Free Web NovelChapter 20: 20: The City (2)
Lucard glanced at him. "That is the part of the sentence you noticed?"
Jenny gave both of them a tired look and thanked the guard.
They entered the city.
Inside the walls, Gravehold was larger than it looked from outside. The roads were made of dark stone, and many houses were built with gray bricks. Most buildings had black roofs. Lanterns hung from iron hooks, but their light was pale blue instead of yellow. The city had shops, inns, stables, and market stalls, but everything felt controlled. Even the merchants spoke more politely than usual. No one shouted too loudly. No one laughed too hard. It was as if the whole city had learned manners from a funeral.
They walked along the main road for a while.
Jenny looked at herself, then at Jake and Peter. Her face became troubled.
"We need some new clothes before going to House Ravencroft."
Jake looked at her with wide eyes. "Do we have money?"
Jenny lifted her left hand and showed the ring on her finger. fгeewebnovёl.com
The ring was silver, with a small red stone in the center. Around the stone, the Vardros family seal was carved very carefully. It looked simple from far away, but Lucard could sense a small space inside it. It was not large, but it was enough to hold items.
Jake’s eyes became sad when he saw it.
"Is that Father’s ring?"
Jenny looked at the ring quietly for a moment. Her fingers closed around it.
"Yes," she said softly. "Father gave it to me before taking his last breath. It is a space type ring. It has some money inside, and some other important things with the family seal. He told me to keep it safe no matter what."
Peter lowered his head when he heard that.
Jake’s lips trembled, but he did not cry. Maybe he had already cried too much in the last three days. Maybe there were no tears left for the moment.
Jenny took a breath and made her voice steady again. "We will buy clothes before going to House Ravencroft. We look like beggars right now. Even if Baron Ravencroft is Father’s ally, we cannot enter his estate looking like this. Nobles respect appearance almost as much as they respect blood."
Lucard looked at the ring for a little longer.
A space ring was useful. The Vardros family had fallen, but not completely empty. If the ring held money and family seals, then it might also hold documents, contracts, or other things worth checking later. He said nothing for now.
They walked deeper into the city.
After asking a street boy for directions, Jenny led them toward the largest clothing shop in the city. The shop stood near the merchant square. It was three floors high, with polished dark wood, glass windows, and silver lamps near the entrance. A sign hung above the door. It showed a silver coin inside a black circle.
Peter recognized the mark.
"This shop belongs to one of House Marovain’s branches."
Jenny nodded. "House Marovain controls trade in many cities. Their shops are expensive, but the quality is good. Also, they will not ask too many questions if we pay."
Lucard remembered the information from this body’s memories and what he had learned from his own plan. House Marovain was a duke family. Their specialty was trade routes, banks, and merchant guilds. Their bloodline power was called Silver Tongue Vein. It strengthened memory, calculation, negotiation instincts, and lie detection during contracts. They were not the strongest in direct battle, but they were rich enough to feed armies and corrupt judges. Wars could not move without coins, and House Marovain had a lot of coins.
Lucard looked at the shop.
A duke family’s branch in a baron city. That meant House Marovain’s reach was long. It also meant they had eyes everywhere money moved. A family like that could become useful one day. It could also become annoying if they tried to buy House Vardros while it was weak.
Jenny entered first.
The moment they stepped inside, warm air and the smell of clean cloth surrounded them. The shop was large and bright. Shelves were filled with folded clothes, cloaks, belts, gloves, boots, and hats. Mannequins wore noble outfits near the windows. There were mirrors along the walls, and several workers moved around with polite smiles.
One young shop assistant came forward. His smile almost disappeared when he saw their clothes, but he recovered quickly. That meant the shop trained its people well.
"Welcome, honored guests," the assistant said. "How may our shop serve you today?"
Jenny lifted her hand slightly, showing the space ring and the Vardros seal. "We need proper clothes. Traveling clothes first. Then a few noble outfits. Also clean cloaks and boots."
The assistant’s eyes moved to the seal. His posture became more respectful.
"Of course, my lady. Please follow me."
Jake looked around with interest. For three days, he had seen trees, blood, corpses, and smoke. A clean shop filled with clothes almost looked unreal to him.
"Sister, this place has more clothes than our whole mansion."
Jenny’s face darkened for a second when he mentioned the mansion, but she quickly hid it.
Lucard walked behind them silently.
He did not care about clothes much, but he understood their use. In noble society, weak people used clothes as armor. A proper cloak could make a fool look dignified. A clean coat could make a debtor look respectable for five more minutes before someone found his empty purse. Since they were going to House Ravencroft, looking like beggars would only give others a chance to look down on them.
The assistant brought them to a private section on the second floor.
Jenny chose clothes for Jake first. She picked a dark blue outfit with silver lining and a warm cloak. Jake looked at the price tag and almost choked.
"Sister, is one shirt supposed to cost this much? Does it sing?"
The assistant froze for a moment.
Jenny closed her eyes. "Jake."
Lucard looked at the shirt. "If it sings, burn it."
Jake nodded seriously. "I agree."
