Chapter 23: 23. Immoral Proposal

I straightened my dress as I hurried to the front door. My heart was racing a little, and not just because of the cultivation practise I'd been doing when someone started knocking. Actually it wasn't so much knocking as an impatient pounding at our door, and that worried me. It reminded me too much of when those soldiers visited us.

Unfortunately my sister was still in the workshop making herself presentable, so I was all alone as I finally unbarred the door. I opened it partway and had a look at who was waiting to see us.

I found myself looking way up, at a very tall burly muscular man in his thirties. His dark curly hair was cut short, but his beard was full and a bit bushy. The large sword and two or three daggers I saw hanging from his belt suggested a soldier or mercenary, but he was much too nicely dressed for either of those professions. The outfit wasn't exactly tailored, but it was too fancy and the material looked too fine for someone in the town guard.

He scowled down at me and in a low, threatening voice he stated "Fetch your mistress, girl. My Lord does not converse with servants."

It was clear there was no arguing with him, and on the one hand I didn't want to just let him enter without Cat's say-so. But on the other hand if I tried to close the door again he'd probably just push it and me aside.

Fortunately my sister arrived before I had a chance to make any mistakes or get us into trouble. She placed a hand on my shoulder and said calmly, "Thank you Valeria, please take your place behind the counter. I'll see to our guests."

With a nervous curtsey I moved back from the door then stood quietly behind the counter, in front of some half-empty shelves. And I made sure to pay close attention to what was happening in front of me, since I assumed that's why Cat wanted me standing at the counter. Normally my place was elsewhere, doing chores or practicing cultivation upstairs, or working in the back room.

Meanwhile the big muscular brute entered, then behind him came another man. The brute shut the door and took up a guard position in front of it, making it clear no-one else would be allowed in.

One look at the second man and I knew he was trouble. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, but his fine clothing and the way he carried himself made it obvious he was a noble. And not the nice kind, like Lord Olivier. The expression on the young man's face only added to my concern. He appeared unpleasant, impatient, and arrogant.

He stood a dozen centimetres taller than Cathryn, and his build appeared slim but there were hints of some healthy muscles under his clothing. Speaking of which, his outfit was all lavish silk and gold buttons, a fancy rapier hung by his hip, and his shoes were fine polished leather with silver buckles. His face was clean-shaved, his dark hair just a bit long, his blue eyes were sharp and his expression seemed locked in a mild scowl.

He looked my sister up and down, his gaze lingering over her chest and hips. Then he turned his attention on me, and his eyes definitely spent a little too long on my chest and the very visible cleavage my dress revealed.

After staring at me for a second or two he turned his attention back to my sister.

"Cathryn Mercier, our town's new alchemist," he began in a sort of snide know-it-all tone. "I don't imagine you know who you have the honour of addressing, so I'll spare you the embarrassment of asking. I am Lord Marcus Dupond, son of Lord Bernard Dupond. My father is Lord-Mayor of this fair town, and his word is law both within the gates and without, a day's ride in any direction."

Cat curtsied, "It is indeed an honour, your Lordship. What brings someone so esteemed to my humble apothecary?"

Lord Marcus wandered around the mostly-empty storefront, taking his time to inspect the empty shelves and what few potions we had in stock. He also made a point of looking over both my sister and myself once more.

He started talking again while he continued to pace, or maybe prowl was a better word. "Lord Olivier spoke rather highly of the services you performed for he and his young wife at a dinner I attended not long ago. Consequently I wish to commission you for a rather sensitive potion."

"It would be my honour," my sister responded. She could probably tell as well as me that this guy was trouble, so she was putting on all the charm and deference she could manage.

"Excellent," the young lord smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Needless to say this conversation is to be held in the strictest confidence. Should word of this get out, it might have a negative impact on my reputation. And I would see that it had a very negative impact on your health, and the health of your little sister."

My sister frowned slightly at the very thinly-veiled threat. She responded, "Of course Lord Marcus. And you need not worry about my apprentice, she has sworn an oath of secrecy."

"Excellent," Marcus fake-smiled again. "To the point then. In just over three weeks time I shall be hosting Lady Philippa Lambert. Her father is Count Lambert, a very wealthy and influential courtier. I don't imagine you're privy to the sort of gossip that makes its rounds in the noble courts but in short, Lady Philippa is said to be as beautiful as she is ill-tempered. At the age of eighteen she remains unwed, and indeed rumours suggest no fewer than three arranged marriages have been called-off due to her uncooperative disposition."

He paused for breath then stated, "I mean to make her mine. Whatever man weds her will receive a substantial dowry from her father, not to mention the prestige of marrying into a family of such high station. You Cathryn shall provide me the potion which enables me to achieve this goal."

My sister stifled a sigh, then took a deep breath. "Lord Marcus I'm honoured you think so highly of my skills, but unfortunately there is no such thing as a 'love' potion. That is just one of many myths people circulate regarding-"

Marcus made a dismissive gesture, "I don't give a damn about love, woman. I didn't say I wanted her to love me. I want her to belong to me."

His voice took on a colder, more dangerous tone as he continued "I've done my homework. I know you attended Anwen's Academy of Alchemy. That institution has a rather interesting reputation in certain circles. So there's no misunderstanding, I want you to create a potion I can feed to young Lady Philippa which will make her mine. Obedient, docile, compliant. She'll wed me because I command it. She'll act loving towards me, because I command it. Or she'll keep quiet and look pretty, because I command it. I know you can do this, and I'm prepared to pay you a fair price for your services."

By the time he was done I had a cold heavy feeling in my gut, and I was positive Cat was just as uncomfortable.

A moment later my sister confirmed it as she shook her head and refused, "I will not create that potion. With all due respect Lord Marcus, what you are describing is absolutely immoral. And inflicting that fate on an innocent young woman is frankly monstrous."

The young lord scoffed, "Please. I don't need a graduate of Anwen's Academy lecturing me about morality."

"Let's be blunt," he continued as he stood in front of my sister and locked eyes with hers. "You and I can work together, and I promise you will profit greatly from that arrangement. Or refuse me and the town guard will start finding countless reasons to shut you down and lock you up. You have twenty days. Produce the potion I desire, or I'll see to it you and your sister spend the rest of your days at opposite ends of my father's dungeon."

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That sent a chill through my body and I gulped, as I glanced from Cat to Marcus. He was ignoring me though as he just stood there watching her. My sister clenched her jaw, and her fists. But after a few seconds she sighed and her shoulders slumped a bit.

"Fine," she relented. "Twenty days is pushing it, and the sort of potion you're asking for does not come cheap."

Lord Marcus smiled, but once again it didn't reach his eyes. He slipped a coin purse from his belt and dropped it in Cat's hand, "A hundred platinum sovereigns, as down payment. I'll see you in twenty days."

With that he turned on his heel and started towards the door, but he stopped short and looked back. "I warn you, if you attempt to cheat me, if you try any funny business, or if anything untoward happens to me after our business is concluded? My bodyguard Serge here will inform my father of our dealings. You will be named the prime suspect, and I promise you, my father is nowhere near as kind or gentle as myself."

Marcus gestured to his bodyguard, who opened the door. Then the young lord strode out, and Serge followed behind him. They left our door wide open, so I moved to close and bar it again while my sister stood there staring at the little bag of coins with a worried frown on her face.

"Cat?" I asked quietly as I moved to her side. "What are we going to do? You're not going to give him what he wants, are you?"

She sighed, then gestured "C'mon upstairs. We'll sit down with some wine and figure this out."

I nodded then led the way up to our apartment, and while she took a seat I poured us a couple cups of wine. When I joined her at the table she'd already dumped the contents of the purse out, and sure enough it was a pile of small platinum coins.

Cathryn and I quietly counted them to be sure, and indeed there were a hundred. They went back into the little purse, then she stated "I won't do what he wants. It'd be bad enough doing that to someone who actually deserved it, but to an innocent young woman? Like I said, it's monstrous."

"Wasn't he basically asking for an obedience potion?" I asked. "I get that it's not ideal, but it doesn't seem too awful to me?"

She grimaced, "What he wants is nothing like what I gave you Val. The limited obedience you took is... It's just an urge to follow my orders. It's mild, and you can resist it. I know, I've experienced it myself. Doing that to an innocent young woman and leaving her in the hands of a cruel master like him would still be immoral though. Even if it can be fought and resisted. At least it wouldn't take away her free will."

"What he wants though," she shook her head. "That's complete obedience. The subject has no free will, there's no option to resist or refuse. They do what they're told, think what they're told, believe what they're told. Doing that and making it permanent means magically enslaving them without any possibility of freedom, ever. It's horrific and I won't do it."

Hearing that turned my stomach and left me feeling nauseous, "Oh. Yeah. I don't think I could be part of that either Cat. That's terrible. What are we going to do though? You said you'd give him the potion. And you heard what he said will happen if we try to cheat him or do anything against him..."

"I know cutie," she frowned. "I couldn't live with myself if I gave him what he wants. Plus it would set a terrible precedent. Others might learn of it and want to buy that sort of potion as well. We'd gain a reputation for that sort of thing, and instead of making and selling potions to help people and improve their lives, we'd end up serving creeps like Marcus. There's also the chance Count Lambert might learn of it, and have us killed for doing that to his daughter."

Shaking her head she stated, "I have to find another way."

We both ended up quietly drinking our wine while my sister seemed to be weighing her options. I didn't want to interrupt while she was thinking, so I kept quiet for now. Instead I refilled both our cups when they were empty, while Cat continued to ponder the situation. It was about fifteen minutes before she finally seemed to make a decision.

"Ok," she stated. "Twenty days is barely enough time, but I have an idea. It's risky, but it's the only thing I can think of that has a chance of success. It means I'm going to be working almost non-stop until it's done though Val. So I'm going to turn everything else over to you for now, ok cutie? Look after our home, the shop, keep up with your training, and you can read my books if you have any spare time. Just try not to disturb me, and stay away from my workbench and my notes."

I frowned, "What are you going to do sis?"

Cathryn shook her head, "I'd rather not say. So if anything goes wrong, you have nothing to do with it. It's all on me."

"He won't believe that," I stated quietly.

"I know," she shrugged. "But I have to try. And anyways, I'm going to be working on very advanced alchemy. Sorry Val but you'll only get in the way and slow me down."

I took a deep breath then sighed, "Ok sis. I trust you, but I'm not happy about this."

She gave me a hug, then as the two of us headed back downstairs to work she added "Here take the coins. Sorry Val but ontop of everything else, I want you to talk to a carpenter or furniture maker. I'm sure you know people through working with dad. Let's get some proper chairs and a table in the front room, so our customers don't have to stand. And some fancy glassware, and a few bottles of fine wine."

"All right Cat," I sighed as well. "I'll do my best."

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