Evelyne looked up from the papers she was holding as their carriage pulled to a stop. She looked out the window at the courtyard outside. It was situated on top of the hill that overlooked the central part of Freybrook, with tall stone walls that blocked out most of the city itself. It had been a while since she last visited this place.

Opposite her in the cabin, Scarlett rose without a word and exited the carriage. Her sister had been as taciturn as always for most of the ride here, not speaking to her unless she had reason to.

Evelyne didn’t mind it too much anymore. It felt different from the judgement-filled silence that had often hung between them before. At times, it even felt like Scarlett didn’t hate her very existence. It was hard to tell for sure, though. She didn’t know what Scarlett actually thought of her nowadays.

Following her sister out of the carriage, Evelyne stepped foot on the paved ground outside and looked around the courtyard. Standing next to the entrance to a building entrance a short distance from her, the Count’s butler walked over to greet them. He bowed.

“Baroness Hartford, Lady Evelyne. Count Guifford Knottley welcomes both of you to his home.”

The way he addressed Evelyne made a warm feeling rise up inside, even as she instinctually peeked at Scarlett’s face for any sign of anger. There was none, of course.

Because Scarlett truly had changed.

“Come with me and I will lead you to the dining hall where the Count and his family are waiting,” the butler said and turned around. He started walking towards the main manor, whose simple stone structure towered over the courtyard.

The Knottley house’s estate was actually smaller than the Hartford estate here in the city, but it was also older. It had been built at a time when the Freybrook region still saw a lot of strife. Originally, it had been a fortress much like Stagmond Keep. Then, when the region saw more development, it had simply been expanded upon.

They soon entered the building, and as they began moving through the plain hallways towards their destination, Evelyne sneaked a few looks at her sister’s figure from the side.

Scarlett appeared as collected and aloof as ever, with an impassive expression on her face. She wore a fine alabaster dress that revealed her arms and shoulders, but oddly enough, there was barely any jewellery. Just one ring on her left hand, as well as a relatively plain gold necklace. Most of the other adornments Evelyne had seen her sister wear almost constantly for the last few months—which she’d been assuming were enchanted in some way—were missing. Scarlett had even worn some of those for the Elysian Proclamation, so it surprised her that this was when she finally took them off.

Was it because they were meeting old friends of their family? That didn’t feel like something Scarlett would care about. There were so many things that confused her regarding how her sister currently was, but if there was one thing she did know, it was the fact that Scarlett hadn’t been excited at all about this dinner.

Which was crazy in and on its own. Her sister practically breathed noble gatherings, no matter the size. But the woman’s priorities had shifted a lot.

When Evelyne had arrived at the mansion earlier to pick her up, she had found Scarlett in the middle of a conversation with the gardener, of all people. The poor old man had looked positively petrified, and when Evelyne asked what Scarlett was doing, her sister had said she was preparing a home for the new custodian.

She had really wanted to ask what that meant as well, but she didn’t feel like having another stupefying revelation or other right before they were having dinner together with the Count, so she’d stayed quiet for the time being. Trying to figure out what was going through her sister’s mind was hard, to say the least. She doubted it was something trivial. She wasn’t sure what, but there had been something different about the mansion that she couldn’t quite place.

The butler continued leading them through the manor, and after a few minutes, they reached a door at the end of a long corridor that sparked a lot of memories for Evelyne. The man opened it to reveal the old dining hall beyond. It wasn’t as an impressive sight as the dining hall in their mansion, with simple stone walls that only held some tapestries of old knights and battles and a wooden table at the center of the room, but that was the Knottleys in a nutshell. They’d never cared much for appearances.

Sitting at the head of the table was Count Guifford Knottley. The stocky, bald man was already looking in their direction, elbow on the table and chin resting on his knuckles. To his right was Livvi, and to his left sat Garrin Knottley, the Count’s eldest son and heir.

Evelyne followed Scarlett into the hall, glancing around the place and the atmosphere that carried a lot of nostalgia. She had often been here with her father and mother in the past when they were still alive.

“Welcome, Lady Evelyne,” the Count’s voice rumbled across the room. He gave a nod in their direction. Then he seemed to consider Scarlett for a moment. “…Baroness Hartford.”

“We greet the Count,” Scarlett replied, performing a very small curtsy.

Evelyne did the same, though slightly deeper.

The butler guided them to a pair of chairs opposite the Count. The dining table itself was shaped like a square, and it wasn’t particularly large. It was fitting for an environment where actual conversation was to be held. Evelyne had always thought that she would have preferred to have something like this in the mansion’s dining hall as well, instead of the long rectangular table they had at the moment. But things like that were up to Scarlett.

“I’m glad both of you could make it,” Livvi said with a smile.

Evelyne looked over at the woman. To her, Livvi had always seemed like a kind, older sister, despite often being around her much colder, actual sister. It still felt strange seeing her like this, now when Evelyne probably stood almost a head over the woman. It was also a bit funny to see Livvi sit next to her large father and almost look like a child in comparison.

“We had no reason not to,” Scarlett answered, taking her seat with more grace than the action called for.

“Hello, Scarlett. Evelyne. It’s been a while,” another voice greeted them.

Evelyne looked at Garrin Knottley as she sat down in her own chair. Sitting opposite his sister, the man had a tall frame and deep brown hair but lacked the stocky build of his father.

Evelyne showed a polite smile. “Garrin.”

Scarlett seemed to observe the man for a while before giving him a brief nod. “Lord Garrin.”

His smile turned slightly awkward at the formal way of address, but Evelyne wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. She doubted he would be foolish enough to still hold feelings for her sister. Any remaining embers of affection were likely quashed ages ago when Scarlett’s general indifference made it clear that the son and heir of a powerful noble apparently didn’t fit with whatever ambitions she held.

Maybe he thought their history would at least hold enough importance not to be addressed by titles in a setting like this?

Evelyne eyed her sister. To be honest, she wasn’t even sure Scarlett had remembered who he was before this. The more she interacted with her sister, the more she noticed the various changes that had occurred. Some were big, while others were much more subtle. One that she hadn’t been sure of at the start—even after Scarlett had expressly told her about it—was that whole spiel about having incomplete memories. But in the last month, she had been convinced of the truthfulness behind that statement.

After all, Scarlett hadn’t even been certain about who Livvi was. And as far as Evelyne was aware, Livvi had been the closest Scarlett had ever had to a real friend.

From what she could tell, there seemed to be a pattern to what sort of things Scarlett remembered best. Essentially, the more useful a person might be to her, the higher the likelihood that she wouldn’t have forgotten about you. Her sister didn’t seem to have any issue remembering those that served her or had political importance to her, but everyone else wasn’t quite as lucky.

Even if they had grown up along with her, as Livvi had.

Evelyne was brought out of her thoughts as the Count cleared his throat loudly. She turned to look at him as the man clasped his hands in front of him. “Johan. Have the food brought in.”

“As you command, my Lord.” The middle-aged butler bowed before exiting out a large door at the back of the room. A few moments later, he returned, followed by three servants carrying trays. They placed the trays on the table in front of Evelyne and the others before quickly leaving the room.

“Dig in,” the Count said. He picked up a knife and fork to cut into a thick piece of meat.

Seeing that, Evelyne relaxed a little. It seemed as if he’d decided to forego most of the ceremony today.

“So, Scarlett, Evelyne. How are things?” Livvi asked after everybody had started eating. The woman leaned forward and picked up a piece of bread, pushing up her glasses with her other hand as she dipped it into a soup beside her. “From the way I understood it last we spoke, both of you have your plates full at the moment. I was actually surprised you accepted my invitation today.”

“Things are well,” Scarlett replied, though there wasn’t much emotion behind her words.

Evelyne waited for her sister to continue, but that seemed to be all.

She held back a small sigh. “Much the same for me,” she said after a moment of silence. “While Scarlett has been busy with her responsibilities as the head and forging connections over in Autumnwell, I’ve been dealing with some of our businesses that have showed promising growth here and in the capital.”

She hadn’t reported it to Scarlett yet since she only got confirmation the day before, but she’d been in contact with an influential merchant in Elystead who had ties to the Followers of Ittar. The man had shown interest in working with Scarlett and their barony after the Providing Ceremony, and he had been incredibly helpful to Evelyne in getting in touch with the right people related to their interests in the capital. Most weren’t nobles, but that didn’t matter as long as they were willing to do business.

Of the ventures that Scarlett had wanted Evelyne to pursue in Elystead, the silversmith was looking promising. They had hired personnel and finished all preparations, so things had been up and running for a few weeks now. It was too early to tell how profitable it would be in the long run, but it had at least exceeded her—admittedly conservative—expectations up till this point, considering how young the venture still was.

Since more and more funds were currently making their way into the barony's coffers from Scarlett’s other exploits, and because Evelyne had been lucky in finding the right suppliers, she had already inquired into investing in the other locales that her sister had told her about.

Normally, it would have been reckless to spend money on uncertain undertakings like these when you’d barely paid off your preexisting debts and had other costs looming over you in the future, but Scarlett had been right that the prices were surprisingly low for these businesses, so it would be a waste to let this opportunity go just like that. Evelyne had also gotten one of the larger auction houses in the capital to act as a guarantor in exchange for a promise to continue bringing artifacts to them for the near future.

That was something they’d intended to do anyway, so there wasn’t much to worry about on that front. They already had a stockpile of artifacts and other valuables that they hadn’t had the time to sell yet. And that was without counting the veritable mountain of stuff her sister had brought back from Autumnwell.

Having to manage all of this on top of normal fief matters was a lot of work for Evelyne. She had also been dealing with trying to get Scarlett’s ‘Scarlett Cross’ orphanage to get officially recognized as one, which was a surprisingly complicated procedure when the financier was a single individual. Not to mention all the time she had been spending traveling around the Freybrook region and trying to create connections that could help their barony in the future. Something that was a lot harder than certain people made it seem.

It still astounded her how her sister was so good at it, despite that personality of hers. Sometimes, she wished she knew Scarlett’s secret.

All that said, Evelyne didn’t actually mind the extra work. Or rather, even though it was tiring, it was worth it in the end. She hadn’t felt this fulfilled in years. If ever.

“I’m glad that things are going well for the both of you,” Livvi said.

Evelyne was pulled out of her thoughts, and she turned to glance at her sister, who remained silent. Under the table, she eased her leg closer to nudge at Scarlett’s.

A small frown formed on the woman’s face as she looked at her, and Evelyne tried to gesture towards Livvi with her eyes. After a moment, Scarlett seemed to recognize the meaning behind her actions.

Her sister turned back to the others, reaching out for a glass of wine in front of her. She lifted it and took a sip. “And what of you, Livvi?” she eventually asked, as if there hadn’t just been a period of awkward silence in the room. “How have things been faring for you lately? Have you been occupied with Guild matters here in Freybrook, or have you had time for other endeavors?”

Livvi smiled. “I have actually been taking it slow these past few weeks. Paid a few visits to the local branch to contact some of my colleagues and offer my aid where I could, but besides that, I’ve mostly been advising my father and brother on some affairs related to the county, as well as met up with some old acquaintances. I am planning on returning to my usual work with the Guild again soon, but father has been oh-so cross every time I’ve brought it up.”

“Hmph.” Count Knottley let out a scoff, even as his attention seemed focused on the food before him. “Your talents are wasted behind their desks. There are much more important things you could be doing with that quick mind of yours.”

“Father.” Livvi spoke to him in a chiding voice. “What I do with them is important. Especially so with what’s currently going on. We are helping a lot of people.”

“You could do the same and more in any of the administrative positions under His Majesty or the Great Offices. I don’t doubt for a second that it would take less than a decade for you to surpass some of those fools, and you would almost certainly be awarded an honorary title even before that.”

The woman lightly shook her head. “You know that’s not what I want. Besides, we haven’t met with Scarlett and Evelyne together like this in years, so let’s not bring this up now.”

“You were the one who brought it up this time,” the Count rumbled. He looked up, his eyes landing on Scarlett for a brief moment before shifting to Evelyne. “You have matured much these last few years, Evelyne. I am sure Castor and Leondra would have been proud seeing you like you are today. I heard you won a tourney bout over in Grimford a while back as well, so it seems you are on good way to honoring your father’s legacy.”

She blinked, staring at him. She’d taken part in the contest he spoke about over a year ago; more on a whim than anything else. She just happened to be passing by the small town on her way back from the fief. She also hadn’t had a proper opportunity to practice or display her skills since then. But he had somehow heard about it?

The Count then looked at Scarlett with a gruff expression. “...And I suppose you are well on your way to honoring his legacy as well, Baroness. You’re the first one since he died whose very existence has almost single-handedly managed to give me ulcers when I think of it."

““Father!””

Both his children cried out at the same time.

“What?” The man looked between the two of them. “You asked me to be on my best behaviour, did you not? I think that is about the best compliment I could give under the circumstances. The Baroness has skin thick enough to anger over half of the empire’s nobles in one night without care, so I doubt she requires the two of you to pamper her while she is a guest in my home.”

Both of the Knottley children held awkward expressions as they turned to their guests.

“I’m sorry, both of you,” Livvi said. “You know how father can be.”

Evelyne sent a worried glance at her sister but was relieved to find that Scarlett didn’t look offended by his words.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” Her sister held up a hand. “In fact, I believe it is I that should apologize to the Count. It appears my actions during our last dealings have caused you undue stress. I trust you understand that was not my intent. At the time, it was simply the most appropriate approach to dealing with the situation in a suitable manner.”

“‘Undue stress’, you say.” The Count let out another scoff. “Oh, you’re your mother’s daughter all right. But there's no point in beating one’s breast over what’s already done. At this point, I’m simply hoping you didn’t inherit all of your father’s penchant for trouble. I don’t want to see a block burn down in my city sometime soon.”

The smile on Scarlett’s face stiffened somewhat.

“…Of course, I would do no such thing that might cause an event like that,” the woman said. “If such an occurrence were to happen, I would endeavour to combat it myself if necessary.”

The Count’s bushy brows furrowed together as he studied her. Eventually, he waved his hand through the air and turned away. “You’ve always taken my words too literally. I hope you will leave things like that to the city guards and those more experienced were something to actually happen.”

Evelyne silently nodded along. So did she.

“The dealings you mentioned just now, Scarlett.” Livvi spoke up as her father quieted down. “Was that the things that the Empyreal Chronicle wrote about a few months back? Related to that organized gang of criminals?”

Scarlett inclined her head. “It was, yes.”

Livvi glanced at the Count. “My father refused to talk about it when asked.”

“Because it is nothing worth talking about,” the man grumbled.

“Father,” Garrin said. “You should know that will only make her think there is more to talk about.”

“Hmph.” The Count shot a look at his daughter. “Well, then. Go ahead and ask the Baroness if you don’t think the words of your own father are worth listening to.”

Livvi hid a small smile behind her hand. “I think I will.” She turned to Scarlett. “Would you mind telling me about it?”

“It might disappoint you to hear that I happen to share the Count’s opinion that there is not much to share on the topic,” Scarlett said. “The Grey Dog Gang had been operating out of Freybrook for several years and proved unassailable against most efforts of rooting them out attempted by the guard. In addition, they also had powerful backers. So, when an opportunity presented itself for me to involve myself and assist in the matter, I contacted the Count and we devised a strategy of removing them for good. As soon as I ascertained the identity of their leader and the location of one of their transactions, I acted with the support of the Shields Guild to detain them and gather the necessary evidence on those sponsoring them. That is all.”

Evelyne kept a neutral expression as she listened to her sister’s description. That was roughly the story she had heard as well when she looked into it. Originally, she had been convinced Scarlett was lying when she said her involvement with the Grey Dog Gang was a ruse in order to catch them in the act, but now…

She glanced at Count Knottley, who wasn’t saying a word in objection.

…Was it possible that Scarlett had actually been telling the truth?

Evelyne had been pretty sure that Scarlett’s dealings with the Grey Dog Gang weren’t the only illegal activities she had been involved with, but it was the only one she’d had any evidence for.

Could it be that she had been acting under a misconception all along?

It annoyed her that she both wanted that to be true and false at the same time. But under the current circumstances, she had no way of finding out which it was. Her sister would never tell her if it was a lie, and the Count clearly had some reason to go along with it if it was.

“My importance during the actual raid on the Grey Dog Gang’s base of operations was, however, severely exaggerated in the article authored by the Empyreal Chronicle,” Scarlett added. She shot a look at Count Knottley. “I presume I have the Count to thank for that.”

The man had his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

She observed him for several seconds. “…Of course. I must have been mistaken.”

“I find it impressive nonetheless,” Livvi said. “I actually spoke with those at the Guild branch about it. While they couldn’t go into detail, they mentioned that the B-ranked Shielder you had been working with had nothing but good things to say about you. They said it was the same Shielder that worked with you to uncover those Zuverian ruins as well, right?”

Scarlett nodded. “That is correct.”

“How has that been going? When you and Ray spoke about it, I got the impression that you were doing even more research into the Zuver.”

Evelyne relaxed somewhat as the conversation shifted towards more light-hearted matters. This wasn’t as bad as she had feared. Hopefully, the rest of the evening would continue like this as well.