As much as I and Berteim insisted, our adventure was delayed a day because of Berteim's fathers insistence that we stay the night; because the time we were to head out was well into the evening hours, and night travel was ill suited for novices like the both of us.
So to fill our stomachs, he sat us down at the dinner table for some grub.
Surprising that Berteim's father mentioned nothing of the rumors circulated about me. Of course it would be rude to accept someone into your home and then talk ill about them in front of them.
However, unlike his father Berteim himself respected no such decorum and asked, a somewhat impertinent question, why did I beat up the head butler?
I took the question seriously, it was a plain question of my character. If I was truly not a scoundrel; then, why would I beat up a servant? Truthfully, Derren is not a good person. Of course there is a litany of things I could have done in order to bring him to the right authorities. But that's just it, under my father he represents the D'arby barony. Further-more, within the lands of the barony the authorities are the imperial law of which is enforced by the barony, or supposed to be enforced. Now, usually that wouldn't be a problem. A common solution to these mostly autonomous noble lands is to have an imperial law station.
The D'arby barony has none. Victor D'arby is part of a royal faction that believes in complete autonomy, other than taxes, the imperial family shouldn't interfere with the governance of the lands. That resulted in there being no imperial law station within the D'arby barony.
Derren being beaten black and blue was my compromise. Still, I fully intend on bringing the correct authorities to bring him to justice.
Imperial city Iberion was in the Yillieus Dukedom. And as luck would have it, Duchess Yillieus is naturally part of the opposing faction to the more confederate faction. The loyalists have the opposite mindset; however, explaining all of this to Berteim who can only, at best, comprehend the fact that Derren is a bad man and will be brought to justice in the twilight of our adventure.
So I began.
"Because, I need to bring him to justice. Which I am unable to do within the D'arby barony. Beating him up was me bringing justice to him early before the right people can properly punish him."
"Why can't Lord D'arby do it?"
Berteim was, of course, confused. Afterall, overly complicated reasons aside, the simplest underlying fact is that his boss was Victor D'arby who could easily squish such a person.
I gave Berteim a helpless smile.
"The head butler is a predator, and my father is helpless to see any of it; being embroiled in the political theatre has left my father blind to the state of his own house. The lot of the servants in the D'arby estate are loyal to him due to his predation to their weakness. Unfortunately my father and he are childhood friends, thus it's my word against a bond of decades."
"So?"
"So, I have to call someone who might have more power than my father."
"Who could that be?"
"Duchess Yillieus."
It was at this point where Mr. Berteim spoke up after listening in silently.
"Good luck with that, young master, but Lord Yillieus is not known widely for her patience." He laughed heartily, "I remember seeing her before I went off to war, she had a wild look in her eyes. That looked like this," He made a funny looking face, "but she had to be one of the most beautiful women I've had the pleasure to lay my eyes on."
I silently accepted his wise words.
Really, the immaturity of my situation slowly seeped in.
I was going to ask a Duke to take care of a situation like this? What would come after that? Telling his majesty that I need help replacing a wheel on my cart.
The ridiculousness of this was something on a particular scale of absurdity. But I was somehow going to make it more absurd.
"I'm going to give her an offer she can't refuse."
"Hoo, what would that be? She might be the one woman in the world who has nothing to ask for!"
"I will ask her to marry me."