The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 11 - Abyssals

"Senna..." Arthur paused for dramatic effect. "She refused to let me go on my own and insisted on joining me despite the danger."

"That's... Too bad." Levin's gaze became empty, as if he were trying to organize his thoughts.

He seemed hesitant to throw himself into a conflict in the hopes of getting to know Senna more. On the other hand, if pursuing Senna wasn't enough to get Levin on board, he might be swayed by the added benefit of ingratiating himself to a newly minted Earl.

Of course, Arthur was already the heir to a wealthy marquisate, but as it were, Levin would have remained a tutor only. However, if Levin knew Arthur had been granted his own earldom to manage at such a young age, then perhaps he'd be more inclined to join him.

Levin was young in his own right, and he'd likely remain a tutor for many more years before he had the opportunity to settle down to research in some minor lord's court.

"It's ok, Mr. Levin. My father told me it shouldn't be too dangerous as it's all just for show so the emperor can grant me an earldom—Ah!" Arthur shouted before covering his mouth in a flash. "That was supposed to be a secret. You can't tell anyone, ok?"

Levin's empty gaze came alive, and he recoiled his head in confusion as if he wasn't sure what he had just heard. "What did you just say?"

"Phew..." Arthur looked down and wiped his forehead, pretending to be relieved. "Thank goodness you weren't paying attention. Father would've been furious with me for casually spilling such a secret."

"Secrets are meant to be kept, so do your best to keep them lest others lose their trust in you." Levin paused for a moment before shaking his head. "I suppose you'll be too busy with your preparations to attend tutoring?"

Arthur was surprised by such a reaction. He didn't pursue the bait Arthur had left but moved past it as if it were nothing. It took a rare breed of man to turn down a golden ticket like the one he had just offered Levin.

"Yes, sir." Arthur shifted his gaze away from Levin, feeling a bit guilty over his attempt to trick the man. "I leave in a week. So I'll need to prepare, which won't leave much time for lessons."

"That's a shame." Levin shook his head and sighed as he began to pack up his things. "Very well, I'll write up some notes for you to study in your free time. So come see me in a few days to pick them up."

Arthur thanked him and saw him off. Unfortunately, Levin likely wouldn't be following him, but they had only known each other for a few days, so it wasn't too surprising.

As far as the secret that Arthur had purposefully slipped to Levin, he wasn't worried about the man telling anyone. When fishing, sometimes the fish snatches the bait and flees, so he wouldn't have used his new earldom as bait had he not foreseen such an outcome.

If Levin did tell someone before the war ended, Arthur could easily play it off as if he had misunderstood his father's words. It wasn't like Arthur gave Levin the deed stamped with the imperial seal as proof of his claims. Without the deed as evidence, Arthur's 'secret' would be written off as a rumor at worst and an embarrassing misunderstanding at best.

It would have mattered even less if Levin had told someone after the war. The noble factions would criticize the emperor even if Arthur truly deserved to be granted land, and the truth of the matter was bizarre enough for most nobles to laugh at the absurdity of it.

Arthur was the heir to a marquisate; why would his father buy him an earldom and then disinherit him from the marquisate's line of succession? It may be troublesome, but if his father wanted to remove him as heir, there were far cheaper methods to employ.