Armand woke up in the bedchambers of a small cabin, fully clothed. He was on the higher bed while a good number of servants and guards slept on lower mattresses below. The boy turned to see Eris lying awake next to him, with her gaze staring at the ceiling.

Nothing had happened between them the night before. Any time they slept together, it was with full protection. However, it would be a bit suspicious for a married couple to not be in the same bed. Even if they were waiting to have a child.

"You're awake early," Armand said.

"It's amazing how little I'm concerned about Eris being next to me while I slept. The last time around, she'd have used this chance to kill me for sure," he thought.

His wife shrugged.

"Of course, I am," Eris replied. "There's too much to think about for me to sleep for long."

Armand turned so that he was facing her.

"In that case, perhaps you should rest longer?" he suggested.

Eris waved it off.

"And what? Leave the construction unsupervised while you hunt down bandits? I think not," she said.

"How do you know I haven't killed all the bandits?" Armand asked.

"We both know you haven't," Eris answered.

The girl hopped out of the bed, careful to not step on any of the sleeping servants. In truth, this was a horrible hour for either of them to get up at. But neither Armand nor Eris minded that.

Armand walked out of the room in silence with Eris following. When they were outside the cabin and sure no one was listening, the two spoke together.

"I see that you figured out that I deciphered your ledger's records," Armand stated.

"If anyone could, it would be you," Eris replied.

A slight smirk crossed the girl's face.

She spoke, "I hope you like how I disguised the payments to the various bandits."

Armand sighed.

"Disguising them as mercenaries is exactly what I'd expect of you," he said. "But I'd have thought you'd just shelter them, not pay them on top of that. Your generosity knows no limits."

Eris shrugged.

"I have to keep them loyal somehow, and I don't think hiding them from the law is enough of an incentive. After all, any lord who is corrupt enough can do that," she replied.

Armand then turned to a cart full of cleaned skulls.

"Well, these bandits' days are numbered. And I will not tolerate you hiring any more," he said.

"Then, it's a good thing I don't intend to recruit any bandits," Eris responded.

Armand did not believe her for a second. He did not voice his thoughts and kept walking to a set of makeshift stables. Several mercenaries were at the ready there. They were mounted on horseback. Light armor adorned their bodies.

The boy put on a buff coat with Eris helping him. He strapped several pistols to his chest. Though a sword was already on Armand's hip. All the while, the Concord nobleman's eyes were filled with suspicion.

As Armand mounted a horse, he and his wife turned to look at the reason why they were out here in the first place.

A grand star fort was being built. It was still in the earliest stages. However, the Concord couple had hired the best engineers for its construction. This star fort would be made with the best materials and technology they could get their hands on.

It was being constructed at an important crossroads between their territory and that of hostile lords. In particular, a place that would be easily invaded by House Medici and their allies. A similar fortress was being planned at a different location in Armand and Eris' lands.

"Don't worry, Armand, I will take care of the construction while you're gone," she promised.

"I wasn't worrying about that," he replied. "It's a shame there wasn't a town in this area. That would make getting supplies here easier."

A grimace crossed his face.

"But this place would be very vulnerable to an attack from another lord. Settling here would be suicide," Armand said.

"So it would be," Eris shrugged. "Hopefully, this fort will encourage people to move here. There's a lot of lumber and shade-dwelling plants that would be very valuable and have gone unharvested."

Armand placed a finger to his chin.

"I suppose that is an issue, especially with all the money we've been spending building up our defenses. The garisson won't be cheap either," he stated. "But if it makes our people safe, it'll all have been worth it."

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Eris seemed mostly disintrested. At least, that's what it was outside.

"Even after being married to him, I still can't understand why Armand cares about the commoners so much. I'd expect him to treat those subhumans like pets, but he doesn't. He cares for commoners as if they're humans," she thought.

Memories flashed through Eris' head, of the time Armand was shot. The girl recalled the pain she felt before imagining others going through it. She sighed internally.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't want others to go through what I did. Maybe that's the source of...no, this is just the sort of person Armand is. I doubt I'll ever be able to fully understand my husband," Eris pondered.

Still, thinking of Armand as her husband brought warmth to the girl's heart. She turned her gaze back to him.

"Armand, don't die out there," Eris said. "I understand that you're more than a match for bandits, but one of them could still get lucky."

The Concord boy gave her a level look.

"I suppose Eris wouldn't want me to turn into a strigoi before I at least get a bit older," he thought before speaking. "I assure you that these bandits won't kill me, but I will be careful. You never know when an assassin might strike."

With that, Armand got on one of the horses. He rode off with the mercenaries following him, their formation moving through the forest paths.

Time passed, and more of the fortress was built. Armand and Eris mostly did logistical work, along with bandit hunting as well as killing saboteurs attempting to target the star fort. All the while, the two had to get used to married life.

There were times when Armand and Eris lived together before, yes, but this was a bit different. Especially since they were the most high-ranked individuals in their territory.

"Armand," Eris huffed in an office with him one day. "Apparently, some people went to you instead of me. Despite being from my territory."

A slightly annoyed look was on her husband's face.

"Yes. And I directed them to you," Armand said.

"And why did you do that?" Eris asked.

"Because...they were from your lands," her husband pointed out.

Eris grimaced.

"Yes, but they were commoners," she declared. "I don't want to be bothered with someone's problems unless they're urgent or a noble."

Armand raised an eyebrow.

"But if I resolved their problems in your stead, you'd get mad about it," he pointed out.

"Yes, I would," Eris stated.

A sigh escaped from Armand's mouth.

"What is your solution, Eris?" he asked.

"All the commoners in my territory, when they have a problem, should go to me. Then, I can redirect them to you," she answered.

"That is way too complicated and wastes too much time," Armand replied. "Let's just put in a sign directing the commoners to bring their problems to me instead of you, in both of our territories. If you're worried about things being too unbalanced, we can make another sign telling the nobles in both our territories to go to you."

Eris grimaced.

"This would be a good plan, but there are plenty of commoners who can't read," she said.

"There are a few who can't, but very few. Most commoners can read. They just can't write," Armand explained.

"Well, I suppose so," Eris shrugged before thinking. "I really don't want to hear about the minutia of subhuman nonsense. I'll let Armand have this one."

With that, this matter was settled. But every once in a while, something else would come up. And the saboteurs didn't stop. Men with bombs, magic circles, and other such things were caught. Soon, Armand and Eris were in a private room, discussing matters.

"Something's been confusing me," Armand said. "The saboteurs' employer didn't reveal their face. And I am certain the interrogators got the truth out of the captives. It was an anonymous item, but it must have been a noble. No one else could afford this. But..."

"...why wouldn't they invade by now? If someone was going to attack us, now would be a good time," Eris replied. "Although the best time would have been before we even started construction."

Armand nodded.

"I can think of a few enemies of ours who might want to invade us. But all of them would have come in with an army by now. We should conclude that this is an enemy who doesn't have an army," he said.

"It could be someone in the church," Eris suggested.

The Concord boy placed a finger to his chin.

"Perhaps. I am on good terms with many members of the church. I'll ask them to investigate," Armand stated.

He then entered deeper contemplation.

"But this could also be an enemy among the nobility. Or it could be that someone with an army who doesn't want to risk losing it is using them as a pawn," the boy said.

"If it's a noble, it's probably Lady Abene," Eris shrugged.

Complete and utter shock coated Armand's face.

"Lady Abene?" he asked.

"Yes, her," Eris answered.

"I thought you'd have killed her by now," Armand said.

Eris let out a deep groan and placed a palm on her forehead. She shook her head, frustration welling up within the girl.

"The last time around, I tried to kill her almost as much as I tried to kill you," she explained. "And I am certain that she outlived me. I learned a long time ago that trying to kill her is pointless."

"But you kept trying to kill me," Armand felt a bit jealous, despite himself.

Eris grimaced.

"You didn't give me much of a choice. We were constantly intertwined in conflict. Lady Abene, while another enemy of mine, was both a lesser threat and I fought her less."

"Do you have any idea where Lady Abene might be now?" Armand asked.

Eris shrugged.

"She's probably at her family's estate, wandering around and getting into fights like a common vagabond, or spending the days with her nun lover. Don't try killing her yourself. If I couldn't do it, I doubt you could," the girl answered.

"I agree," Armand nodded. "But perhaps I could talk her out of being our enemy."

"You are welcome to try. But after I brutally tortured her lover to death, I doubt she'll forgive me," Eris commented.

Armand gazed at a map of his and Eris' lands.

"Do you think Lady Abene is behind the saboteurs, then?" he questioned.

"Maybe," Eris said. "But...something about this bothers me."

"What?"

"This isn't Lady Abene's style. She doesn't send minions anonymously. She gets everything things done herself."

"That's a horribly inefficient way to be a noble," Armand commented.

Eris let out a deep sigh.

"That's what I say," she stated. "But that idiotic duelist just mocked our methods as cowardice."

Armand grabbed a piece of paper and started writing on it.

"I will try to arrange a meeting between Lady Abene and myself. Even if she isn't behind these sabotage attempts, I could at least accomplish something," he said.

His wife nodded.

"If so, I will take over looking into the saboteurs. If all else fails, we can risk letting them succeed at a small attempt to follow them back to their employer. Not a good plan, but better than continuing to do nothing," she stated.

And with that, the couple's plans were set. As to their success, that remained to be seen.

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