A Dragon’s Curiosity

 

 

Marshal Dharnas looked at the elf opposite of him and rubbed the ring on his finger absentmindedly.

“Do you have any questions?”

The Grand Marshal was a rather quiet man, both in public and in private.

Rather than giving extensive explanations and providing his own point of view, he preferred to teach his insights by showing them firsthand and answering any questions the two young ones might have.

It also helped that the questions showed the progress of learning, giving the Duke the chance to arrange more opportunities for them to learn with suitable content.

He was not worried about Henry at all, since the young man had been in contact with the social circles at the top of the capital’s hierarchy since he was a boy.

Despite appearing laid back and uncaring on the surface, Henry grasped the necessary tools to navigate his own way without being taken advantage of on most occasions.

Nisha, on the other hand, only started living in the capital Thurgau recently, it was necessary to give her more learning chances or the other young heirs would eat her alive when they met in the future.

While their estate and assets might not necessarily look particularly grand or extensive, the family was still a Dukedom at the end of the day, and it made them a target for unsavory methods.

And ultimately, he was willing to teach her and accept her as a family member on account of his father, the late Eldrin Dharnas, who admitted her to the family line.

As long as the elf was eager to learn, he was eager to teach.

“Do you think that King Cederic is a good king?”

The question came rather unexpectedly, the Grand Marshal thought Nisha would ask about the court session or for information regarding the academy, given that she attended the same place and was on the trip as well.

Despite not saying anything about the girl using a recommendation from the church to enter and doing her own thing, it did not mean that Luthais was not well informed about her whereabouts.

He rarely said anything since the girl carried herself well and never looked at a disadvantage from the reports he got, as well as from the occasional story she shared during meals and other opportunities.

Nisha was similar in that regard to Henry and looked like she would not thrive under stricter rules, so the Grand Marshal took a hands-off approach and only kept an eye on the general state of affairs.

 

“Why do you want to know if King Cederic is a good king? 

There are several answers to your question, it really depends on the context.

But I will do my best to answer you directly.”

Whereas the question was unexpected and from a different direction than intended, Grand Marshal Dharnas did not mind and took an open approach to teach the girl.

This particular question was rather sensitive, as discussing the king, even behind closed doors, was easily taken out of context and could lead to disadvantages if others learned of it.

Nevertheless, Luthais Dharnas trusted his carriage driver to not listen in on them and forget any snippets he might have heard through the noise outside, and for the sake of education, he would answer directly.

“It just seemed so … fake? During the court session, the king and the people who spoke for their affairs appeared to care more about flattering each other than actually discussing the topic at hand.

And nothing really got done either, the investigation about the academy just got delayed for another session and the other affairs either settled with a compromise or another contrived decision that was already decided before court even began.

How can a kingdom get governed like this? How does it work at all?”

Somehow, the dragon expected more from the entire court session.

Instead of statesmanship and decision-making, it almost devolved into a theatre play, with everyone tripping over each other to make the king look good.

Sure, King Cederic did have some talent and was gifted at using public opinion, Nisha had resolved to study his methods and learn from him, but it felt like such a waste that nothing was done and court ended up being a show more than a council.

The elf did not exactly know what she thought about how a kingdom was being governed, but this was certainly not what she had in mind.

“Well, I certainly want to say that you are wrong, but perhaps that’s your perception after seeing just one court session.

I can assure you that the king and the attending nobles are quite serious in their work, it is just a matter of fact that some ceremonies and conventions have become necessary as part of the process.

If you ask me whether the king does a good job and can be considered a good ruler, then I would say yes.”

Rather than brushing her off, Marshal Dharnas seriously considered her question, and Nisha was glad to hear his side.

Perhaps their difference in position affected their perception, the elf considered the king as a rather vain person, whereas the Marshal saw the outcome of their work directly and experienced the outcomes from the decisions made in court.

“Usually it takes time to let history decide whether a king was seen as good or bad by the people later on, yet I can say so far that I have never seen the king take the people of the kingdom lightly or bend the law for himself personally to do things.

King Cederic lends his ear to the public and seriously considers the solutions that are possible to implement, without taking advantage of his office for other reasons.

That’s why he is a good ruler in my opinion and why I am willing to do my best in my position as Grand Marshal.”

 

To Nisha, this made sense as Luthais Dharnas did not tolerate any funny business in the first place.

If anyone claimed to be more upright than the Grand Marshal in the entire capital, the elf was willing to fight the origin of such nonsense without question.

A ramrod-straight spine, a steely gaze that stripped lies bare without effort and a uniform never tainted by any scandals were the best shields against unjust accusations and political machinations.

It suited the man that he was willing to work for King Cederic mainly because the man in question showed a measure of respect for the law and put the kingdom first.

Nisha respected that and took it into consideration when rethinking her experience at the royal court just now.

Purely based on merit, it was not wrong to say that the current king was a good leader.

It still sat wrong with her how he conducted himself and fished for flattery and pitted different people against each other, but she could accept it on behalf of her family name.

“You can go to more court sessions in the future, the additional bells and whistles from the ceremonies are rather tedious, yet it is also a good chance to get some insight into the current trends and the issues that are relevant at the present.

Of course, it is your choice whether you want to go or not, this is not a command or anything of the sort.

Just a suggestion in case you want to get more insights into politics.”

Perhaps in younger years, perhaps the man would have used a harsher tone or ordered the girl to go directly, strict military discipline was nothing new to the Dharnas household and Luthais Dharnas himself had served in the city guard from a common soldier all the way to the top of the command structure.

It was only after raising a child himself that the Duke learned how different children could be from their parents and that it was not a good idea to force ideals onto them.

As a young boy, Henry had been given little choice in his path and passed all the training that his father had arranged for him with flying colors.

Whether it was physical training or training together with formal soldiers, the boy had never complained or shown any signs that he wanted to give up either, but the father and son were never quite as close as Luthais and his own father, the late Eldrin Dharnas.

Many of the Duke’s peers had congratulated him on the excellence of the young generation, but it never dawned on him that his own path might not have suited Henry as well, especially since they had acted more like strangers at home than relatives.

The situation only changed once the boy was old enough to attend the academy in the capital and left the sphere of influence of his father and the military barracks of the city guard.

 

Shortly after entering the [Royal Academy], the Grand Marshal barely recognized his son when he visited the place by chance.

Rather than the taciturn boy that hardly spoke and had little to no interests, Henry Dharnas laughed and played around with a bunch of friends on the academy grounds, unaware of his father observing in the distance.

He was active, bright and the heart of the group.

Unable to believe this sight, the Grand Marshal made some discreet inquiries and discovered that these changes happened almost overnight, almost as if an impostor had replaced the son he knew for more than ten turns.

Almost as soon as he had entered the academy, Henry Dharnas discovered a life he did not know existed and completely fell in love with his new freedom.

Through a period of observation and unexpected discoveries, Luthais Dharnas learned how little his son actually enjoyed the activities and exercises he arranged for his son.

Just because he never complained, it did not mean that Henry found meaning or purpose in his curriculum, which he expressed in distance and apathy towards his family.

Perhaps it was the Grand Marshal's luck or persistence, but he did not reject these changes or blamed the boy for not following in his footsteps.

It took the two of them a good deal of time, yet their relationship improved tremendously once the Grand Marshal no longer forced his ideals on his son and actually tried to get to know his son, his interests and his dreams.

Compared to the quiet young boy who only stared into emptiness, Luthais Dharnas much preferred the current lively and outgoing Henry.

While it did sting a little bit that his son had so different interests from his own, it was more than made up by the happiness and well-being of Henry, hence the Grand Marshal never allowed himself any regrets.

As a parent, he was glad to make a small sacrifice for his family.

Nisha held her tongue when she saw how quiet the Duke had gotten, his thoughts were no longer inside the carriage.

Seeing that he was not quite likely to return to the present any time soon, the elf prepared to excuse herself and find something else to do.

Just about as she left the carriage, the Grand Marshal remembered his original intention and stopped her from sneaking away.

 

“Well, what I really wanted to say was that you don’t have to have too many concerns.

Although we’re not the oldest or the most powerful noble family in the capital, the Dharnas family name is still worth something.

Be bold and do what you want to do, at least in Thurgau you have standing someone behind you.

Even if there is trouble, we are not afraid of anyone either.”

At this moment, the Duke really displayed the bearing of a family head, valiant and confident.

While he rarely involved himself with politics and the schemers full of evil designs in the capital, that did not mean Luthais Dharnas did not know how to deal with them.

If anyone wanted to mess with his family, he knew exactly who had skeletons in the closet and which estate recently got a delivery that was conveniently not inspected by the city guards.

“Wait, so what you are saying is that I should go out and stir up some trouble?”

Nisha could not believe what she was hearing.

The most moral and upright man she knew encouraged her to do the exact opposite of the things he taught them usually.

She wondered if something went wrong with the man and if he was sick or something, and her gaze was exceptionally honest as well.

The Grand Marshal could tell at a glance what she was thinking.

“You can’t go back on your words, okay? I didn’t hear you wrongly?”

“Just go and visit the arena or something. You’re young, live, and make some mistakes.

Don’t have any regrets later.”

Chasing the elf out of the carriage, the Grand Marshal sighed and rubbed his sigil ring again.

The girl had not been part of the family for a long time, less than a turn, but even he could tell that she was overly cautious.

Sometimes, being too inconspicuous and cautious was eye-catching in its own way, especially once people knew which family Nisha came from.

On the ring, three bright stars gleamed as a response to her cultivation, with a fourth star dimly lit as well.