Lucius' words, and he lowered his gaze to his knees with a discouraged frown.

"But, I— I do really want to help you," he whispered. "I think Lucia could do a lot of good for this town, and I don't want that opportunity to go to waste over something like this."

Lucius faltered. Perhaps it was the fact that someone actually rooted for Lucia, but he also had a reluctant weakness for dejected children.

"I'm... I apologise, but it's too risky," Lucius admitted with a sigh, finally allowing his own worries to bleed through. "Regardless of your intentions, I don't see how you could help me with this."

Frey sat in silence for just a second, and then he released a sigh.

"But I do. And to be honest, I think it's in your best interests to accept it," he said, and the sudden shift in his voice filled the room with dread. Merciless contempt had choked his cheerful tone in a heartbeat, and Lucius stood dumbstruck as cold, dead eyes looked up at him. "I know your secret after all, and what's stopping a supposedly dumb, uneducated child from accidentally spilling a secret in front of everyone?"