It proved unbecomingly difficult for Lucius to stifle his smug grin as the council meeting came to an end. Whether or not he'd managed to deceive them all or if they saw through him but genuinely found his ideas agreeable, it was a solid win. Even Bezek had taken his side in the end.

"I don't know about you two, but I think that went well." He twisted his mouth's attempt at smugness into a composed smile, and looked over his shoulder at Bahman.

"It is... Certainly a surprise," Bahman admitted, eyebrows still arched from the meeting as if someone had glued them there. "No disrespect of course, but I don't believe you've been oblivious to their previously icy behaviour."

"Of course not." Lucius' voice turned dry. "The older Lord Hargreaves made sure of that."

"Well..." Bahman grimaced. "... Have you reached a decision yet? Regarding his offer?"

It was hard to stare a man down while walking in front of him, but Lucius did his best.

"Do you think I should marry him?"

"All I'm saying is that you don't want him on the opposite side." Bahman raised his hands in defence. "Winning over the council is one thing, but the BBT spreads further than that."

"Then I'll just reach even further." Lucius shrugged, smugness almost returning, so he turned to look ahead again. "You do know Lord Clausson is attending the feast of healing, right?"

"I would not get my hopes up there." Bahman's grimace was obvious even without Lucius seeing it. "Lord Clausson is very particular about who he trusts."

"And with every right." Lucius nodded, remembering Frey's concerns with the trade.

He had looked into it already, of course, but it was hard to track with such an old, established organisation full of people like Damien. Decreasing and increasing different parts of the trade until one stood out was a slow method, but the best option for a constantly scrutinised Lucia.

"I think we share some common grounds," he added before reaching the door to his office. "Like humanity."

"A radical concept in South Kerilia, unfortunately." Bahman smiled, as though it was a laughing matter. "Best be careful or you'll ignite a revolution."

"I'd be happy to host one." Lucius tilted his head in consideration. "Assuming they spare me."

Bahman opened his mouth, but hesitated, and finally shut it again.

"I will see you later then," Lucius ended the conversation with a brief nod and entered his office.

"So?" Anthony asked as soon as Lucius closed the door, leaning against the writing desk and wearing a curious look on his face. "You're not dead, so it can't have gone worse than other times."

Lucius brightened up again, and stepped over to give him an enthusiastic hug.

"They agreed," he whispered into Anthony's shoulder, unable to stop grinning. "They're letting me do all of it!"

"See?" Anthony gently grabbed Lucius' shoulders to interrupt their embrace. "You can do this. On your own, without Damien, or bratty children."

"Perhaps without them, but one successful meeting and acceptable decision-making still required two weeks and constant tutoring from you." Lucius frowned at the distance between them. "Saying I can do it on my own is still an exaggeration."

"It's a big responsibility." Anthony backed away to look him in the eyes instead. "You're making great progress, considering the way people acted around you before, and how little you knew about the position before claiming it."

Lucius eyed the increased gap between them again.

"What's with the coldness?"

Anthony looked down at the sight as well with raised eyebrows, as if he hadn't noticed.

"Oh. Well, with the way things are currently, I should probably not be caught with your makeup on my shirt." He grimaced, and Lucius groaned in return.

"Now I can't even be close to you in secret? What's next, spiritual cuddling?"

"If it's cuddling you want, we can arrange something later." Anthony raised Lucius' chin. "After the feast."

Lucius' ears reddened, but he decisively seized his composure before it could fly away.

"Speaking of which, I think we should go over some details just to make sure. We might have to rearrange the schedule given the recent changes."

"Passionate about this holiday too?" Anthony looked a little disappointed at Lucius' indifference to the flirting, but obediently turned around to look at the desk. "I thought it was just Dyris' day."

"Dyris may be my Archon." Lucius linked his fingers despite the nausea it caused him. "But it's not like the others are bad— Well, except for Dinthia. Besides, Phion is Sam's Archon of worship, so I'd like to make the day great for him as well."

Anthony hummed.

"Pity you won't get to spend the day together then, what with the BBT feast and all. It would be unacceptable for Lucia to not attend."

"I very much plan to attend," Lucius assured him with a quirk of his brow. "But I'm celebrating with Sam and Eliza as well."

Anthony's eyes filled with dread.

"... What did you do?"

"I invited them," Lucius declared, holding up the guest list and pretending to be blissfully unaware of Anthony's dismay. "They're coming to the feast."

A moment passed while Anthony tried to find the words.

"You're... Bringing people from The Entrails to the BBT's feast of healing." He nodded slowly, not quite unable to process it. "How— What... How do you think that will go over? You can't possibly—"

"I'm smuggling them inside." Lucius waved Anthony's words away as if that fact didn't make things worse. "Sam will work with the kitchen staff, and Eliza will act as one of Lady Marberry's maids."

Anthony's face kept scrunching up in horror.

"Catherine already has her own servants at the ready, even when she's not around."

"Well, one of them won't be able to make it." Lucius beamed, only to blink as he saw the expression on Anthony's face. "No, I-- I didn't do anything to her. She really is sick. Just normal-sick, and I had Eliza take over for her. No one will know."

"I wouldn't meddle with Catherine's staff," Anthony warned. "She's hand-picked every single one of them."

"It's just a temporary replacement." Lucius placed his hands on his hips, growing tired of the man's disbelief. "And Catherine can't mind because she won't even be there. You said it could take weeks before our message would reach her."

Anthony drummed his fingers against his folded arms.

"... Don't you think they will feel... I don't know, out of place? And doesn't Mr. Faal despise anglers?"

"With all his heart," Lucius agreed. "But it's alright. We will socialise in secret from time to time, but they won't be there to get acquainted with the rich."

"Is that right?" Anthony looked half unsurprised and half concerned. "Why would they be at a social gathering if not to socialise?"

"We're doing a heist."

There was no point in looking up to see Anthony's expression. The silence and his previous discontentment spoke for itself.

"A heist?" he finally asked, and Lucius nodded.

"A heist."

"Why the Waste would you not only risk Lucia's reputation by inviting lower class people, but also help them steal?"

"It's not like you'll miss anything." Lucius dismissed the words with a hand-wave again. "We're just borrowing some food for the orphanage, and we'll never give it back. My part won't be too big. I just need to cover for them and serve as a distraction while I'm going about my usual business."

Anthony gave up, sighing in defeat and turning his attention back to the papers on Lucius' desk.

"It's been—"

Then the door opened, and Damien Hargreaves stepped into the room.

"Lady Cromwell," he said, disapproving gaze immediately falling on Lucius, chilling the latter to the bone. "Might I have a word?"

Bahman stuck his head through the doorway.

"I have just given up at this point."

"Thank you, Mr. Featherstone," Damien said without looking at the man in question and closed the door behind him.

"Unfortunately, I'm rather busy at the moment, Lord Hargreaves." Lucius smiled his brightest possible towards the man. "Preparations and all. I'm certain you understand."

"What I've come to understand from talking to Mr. Bezek just now is that you've hired worms to assist with the town activities today." Damien, although proving mediocre at the task, smiled back. "Like cleaning up at the sanctuary ruins."

"It is the day of healing." Lucius blinked innocently. "Cleanliness is essential to health, and it will give peace of mind to those shaken by the horrifying event. And Archons forbid we leave the ruins of a sanctuary strewn over the finer parts of town."

"And the worms will get paid." Damien crossed his arms, smile fading but if Lucius wasn't mistaken he looked just slightly impressed. "That's your ulterior motive, isn't it?"

"It's hard work." Lucius tried to perform a mannerly shrug. "They will be paid accordingly, and isn't it convenient to save ourselves the trouble?"

"People won't like having Entrail dwellers running about their holy grounds." Damien's lip curled. "Our money could go elsewhere. I'm certain some parts of the old sanctuary are salvageable, so why not rebuild it at the same spot?"

"After what happened I can't help but personally feel it's a bad omen," Lucius insisted. "Right now, whether intentional or not, we will hire people currently residing in The Entrails to clean up the ruined grounds, in the spirit of Phion's day. What we do with it next can be discussed at a later point."

He knew what Damien was about to say. That people would hate his idea. That the council wouldn't let him get away with manipulating them like that. Well, Lucius thought, they'd be too late anyway.

"I think you'll come to regret thi—"

"I already have," Lucius interrupted before he could realise Damien had, in fact, not said what he'd predicted.

The three of them fell into silence, and to Lucius' bewilderment it looked like Anthony wasn't the only one trying to hold back a laugh, as Damien pursed his lips tight as well.

"I... Have already tho— Thought this through, that is." Lucius cleared his throat. "And we will continue the plans for today as scheduled."

An unexpected knock on the door grabbed Lucius' attention, mostly because so few people around him seemed to know how to knock, and he perked up in his seat.

Damien's eyes pointed skywards, but since he was closest to the door he at least had the manners to open it.

A stunning woman with pinned up, impossibly red hair, rusty brown eyes and milky skin stood in the doorway. Her lavish dress, along with most of her attire, seemed impossibly red as well, to the point where Lucius' eyes started to hurt.

And here I thought I was used to seeing large amounts of red in one place.

"Damien!" The woman's eyes brightened further as she spotted the man, balling her hands in apparent excitement. "You're here as well? That's so nice, we never spend time together anymore!"

Damien slammed the door in her face.

"I can't believe you," he turned around to hiss at Anthony, still keeping the door shut, while Lucius sat there as a humanised question mark. "I told you not to get her involved!"

"Damien?" the woman's confused, muffled voice was heard from the other side of the door.

Lucius' eyes widened then in realisation.

"Oh, that's— That's Cath..."

He trailed off at the sight of Anthony's strained expression, and was reminded that he was currently Lucia.

"... That's, uh... The woman from the portrait, isn't it? In the gallery?" he corrected himself. "Cath— something, right? Cathleen?"

"Catherine," Anthony joined in, hurriedly informing Lucia of the woman's identity as well to avoid more hiccups. "Lady Catherine of Marberry."

"Well isn't that nice?" Lucius chirped, putting on a painfully wide smile for Damien. "Lord Hargreaves, that's no way to treat a lady, is it? Why don't you let her inside?"

Damien looked at Anthony, and Lucius dared to think his gaze was pleading.

Anthony however, showed no mercy, and instead only shrugged as if he was out of ideas that he never even had to begin with.

"Don't be like this," Catherine's voice said. "I don't have my cannon with me."

"If you did I wouldn't have bothered closing it," Damien growled at the door.

"This is rude, Damien. I was asked to come here and now you're shutting me out?"

With a last glare at Anthony, Damien finally stepped aside, slowly opening the door behind him.

"Now, let's start over!" Catherine beamed as she enthusiastically pushed Damien aside and entered the room properly, starting off with handing a bottle of clear liquid to Anthony. "More for you."

Anthony nodded as he received the bottle, seemingly in a hurry to put it away, and Lucius raised his eyebrows.

"Alcohol?"

"Nope!" Catherine smiled with her entire face. "It's poison!"

Lucius shook his head in disapproval. Anthony was going to poison someone? And he had the gall to object to a food heist?

"Now..." Catherine sauntered over to Lucius' desk. "... We haven't been introduced, have we?"

"Only heard words, Lady Marberry." The tension in Lucius' shoulders eased up. The pressure of dealing with both the council and Damien that day had taken its toll on his body, but Catherine seemed to bring along a more soothing atmosphere. "Lucia Cromwell. Town chief of South Kerilia."

Catherine's eyebrow quirked, and Lucius could imagine her confusion if she hadn't spoken to Damien or Anthony for a while. The Hargreaveses had run the town for quite some time after all.

"Lucia Cromwell?" she then asked, and Lucius' tense shoulders were suddenly back in place, though he clung to his relaxed smile.

"... Yes." He nodded slowly, gaze flickering in Anthony's direction, but received no help there. "Is... Something the matter?."

Catherine hummed in thought, but her questioning brow eased up.

"Just haven't heard of you before, is all."

"Oh. Well, my uncle's family is better known." Lucius smiled sheepishly. "Violin makers."

"I know." Catherine's reply was short, but breezy, and she turned her attention to Anthony. "So, I received your letter but I couldn't quite understand what exactly you wanted. I brought along some of my usual—"

"That's enough of you for the moment," Damien interrupted, placing a hand on Catherine's shoulder to lead her through the door. "I don't think Lady Cromwell would be interested in your... Well, interests."

"There's no end to your rudeness, is there?" Catherine huffed. "My interests are plenty—"

"You should not tell her about your interests," Damien clarified with what Lucius guessed was a cautious look over his shoulder. "You're two vastly different people, and she's very busy right now."

"Nonsense." Catherine gently shooed his hand away. "I doubt a Cromwell would shy away just because it's a bit dangerous."

Lucius' eyes narrowed, more puzzled than concerned. Did she know about him? About Lucius? Was there another Cromwell involved in these kinds of things?

As far as he knew, there was only one Cromwell in the nearby areas other than him, and he forced that option into the back of his head.

Anthony looked confused as well, and even Damien had a wrinkle between his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm... Certainly not scared of a little danger at least, I think." Lucius chuckled nervously. "But, um... I suppose Lord Hargreaves is right. I need to get back to work, but... It was nice to meet you, Lady Marberry."

Catherine looked genuinely disappointed, and Lucius couldn't help but want to continue their conversation as well. Why did she say that about Cromwells? What did she know, and could it lead to Lucius being in danger?

"I suppose you're right," Catherine said, face going back to her usual smile. "I will see you at the feast later this evening after all."

"I can't wai--" Lucius began, but Damien was already in the process of shoving her out the door.

"Go on and get ready then," he said, already in the process of shutting her out once more. "We will see you over there."

"You know she can help us." Anthony had a stern expression as the door closed. One Lucius could guess was a disguise to hide the fear of his father's wrath. "Whether we can figure out what happened eventually or not, things will be much quicker if we ask her."

"We're not that desperate," Damien spat, now back to his normal, bitter self. "She's bad enough to handle at the mansion, but now she's walking around town. Around normal people!"

"Well..." Anthony drummed his fingers against his arm, raising an eyebrow. "Best not leave her alone then."

Damien muttered something, possibly a curse, under his breath before turning to leave as well.

"Wow, she must be quite something." Lucius made a face, still confused by the whole encounter. "She does seem nice though, so what's her damage?"

"She's... A bit extreme." Anthony shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know why Damien makes such a big deal about her. The BBT is full of eccentric people. Compared to others, she's just odd."

Lucius frowned. He didn't trust Damien the slightest, but he couldn't help but weigh his words heavier than Anthony this time. It was Damien after all. If he was concerned, it was probably for a good reason.

"On the bright side, she's here now and I can speak to her about, you know... The issue." Lucius placed a hand against his chest. "But I still haven't figured out what to give her in return. Is she interested in money? Favours?"

"That might actually be a problem," Anthony pointed at him. "When Catherine needs something, she usually gets it herself. She's the most resourceful of all of us."

Lucius scrunched up his nose.

"So what then? Just ask nicely and hope she'll listen?"

"Lucia is a woman," Anthony reasoned, as if Lucius was supposed to understand why that would help. "Catherine might just pity you enough to help."

Lucius' frown deepened.

"... I guess I'm beginning to see parts of her oddness?"