Ch130: Having Dinner with Rina

“Oh!” The Countess’ bright smile lights up the room, even with the dark shadow that is her stern albino maid looming behind her. “I am so happy to see that you could make it~!” The joy dancing in her amethyst eyes wavers just a little, her delicate brow knitting ever so slightly together. “I hope that I have not kept you waiting?”

“No, I only just got here.” Krvavy replies, glancing at the well-dressed butler standing by her side.

“Splendid~!” Rina clasps her hands together, the hem of her long dress swishing across the polished floor as she gracefully makes her way over to a table laden with silver domes. “Thank you, Juraj.” She politely nods towards her butler. “You may take your leave. Vera can handle this. Have a good eve and a good night.”

That older servant wordlessly bows and exits the room, clicking the door shut behind him.

“Please, take a seat.” A lovely smile plays at Rina’s painted lips as she elegantly lowers herself down into the chair that the icy maid so helpfully pulled out for her. “I believe you will quite enjoy what we are having for dinner tonight~.”

Ignoring Vera’s hateful gaze, Krvavy steps towards the table and goes to sit in the chair obviously meant for her. Not only is it the only chair at the table, beyond the one Rina is using, but it clearly isn’t even from the same set: it is much like the one she used during breakfast, with a gap to fit her tail through.

“Was the guestroom to your liking~?” The half-Elf playfully asks, innocently adjusting her necklace so that its gleaming gem sits more comfortably atop her vibrant pink skin, all but nestled in her cleavage. “Though perhaps you may not even be sleeping in there tonight~.”

That comment causes the albino maid’s unhappy expression to turn even more sour. Her pale, pinkish eyes narrow behind the clear lenses of her glasses. Nothing but disdainful hate fills her face as she openly glares across the table.

Krvavy calmly meets that hostile gaze, utterly unfazed by the murderous intent directed her way. “Yes.” She answers the Countess’ question. “It was real cozy. And you left... quite the selection of seeds in there. There were a lot more packages than I expected...”

“Good, good. Now,” Rina glances towards her maid, “Vera, dear. If you would kindly serve our food?”

That white-haired servant’s face flushes ever so faintly, her expression softening as tension visibly leaves her body. Suddenly looking much happier, Vera quickly goes to do as her Countess ordered, stepping towards the middle of the table and lifting up the largest of the silver domes.

A rich and savoury scent wafts through the air, wisps of steam rising from the thick and juicy slabs of meat sitting upon that platter.

The Countess brings a single delicate hand up to hide her mouth, helping to hold back a lighthearted laugh. “My, it seems as if I made the right choice in what I ordered, yes~? I am not one to usually eat such large steaks, but I felt you would appreciate a more filling meal~.”

Krvavy can’t quite bring herself to respond, so distracted by the undoubtedly delicious dinner just waiting to be devoured, salivating at the mere sight of that food.

With just a gesture, Vera is set into motion, quickly moving a few steaks onto separate plates before lowering the silver dome back down. But she doesn’t serve the food just yet, first garnishing those beautifully cooked slabs of meat with a drizzle of gravy and a sprinkle of leafy herbs, moving in a professional and practiced manner as she delivers the plates first to Rina... and then to Krvavy.

Amusement gleams in the Countess’ amethyst eyes as she gazes across the table, her painted lips curled upwards into the warmest of smiles as she watches the Drakling clumsily cut off a large chunk of meat. A soft, melodic giggle whispers through the air as that big and intimidating barbarian melts from the pleasure brought on by just the taste of this delectable meal.

“Enjoying yourself~?” Rina teasingly asks, giving Vera a thankful nod as the dutiful maid pours her a glass of rich red wine.

“Yesh~...!”

“Hahaha~!” The pink-skinned Moon Elf seems to grow even more beautiful as the sound of her genuine laughter carries across the table, causing Krvavy’s face to flush a shade not dissimilar to the wine that soon fills her own glass. “Splendid, splendid~!”

The albino maid still seems rather displeased by the Drakling’s presence, but her stern expression softens upon hearing her mistress laugh so earnestly, so genuinely and joyously. Her pale lips curl ever so slightly into a smile, though she does her best to keep it from showing.

“Now...” The Countess finally picks up her own fancy silverware, her voice still underlined with the faintest hint of laughter even as she tries to speak in a more casual and relaxed manner. “I hope that you have found my city to your liking.”

“Yeah, it is... nice.” Krvavy rather awkwardly replies, trying to eat slower and not make more of a fool of herself. She feels so clumsy compared to the elegant etiquette that Rina is so effortlessly displaying.

“Have the people been treating you well?”

“Better than I expected.” The Drakling honestly admits, though an almost uncertain shrug still accompanies her answer. “I don’t really mind if people are a little cold or afraid of me. It’s better than being attacked on sight. Which I was actually worried about, but I was clearly just being paranoid.” The corners of her lips twitch upwards as she softly shakes her head. “I even had a bit of a ‘scare’ at the gates, but it was fine after I paid the entry fee.”

The Countess pauses, her friendly demeanour fading in an instant. “Entry fee?” Not a hint of mirth or joy can be heard in that simple question. “Raseyne does not have an entry fee. There are tariffs for traders who bring in goods to sell, but no fee for travellers to gain entry.”

“Oh.”

Iron and steel fills those amethyst eyes. “Do you remember who extorted you? How much did they make you pay?”

“It was just a few coins...” Krvavy awkwardly answers, feeling more than a little uncomfortable with how quickly Rina shifted from warm and open to this cold tone. “Five stoats, I think? And he... the younger guard called him, uh...? Stephan? Or Stepan? Something like that...”

Rina simply glances at Vera, who curtly nods her head. “You will be reimbursed.”

“Oh, it’s not–”

The noblewoman holds up a hand, cutting Krvavy off with that gesture alone. “I will not tolerate corruption amongst my men, no matter how small, for if overlooked it will fester and spread.” She firmly declares, an inarguable intensity in her voice.

Krvavy isn’t quite sure how to respond to that. A part of her wants to insist that she doesn’t need to get her money back. It was a fairly small amount, after all, and Rina has already given her more than enough with these meals and all the various seeds. But...

The barbarian takes the easy way out, and busies herself with eating.

“I am sorry that your reception has not been warmer.” Remorse fills Rina’s voice, her shoulders slumping as she so heavily sighs. “I have done much to make my people more accepting of those who are different, but there is only so much I can do. This land is cold and harsh, and those who live upon it are often much the same. To open their arms to outsiders is not an option many are willing to take. Such a thing would be naught but an unnecessary risk that brings more danger upon them.”

“It’s not that bad.” Krvavy forces a weak smile onto her face, halfheartedly trying to reassure this half-Elf ruler. “Navigating through crowds is a lot easier when people keep themselves a step or two away.”

That response causes the Countess’ delicate brow to twist into an expression of saddened concern. Of pity.

The Drakling can’t help but scowl as she sees that. An unpleasant feeling wells up inside of her heart. She turns her attention back down to her food. Silence hangs in the air for just a few more uncomfortable seconds.

“We talked of your girls during breakfast this morn,” Rina suddenly changes the topic, “so how about I return the favour and talk about myself? I am sure there is plenty you would like to know.”

Krvavy looks across the table, her head hardly raised. She knows what the beautiful Moon Elf is doing, and while it is a little annoying that Rina feels the need to talk about something else to avoid upsetting her, it is also... kind of appreciated.

“How did you become a Countess?” Those words come out of the barbarian’s mouth before she even realizes it, causing a new wave of embarrassment to come crashing down on her. Of all the questions Krvavy could ask, she just had to ask what may very well be the stupidest one with the most obvious of answers...

“Oh~, that is not a question many think to ask!” Rina’s warm smile does little to ease Krvavy’s self-inflicted shame. “And the answer is more complicated than one might think. See, despite my title being hereditary, I was not born into it.”

That catches the Drakling’s attention, causing her to forget that recent awkwardness and earlier embarrassment. She even forgets about her fancy steak, if just for a few seconds, as she stares across the table. “What do you mean?”

“I was not born the Countess of Raseyne.” Rina replies, looking quite glad to see that her distraction is working as intended. “I was not born into nobility at all, in fact. I was but the daughter of a merchant, and not a particularly wealthy one at that.”

Krvavy tilts her head to the side. Confusion and curiosity mingle in her mind. “Then how did you become the Countess?”

“I inherited it.” The half-Elf delicately covers her mouth with a handkerchief as she holds back a quiet laugh. “To be serious, the actual answer is far more involved than that. It is, in fact, quite the story. Albeit one that requires a fair bit of knowledge on this regions history. Knowledge that I presume a stranger such as yourself would be lacking?”

“Definitely, yeah.” The Drakling easily admits. “I wouldn’t even know this city exists if it wasn’t for my girls.”

“Well, I suppose that I could give you a bit of a history lesson, if you would like~?” A hint of playfulness can be heard in the Countess’ tone, along with a degree of uncertainty. “I cannot promise that such a lecture would be entertaining, but I will try to keep it from being boring. Mostly by keeping it as brief as I can, by only speaking of the most relevant details. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, of course.” Krvavy responds with an eager nod. Honestly, she could listen to Rina go on and on about taxes, or something equally mind numbing. Her voice is just so sweet, soft, and silken...

“Then I will get straight to it.” Rina takes a deep breath, slowly exhaling. “Before myself, the last ‘legitimate’ ruler of this region reigned roughly three generations ago. Human generations, I should clarify. So this was a bit under three-quarters of a century ago.” The Countess calmly recounts, delicately cutting a small piece from her steak in much the same way she did to the waffles during breakfast. “That ruler was my great-granduncle on my father’s mother’s mother’s side.”

The barbarian blinks, her brow furrowing ever so faintly. “So you do have noble blood?”

“Yes. Though, as I said before, I was not born into nobility. Before I came into this position, none of my family had held any titles since my great-granduncle ruled these lands.” Rina states with the faintest of shrugs. “I truly was raised as a commoner, without any knowledge of my supposed nobility. I learned all of that later, after I had reached maturity.”

Vera silently steps forwards, grabbing the bottle of wine and topping up Rina’s glass. Her pale lips press together as she reluctantly does the same for Krvavy.

“And now for the actual lecture to begin.” The Countess wryly comments, idly watching that maid return to her side. “As far as the histories go, my great-granduncle’s chosen heir died of an accident during a routine drill with the soldiery. The second in line fell to a hunting accident, and the third a sudden illness. All within a couple months time.”

“Were they assassinated?” Krvavy guesses, as that is really what it sounds like.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. It is difficult to say so for the first two, and the third had a history of suffering illnesses, but all following deaths were intentional.” The pink-skinned woman states, her soft smile replaced with a much more serious expression. “All semblance of civility left when my great-grandfather died. With no clear heir, the various nobles and ambitious upstarts all vied for power, splitting the region into a complicated civil war. Neighbouring rulers even got involved, either to conquer borderlands that could not be protected or to try seizing it all. The fine details of that bloody conflict are not relevant to how I came to power, simply know that nearly the entire line of the original Count’s family, my father’s family, was brutally exterminated.”

The albino maid scowls as the conversation grows a little grim, her gloved hands finding their way onto Rina’s shoulders, simply resting there in an attempt at reassurance.

“My great-grandmother was also slain, despite her being the second youngest daughter of the original Count’s younger sister; a woman of no import who had married a man of no import.” The elegant half-Elf briefly pauses to take a bite of her food. “Her daughter, my grandmother, was but an infant at the time and only survived due to the kindness of a couple servants who took her as their own when they fled. She lived most of her life on the run, keeping her true parentage a secret. She eventually married a travelling merchant and had a single son, my father.”

Rina gently puts down her knife and fork to grab her glass, bringing it up to her lips and taking a sip of the blood-red wine within.

“Throughout all of that, throughout all those years, the struggle for rulership over Raseyne continued. The civil war itself did not last generations, but the fighting had never truly ended. It simply left the battlefield and moved behind doors. Power struggles, assassinations, usurpations, this city has had over a dozen rulers in the time between my great-granduncle and myself.”

“Did you... reconquer Raseyne?” Krvavy feels like she is expected to ask that question, as the Countess left a gap for her to speak.

“No. I did not.” Rina states, a weak smile on her face. “I was but a merchants daughter, remember? Even if I had such an outlandish dream there would never have been a way for me to accomplish it. Instead, I was... tracked down by some interested parties via the use of intense scrying and clairvoyance. My arrival and ‘coronation’, so to speak, was a bloodless affair, thankfully...”

The Countess pauses once more, though something in the air makes Krvavy feel like she shouldn’t interrupt Rina’s thoughts. Something more than the intense glare that Vera has directed towards her, the maid’s pinkish eyes staring straight through the thick lenses of her glasses.

“You must understand that those who ruled the city in that time were despots. They had no intention of making me a true ruler. Not as I am now. I was merely brought in to be an unwitting pawn, a figurehead to give a cabal of usurpers legitimacy for them to rule as ‘regents’.” Rina stares down into her glass of wine, amethyst eyes focused on nothing as she gently swirls that blood-red liquid around.

The gloved hands resting on this noblewoman’s bare shoulders begin to move, agile fingers gently kneading with practiced familiarity.

“In those early days I had but the illusion of power. I was given only ‘unimportant’ tasks that my puppet masters did not want to bother themselves with, all under the guise of it being practice for my eventually rule.” A hard glint fills Rina’s face as she stares straight at Krvavy. “Can you guess what kinds of tasks they left to me?”

The Drakling pauses mid bite to think of an answer. “Uh... Was it... some sort of paperwork? Maybe money related, because you were raised by a merchant?”

“Hahaha~!” That quick bout of laughter doesn’t sound as pleasant as usual, its melodic joy replaced with a sardonic bitterness. “How optimistic you are.”

The massaging hands pause for just a moment as Vera glares across the table.

“Those robber barons cared for little more than money and power. To them, even simple paperwork like that was to important for me. No,” Rina softly shakes her head, “they instead dumped upon me the duties of dealing with the common folk. Which was the greatest mistake they could have ever made. Beyond, perhaps, giving me enough free time to practice my magics. The people grew to love me, a Countess who was born and raised not in luxury but to a life much like their own. The people saw my mediation of minor disputes as me caring for them, for me prioritizing their problems over those of the still-corrupt nobility.”

Despite how bitter and biting those words are, Krvavy still finds herself captivated by the Countess’ story. Her elbows press into the table as she leans further forwards, scantily clad chest nearly touching her half forgotten food.

“Over time I grew more involved. I started doing more charitable work. I had the sewer system expanded, both in diameter of the tunnels and in the areas it covered. I had the city cleaned and repaired of the old scars that those before me left behind. I began giving orders.” The beautiful, pink-skinned woman slowly breathes out as her albino maid’s gentle massage grows just a bit stronger. “To my ‘Regent Council’ I had overstepped my bounds. I had become a threat to them, to my supposed puppet masters, so they had me killed.”

A jolt of surprise shoots through Krvavy, her eyebrows quickly raising up in shock.

“I did not actually die, of course. I am still here, after all.” Rina lets a faint smile briefly enter her face, before she closes her eyes and relaxes into Vera’s reassuring touch. “I was so well-liked that even some of the would-be assassins had second thoughts about killing me. Not all of them, of course, but those that wished to see their orders through were in the minority. And were slain as a result. Their bodies were then used as evidence of me fighting back, thus explaining why my own body was missing: I was, supposedly, overwhelmed by my own magic, being burned away into little more than ash and dust.”

“Would that be possible?” The barbarian can’t help but blurt out that question. “That your magic could do that?” She quickly clarifies, her cheeks gaining a reddish hue as she ignores the hate-filled glare directed her way.

The Countess pauses for a moment, considering her answer. “Yes.” She replies after a few seconds, slowly nodding her head. “Yes, it could. Though I would need to be acting quite reckless, to not be in the right state of mind while casting, to draw upon more power than my body could hope to handle. Thus it is not a far fetched claim, for such a desperate situation.”

Rina takes a sip of her wine, her melancholic mood slowly dissipating as she returns to her story.

“My disappearance would not have been accepted by the people. They needed a body to mourn. So my Regent Council found a body to disguise as me. And this is where the most interesting part of this tale comes into play. I am tempted to ask you to guess what they did, to guess how they found a body to disguise as me. But I will not put you through such a futile process, and will simply tell you. They summoned a demon.”

The barbarian’s brow once again shoots up. Not only is that quite an extreme jump, but she also didn’t know that demons existed in this world. It does make sense, what with magic and all that, but not all fantasy settings have hellish beings, so...

“Yes, they were quite desperate.” A smile dances around Rina’s lips as she takes in the sight of Krvavy’s surprise. “And I am thankful they resorted to such an act, rather than search for a Moon Elf to kill in my place. The demon they summoned was a rather minor one, a shapeshifter that could not perfectly assume my appearance. But they were able to fix that issue with a few illusions, making it effectively indistinguishable from the real me. Which was quite important, as that body would be on display for the very public funeral they held for me.”

The albino maid grows tense, her pale lips pressing so tightly together that they become nothing but a thin white line. Was she not around at the time, or was she simply powerless to help her mistress?

“See,” the Countess continues, “they wanted to use my death to their advantage. To pin the blame on those who opposed their corruption. However, some of those opponents of theirs were fairly well-liked by the public, so my Regent Council needed justification to remove them. And their plan would have worked, had I not attended my own funeral. Which was a lot easier than one may assume, as there were hundreds of women clad in mourning dresses and mourning veils that completely obscured their identities. I would have stood out far, far too much without such a disguise.”

The Drakling clings to Rina’s every word, enraptured by the beautiful Moon Elf’s story. It almost sounds fake or made up, like a crazy plot from some soap opera, yet Krvavy believes it all.

“Many who tell this story like to paint what I did next as brave and heroic. But, to tell you the truth, I was terrified. Seeing my own body, laying dead in a glass casket...” The pink-skinned woman quietly trails off, shivering slightly as she recalls the memory. “I nearly remained silent. I nearly let my ‘murderers’ win. I could hardly breathe and my hands were shaking beyond belief as I removed my veil amongst the crowd. I am not sure if anyone remembers just how much my voice wavered and cracked as I publicly exposed my Regent Council’s plot, as I publicly accused them of trying to have me murdered.”

Vera’s gloved hands give her Countess’ shoulders a firm and comforting squeeze. Her expression is, for once, so soft and gentle. She looks so beautiful without hate in her pale pink eyes.

Rina gently shakes her head, letting a sigh escape past her painted lips. “I had intended to dispel the illusions surrounding the shapeshifted body before I revealed myself. But I was so nervous that it passed my mind. Some people were outraged by my sudden appearance, believing that I was a lie making light of their beloved Countess’ death. That changed as I hastily unveiled the demon.”

Krvavy’s fork clinks into her empty plate, stabbing where her first steak was just minutes ago. Thankfully, she was served two of those thick slabs of meat, so she simply spins her plate around and carves into her second one.

“People often talk about how hideous and monstrous that body was.” The half-Elf’s delicate brow furrows a fair bit. “But I personally find that quite insulting. All I did was remove the illusions that hid the imperfections of its form. Of which there were few. It looked nearly identical to myself, just with cute little horns on its forehead and with the skin of its limbs blackened with what looked like ink.”

Vera’s frown deepens even though the Countess’ mood has begun to improve. Because now her massage is no longer needed. Though, of course, the albino doesn’t take even a step away, her gloved fingers grasping at the backrest of the chair that her Countess sits in.

“I will save you the following details,” Rina leans forwards, picking up her silver utensils once more. “All I will say is that my funeral quickly turned into the public execution of my former Regent Council, on the gallows. Their deaths were as quick and painless as possible. Which was a mercy compared to what the people demanded... The first true day of my reign was very nearly marred by the invention of new forms of execution. Rather... creative... ones at that.”

Silence hangs over the table as the Countess cuts a small piece off of her steak and brings it up to her painted lips.

A playful twinkle returns to Rina’s amethyst eyes as she stares across the table, chewing and swallowing her food before speaking once more. “So, Krvavy, did that story answer your question well enough~? Was that a satisfying explanation of how I came to be the Countess of Raseyne~?”

“Yes.” The Drakling is quick to answer, nodding her head. “Sounds like you’ve had... quite an exciting life.”

“I would not say as much, in truth.” The half Moon Elf woman states with a shrug. “The few months following that event were stressful and rough, but the near-decade since has been rather calm. Boring, even. There was a time when I danced the knifes-edge between tyrant and benevolent ruler, culling the corrupt while trying to avoid using such drastic measures on those who were simply my detractors. But that time has long since passed. People now know me as a just leader, one whose wrath is feared but not incurred without reason. I hope to keep that reputation as long as I live.”

“Bet you didn’t expect to have this sort of life when you were a kid.” Krvavy idly states, smiling as her pale cheek squishes into her knuckles.

“Ha~! No, I did not.” Rina’s painted lips curl upwards as warmth fills her vibrant, pink-skinned face. An almost wistful tone enters her voice as she softly sighs. “There was a time, when I was very young, in which I dreamed of being a princess. See, Humans are very fond of children’s stories that involve a beautiful Elf princess, and I was raised reading them. And though those tales usually referred to High Elves or those of the old Elvish Empire... I still dreamed of myself as a princess, at times.”

Vera twitches, her own smile quickly being smothered as she notices Krvavy’s emerald eyes glancing towards her. A pinkish hue colours her snow-white skin as she glares quite hatefully at the Drakling. Who promptly ignores her.

“Now, I could complain that reality is not like a children’s story, but it would not be my place to do so.” Rina softly shrugs her shoulders. “I could have had a safe and cushy life had I not taken upon responsibility, had I simply let my Regent Council rule. Still, I do not mourn that loss. I can be proud of the good I have done for my city, for my people. And it is not like I lack luxury~.”

The Moon Elf playfully twirls the fancy silver knife in her hand, leaning back into her lavish seat as she looks across the opulently carved wooden table between them. Her personal maid continues to stand behind her, a silent bystander to this conversation over a fancy dinner in one of the many rooms of Rina’s castle estate.

Krvavy lightheartedly shakes her head as the Countess’ point is easily made.

“I am sure that our upbringings could not have been more different, yes~?” Rina rhetorically asks, continuing on without waiting for an answer. “Would you like to hear some stories of my childhood? Of what it was like to be raised as a merchants daughter?”

“Yes.” The Drakling easily answers, eager to learn more about this beautiful half-Elf woman.