Lovely Dark Things

THIRTY-THREE (ISELEN POV)

"Do you think we could take advantage of the good weather to visit the City of the Forest? I'd love to see how a dark elves' shipyard looks like before building up a new one in the capital..." I ask while Ruby cleans her knives sitting comfortably on the couch. The sunlight shines shyly over Baalberith and I can have the living room window open although I need to wear a warm sweater. Summer clothes are a luxury item unknown in this kingdom.

"I thought you had already designed that and were ready to start..." she answers absentmindedly, focusing on polishing the blade and taking a sip of her glass of wine.

"Yes but it looks like all the shipyards in my world, I thought I could add some details that look familiar to your race to my design and it'd be easier for the ship builders to work."

"All right, I guess we can go. The City of the Mines is close and we could travel there to take a look too, although I don't know what you could improve there, but you'll be able to meet Soul Eater's family and could design a beautiful stable for them." The assassin chuckles and slides the clean knife in its sheath.

"I can improve conditions inside the mines and this way the slaves can work safely..."

"No one cares about the safety of the slaves in this kingdom," Ruby cuts me off harshly, looking at me out of the corner of her eye and I nod quickly swallowing hard.

"I know, but tunnels get blocked by accidents, the machinery is broken, they might cause delays and are a waste of time: better conditions mean more mineral extracted in less time. Resource optimization..." My bodyguard nods reluctantly after a few seconds and gets up to put her knives back in the drawer.

It's been weeks since I fucked up answering in a rude manner to that bitch and I got punished but the assassin is still a little tense and talks to me bitterly when she believes I'm trying to work in favour of the human slaves, when I show off because I'm too proud of my successes, when I don't display appropriate deference to an elven lord in public... Actually, I've learnt my lesson and kept my head low, working and being extremely kind to anyone, even to Sryne and Shurien when they look at me haughtily and make fun of me. Ruby's overreacting a little too much lately and scolds me for stupid things that wouldn't have deserved a comment some months ago but I understand it, I went too far overstepping my bounds and now I'm paying for it: it'll take some time for my girl to calm down and trust me again... I need this suspicious woman to become the relaxed lover who brought me to this kingdom. I need her to trust me or I won't be able to carry out my plans...

"Can we visit the City of Executioners too?" I let out while pretending to focus on grabbing a jacket from a chair and folding it to put it back in a trunk. "It'd be the only city I wouldn't know in Baalberith..."

"I don't think it's a good idea to get close to the Slaver's Gate right now, the House of Uthorin still controls the market and they don't like us at all... maybe in the future when my brother gets the Drachau position." I bite my lower lip weighting if I should move one step further or put an end to the conversation now, I have to tiptoe around Ruby lately and it's probably best to wait. I have many years ahead to gather information but temptation is too strong to resist...

"Actually, I was interested in taking a look at the passage that meanders between the tall cliffs leading to the Sea of Chill..." The comment remains floating in the air while I walk into the bedroom carrying the jacket, pretending that the answer I'll get isn't that important, closing the trunk carefully and ignoring the assassin who's followed me and leans her shoulder on the doorframe looking at me confused.

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why you want to sail through the passage to the outer ocean again." Her tone of voice shows a hint of curiosity but not too much suspicion, thanks God.