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"Sir, she’s only fifteen"
"Oh, I don’t et betrothed Ilena’s been infatuated with you for years, and I propose that we give it a couple of years to see if anything co my business"
"I’m not sure I understand, sir In fact, I’m sure I don’t understand"
The count slapped his pince nez against his hand "Kylar, I want you to--I want to give the chance to leave the life you’re in Learn my business and take it over for yourself someday I’ve spoken with the queen, and with her permission, I’ve found out that we could transferspecial, I know, but it wouldall these years"
Kylar’s mouth dropped open "Transfer your title? What do you mean, transfer it?"
"Oh, Kylar, the title hasn’t done ood anyway Bah! I don’t have any sons to pass it on to anyway You need it and I don’t Anyway, I want to do this, even if the whole betrothal with Ilena doesn’t appeal with you This would give you tiure out what you want to do with your life It cuts you free Free of theesture Kylar had ever heard of--and after last night, it was too late
Kylar looked at the floor and nodded "It won’t work, sir I’m sorry Believe me, I’mYou’ve been more than kind to me, far kinder than I deserve But I don’t think that"--he nodded toward the picnic Logan and Serah were sharing--"is for , Kylar"
That was the count Right to it "Yessir," Kylar said
"Soon?"
"I one already"
"Then maybe the God led me to speak with you now Durzo told you not to listen toout the , but his voice was aggrieved
"He said if I believed you, it’d get h statement, I suppose," Count Drake said He turned and faced Kylar "He used to work for ht a small sine that there had been a tih he supposed there must have been
The count shook his head "No He used to kill people for me That’s hoe know each other That’s how he knew he could trust me with you Durzo doesn’t have much of a social life outside his work, you know"
"You? You ordered kills?"
"Not so loud My wife knows, but there’s no need to frighten the maids I’ve tried to not preach at you ords, but rather let my life stand testimony to what I know, Kylar But maybe I’ve erred in that A saint once said, ‘Preach at all times When necessary, use words’ Can I take a minute of your time?"
Some part of him wanted to say no Not only was it aard to hear so that you knew you weren’t going to buy, but Kylar was living on borrowed ti Kylar of last night’s theft, and this whole pretty picture would pop like a bubble Logan would know him for what he was Serah would have another chance to berate hiet that disappointed look on his face that cut to the bone Kylar knew the count would be disappointed in hiood Kylar had done last night and at what cost to hiardless of what Kylar did now, but Kylar didn’t have to see it
"Of course," he said It was the right answer This man had raised Kylar, had allowed hiuild rat Kylar owed it to hie fortune froled with Gordin Graesin, Brand Wesseros, and Darvin Makell--I guess you wouldn’t know about the Makells, they iped out in the Eight Years’ War Anyway, he tried to iout entire brothels It didn’t help that his own father died while he was still young Of course, our family was soon in poverty My father took his own life So at the age of nineteen, I took control of a house on the brink of ruin I had a good head for business, but I saw it as beneath me Like many who have no reason for pride, that very lack of reason for it madethely, one of my father’s debtors had a way that I could é The man who recruited me was the Treotten é’s debt, but I soon found out that I understood ether better than he did Strangely enough, I had fewer qualms
"I put my money into whatever made money Specialty brothels to cater to any appetite, no ht in experts from around the world to help me better separate my patrons frouards not to investigate the cargo When one of my businesses was threatened, I had bashers take care of the problem The first time they went too far and accidentally killed a man, I was shocked, but he wasn’t someone I liked, and it was for my family, and I didn’t have to see it, so that made it palatable When I clashed with the Trematir, it was an easy decision to hire Durzo I was naive enough that I didn’t realize he went to the Shinga iave it to hié Master of Coin"
Kylar was hearing every word, but he couldn’t believe it This couldn’t be the Count Drake he had grown up with Ri up businesses in other countries with fairly good success, and it was then I had my horrible revelation Of course, I didn’t see the horror in it at the time I could only see my own brilliance In four years, I had paid off my family’s debts, but now, I saay to é on the idea It took us ten years, but we got our people in place and we legalized slavery It was introduced in a limited form, of course For convicts and the utterly destitute People who couldn’t care for theirls e no longer had to pay to work We started the Death Gaht ideas--and they becaed the ad, sometiined possible I hired Durzo so often that we became friends Even he wouldn’t take all the jobs I offered He always had his own code He’d take jobs on the people ere trying take my business for the to stop me, I had to hire Anders Gurka or Scarred Wrable or Jonus Severing or Hu Gibbet