The sleek black carriage came to a slow stop, its polished wooden wheels creaking softly against the cobblestone road. The sun caught on the golden crest emblazoned on its side—a lion rampant, clutching a sword in one paw. The emblem practically screamed authority.
The villagers of Estor bowed low, some even lowering to one knee. Conversations died instantly, leaving only the distant clop of the horses and the faint whistle of the summer breeze.
I stood there, unsure whether to bow, wave, or pretend I was a tree.
Lady Lydia's expression had shifted into something polite but carefully controlled, the same look I'd seen in people dealing with upper management back in my old office life. She stepped forward and dipped into a graceful curtsey.
The carriage door opened with a quiet click.
A man stepped out—a tall figure in his late forties, with short-cropped black hair streaked with silver. He wore an immaculate dark blue coat trimmed with gold thread, the very image of a nobleman who had never known a day of dirt under his fingernails. His boots shone like they'd been polished by angels, and a short ceremonial sword hung at his side.
His eyes were sharp—hawk-like—and when they swept over the crowd, people seemed to hold their breath.
Behind him, a younger man followed—slimmer, maybe in his mid-twenties, with an easy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His clothes were just as fine, but his posture carried a casual arrogance, like he'd been born knowing the world owed him something.
The older man's voice was calm and authoritative."Lady Lydia," he said, inclining his head slightly. "It has been far too long."
"Marquis Reginald," Lydia replied, her voice smooth as silk. "Estor is honored by your visit."
The Marquis's gaze shifted. And then it landed on me.
For a long moment, he just… looked.
It wasn't the kind of glance someone gives when they're sizing you up for a fight. It was the kind of thorough visual inspection I'd seen job interviewers give to resumes—except in this case, the "resume" was my face.
And then the younger man beside him muttered, not quietly enough, "Who is this handsome fellow?"
The words hung in the air.
A couple of villagers glanced between us, clearly surprised at the remark. I caught one of the women whispering to her friend, He's right, though.
My ears burned.
Lydia smiled politely, but there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "This is Mister Han Yu. He is… a guest of mine."
"A guest?" The Marquis repeated the word slowly, as if tasting it for hidden meaning. His gaze didn't leave my face. "And from where does this guest hail?"
Ah. The question I'd been dreading.
I forced myself to meet his eyes, keeping my expression calm. "From a faraway continent," I said simply.
The younger man chuckled. "That's vague."
I shrugged. "It's a big world. I'm sure you haven't heard of every place in it."
That earned me a curious tilt of the Marquis's head. "Perhaps. Yet I've traveled more than most. What is the name of this… faraway continent?"
I pretended to think for a moment, then gave him a name I made up on the spot. "Auraven."
I'd combined "aura" and "haven," which sounded exotic enough to pass. Hopefully.
The Marquis nodded slowly. "Auraven. Interesting. And what brings a man from such a distant land to a humble village like Estor?"
"Travel," I said smoothly. "And perhaps a bit of… fate."
The Marquis did not press further. Instead, he requested to see the village. Lydia offered to guide him personally, and of course, I got roped into joining them.
As we walked, I noticed the Marquis's eyes scanning everything with a calculating precision. He was the kind of man who saw not just people, but their worth, their potential, and their secrets.
When we passed the newly installed toilets, villagers eagerly demonstrated the flush handles like proud children showing off toys. The younger man—who I learned was the Marquis's nephew, Leonard—laughed in delight.
"What strange contraptions! Did you make these, Lady Lydia?"
Lydia glanced at me, then back at him. "A… skilled artisan passing through shared the design."
I kept my mouth shut.
Leonard clapped me on the shoulder. "I like you already. Handsome and mysterious, and apparently you can make things I've never seen in the capital."
"Lucky guess," I said with a faint smile.
By midday, we were back at Lydia's manor for a formal lunch. The long table was laden with roasted fowl, spiced root vegetables, and a fragrant soup that reminded me faintly of chicken broth back home.
Conversation stayed polite at first—trade routes, crop yields, the weather—but every so often, I caught the Marquis glancing at me like he was fitting pieces of a puzzle together.
Leonard, on the other hand, had no such restraint. "So, Han Yu," he said between bites of bread, "do all men in Auraven look like you?"
I almost choked on my soup. "I… wouldn't say that."
"That's a shame. You'd cause quite a stir in the capital."
Lydia's lips twitched, as though she were trying not to laugh.
The Marquis spoke up then, his tone mild. "Tell me, Mister Han Yu. Do you have a trade?"
"A bit of this, a bit of that," I said. "I've worked with tools, repaired things, built a few homes back in Auraven."
Leonard grinned. "So that's how you knew about the toilets!"
I sipped my soup to avoid answering directly.
It became clear, as the meal went on, that the Marquis wasn't just here for a social visit. Every question, every look, was probing—gently, but deliberately.
And while Leonard was quick to laugh and tease, I noticed he, too, was observing me more closely than he let on.
By the time lunch ended, the Marquis set his cup down and looked at Lydia.
"Lady Lydia, I must say your village is… thriving. More than I expected, given the reports I've received."
Lydia inclined her head. "We do our best with what we have."
His eyes flicked to me again. "It seems you have some… interesting help."
I offered a bland smile. "Just lending a hand where I can."
For a moment, it felt like the air in the room thickened. But then the Marquis stood, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve.
"We'll be staying in Estor for a few days," he said. "I believe there's much for us to discuss."
And with that, he and Leonard left, their boots echoing down the hall.
When they were gone, Lydia exhaled softly. "Mister Han Yu, I don't know what game the Marquis is playing—but be careful. He's not a man who takes kindly to unknowns in his territory."
I nodded. "I'll keep my head down."
But as I watched the carriage roll away through the manor gates, I knew one thing for certain.
The Marquis's curiosity wasn't going away anytime soon.