"What did you say?"
Roksu stared at Balint with a dumbfounded expression, the crepe he was about to finish pausing just before entering his mouth.
"Cale has been up since when?"
Balint sighed softly, "Young Master Cale woke before the sun itself, Young Master-nim. He visited the dungeons of the Haspel Barony and is currently in Disheller following a few leads from the knights,"
Roksu couldn't believe the nonsense he was hearing. He quickly shoved the final bite of food into his mouth, chewing with an annoyed expression.
'That punk! As if drinking wasn't enough, now he's overworking himself!'
Roksu stood up and felt a headache, "Aigoo...my poor life,"
Balint placed a thick cloak over Roksu's shoulders, latching it to keep it in place. Roksu thought in vigor, 'How am I supposed to keep that brat sane when he pulls shit like this? He's always giving me more work, damn it!'
"Balint. Let's go to that punk immediately. Teleport us there,"
"I am unsure of his current location, Young Master,"
"How long has he been outside?"
"Only a bit, Young Master. Considering the delegation from the Count has just arrived, it's safe to assume that Cale will most likely head towards the property you two are checking out,"
Roksu frowned, glancing at the watch on his wrist. Considering the schedule Cale told him yesterdayâwhile omitting his little snoopingâRoksu still had an hour before they were going to visit the building. Roksu doubled down, "Let's head to the city and see if we can find them. You can use invisibility spells right?"
"Yes, Young Master,"
"Great. Then bundle up and let's go," Roksu ordered. He sneered softly, "I'm gonna drag that kid by the ear,"
Balint shook his head in amusement. As he was already wearing a coat, he began to use mana immediately. The magic circle lit up beneath them and soon, the two appeared in an alley within the town. Roksu blinked, glancing back with slight surprise, "How did you know these coordinates so easily?"
"I memorized a few coordinates of the town, just incase,"
Roksu stared at him blankly. He then nodded, "Ah,"
Turning away he walked out into the town, Balint following behind him. Roksu thought numbly, 'There's no way Balint is viscous too, right? He's just extremely talented,'
'....right?'
Roksu shoved the thought away, 'I'm sure it's fine'
Disheller was already bustling, even with the gray sky of winter. The streets were filled with the calls of vendors and commonfolk selling and buying. Roksu was surrounded on all sides by people, just affirming the business of the town. It was a nice sight but it served a problem: how were they supposed to find Cale amidst all of this?
He walked beside Balint rather than ahead so they could talk easier, "Is there a way to track him?"
"You could simply call up the Young Master. I provided him the same device you used when you visited Harris Village," Balint offered.
"Sure, let's do that," Roksu nodded and the two ducked back into an alley.
Balint pulled out the communication device and connected to call Cale. The two waited patiently, staring at the blank sphere. After a few minutes, the fog changed and a face appeared. Roksu's immediately frowned.
It was Cale, he could tell by the shape and color of his eyes, but he was wearing a thick black hood. Roksu demanded, "Where are you?"
"Good morning to you too,"
"You punk," Roksu's eyebrow twitched at the cheery greeting, "What are you doing right now?"
Cale smiled, "Don't worry old man. I'll write you a report!"
"Cale,"
"I'm serious! I don't know our coordinates so you can't come here. And we're just about done. I'm just waiting for Ron to come back," Cale informed.
A soft murmur spoke up and Cale's head lifted slightly to look at the person. The screen shifted to show Beacrox also dressed in a thick cloak and out of his usual chef outfit. His cold gaze pierced through the device, "We're near the property. Just head there,"
Roksu narrowed his eyes for a moment. He then nodded slowly, "Cale. Be quick,"
"Yeah, sure whatever,"
The communication device was cut off. Roksu, still displeased, clicked his tongue. Balint calmly put the crystal ball away before another magic circle glowed beneath them. The two of them teleported back to Roksu's room.
Roksu remained brooding as Balint moved towards their luggage, grabbing a book and a pen. Roksu took them calmly, opting to hold them rather than put them away. He only handed them back to Balint when a pair of black gloves were presented to him. Once he put them on, he took the journal back.
"Tsk, let's get a carriage ready,"
Leaving the room, the two walked through the hallways and down to the first floor and central wing. As they were descending the stairs, Roksu spotted Vice Captain Hilsman talking with an older looking man with a large body dressed in flexible but high quality clothes. He stood as tall as Roksu and had a thin beard and moustache.
Balint whispered softly, "Lord Clovis. The subordinate sent by the Count,"
Roksu nodded slowly. As they neared, the two heard Roksu's footsteps. Vice Captain greeted him warmly, "Young Master Roksu, good morning!"
"Morning," Roksu nodded his head. He gave a respectful bow to the second man, "Please excuse me, I've to head to town,"
Clovis didn't say anything, just stared at Roksu. Seeing this, Hilsman quickly spoke up, "Young Master Cale has already gone ahead a while back. There's a carriage prepared already for you to use,"
"Great. I'll head out now,"
Roksu gave another glance at the man who would not stop staring coldly at him. He bowed and walked past quickly, thinking in disbelief, 'All workers of the Henituse County are nuts...'
Balint followed silently behind him, but he had kept his guard up about the lord. Only after they left the manor and were inside the carriage did the butler relax. Roksu flicked through the pages in the journal, revisiting the information they already knew about the building.
The location of the building was near the center of town and in a district that mostly held vendors, shops, and one or two inns. It was well maintained and those that managed and lived in that area were of a higher middle class. From the Haspel Manor, it took a few minutes without the foot traffic and bustle of the town. As they entered deeper into the Disheller, Roksu pulled back the curtains and focused on the passing area.
Everything checked out with the information he knew about the location and as he passed, he noticed a good variety of people. Old, young, married, single, working, retired, schooling. The buildings were all maintained well from the outside which gave the street a pleasant aura. It was a good location.
"Young Master Roksu. We've arrived," Balint announced as the carriage began to slow down.
Balint stepped off first, holding the door for Roksu. As the black-haired noble stepped out, a voice called out, "Oh! You're here!"
He turned his head and spotted Cale walking towards them. The black hood was replaced by a fur cloak and both Ron and Beacrox were dressed in less suspicious clothing. Even though much of the bustle was distracted by the carriage and eyes were fixed on them, Roksu walked over and blocked Cale from the public with his body. The younger looked confused by the sudden motion before squeaking in surprise as Roksu pinched his ear.
"The fuck?!" Cale cursed.
Roksu held Cale like that for a few seconds, releasing the younger without a word. Cale's hand flew up to his ear and he looked wronged, glaring at Roksu, "What was that for?!"
Roksu ignored him and glanced up, staring at the two story building. It was large and had two large windows that could serve as a display. The door could be replaced and the stuff that didn't fit could be modified with renovations.
"Hey!!" Cale tugged at him, "Old man!!"
Roksu sighed and he gave Cale a deadpan. The younger noble complained, "You can't pinch me without an explanation! No one has ever pinched my ear like that other than my aunt and mom!"
Roksu raised his hand and poked Cale on the forehead, "Overwork yourself stupid again and I'll pinch both your ears,"
"Wha..." Cale stared, dumbfounded as Roksu walked towards the store where Balint was conversing with a few people.
"Hoho..."
Cale glanced back at Ron, silently demanding an explanation. Ron simply smiled, "Young Master-nim, shall we enter?"
Seeing as no one would explain, Cale huffed in annoyance, walking after Roksu. He grumbled as he stood next to the elder, "I shall overlook your slight just this once,"
Roksu bit back an amused scoff, 'This brat,'
The people talking with Balint were the current owners of the building. They were an old couple who smiled warmly at the two and brought them inside. When they walked in, the woman explained how the building was once a fabric and tailor shop, but the two of them were moving to a house their children had bought and wished to retire. The clothing store was moved as well, so they just had the building to deal with.
"Clothing store, I assume you had a workshop then?" Roksu infers.
"Yes. We used upstairs as a workspace and tailor room. Down here we had all our products," The old man explained, motioning to the shelves and the counter.
There were shelves mounted on the walls that would have to be removed and another set of renovations focused on the inside. Exploring the first floor, the couple showed them the storage room that was located in the back of the building. Roksu scanned slowly while Cale would ask some questions and clarify things, jotting them down in his own journal. There was a predetermined list of things they were checking for and were observant enough to inquire or expand on more things. Roksu's journal was jotting down some plans and notes. He had memorized the floor plan earlier, so he was thinking of renovations and technical challenges the building had.
The first floor was mainly a large wide open space. The only walls were the four that made up the building. There were only two windows and that was the two at the front. The rest of the store was lit up by lights. The payment desk was situated at the back of the store with a view of the whole store and the staircase. The staircase was situated in a way where the first three steps went left into a nook and then the person would take a right to continue up to the second floor. Behind the checkout desk was a door that led to the storage room.
Roksu quite liked this layout as it was already quite well prepared for a high end artistry store. Many of the stuff he asked about were minor and could be fixed with renovations, which they would have to do to get rid of the shelves and change the decor anyway. There was enough space on the first floor for a display of pieces, supplies, and a lounge.
The storage room was also quite large and currently had a bunch of shelves and boxes. There was a small desk in the corner but that was about it. Roksu spoke aloud, glancing at Cale, "Take out all these and this room could be renovated into a workshop,"
Cale nodded, "Well, you'd want to renovate the front a bit anyway, right?"
"Yeah. The lights will have to be swapped out so they don't degrade the art,"
"Sure and the staircase?"
"It needs some work,"
"Alright,"
The couple smiled at one another. The old man chuckled, "Shall we go upstairs?"
"Yes,"
They walked upstairs and the old man motioned to the practically vacant floor. There was nothing on the floor but dust and small windows. Cale raised an eyebrow, "Old man, what did you say this room was used for?"
Roksu and the old man chorused, "Workspace and a tailor room,"
Roksu looked at the former building owner, caught off guard for a moment. The elderly man just smiled, clearly not understanding. Cale looked at Roksu surprised and confused on why Roksu answered the question.
Roksu remained blank before he felt a rush of horrified embarrassment, 'I answered habitually!!'
Balint coughed to the side and Roksu knew without a doubt the mage was suppressing a chuckle. Roksu cleared his throat. He turned away stubbornly when he saw Cale's eyes widen with realization and his mouth curved into a shit-eating grin.
Roksu was going to kill this brat one day. He really was.
He hurriedly asked another question, "Are there any rooms on this floor?"
"No, Young Master," the old woman replied calmly, "Is it just this,"
Ron, seeing Cale was still fighting back every trouble-making bone in his body, inquired if the floor had ever been replaced or broken through. The conversation flowed like this, Cale and Roksu eventually returning to their serious modes. The group returned downstairs and the old man rolled out the floor plans for the first and second floor. Standing around it, Cale and Roksu asked about things and mentioned potential construction that was written down.
After that, they were now talking about price and management. Roksu was going to let Cale handle it, but after their discussion before about renovation costs and Cale mumbles of, "This is rather cheap," he decided he'd negotiate instead. It was clear that Cale's definition of 'expensive' was not applicable. Roksu would be a fool if he let Cale manage this.
'Should I teach this brat about budgeting?'
They remained inside the store for a few hours, learning about the building and area from the couple. They learned about any accidents and which parts were the oldest. They negotiated prices, the kind couple a bit stubborn resulting in a longer discussion than Roksu had expected. In the end though, everything was managed and both sides were satisfied.
Since they had brought all the legal documents with them, legal signings and ownership transference was easy enough. Payment would be sent later after the Nyphan Artistry sent a manager to begin renovations and caretaking the building. This clause had the couple asking for a bit of a bump in the price as they had to manage the building until then, to which Roksu conceded. Bowing and exchanging goodbyes, the two nobles stepped out of the new building and Roksu handed all the items to Balint for safekeeping.
"Well?" Cale asked when the door shut behind them, "How was it?"
"It's good," Roksu nodded. He let out a small sigh, "Shall we get lunch now? Lady Cerisa and Young Master Carmen are probablyâ"
"Young Masters!!"
The two looked over at an open carriage clobbering towards them. Sitting in it were the two people Roksu had just named. Cale's face turned cold and he grumbled under his breath, "You had to say it,"
The carriage stopped in front of them, Cerisa smiling kindly to them, "We decided to pick you up!"
"Thank you for the thought," Roksu said politely, seeing Cale's cold expression.
Carmen clicked the door open, pushing it so it held in place. He motioned the two to step on, "Young Masters,"
Seeing no way out of this, Cale sighed and gave Roksu a small shove, "Let's go. I haven't eaten since breakfast,"
Roksu frowned, but stepped on, sitting across from Cerisa. Cale climbed after him, crossing one leg over the other and arms over his chest and settling down beside Roksu. The door clicked shut and Ron called politely, "Young Master, please go ahead. We will arrive after,"
"Mm,"
"Lets go," Carmen instructed and the stagecoach flicked the reins.
Roksu turned to Cale, asking with a small glare, "Why haven't you eaten?"
Cale met the gaze back stubbornly, "I was busy dealing with the mishaps of the Baron,"
From the corner of their eyes, the two could see Carmen bristle and Cerisa smile awkwardly. They turned fully when Cerisa leaned forward and clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking pitiful, "Ah, Young Master Cale, I heard you were up late managing the whole thing. On behalf of my father, I apologize for troubling you and the Count,"
Cale clicked his tongue in displeasure. Roksu verbally expressed, "You didn't do anything, Lady Cerisa. There's no need for you to apologize on behalf of the Baron,"
Carmen gritted his teeth as he stared at Cale, 'This rude bastard!! Just because he's the Count's son he looks down on everyone!'
"Even so, it still feels bad to trouble the Young Master so," Cerisa looked down.
Carmen jumped in suddenly, "First Young Master Cale is always occupied. To disrupt his schedule, we feel awful,"
Cale's red eyes turned towards Carmen at the hidden snide. Roksu knew it too. The allusion to Cale's drinking. The young heir smirks, "It'll do the heir to this land well to know how precious my time is,"
Carmen bristled, smiling tightly, "Ahaha! How can I not care about our first young master!"
Cale leaned forward, grinning sharply, "Maybe this place isn't completely doomed,"
Cerisa and Roksu watched the interaction silently. Cerisa looked slightly unsure while Roksu watched stoically, gaze fixed more on Carmen than Cale. Cerisa laughed nervously, gently touching her elder brother's arm
"Oppa," she muttered softly. Looking at Cale, she smiled and inquired, "After lunch, shall we roam the town? There are great many things one can find from the other regions in Dishelller,"
Roksu gently touched Cale on the side of his leg, answering the girl, "Why not?"
Cale frowned and looked at Roksu with a frustrated look. The frustration soon turned to exasperation as he could read the expression on the older one like a book.
'Less work!'
Cale turned away, staring towards the town, 'Why did I expect anything?'
A silence followed, neither guest willing to break it. The older of the two Haspel siblings didn't make an attempt, which led the youngest of the four to awkwardly look at all of them. Honestly, Roksu felt a bit bad; but also, he didn't really come to make friends.
Turning away from the siblings, Roksu lowered his voice and turned to Cale, asking softly, "I forgot to tell you, I met Lord Clovis on my way out,"
Cale returned his attention to the carriage, looking at Roksu. He nodded, "So Father's delegate has arrived. That's good. Let's meet with him before we turn in for the day,"
'Why do I have to meet with him?' Roksu thought, but did not say anything. He just nodded, before mumbling, "He's a quiet man,"
"He won't talk to anyone unless he has to," Cale informed. He then snickered, lifting his head and turning it more towards Roksu. Roksu had to suppress a flinch at the sudden hot air tickling at his ear, rather than the cold. Cale whispered in Korean, a teasing tone in his voice, "You'd envy his level of not getting involved in things,"
Roksu frowns, adjusting his own head closer in response and shifting so they would not be heard, "I mind my business,"
"Of course,"
Carmen and Cerisa stared at the scene blankly. Cale and Roksu were whispering and murmuring to one another, things the two of them could not understand. Carmen couldn't make out a single word, shaking his head, 'Just how quiet are they talking...'
Cale lifted his head away first, straightening up from where he was practically laying on the older teen's shoulder. Roksu also pulled back, seeing the end of their conversation. He turned to the two siblings, who seemed to flinch in surprise at the sudden attention, "How far is the restaurant?"
"Ah- we're nearly there, Young Master Roksu," Cerisa smiled.
"Tell him to go faster," Cale motioned lazily to the stagecoach.
Carmen swallowed before attempting, "Young Master Cale, that-"
"It wasn't a request,"
Carmen bit his tongue. Seeing Cale's apathetic gaze, Carmen raised his hand and gave the stagecoach a firm slam with the back of his hand. The man flinched slightly, "Y-yes, young lord?"
"Speed up,"
"Yes!"
A loud crack of the reins rang and the clobbering of hooves against pavement increased and the wind whistled past. Cerisa squeaked in surprise, shifting closer to her brother and tugging her fur coat closer. Carmen softly apologized to her, giving Cale a glare. The red-head simply raised an eyebrow, "You should've thought about the weather rather than flaunt yourselves to the entire town,"
Cerisa flushed, "That is not what I- we intended!"
"Young Master Cale!" Carmen chorsued at the same time.
Cale's head tilted and he shrugged innocently, "What? I was just being honest,"
"Youâ"
"Young Master Carmen, please restrain yourself," Roksu spoke up with a sigh, "Let us all get some food in our stomachs,"
Carmen suppressed his anger, swallowing thickly. He straightened up and didn't say anything more. Cerisa moved to apologize, but Carmen shushed her. Cale, unbothered, just shut his eyes and leaned back. Seeing this, Roksu sighed mentally.
Thankfully, they were only in this tense silence for a minute as the carriage soon slowed down in front of a large and high-end building. A man dressed in crisp butler attire stepped forward and opened the door, greeting them. Cale rose to his feet, motioning Roksu to silently follow him. Roksu, too tired to go against the punk, just did as told and the two of them got off first. Only then did the Haspel siblings get off.
Waiting quietly, Carmen and Cerisa walked ahead, the young girl speaking to the butler. The group was quickly guided inside and up to the second floor. A table was already set for them, four chairs were positioned. Cerisa and Carmen, being ahead of Cale and Roksu, shared a small look. Carmen looked reluctant but he just gave a small nod. The two siblings moved to sit across from one another, two servants coming forward to quickly pull their chairs out. Cerisa spoke as the entire thing happened, informing delightfully, "This restaurant is the finest in Disheller! They have quite the range of dishes to choose from!"
Roksu, thinking about what happened in the carriage, leaned down and whispered to Cale softly, "Don't worry. I'll sit next to Young Master Carmen so you two won't have any trouble,"
Cale didn't want to sit next to either sibling, but he admitted to himself that sitting beside Cerisa seemed far more tolerable than Carmen. Thus, he conceded and the two took their seats. Cerisa informed, "We sent our orders ahead so we shall be receiving meals right away!"
Roksu smiled politely, "How considerate,"
True to her word, servants soon arrived with the first of the five course meal. The hors d'oeuvre. The second the plate came into view, Roksu knew this restaurant was extravagant and expensive. It was clear from the two small sweet potato crostini on his plate. He picked up his utensils and thought, 'To think this is the sort of food I'm eating now,'
The hors d'oeuvre was finished in silence, the occupants either having no desire to start a conversation or unsure how to break the awkward atmosphere. As the dishes were taken away and the appetizers came into view, Cerisa cleared her throat, "How was the building inspection?"
Seeing Cale immediately start at his Bacon-Cheese Gougère, the responsibility fell onto Roksu to answer. The problem was, Roksu couldn't refuse any interaction either as obviously as Cale. At the current moment, he was of the lowest standing.
The black-haired male, nodded, "It was good. Good location and the building is well managed,"
Cerisa smiled, "That's fortunate. Might I inquire what pushed the decision to expand?"
"It's been a thought for a while, originally by my Mother. My older brother wanted to push forward with the idea since she was unable to,"
Cale looks at Roksu slightly. He's hardly ever heard the older mention his Mother. The information Cale has about her is limited to his investigations. However, unlike Jour, Cale gets the feeling Alwena isn't as much of a taboo topic. He just hasn't been in a situation where mentioning her was needed. Even though he couldn't help but be curious. Roksu had mentioned her so casually and even alluded to her passing just as calmly. Cale wasn't sure if the other was just putting on a mask right now or if he had figured out how to handle grief, but Cale's eyes softened regardless. He nodded slowly, speaking softly, "The Nyphan Family deserves more recognition,"
Carmen's eyes widened, "Ho?"
He turned to Roksu, "If you got Young Master Cale's compliments, you must be quite talented!"
Roksu smiled, "My older siblings are very talented artists,"
"What is your favorite art style, Young Master?" Cerisa inquired.
"If you mean my favorite type to buy or look at, I'm not sure. But if you're asking what my favorite to make is, I don't have an answer. I don't do any of the actual artistry stuff. I help with the business more so. I never picked up art like my siblings," Roksu shook his head.
"You don't make art?" Carmen balked, "Were you not good enough at it?"
Cale narrowed his eyes sharply. He didn't open his mouth yet, only raising his head and checking Roksu, who didn't flinch as much. The black haired man gave a joking smile, "Oh no, I can sketch. The passion my siblings have was not for me. I prefer books and my violin,"
'Violin?' Cale learned another new piece of information, 'Hyung plays the violin?'
The waiters walked over and the second plates were carefully lifted away. The four remained undeterred as the salad course was brought to them. Cerisa, seeing a chance from Roksu's answer, spoke up, "Ah I see!"
She then turns to Cale, "Young Master Cale, what about you? Do you have a favorite art?"
Cale glanced at Cerisa, before his eyes flickered to the side as he thought. His favorite art?
Well, he used to play music a lot with his Mom before her death, so he liked that.
But he also enjoyed paintings which could capture a moment of time and allow him to see what he's lost.
Being a Henituse, he is not privy to marble statues either and he knows Violan has carved some amazing displays, so he likes those too.
"Favorite art?" Cale repeated carefully. He lets out an amused huff of air, "Who knows? I've seen so many, I can hardly choose one type!"
Cerisa beamed and she quickly grasped at the conversation. A delightful laugh chimed from her mouth, "Young Master Cale is correct! There are too many beautiful things in this world to pick a favorite thing,"
Cale blinked. He turned his head from the vegetable-rainbow salad they were eating. His head turned fully, staring at Cerisa who was still smiling warmly at him. He tilted his head and hummed, a small quirk at his lips, "Hm, I suppose that can be true,"
The rest of lunch entertained similar polite conversation topics. They cleared their plates of the colorful salad, before going onto the main course. Roksu was shocked by the quality of food in the salad, but when the main course came out, he was completely checked out.
As a Korean, Roksu has naturally had his fair share of meat. Especially when he was in the Company. They would often go for team dinners and drinks, finding themselves getting ramyeon, samgyeopsal, galbi, and more. However, he'd never had something like this.
As he cut into the pork chop on his plate, the dark red sauce made of fig and grapes coated the piece. Placing it into his mouth, he was pleasantly surprised at the balanced and blended taste. It worked well together. He wasn't completely sure what fig was supposed to taste like, but he didn't really care. If it tasted good then Roksu would eat it.
It tasted even better knowing he wasn't paying a single gallon!
Etiquette had them on the main course for quite a while and the conversations filtered in and out. Roksu or Cerisa managed to drag Cale to speak sometimes, while Carmen and Cale more or less tried to remain cordial. Roksu was sure that Cale's drops of curses and curt words were on purpose to keep up an act rather than his actual annoyance. It was clear the younger wasn't hating the outing after all.
'This punk needs more friends. Maybe I should suggest we spend some time in the Wheelsman Territory so he can relax around that hyung of his'
He'll consider it later.
Following the main course, the final dish was a small chocolate eclair cake placed in front of each of them. This was finished at a relatively quick pace as their conversations were beginning to have longer pauses in between. As each plate was completely empty and all the etiquette stuff was managed, Cale spoke up, "Let us head back now. We have work to complete,"
Roksu frowned slightly. Cale, seeing that, quickly gave him a look, "Young Master Roksu, we also have to meet with Lord Clovis. Let us wrap up things early and prepare to leave right away tomorrow,"
Seeing the resolute denial of slacking, Roksu bit back a sigh and relented. Cale smirked in victory. Roksu gave the punk a subtle glare.
'Forget considering it. Let's make this brat socialize so he's not dragging me into trouble all the time!'
Cale felt chills on the back of his neck. He frowned, 'I just got a bad feeling'
He turned to Roksu and noticed the older's firm, decided gaze. Cale turned his head away quickly.
'Nope. Not dealing with that today,'