Helian and the Baron’s Bastard (2)

Despite my best efforts, I was hung over. But today’s exams were particularly easy, since they emphasized reading comprehension and logic puzzles – basic material for a college graduate, even if they weren’t in my first language. Unlike yesterday, Marie and Evan seemed to take to the challenge as well, and they both finished within a few minutes of me.

Once the exam had concluded and the proctor took our papers, I leaned back and stretched. I could already feel the wrist strain setting in, and there was more to come.

“Was everything okay yesterday, Helian?” Evan asked, looking at me with concern.

I shrugged. “I didn’t make any new friends, but… he doesn’t know my name, so it should be fine as long as I don’t run into him again.” I would, of course, but he didn’t need to worry about that.

Marie frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Do you need our help? I could talk to my father about this…”

“I doubt that would help, Marie. His father runs things around here.”

Evan frowned, now matching his sister, and scratched his chin. “What? But this is a government building, so wouldn’t that make him…”

Marie shushed him with her right hand. “On second thought, this is really none of our business… let’s drop the topic.”

Discussing the baron’s son was an easy way to attract trouble in this city, doubly so in a government building. Despite being an incompetent bastard with a mean streak, he was still next in line to inherit the territory, and he already had the status necessary to ruin the lives of anyone who caught his attention.

“I’ve got a great idea. Since our tea was so rudely interrupted yesterday, why don’t you visit our home for the evening?”

“That sounds fantastic, Marie. Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding?”

“Of course not, Helian!” Evan interjected. “Mother would love to meet you.”

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“Mother” turned out to mean Lady Herschel, a businesswoman who had married up, becoming the wife of a baronet of good repute. The Herschel family dwelt in a four-story manor a few blocks from the exam hall, within walking distance of the agriculture office where the twins’ father worked.

To my surprise, the lady greeted us at the entrance when we arrived. I suppose Marie had sent notice ahead of us so I wouldn’t be showing up unannounced. “Welcome home, you two! And this is Helian, I assume?”

“Yes, madam. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I bowed politely.

“No need for the formalities, sweetheart! And the pleasure is all mine – it’s always a delight to meet another rising star. I’m certain you three will leave a mark on history together.”

I could feel Matchmaker Radiation coming off her in waves, and Evan looked deeply uncomfortable. I suspect this wasn’t the first time she had welcomed a guest to the manor this way. No need to worry, I suppose. He’ll probably find someone nice once he leaves the plot.

After directing the butler to lead us to the sitting room, Lady Herschel returned to her office – according to Marie, she typically worked late into the evening – and we settled down to review arithmetic.

Despite my expectations, Evan proved to be an eager student, asking clear questions any time he had trouble understanding something. In contrast to her usual outspokenness, Marie sat quietly through most of our session and listened. I worried she was holding back, but when I handed them a simple test exam, they both breezed through it without an issue.

As I gathered my things to leave, their mother entered the room. “Oh, you three are finished already? Helian, dear! If you don’t have any plans for the evening, why don’t you join us for dinner?”

“Are you sure, madam? I don’t wish to impose.”

“Of course! I was hoping for a chance to speak with you, so if you like, you can think of it as doing me a favor.”

We headed to the dining room, finding a table already set for four. I suppose the lady was certain that I would stay, given that the twins’ father tended to work late into the evenings and rarely made it home for dinner. (I was certain that he would be impossible to meet, as this story’s author tended to entirely ignore “unimportant” parts of the setting.)

We passed the time with light chatter about local events, and I shared some anecdotes from my childhood with the eager audience. Evan was entranced by the tale of when XXXXX and I fell into the lake, though I had to omit some details like the fairy – I had a feeling if I mentioned it, they’d treat me like a lunatic, or worse, like some sort of storybook character.

As the servants brought out dessert, the topic shifted to our careers.

“So, Helian! Do you have any plans for after the exam?”

“I’m planning to apply to the finance ministry and the courthouse, madam.”

“Oh, the finance ministry would be perfect! With your sense for sums you’ll have the run of the place in no time, I suspect. If you’d like, I’d be happy to introduce you to some old acquaintances – one of them is a department supervisor, and I bet he’d be eager to hire you.”

Ah, nepotism! I was never fond of it, but I suppose it made no difference whether I got hired through normal procedure or back-room deals, as I’d be working at the ministry either way. That at least meant I could cross one more item off my to-do list and focus on the rest.

As we waited for the exam results to be posted, Marie was holding my hand and trembling with excitement. Given her level of skill, I suspected she would pass this time with flying colors, and I was curious to see for myself. For whatever reason, this moment was left out of the novel. I suppose there was no need to waste time with narration like “her first-place ranking was the beginning of the young woman’s fame, marking the start of her meteoric ascent from humble commoner to …”

Well, there wouldn’t have been something like that in the novel anyway, since it never really specified how things were going to end (even though the author loved to sprinkle in ominous foreshadowing). By now I was convinced that the plot points were made up on a chapter-to-chapter basis, so committing to an ending that early was out of the question.

Most likely some sort of stereotypical “discover you were a royal descendant all along” ending, though. At least I didn’t have to worry about marrying a king or something… and the number of suitors was set in stone so there was no possibility of “Act 5: Pursued by the Perverted Prince” or anything of that nature. Probably. Best not to think about it.

The chattering crowd grew silent as a pair of administrators walked to the announcement board and began posting up the result sheets. As if to maintain the suspense, they began with the lowest-ranking (that is, failed) applicants, and proceeded to pin up the rankings in ascending order. The crowd thinned as hopes were dashed one by one. Eventually, only a dozen people remained, and the last two sheets were posted.

1. XXXXXX XXXX Jr

2. Helian

3. XXXX X XXXXXXX

4. XXX XX XXXX

5. XXXX

6. Marie Herschel

Well done, Marie! Beyond my expectations. Second place, though… how strange. Maybe the author didn’t want to make the story’s heroine too perfect? Seeing an unnamed character in first still made me uncomfortable for some reason, but the exams were over, so there was no point in thinking about it. I suspected that if XXXXX took this exam, she would have at least placed third.

Marie leapt off the ground and gripped me in a tiny bear hug. “We did it! What an impressive score, you’re really something. I can’t believe this was your first time taking the exam!”

Evan nodded in agreement. “You should be proud. Any employer with half a lick of sense would hire you on the spot.”

I had expected his mood to be lower since he barely missed passing this time, placing 33rd out of 32 – but it was apparently his first time taking the exam, so he had still performed admirably. His mother would probably be in the mood to celebrate as if both had passed regardless.

“I’m sure Mother will be thrilled to hear about this. Will you join us tonight to celebrate?”

I shook my head. “I’d love to, Marie, but I have plans… and I need to get my job applications in order so I can turn them in first thing tomorrow and get ahead of the pack. Maybe we could get together next week?”

It would be good to keep my distance from the pair for the next few days, since the little lord would use the exam results to figure out my identity. It was critical to avoid involving outsiders in the plot until we were in a safer environment like the finance ministry – anything could happen in the gap between scenes with him in play, and it still made me sick to my stomach to think of it even after all these years.

She sighed and looked at Evan, who shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. I should probably prepare my applications too… next week then, it’s a date!”

------

I bid the twins farewell and returned to the inn, and after bringing some food up from the common area, locked my windows and barred the door. My agenda for the evening was to fill out job applications, update my plot notes, and then try to get some rest despite the men loitering outside in the hallway. I hadn’t expected them to turn up so quickly. I guess taking a rain check on my visit to the Herschel manor was the right call.

The soup from the inn’s kitchen was filling and paired well with the sour notes of the loaf of bread I had picked up on the way back. The story’s author didn’t know anything about food, so it was a surprise when meals in this world managed to be delicious even though cuisine in this era was generally awful. My anxiety kept me awake until nearly dawn, but I managed to get some sleep, at least.