24 Every good man has a price (1/2)

Roughly thirty minutes had passed, and the bedroom was now fully furnished, it was incomparable to the empty hollow room of before. It now gave off a soft comforting feeling any anyone who ventured inside.

There were traces of femininity and child- like wonder from the stuffed animals and toys placed around the room.

Ashley jumped up and down the bed gleefully while the maids gushed over how adorable their little lady looked. One of the more adventurous maids had even joined her on the bed and they were hopping up and down with great joy until the head butler caught wind of the situation.

The maid was immediately sent to the kitchen to peel one hundred potatoes as punishment for misbehaving on the duchess' bed.

Ashley managed to escape any repercussions for her behaviour as who would dare to punish her in the house?

It was not noble- like behaviour?

The duchess Elise had not said anything, but all the servants could tell that this little Buddha would now be commanding the temple.

Meanwhile Elise was in the corridor discussing the final price of the goods ordered with the plump merchant.

”Duchess Elise, the grand total for the furniture and other items will be three gold coins and twenty silver pieces,” Mr. Rothfield calculated.

Elise shook her head silently and handed over five gold coins and a small letter she had written in the study earlier. The Golden Mask was publicly known as one of the most respected merchant groups on the continent with numerous small branches extending their reach into even the furthest kingdoms.

How could a company with so much wealth and power rise so rapidly be only doing legitimate business?

Rumours and whispers told tales that for the right price, there was no business too risky that the merchant group dare not fulfil. Of course, these services were not to be given to the common folk but to clients who were platinum members and above.

Even in the Eternia kingdom, Elise would be surprised if more than two houses were included on the list.

The Golden Mask was also a slave trading company in the underground and Elise would often have dealings with them to rescue slaves by buying them from the market. She loath to interact with these monsters but there was no way for a single power to end the slave trade, so this was the next best option.

When they entered the dukedom, they were heavily escorted from the harbor outside the walls until they arrived at their destination. This was to ensure that the only place that the company was allowed to visit was the castle.

Fortunately, the castle was located a bit further than the main town so any dark races sighted would be few and far between. Easily explained away as lower-class citizens or slaves of the nobility of the surrounding area.

There was officially a strict penalty imposed on noble houses found harbouring dark races especially in empires with strong church influence but…

There is nothing that money can't solve.

Certain nobles desired dark race slaves as a source of cheap labour, wealth or prostitution. The price of a mermaid for example could on the black market bankrupt a small noble house.

When Elise was sixteen, her father gave a small black card with golden embroidered edges and the words 'G.M'. The card had been in the family through her great aunt Heilda who earned it several years ago.

No one knew how a woman who was not even a direct descendant of a noble house became a platinum member but when she died the card was passed on to the main branch.

Elise glanced at the merchant man with his knowing smile and sly wink as he pocketed the envelope and a small shiver ran down her spine. She could still remember the vivid conversation and warning her father gave her when she received the card.

”My dear daughter, promise me that you will only use this card as a last resort in times of trouble or if there are no other options. Above all else do not purchase any service that you cannot afford to pay,” her father told her sternly

”But dad aren't they just merchants? How can they dare to come after nobles to settle a debt?” young Elise curiously replied.