The person who stood in a doorway to the smaller dining room wasn’t Alicia nor any of her handmaidens. Dante would call this person, exactly like his best friend did: a puppy. And it wasn’t that the man resembled a small dog; it was rather the air that he carried around himself. At a glance, he looked warm, kind, and approachable. The exact energy a good journalist should have.

  It was also quite clear who had dressed him up. The brownish colours and a checked coat, hanging from his shoulders with a green tie, screamed someone who knows fashion. In this case, Alicia. His face wasn’t a new sight for Dante, even though it was their first meeting.

  Thane Belrose had ginger hair and a neatly trimmed beard and moustache, which made him look slightly older than Edward. In reality, he was only two years older than Dante and Alicia. Just by his appearance, Dante could say Alicia certainly has a type.

  “Good evening, Lord Edward, Lord Dante.” The older brother greeted him as if they had already known each other. What was probably true, Edward spent a lot of time in the Obsidian duchy the same year Thane solved the infamous serial-killer mystery.

  “Hello to you, too, Mr. Belrose. Honestly, I was expecting someone else.” Edward smiled at the men when he subconsciously started eyeing Dante. His smile couldn't be more hostile.

  “Uh...yes…” The journalist averted his gaze, wearing a bashful expression. “Alica...I mean, Lady Alicia sends me.”

  “Oh, so she’s in a relationship and decides to fake an engagement to someone else. I pity you.” Edward was blunt as ever, and thankfully, Ron was dragged out of the room to make coffee.

  “Edward, be nice.” Dante had to scold him after seeing that the guest was ready to dig a hole under his carpet and bury himself, just to avoid his brother.

  “I hate journalists...don’t take it personally,” Thane in fact appeared to take it personally.

  “Thank you for speaking up for me, Lord Dante.” He tried to be diplomatic. Dante realised something important. Thane knew exactly that he shouldn’t get provoked by a noble as high up in hierarchy as Edward.

  “Just Dante, take a seat, he doesn’t bite.” Like a refutation, Edward smiled sweetly and stared for a longer moment at the butter knife near the quickly put-together refreshments. The knife soon started floating. Dante caught it mid air and put it away, far from that man-child.

  Edward rarely used magic, especially when Dante was in his company. But when he does, he usually uses wind magic. Once, he said something about mana compatibility, whatever that meant. Dante seriously needed someone to explain to him the concept of mana and magic in words so easy that even an idiot would get them. Sadly, no one knew how to do that, as those two concepts were as natural as breathing for people.

  Thane would remained standing with a taut smile if Dante hadn’t pulled the chair next to himself on which Kelit sat moments before.

  “So what does Alicia want? She sent you, so it must be something important.” The young lord asked, trying to ease the tension a little. Edward was still glaring at Thane, who in turn looked like his soul just escaped. He had a smile that was hard to categorise. It was clear that the presence of the future duke made him uncomfortable, and he probably was biting his tongue so hard it started to hurt.

  “She wanted me to brief Lord Edward in one of her businesses, also pass the script she had written for him…” Writing a script for an academy council meeting really does sound like her doing. Thane took out a pile of papers from his bag, which had seen better days, and put them on the table close to the older Crimson. It appeared the journalist didn’t want to make any contact with him. “...and most importantly, she told me to meet you...Dante. She talks a lot about you and thinks that we should get acquainted before working together.”

  There was a small grain of jealousy in those words, but Thane made sure to suppress it. He reached out his hand. Dante didn’t hesitate to shake it, which made the man feel more at ease. Their heart-warming introductions got interrupted by a loud groan.

  Edward was reading the papers. Not the script that was already forgotten and folded. The thick business papers.

  “Who even are those people? How many enemies does Alicia already have?” He massaged his forehead, suddenly tired again.

  “Family of Alicia’s never to be fiancé’s. The one the Duke chose for her. When she asked me to investigate that man, I took the opportunity to look into the entire house.” Thane said it like it was the most normal thing for him.

  “All of this is clear evidence of multiple fraud.” He took another at the papers. “Ah, that’s why; they live in my duchy.” No one stopped him from calling the duchy his.

  “Yes, they own at least two mana stone mines that abhor taxes and are disguised as normal crystal mines. If you play it right, my lord, those will be yours. The duchy inventors will surely benefit from this, while you and the duchy will benefit from them.” The Crimson Duchy was already one of the most technologically advanced places on the continent. But something in Edward’s eyes told Dante that he won’t stop just there; he will make the duchy the highest developed place in the entire world.

  “What does she want for this information?” He asked, his eyes nearly glowing with determination.

  “She said, I quote: Just made them fall on their asses hard and loud,” Edward snorted.

  “Reach Duke Cloude's ears, got it. Pleasure doing business with her.” After a moment of running his eyes over the documents, he reluctantly added, “I take half of it back. You’re good, Mr Belrose.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Thane looked at Dante, confused, and while Edward was still absorbed in the documents, he whispered:

  “Was that a compliment?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Ah.”

  It took a moment for Edward to skip over all the documents with an overly pleased smile. Faye even managed to get an autograph from Thane on a napkin when she brought them coffee. She didn’t have the same reaction she had when she saw Ed for the first time. And Dante could swear he heard the mumbling:

  “For how much should I sell this? Maybe I should get one from Master Edward too…” As she closed the door, she had a mischievous smile and chuckled. Dante decided he’d be joining hands with her on that business later. It would be profitable, and he wouldn't have to beg Cassian for a bigger allowance.

  “Today, the academy’s council didn’t want to meet me.” Ed got straight to business when he put the documents aside. “When that damn tabloid interviews me, I’m gonna screw them over twice as much.”

  He surely spends too much time with the always swearing inventors. Only once did Dante meet those people, when they wanted him to try their newest creation: the revolver he carries around. And they swore worse than the ghost who taught Dante. They claimed that swearing is a trait of the intelligent.

  “They brushed me off, saying that they have to contact the headmistress. Contact my ass, for all I care. I’m not someone they can easily brush off.” Thane nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Apparently, the man must have been sworn at by Dante’s brother already, as he didn’t even flinch.

  Both of them also followed the same motto: Use everything that is at your disposal. Even if it makes one egoistic and immoral. Dante had to agree that brushing off a future duke with a slight superiority complex and ambitions bigger than his ego was rather a faux pas.

  “When was the last time you were told ‘no’ by someone not from the family?” Dante couldn't help himself, but Edward, instead of catching a bite, started seriously thinking about the matter.

  “I don’t remember, and that actually can be my problem now. This is the first in years, I can’t have it in my record.” After some thought, Dante had to admit that his ego was also enormous. Maybe that was the reason he was always so confident. “I’ll be meeting them tomorrow, just like Alicia predicted…” he took a look at the written script, now with a coffee stain on it. It must have lain in place of the napkin Faye used as a money maker. “They will brush me again, and let’s say I’ll get impatient and contact the tabloid myself. Alicia doesn’t have to worry about that.”

  “My first impression of you, Lord Edward, was good. It’s better not to agitate you.” Thane tried to smile, but it didn’t work out as intended.

  “Exactly, even a journalist gets it.”

  “Brother…” Dante sighed.

  “Drink your coffee quicker if there’s nothing else to report and get out.” Edward acted like he didn’t hear anything.

  “That’s my house.” The young lord retorted.

  “I pay for it.” The future duke fired back.

  Thane snorted in his coffee. If he didn’t know what to think of Dante, now he liked him at least a little bit.

  Their spat ended there. Dante wasn’t Rose, and he never won an argument with his brother. He always wondered how a ten-year-old could do that.

  The journalist downed his coffee in two big sips and was happy to escape. He bowed goodbye, wished them good evening, and assured them that their next meeting would be better, as Edward wouldn't be there. Of course, he couldn't say it with those exact words, but the meaning was clear. When the front door closed after him, Edward yet again melted into the chair and spoke:

  “Befriend anyone but not journalists.”

  “Alicia said she’s gonna present him with a detective licence.” Ed considered it for a moment.

  “I’ll respect him a little more when he changes his profession.” Dante chuckled. Edward must have really hated journalists.

  They didn’t sit alone for long. Sebastian confidently walked in with a silver tray. He prepared snacks for both men. Seeing them together probably gave him and Ron the same protective, fatherly feeling as when they were children.

  The old man put the tray down. One side was full of cheeses and olives. Thinking of olives reminded Dante about the barely started projects. He’d have to speed up with it a little and probably make Kelit come over for that. It was nice to have someone helping with lectures, even if that someone didn’t understand half of the subject.

  On the other side lay a sliced lemon. Sebastian put a full bowl of sugar in front of Edward. Even after so many years of serving Edward that snack, he still looked judgmental. No one in the room blamed him for that.

  “Will you sit with us?” Dante asked, seeing the butler retreating.

  “No, I put Faye to bed. She wants me to tutor her tomorrow.” He smiled, and Ed choked on his saliva. “Ron and I want to catch up; you should, too. We can’t stay for long after all.”

  “Cassian will…” The older brother protested, but he was quickly cut off.

  “The Duke doesn’t deal with inventors, whose latest creation nearly blew up half of the city.”

  “It was just a prototype…”

  “Then I don’t want to see what isn’t. We have to be there to keep them in check, and the meeting is next Wednesday, and I intend to take breaks during the journey this time.” The old man closed the door, which, similar to Sebastian, sounded like they were scolding Edward.

  The scolded man seemed untouched by the words and instead dipped a lemon slice in sugar. Dante observed how he chewed on it with a blissful smile. He remembered how his mother let them try it for the first time and how both of them gagged. Looking at Edward now, it was clear how his taste must have changed. Or it wasn’t the taste he enjoyed so much.

  Dante reached for one too, despite his better judgment. His brother didn’t even think of stopping his action. The young lord, in turn, wasn’t sure how much sugar he should add. He hated plain sugar, but the sourness of lemon was worse.

  When he chewed, he was torn between spitting it and eating more. The sourness that enveloped Dante wasn’t as bad as he remembered, nor was it pleasant for him. Though the good memory forced him to chew more. The familiar sound of crushed sugar between teeth had always been present when she was in the room. Now he could understand why Edward had cried when he ate it for the first time after she was gone. The young lord’s eyes were ready to shed tears, too.

  He spat it out into the napkin. Folded it and tossed it aside. Drank his slightly cold coffee to cover the taste.

  “How can you enjoy it so much?” Edward just shrugged. The man was sure Dante understood, even when he wasn’t ready to voice it.

  They talked for a few hours before going to sleep; mostly about Rose, the duchy and new inventions within it. Edward complained about his work, and made Dante speak about the academy.