Starting Life From Zero: Far From Home

Chapter Eight

The morning fog was still thick enough to shroud the Royal Capital from clear view, even this late in the morning. From her balcony overlooking the city a woman with forest green hair rested her hand against her chin over an empty breakfast plate. Later in the day there would be meetings with some merchants. She would need to attend to the treasurer to make sure that the funds were ready to be handed over for the weapons and ground dragons that were to be set aside.

With the Royal Selection under way there had been very little time for rest or relaxation these days, but Duchess Crusch Karsten still liked to keep her mornings at least a little less weighted down with work. She ran her finger along the rim of a mostly empty glass of orange juice that sat near her elbow, her Amber eyes focused on something in the distance and across the city.

Through the fog the Royal Palace was just visible as a hazy silhouette distorted by the fog. An apt metaphor for her current troubles. There was a knock at the door to the balcony, but before she could answer or say that it was okay to open the handle began to turn.

Ferris Argyle poked his head through the door, brown cat ears twitching as he gave a little wobble handed wave. "Lady Crusch. I have returned!" Ferris announced.

Crusch, obviously unfazed by Ferris's appearance lifted the glass to her lips and took a drink. "When they told me that there was Knight's business at that late hour I thought there had been some emergency," she said.

Ferris stepped out onto the balcony fully, shutting the door behind himself. "Meow," he said in a way that seemed to be meant as a dismissive no. "Well, there had been, come to think of it."

Crusch's amber eyes moved toward Ferris and the door.

"But the other Knights and I were too late for it. Reinhard did show up, but even he was gone by the time I got there."

"What happened?"

"Lady Emilia ran into some trouble in the slums," Ferris answered.

Crusch sat her glass down hard on the table, scooting her chair back so that it scraped across the tile.

"I thought that you'd find that interesting," Ferris said. "It's not all that clear what happened, but it involved that Bowel Hunter lady."

"Was she killed or apprehended?" Asked Crusch.

"Me-now," Ferris said shaking his head.

"Buuuut that's not the most interesting part," Ferris said, trying to tease out further interest from Crusch as he slid the chair across from the Duchess out with her foot and plopped down into it.

"Hm?"

"Lady Emilia had some help. This boy Peter and a big guy named Captain Steve and guess what they let spill while we were riding to the Mathers domain," as Ferris paused for dramatic effect Crusch stared at him. "They're both from that Earth country."

"Did you let on that we know about Earth?"

"Nope," Ferris said.

"Hmm," Crusch rested her chin in her hands again. "Could they have heard stories of the place? Perhaps their plan was to use rumors they heard to get in good with Miss Emilia or try to impress a Knight. Did they have any strange Metia?"

"Well, the Peter boy did have a suit that just seemed to appear on him out of nowhere. The other man was just real big and manly, not sure if that counts," Ferris said.

"No, I'm sure it doesn't."

"The Captain Steve guy did mention being from that Brook Land place and I thought that was pretty specific."