บท 23: Nubis Dukedom

Asher stared at Kelvin with inquisitive eyes. "Count Tigris sent a message?"

Kelvin nodded and handed him the rolled-up paper. Asher broke the seal and opened the letter. His eyes scanned the contents, and he frowned deeply.

"Since when did Count Tigris invite the Ashbournes for his daughter's birthday after canceling the betrothal between us?" he asked Kelvin.

"He has never sent an invitation," Kelvin replied.

Asher narrowed his eyes. "It says here that his daughter just returned from the Eternal Hills Academy in the Nubis Dukedom and is now betrothed to the heir of Duke Nubis."

Upon hearing that, Kelvin looked at Asher but couldn't detect any anger in his eyes. However, he could tell that Asher felt uncomfortable and didn't want to attend. After all, that woman was once betrothed to him. The thought of Liya Tigris reminded Asher of Earth Lia, reopening the wound he had buried under piles of work.

"I won't be attending." He handed the letter back to Kelvin, turned, and left.

An hour later, Asher sat in his study, reading a chronicle about the Ashbournes. His eyes drifted to a book about the Nubis Dukedom, and he found himself taking it and returning to his seat.

As he read through it, he discovered the Nubis Dukedom was the Eternal Immortal Empire's sacred land for sharpshooters. Their forces were so powerful that the entire continent of Tenaria acknowledged them as the most formidable army of sharpshooters.

The book provided specifics about the Dark Skies legion, a group of special sharpshooters capable of wreaking havoc and destruction on battlefields. It claimed that one could kill a hundred enemies. The Nubis Dukedom was the largest dukedom in the northern high plains.

"So she left a cripple and got betrothed to the son of a powerful duke. How lucky," he scowled, closing the book that seemed to incessantly praise the Nubis Dukedom.

Knock! Knock!

A gentle knock sounded on the door. "You may come in," he called.

The door opened, and Kelvin entered with a tray holding a cup of warm milk. "For strength, My Lord."

After sipping a couple of times, Asher turned toward Kelvin. "What brings you?"

"The letter," Kelvin replied.

Asher's brows furrowed, but he controlled his emotions by tightening his grip on the cup. "Go on."

"It's been years since Count William sent an invitation to the Ashbournes, and this occasion is more significant than a casual birthday. Your presence is necessary at that gathering, or it might be taken as a show of disregard."

Asher sighed.

"It's a big gathering, My Lord. You can remain in a corner. As long as your presence is noted, you'll stay out of the count's focus," Kelvin added.

Asher looked in the mirror and saw his reflection. After staring at his frowning face for a while, he exhaled. "I'll need a wheelchair. Do we have a carpenter in the fortress?"

Kelvin placed his fist before his mouth and coughed. "I was a carpenter's son and grew up in the trade before your father took me in at a young age. But why do you need a wheelchair?"

Asher stood up. "I can't reveal to the world that I'm no longer a cripple yet. Prepare a wheelchair and another that can support me on horseback. Also, what gift can we give her?"

Kelvin noticed that Asher didn't want to mention Liya's name. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

Asher scratched his head. "I have no suggestions. That's why I said we should come up with something."

"By we, do you mean me?" Kelvin inquired.

Asher glared at Kelvin and walked out. "Mary, bring my sword," he instructed the maid while walking through the corridor.

By the time he arrived at the training platform outside the castle, Mary was right behind him with his sword, neatly sheathed in its scabbard.

Shing!

He drew it out and began swinging it so fast that Mary's eyes couldn't follow. As he moved around, swinging his sword, Asher's mind entered a hyperfocused state. Suddenly, he stopped mid-swing and lowered his sword. "I've got it!"

He handed the sword back to Mary and walked out of the castle gates. Although Liya might have chosen someone better, he wouldn't go there empty-handed.

"Isn't that Lord Asher?" People began pointing at him with shocked and excited expressions.

Eventually, Asher arrived at Dan's shop. Outside, Dan was smithing something in its final stages, but Asher only had a few days and couldn't be patient.

"Dan, can you make a thousand silver bracelets with the next batch of iron ore? If you can do more, even better."

Clank!

Dan hit the hammer against the object and lifted his head. "My Lord, a thousand silver bracelets is no problem. Should they be plain or, you know, pleasing to the eyes?"

Clank!

"Pleasing to the eyes, and I need them in two days," Asher specified.

"That will be 15 gold coins," Dan stated.

Asher's eyes widened. "15!"

Clank!

"My Lord, you want them to be pleasing to the eyes, and that's much more expensive."

"I'll trade you two weeks' worth of Moonlit Starhorn milk for it," Asher proposed.

Dan's eyes gleamed. "Deal!"

For now, the milk wasn't accessible to the masses but was distributed by soldiers twice a week. No one could buy it.

...

Two days later...

Asher stood in his study, well-dressed in his best attire. His pants were black, and his top was pure white, undamaged. He looked at himself briefly, then put on his coat.

"You look great, My Lord," Kelvin said with a smile, feeling like a father admiring his son.

"Finally, for the present," Asher said, and they both looked at the silver gleaming bracelets on the stone table. There were about 1,078 of them. They looked beautiful, but Asher wanted them to have more than just casual beauty.

'System, where are you?'

Ttring…

[Ding!]