Chương 26: Chapter 1.26: Parley

The heavy rain falling into the pools and flower beds of the estate's inner gardens created an oddly comfortable atmosphere. Favius walked at the head of his little delegation, Brutus slightly behind him, his sisters following at a respectful distance. He brushed a hand over his elegantly embroidered flame-colored robes and approached Hesnia. His evil stepmother was surrounded by servants and hangers-on lounging on couches around a table laden with snacks.

He stopped at an appropriate distance, and Brutus cleared his throat.

"Announcing, Favius Ovinius Loran." He slammed the butt of his axe into the ground, and the thunk cut through all conversation. Hesnia languidly stretched as she got up from her couch, and a slave stepped forward, washing her hands. She stepped toward Favius, accompanied by a small entourage. Marius and Lia played with nursemaids and half a dozen other small children on the far side of the courtyard. Hesnia smiled broadly, and he inclined his head in the manner that Brutus had recommended.

By the rustling of robes behind him, so did his sisters. The smile on his adoptive mother's face grew wider by a few degrees, perhaps even slightly more genuine. Hesnia looked over Favius's shoulder before smiling even more broadly.

"I see you have noticed your siblings. You are free to join them, girls." She gestured, and Urania left at an almost indecent speed. Caliga remained behind Brutus, stepping up only slightly. She invited us and brought the children, so this is a show of good faith, a peace offering. Well, I intended to be polite until provoked anyway, so— He lowered his head.

"Lady Hesnia Ovinia Loran. I am honored by your invitation." Hesnia nodded before gesturing to two well-dressed slaves who brought tablets laden with food. She picked out a piece of cheese while Favius politely accepted a few olives. Sharing food inside the house in this manner is an allusion to hospitality. Another good sign. Hesnia cleaned her hands again, and another slave stepped up, cleaning Favius's hands with water smelling of mint and citrus.

"I must say, boy, I find myself impressed. The way you convinced the majordomo to support you…" Her smile grew brighter, flashing teeth.

"And what you did with Tiro—it shows that you're not beyond political reason." Favius acknowledged the tightness in his stomach but didn't allow it to show. I blackmailed a slave, and my supposed mother is praising me for it. Fucking hell. Favius nodded and forced himself to smile.

"I appreciate your kind words, Mother." He spoke confidently, but a pause followed before Hesnia's eyes glittered and she continued, "It is a mother's duty to prepare all her children for the rigors of adulthood, especially after the stunt you pulled." She shook her head and shuddered.

"Unleashing beasts in the company of ladies. But—" she clicked her tongue "—I digress. What I meant to say is, I am sorry for the things I said. I was deeply upset after facing such vile creatures, and I said things that shouldn't be said to a child's face." Favius again inclined his head. I'm going to accept it, but throwing racist slurs at your own children isn't exactly good mothering. So assuming she hasn't suddenly found motherly love, this means she is testing me. He smiled broadly.

"I'm glad to hear that those things are settled now. May I assume that henceforth my sisters and I may see our siblings whenever we have time away from our studies?" Hesnia chuckled politely, covering her mouth with her hand.

"A bold proposal, my son. Yet I believe it is important to learn that in negotiations, an aristocrat rarely gets all they want. But as you have shared what you desire, let me share what I would like you to do." Her eyes slid briefly to the side where Caliga was still standing, and the sides of her mouth twitched.

"I have failed my eldest daughter in her upbringing. However, she does appear to respect and value you and Urania. So as long as you ensure that you and your sisters are well-behaved, I see no reason why it should be impossible for the three of you to spend some time each week with your younger siblings." Favius felt the tension in his jaw and took a breath before responding.

"I do not believe that the time family members spend with each other should be subject to such negotiations. That is not how a family ought to be organized." Hesnia sighed and shook her head.

"Alas, philosophers have written endless treatises on the difference between what ought to be and what is." She raised a finger.

"You would do well to remember what I said about your need to learn and understand the essence of negotiation." Favius exhaled through his nose and pressed his eyes shut for a moment. I can't get angry. That won't help me. I'm here because I acted like a proper corrupt politician. So—"What do you propose, Mother?" he said, putting some venom into the last word, yet Hesnia only flashed a smile in response.

"You shall see your siblings once a week if your tutor agrees that you were well-behaved during his lessons." Favius shook his head.

"Once per week is far too little. However—" He glanced briefly to the side, yet Caliga's face was a stony mask.

"If I ensure that there are no further incidents with any of us—" The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Caliga pursed her lips, then visibly swallowed whatever she was about to say. Good. At least she remembers what we discussed before this. This mustn't fail. Yet Hesnia shook her head.

"I can see your point. Maybe the time interval is too long. So let us say that after every four consecutive days in which your tutor is satisfied with your performance, you may spend an afternoon with your younger siblings."

"Every three days," Favius interjected. Hesnia tilted her head slightly before smiling again.

"Agreed." She studied him for a long while. What is she waiting for? Then Brutus cleared his throat.

"I believe it might—" Yet Hesnia raised her hand and shook her head with another sigh.

"Your effort is appreciated, Ovinius Kestrel. Yet I believe I, as a mother, should be teaching the boy about the importance of contractual oaths." He noticed that Brutus twitched beside him, yet kept his attention on Hesnia. She continued, "In civilized society, a sworn oath should be sufficient between those of good breeding. Yet should you ever have the misfortune of engaging in business with commoners, written contracts are all but a necessity. So—" She gestured at one of the slaves, and they brought a cup.

Not the fancy cup that had been used in the rituals of adoption, but a normal one full of wine. She raised two fingers.

"I, Hesnia Ovinia Loran, swear that as long as Favius Ovinius Loran fulfills his side of our agreement by ensuring the proper behavior of himself and his siblings and dependents, that he shall be allowed to spend one afternoon every three days in the presence of his younger siblings. The properness of the behavior is to be judged by me, or Cassian Norvius Lector, as my proxy." Favius considered the words, then nodded. I can't see an obvious trap there.

"Very well. I, Favius Ovinius Loran, swear that I will ensure the proper behavior of myself and my two sisters in all affairs of the household and under the tutelage of Cassian Norvius Lector, in accordance with the spirit of this contract."

"Oh," Hesnia chuckled and ran a hand over her forehead.

"I nearly forgot. I would also like it if Cassian was allowed to sit in on the mathematics lectures you are holding for our dear majordomo and your sisters. I hope that won't be a problem." Favius scrunched up his nose. Throwing in details at the last moments of negotiation. Talk about classic pressure tactics… He looked over to the corner where Urania was fussing about with Marius and Lia.

"He will be allowed to sit in on our lessons." At the edge of his vision, he saw Caliga walk off, pick up a cup of wine, and circle back around Hesnia. Hesnia drank from her cup and swore before handing it over to Favius. He followed her example and shared a smile with his adoptive mother. She stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well done, my son. If all goes well, I do not believe there will be further conflict here. You and your siblings shall have a great future as young aristocrats under the proper tutelage." She smiled indulgently, and Caliga walked beside her and crossed over to Brutus, still holding the cup of wine. Hesnia continued, "I pray you never forget these lessons, yet I also hope that our relationship going forward—" Caliga's blurring movement flashed at the very edge of his vision, and his head snapped around.

She threw the cup of wine toward Brutus—toward her mother if the warrior chose to dodge. A scream died in Favius's throat as the cultivator's eyes widened and he remained frozen in place. The wine splashed him and several of the surrounding servants, yet failed to hit Hesnia.

"Yes! Yes!" Caliga was dancing on her feet.

"I got you! I got you! Now you have to train me as a cultivator! You promised!"

"Caliga!" Hesnia hissed, half in disbelief, then screeched the name again.

"What do you think you're doing, young girl? This will have—" As a tirade unleashed itself in a rapid, venomous cascade from his adoptive mother's mouth, her attendants erupted in screams and cries of outrage. The children at the far end of the room scattered, and Favius noticed that the rain had nearly stopped. His mind snapped back on track, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they creaked. Caliga enjoys playing by her little river. Shouldn't be too complicated to make it look as if she drowned naturally…

"You, little girl, training as a cultivator? Ovinius Kestrel, explain—" But Favius's attention locked on his little brother as Marius started to cry and ran out of the room. Without thinking, he slipped out after him. He reached the door, but only saw the next door falling shut. He hurried toward it; he remembered it leading to the gardens. Favius growled as he followed his younger brother. If Caliga has blown everything up—fucking hell, I hope I can at least talk to him.

He ran into the garden as Marius disappeared behind the rain-wet flowers and bushes toward the grove behind the hill with the oak tree. He followed him and felt the wetness of the grass sloshing in his sandals as he crossed the grove. As they neared the back wall of the estate, he finally caught up to his little brother. In front of them, over thirty tree stumps sat on wooden tables. Beehives, he noticed absently. Marius reacted to his cries and stopped.

He hugged his little brother, whose face was a tear-stained mask of anger and frustration.

"Favius!" he sniffled, hugging his brother back, and the transmigrator could do nothing but stroke the young boy's hair.

"Are you okay?" he murmured as he held the shaking boy in his arms.

"I hate how things are. I don't understand why you and Aunt Hesnia are fighting. I—" he swallowed hard "—I just want to have fun together with you, with all of you, like before." An icy hand gripped his heart, and Favius squeezed tighter. He remained like that, kneeling in the wet grass, for a long while, until he heard steps approaching him. He turned his head without letting go of Marius as Hesnia approached. Her face was still reddened, and two other women scurried after her through the thicket.

She took three quick steps forward toward Marius before stopping and studying Favius.

"Boy, this stunt—" Favius made a cutting gesture.

"That was all her. Brutus challenged her to land a hit on him, and she's been trying for days. I told her to behave, that this was important, and—" For a brief moment, Hesnia's eyes narrowed. Then she threw her head back and laughed.

"Well, you see how difficult my daughter is. Doing such a thing isn't out of character." Her eyes wandered between Favius and Marius.

"We swore an oath, but given your eldest sister's personality, seeing your younger siblings might be more difficult than you anticipated." Favius grumbled through clenched teeth before letting out a breath.

"But we made an agreement. I will hold to my part as long as you hold to yours." His stepmother's smile was oddly sweet.

"Agreed." She reached out her hand.

"Marius," and her voice became much gentler, "do you want to go back inside? Look at you, your robes are all wet." Marius looked down as if only now noticing his wet robes. He clamped his arms around Favius and looked him in the eyes, but Favius leaned his forehead against his younger brother.

"Go with her," he whispered, and sent his brother off to a smiling Hesnia, as he remained outside, staring out over the estate. The rain began drizzling again. After a long while, he shook his head. I got everything I wanted, but Caliga… she should have known fucking better.

"But—" He sighed long and loud before his eyes settled on the beehives. Beehives. A thought tickled the edge of his memory, and he smiled. Maybe this entire messy affair actually led to something useful. I need to ask Serran about the beekeepers.