Building a Harem in a Noble House

Chapter 101: Who the Hell Knocks at This Hour?

It was late. The kind of late where the moon hung low like it was eavesdropping on our mess of a night. The dining room in House May had basically turned into our war and strategy room, likely because the actual war room that came with this place was fucking terrifying. This place was far cozier. Lanterns flickered in place of the chandelier overhead, scents of the dinner we’d eaten lingering in the air and mingling with the wood and incense of the manor.

I slouched in my chair at the center of the table, my boots kicked up on the table edge, nursing a mug that had gone warm ages ago. It was all I could do to stand Lyra. The moment I’d returned to the manor, she was waiting at the door like an excited puppy. When I’d told her that Meredith wasn’t going to be coming today, though, she’d been a loud, complaining mess. Moments like this reminded me that her slot was firmly in the "annoying sister" category and nowhere near where Isobel had tried to place her a few days back.

"You must’ve scared her off!" Lyra had been saying, not for the first time. "You made her uncomfortable with your scary-looking face!"

"I don’t think he’s scary. I’d say he’s rather fetching," Isobel responded.

"You’re supposed to say that! I’m telling the truth! She was right there, Isobel! Right there!" Lyra speared me with a glare that could melt ice. "And you ruined it!"

I rubbed my temples, trying hard not to lose my shit at her for the tenth time this evening. "I told you, Lyra. She declined because she had shit on her mind, not because I scared her off."

"And you read her mind?! She told you that?!"

"It was clear on her face! Everything was going well up to that point. We were having a good conversation, and she seemed calm. But once I asked her to join us, she just kinda... froze up. She didn’t look mad at me, just... afraid."

I replayed the moment in my head: her green eyes flashing under the lantern light of the tavern, that silver armor gleaming as she backed away from the offer. It stung more than I wanted to admit. Strength and potential be damned, I wanted my friend here with us. And despite her words, I knew that Lyra understood that I felt that way. It wasn’t like her words hadn’t rung out in my own mind from the moment Meredith left me.

Lyra threw her hands up with a heavy sigh. "And now what? We’re back to square one, scraping the bottom of the recruit barrel. This sucks." She plopped into the chair across from me and shot a glare at Isobel, who was calmly sipping tea from a delicate porcelain cup beside me.

"How are you not freaking out right now?" Lyra demanded, her voice pitching up in that humorous, over-the-top way she had when she was really worked up. "We just lost Meredith! Aren’t you sad?! You don’t look sad enough!"

Isobel set her cup down with a soft clink, her purple eyes twinkling with faint traces of amusement. She reached over and patted Lyra’s hand, like she was soothing a spooked horse. "Oh, Lyra, darling, no need to yell. I’m unbothered because I’ve got a half-dozen backup plans tucked away. We can recover from this most terrible loss." Her voice was smooth, like aged wine.

Lyra crossed her arms, but I could see her shoulders relaxing a bit. "Backup plans? Like what? Pray tell, oh wise one, before I start throwing silverware."

Isobel leaned back, steepling her fingers in that classic thinker pose. "The original plan to snag fresh paladin recruits from the Order’s outskirts was always a long shot. The good ones are already snapped up by sponsors. And the bad ones? Well, they’re too unreliable–too green or too tarnished to hire without risking the integrity of the House. So, we pivot. To men like Lloyd and you. To experienced Adventurers. They’ll be significantly easier to recruit with the weight of your and Lloyd’s names. They require less training and less maintenance than most recruits might, so this may end up working out to be the better scenario."

I nodded slowly, the idea percolating. Where most recruits from the Order expected the world and the stars, all the Adventurers wanted was a roof over their heads and a stipend to blow at the tavern. I already had a few names floating around in my head of some Adventurers or unregistered Paladins I could approach for potential sponsorship.

"And what if, for some reason, that doesn’t work. If the Adventurers we know decide they don’t like us anymore and would rather work with a more established House?"

"Well... we’ll just have to search for warriors without homes. Vagabonds. Men or women who are loyal to anyone who gives them community."

"You say that like you have a place in mind..." Lyra noted warily.

"I hear Ecril is nice this time of year."

Lyra’s jaw dropped, and she let out a bark of laughter that was half-hysterical. "Isn’t that where the Vampires are from?! You’d hire a Vampire?!"

"T-the Vampires exist in one part of Aspia! I’m sure there are some who’d chomp at the bit to live somewhere outside of their confined bubble."

"...Was that supposed to be a pun?"

"...And what if it was?"

Lyra and Isobel shared a look before they burst out into laughter–which was cut off by the sound of a knock at the front door.

We all froze. It was late. Too late for visitors... Especially unannounced ones. The knock came again, insistent but not aggressive. My hand instinctively went to the hilt of my sword, propped against the table leg, while Lyra’s fingers sparked with latent magic, her eyes narrowing. Isobel’s calm facade cracked just a fraction, her teacup hovering mid-air before she set it down.

"Who the hell knocks at this hour?" Lyra whispered, already on her feet.