Chương 173: 4.8

Jewel was starting to suspect that it was actually impossible to do more than temporarily dampen the spirit of the Countess. Was that a kind of madness? A symptom of her illness? At first she had thought the High King could manage it. But on reflection what she had seen and smelled were much less then she hoped they were. Even when Jewel openly defied her justice and claimed her own right to decide the fate of a found criminal in the very heart of the Countess' demesne, there was not a hint of anger or disdain.

Jewel apparently was utterly delighting the Countess. The feasting hall had been ordered for acts of court on short notice. It was quite improper for a matter of such low station as a thief to be brought to this room. But Jewel's involvement had made it so. The crime had been declared and recompense was to be decided. The guilty had not stolen more than a knight's marks worth of coin or goods, even if you tallied up every single admitted theft in what Jewel was expecting was her entire life's career at thievery.

Honestly even that summation was a gross exaggeration. There had also not been a single burglary in the admitted wrongdoing. There had mostly just been food snatched from unwary customers of the cookeries in gate town. And considering she kept taking from some of them for years the thefts were likely known and being ignored. Even if the punishment was to the absolute extent of Jewel's understanding in the matter, the thief would likely only have her left hand broken at worst.

This was a matter of the common law at best. Something so below the esteem of this room that it should have given insult to bring it forth here. But that was assuming it was somewhere other than Kaeketeh. Jewel had long since heard that the crimes of a woman and especially a young girl was officially to be taken into service under "the Countess's mercy". Jewel had seen what the fate of those women was. What they were used for.

This should have been an act of infuriating defiance against the Countess, her Father's liege and possibly even put Jewel's position as heir in jeopardy. But Mother had been teaching her. Jewel had still been hoping to at least annoy the fiendish woman. Yet still Elizabeth smiled. Sitting in her chair beside the still ominously-empty seat of the now long-passed Count Nádasdy, she was smiling warm as can be. That void in that chair drew her attention. The Black Knight of Viznove.

It was said he had perished from illness and infirmity sustained in war. Was that the truth? Jewel did not know. But she truly did hate this woman. Smiling as if she did not even see all the insults and disrespect laid out before her. If she had not been completely caught by Elizabeth Bathory's schemes before Jewel would have thought her father's liege was simple. But the truth was much worse. This woman was, despite how horrible and careless she was of others, an incredibly happy woman.

She was of an absolutely sanguine humor to have a petty thief brought before a court meant for treason and matters of fines fit to ruin manors and knights. And the witnesses of her court, although alert and attentive to the proceedings as due, were watching Jewel with what she suspected were jealous eyes. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! None of them would have dared to stand in her place for this.

No one dared speak such thoughts in the same room as Jewel. But again Jewel's true mother had been teaching her well. Finally her Father's liege chose to speak.

"I see, well far be it for me to deny my heir the opportunity to practice her own ideas regarding justice. The criminal is yours to judge and punish as you see fit my daughter. I release the guilty to the mercy of the Shining Wyrm of Viznove." Jewel very much wished the woman would stop embellishing in the mere legal technicality of her adoption of the wyrm. It was fooling no one in court and seemed to be something she did explicitly to make Jewel squirm.

For all the muddied confusion she had regarding the Countess' virtues there was one thing she had grown certain of. Bathory was no one's Mother. She might have borne children but she had not raised a single one of them. And she cared not at all for any of them. Jewel, with her bizarre and unchildlike spawn, was more of a mother than Bathory.

Still, she had stood in the court of Viznove and demanded the right to justice over a common thief and the final law below the High King had acquiesced without a hint of displeasure. The Shining Wyrm of Viznove nodded.

"Then I pass the sentence that she shall serve me under bondage for five years and a day. And in the meantime I pledge as owing tithe next year to Viznove the full sum taken by her to clear reparations for the property lost to her crimes." The Countess shrugged and waved to dismiss the matter. The Knights mark would sting, it pained Jewel to part with more silver from her family's coffers. She was surely to lose out when that was weighed against the labors of a common thief from the city.

But denying even one more of those empty husks of a thing from the world was worth that. And then with a clap of her hands the matter was over. Except for the young woman openly weeping and thanking Jewel for her mercy, pledging vows of good service for her kindness and kneeling and even kissing at Jewel's feet. It was all terribly awkward. Jewel shook one of her forelegs to dry the wetness from the woman's lips from her fingers and called on her captain.

"Muriel, see that the convicted is given proper attire for one that will serve me and that we have secured her lodging and transport for after the wedding." Which at least got the sobbing girl out of the hall. Leaving Jewel standing alone in front of the Countess and all her court. The majority of the lords in attendance were familiar with her from the march. She had earned respect if not awe from those that had witnessed her Wyrmdoom.

And there was that bright and happy smile of the Countess that was both dismissive and delighted. So cruel and nuanced. Jewel hated it so much, but she still strived to be able to express half the nuance those lips and teeth could command.

"Well, with that trifling matter dealt with now we can move onto the far more important matters of the day. My son will not be arriving for another ten nights, but there is still much to do and prepare for our celebrations. This will however be mostly not of your concern, Lady Jewel." From her seat Countess Elizibeth Bathory leaned forward.

"But tell me oh daughter and heir, besides the paltry service of some criminal street filth, is there a boon you would ask of me for your wedding?" Jewel had honestly not expected to completely fail to ruffle the feathers of the Countess, she fully had prepared that the insult of the matter would have seen her stripped of any possible wedding gift. But given the opportunity there was something she had been considering for most of the summers.

"If I could have a day's service from Jaksa the Red to see to one of my subject's troubles?" Bathory raised a brow at that, but she was still smiling. There was also silent if obvious interest shifting amongst the attendant lords and ladies. Required to stand despite the Countess' apparent dismissal. Court was still in session until Jewel herself was dismissed.

"Oh, you have a need for the service of my wizard that cannot be performed by your father's own pledged sorcerer?" Jewel nodded.

"Just so, I have found in my demesne one who has a struggle I believe he could aid in. On the advice of Tsulogothulan in fact." Curiosity drew the Countess closer and with her the rest of the court present more openly showed their interest.

"Oh and who might this subject be?" Jewel met the Liege of her father's eyes and delivered the words she had been waiting to see for most of a season.

"Her name is Bethica, Daughter of Belora, Grand-daughter of Orthica" There was a brief furrow of confusion on the Countess Bathory's face but she still smiled. Jewel aimed for what she hoped would be a masterstroke to wipe that smug smile clean.

"And she is a talking cow." She was, however, disappointed; the only person not surprised amongst the court of Kaeketeh was the Countess herself.