At the brink of dawn, sounds of knocking could be heard from my door. Aylin had her arms wrapped around mine and was still sleeping comfortably. I tried to pull myself out of her grip without waking her up, but the knocking intensified, which woke her up.
I made my way toward the door and looked through the peephole. I saw two people. One was impatiently walking in circles and knocking on the door continuously, while the other looked like they would fall asleep at any moment.
"Why does it have to be us doing this shitty job, what is father even thinking?" The impatient one slammed onto the door harder.
The sleepy guy standing behind the frustrated girl yawned and told her to just do her job properly before closing his eyes again.
They must have been the two delegates sent from the Fivindus family to accompany us to the Fivindus clan. I turned the doorknob and opened the door.
The girl, with the same hair color as Fiviana and Marlowlia, crossed her arms and stared at me with contempt.
Her eyes wandered around my room and landed on Aylin in my bed, still in her pajamas.
"So you are one too."
"What?"
She didn't even look at me after seeing Aylin in my room. It was as if something had completely switched inside her personality. As if I had become completely invisible to her.
The girl called out to Aylin, telling her to get changed and hurry up.
The guy opened one eye and told me that his sister was just like that and not to worry about her.
After we got dressed, the two of them accompanied us through Nautilus. We entered a carriage and sat awkwardly across from our guides. The girl stared out the window with an irritated expression while the guy slept. Neither of them said anything to us during the entire ride. Once we crossed the forest, we finally saw the estate of Fivindus. It was isolated from the rest of the world, existing in its own little space on the outskirts of Nautilus. The buildings were far more sophisticated than the infrastructure within Nautilus. The area surrounding the estate was extremely well kept.
We reached the gates of Fivindus, where two guards stood watch. They nodded once they saw our guides and let us through.
The girl sighed before leaping off the carriage, waking her brother in the process. He told us that we could just follow him or his sister around and stepped off the carriage as well.
Aylin and I sat there, confused and slightly sluggish from sitting for too long. I got down first and caught Aylin as she jumped down. In front of us stood a building on par with the royal academy.
"I knew Fiviana was privileged, but this is on a whole other level," I said, completely flabbergasted.
Aylin's mouth fell open as her brain tried to comprehend the sheer size of the estate.
Suddenly, the girl grabbed Aylin by the hand and dragged her away.
The guy waved his hand and told me it was policy. Guides could only take one visitor at a time. He explained that there was once a case where visitors schemed to assassinate a member of the Fivindus family, so to keep better watch over guests, it was one person per guide.
"Don't worry though, you'll be able to see her again after a bit," he said, smiling as he tried to reassure me.
I looked at Aylin as she was led away in the opposite direction, but I complied anyway.
My guide led me through expensive marble corridors and stopped at a door. He knocked, and a deep, coarse voice could be heard permitting our entry.
"You are going to meet the head of the clan. Please practice courtesy," he said before closing the door behind me.
A gigantic, muscular man towered over me. He had a thick beard and long blue hair streaked with gray. His arms were covered in scars and bulging veins.
"Sit down." He pointed toward the chairs at the side of the room.
He sat behind his desk and placed his hands on the table, clasping them together.
In a deep, authoritative voice, he asked me what I was doing here.
"I wish to work here for my one year apprenticeship at the royal academy."
"Why the Fivindus family specifically? I'm sure there are plenty of other jobs that would be more accessible."
Should I tell him that I had met a Fivindus before? Or would he immediately reject me if I revealed that I knew another member of the family?
No. I had to lie.
"I was curious about what the Fivindus family does."
"We maintain the city's economy and politics," he said as he put a cigar into his mouth.
"Mostly boring capitalistic things," he added, igniting it.
"I love doing work like that!" I said awkwardly.
He tapped his cigar against the ashtray before pointing it at me.
"Liar."
I was immediately taken aback and could only mutter an, "Excuse me?"
He put the cigar back into his mouth and took a deep breath.
"If Tetolis recommended you to us, that means you are no ordinary person. Only people of her interest would even be qualified to speak to her. Even I myself had the curtains drawn over me. For you to be here at her request, I can safely say that you are not here for the money."
I stayed quiet, not knowing how to defend myself.
"You are here to investigate the Fivindus family, aren't you. But that wouldn't make sense. That girl should already know everything about us. What more could she learn by sending you here?" He stared at me while chewing on his cigar.
"Well, call it a debt I owe her. I will let you stay here. I'm sure you already know the history behind our clan, but rest assured, you are under our protection as long as you remain here."
He held out a hand covered in calluses and offered me a handshake.
"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Etros Fivindus, the current head of the Fivindus family."