Chapter 3: Chapter 3 – Business time

Later that evening, as Scarlett sat in what was ostensibly 'her office' now, she heard knocking on the door.

"Enter," she uttered almost out of habit.

The door opened and an aging man in a neat black suit walked inside. He had dark grey hair that was combed back and almost reached his shoulders as well as a finely trimmed mustache above his mouth. His whole appearance practically screamed 'butler'.

"My Lady," the man said, bowing with his left arm bent behind his back. "Mister Wyther is here to see you."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Mister Wyther?"

"It seems he has important business with you."

She considered it for a moment, then inclined her head in a small nod. "Bring him here."

"I will do so at once," the butler said before leaving the room. The door quietly closed behind him.

Scarlett looked down at the half-empty book on her desk. She had spent the last few hours writing down what she could remember from the game, as well as what options she had in the future in case she didn't find a way back home. She didn't want to risk forgetting anything important. She took the book with a red cover and put it in one of the desk's drawers before locking it with a key she'd found in the drawer.

A few minutes later there was another knock on the door, followed by the entrance of a tall man in a grey topcoat. He had a slightly bent nose and unruly dirt-blond hair. His eyes immediately locked onto Scarlett to take her in. She found herself annoyed at his uncombed presentation but she hid it as best she could. The butler soon closed the door behind the man, leaving them alone in the office.

"Lady Hartford," the man said, not even bowing as he made his way over to the chair opposite hers at the desk. "It's been some time, hasn't it?" he asked as he sat down.

"...That it has." She didn't even bother with trying to hide the frigidness that naturally entered her voice. "What brings you here?"

He smiled. "Business, of course. It's regarding our little venture over in Voneia."

She inspected the man's appearance. She usually wasn't one to judge a book by its cover but this man had the word "slimy" written all over his face. Considering Scarlett's background though, it wasn't exactly surprising. She already knew the original did business with shady people.

"Does this business require you personally visiting me in my home?" she asked him. That didn't feel like something the original Scarlett would have appreciated.

Wyther smiled as he scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, usually not. But you see, the haul this time is especially large and arriving soon, so I had to go and check everything was clear on this end."

Scarlett tapped her finger against the wood. "Is that so."

She had a decent idea of what this was about.

He nodded his head. "That's right. And they're very high quality this time. We're bound to make quite the profit."

"I see. And when does the merchandise arrive?"

"We're expecting the kids to arrive at port in about two days."

Her finger paused. "...Two days. That's rather soon."

Wyther shrugged. "It is what it is. They'll probably dock sometime in the evening and move everything into warehouse thirty-seven. They've got enchanted crates so there shouldn't be any problems with noise and all that. All we have to do is pass the warehouse inspection and we're good as gold. I'm assuming you can handle it as usual?"

She pondered it for a moment and leaned back into her chair. "Warehouse thirty-seven, you said?"

"That's right."

"...Very well," she said after a while. "I will deal with it. The inspection will not cause you any inconvenience."

He smiled. "I'm glad we've got that figured out then."

Scarlett looked at him with a firm face. "Was that all?"

"Yeah," he began. "But I was think—"

"Then you may leave," she interrupted him before he could say anything more.

His smile disappeared. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but a look from Scarlett's end silenced him. Eventually he stood up from his chair. "Right, I'll take my leave and all that then. Pleasure to do business as always." With that he left, the butler from before looking into the room for a moment before closing the door after Wyther.

Scarlett kept staring at the door for a while even after he'd left. That had been slightly unexpected. She knew Scarlett did all kinds of nasty things in the game—human trafficking one of them—but she didn't know it involved kids. Nor had she expected to run into those things so soon. Honestly, if possible she would just have liked to ignore everything the original Scarlett had done and pretend it never happened. She was unaware of the details regarding most of it, so it wasn't as if she could do much even if she wanted to. But this...

Scarlett was at least partly responsible, so—as the new Scarlett—maybe she should at least take responsibility for those kids. She couldn't do anything about whatever inspection Wyther was talking about anyway so the situation was bound to escalate no matter what. Perhaps it'd be better if she involved herself now as to avoid getting caught up in whatever happens when Wyther and his people get caught. She did have a few ideas as to what she could do.

Lost in her mind, it took a moment for Scarlett to notice there was knocking on the door again.

"Enter," she commanded.

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The butler stepped inside the office once more and bowed. "I have led Mister Wyther out, my Lady."

"Good." She nodded her head. "Don't bother letting him inside if he returns."

"As you wish," the butler said. Then he stayed quiet as he stood at the entrance of the room.

Scarlett looked at him. "Is there something else?"

"...Has my Lady eaten supper today?"

She paused. Had she eaten? No, she hadn't. She had been so busy thinking about her situation ever since she arrived that she'd completely forgotten about it. She didn't even realize she was hungry until he mentioned it.

"I have been...occupied."

He lowered his head. "I feared as such. I have taken the liberty of preparing a meal for the Lady in the dining hall."

She rose from her chair. "I appreciate it. You may lead the way."

He gave her a surprised look, but ultimately nodded his head. "Of course, my Lady. Follow me."

 

 

Scarlett followed the butler to a large hall with a painted ceiling and bright chandeliers hanging from it. The lights in the chandeliers didn't seem to be living flames, but rather some kind of magical candles that emanated a bright shine. In the middle of the hall stood a long table with a chestnut rug beneath it and an assortment of different plates with silver lids near the head of the table. She wordlessly sat down in the seat in front of the plates as the butler removed the lids to reveal the food. It was a mixture of soups, meat, and bread to the side. It looked extremely appetizing to Scarlett who hadn't eaten for the whole day and she wanted nothing more than to just dig in. But the remnants of the original Scarlett's personality forced her to pick up the silverware and calmly start cutting into the food and take small bites. But god was it good. For once during this day she was thankful for Scarlett's traits as they allowed her to delight in the taste for much longer.

The elderly butler stood at the edge of the room the whole time; his back straight and his eyes forward. For a moment she considered offering him some food, but quickly shook that idea off. It probably wasn't a good idea in her position. Instead she continued eating by herself.

About halfway through her meal another servant entered the dining hall. It was a woman with similar clothing to the dark-haired servant Scarlett had met earlier. But this girl had bright blond hair and was clearly a few years younger. Probably not even past eighteen yet.

The servant walked up to the butler and spoke to him. Scarlett couldn't make out exactly what she said, but she did hear the servant refer to the butler as "Master Garside."

The two spoke for a minute before the young woman curtsied towards Scarlett and left the room. After that, Garside directed his attention back to Scarlett. "My Lady. We just received word that Lady Lesly Hayden is planning on holding a banquet in the coming week. She has asked that you attend as well."

Scarlett turned away from the food in front of her and looked at him. "Hayden. In Kilsfell?" She remembered there being a quest giver by that name in that city. Although he'd been a count, not a lady.

"Yes, my Lady."

"Did they mention the reason for the banquet?" she asked.

Garside seemed to pause for a moment. "...No, my Lady. They simply informed us that they were organizing one."

"Then you may inform them that I will not attend," she said, turning her attention back to the table. She cut a part of a roasted steak and dipped it in the gravy that was on the side.

"Shall I give them a reason?" Garside asked.

Scarlett used an embroidered handkerchief to wipe her mouth. The action felt like it was practically ingrained in her hands. "Tell them that I have important business to attend to and do not have time to travel."

"Very well. I shall do so forthwith," he said.

"Good." She put the handkerchief down. "And Garside?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

"Did I have anything scheduled for tomorrow?"

"No, my Lady."

"Excellent. Ensure that I have a carriage ready in the morning then. The driver should know the local area well."

"As you wish."

She took another bite of the steak. She could think of at least a dozen downsides to her current situation from the top of her head — but the food she could definitely get used to.

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