Chapter 3: Daemon shaytan Dagon
In the era of the renaissance, more precisely in the year 1550, the Thirteenth District of the Sword Clan was still flourishing. This commercial territory was renowned for its maritime ports where merchant ships docked day and night, as well as for its white sand beaches that tourists loved during the hot season.
The streets were lively from dawn, and the merchants’ shops were never empty. The chief of this district was none other than the infamous Daemon Shaytan Dagon. Despite his banishment from the Winter Domain and the loss of his title as heir of the clan, Daemon nevertheless remained a noble.
He was the head of the Winter family, one of the four great families that made up the Sword Clan. He therefore still had considerable political power, even if he preferred to stay away from the clan’s intrigues to manage his own domain in complete tranquility.
*Manor of the Chief of the Thirteenth District*
The morning light entered through the large windows facing east, illuminating a room cluttered with parchments and registers.
"Young master... Young master!"
Daemon woke up with a start, his face slumped on his desk. He removed the pile of papers that was stuck to his saliva-dampened cheek. He blinked several times, then yawned loudly while looking around him. The day before, he had fallen asleep while working on a mountain of administrative documents.
Daemon, now seventeen years old, had become a handsome young man. He still retained some childish roundness in his cheeks, but he was starting to develop a virile build accentuated by his angular jaw and his beautiful golden eyes that he had inherited from his mother. Too bad his mid-length black hair was in a mess, giving him a rather neglected appearance.
"I see that you are working diligently." said a woman who seemed to be in her forties.
She was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed over her governess dress. Her graying hair was pulled back in a bun as she fixed Daemon with her sharp green eyes.
In reality, Mallory was much older than that, but her chi allowed her to maintain a younger appearance. She had served the Dagon family for two generations, and she knew all the secrets of the domain.
Daemon laughed with an embarrassed look. "Ah... Steward Mallory. As you asked me, I now work diligently!"
"I see that." She advanced into the room and narrowed her eyes to check if he was lying or not. Her gaze scanned the messy desk, then she rolled her eyes. "You are all crumpled. It looks like you slept here."
Daemon scratched the back of his neck. "I fell asleep by accident. The accounts are endless this year."
"You seem exhausted, young master. Nothing beats a good glass of milk in the morning to recover."
"Uh, I don’t think that will be necessary! A little cold water on the face and-"
"There is no no!" Mallory cut him off with a firm voice. "You still need to grow. What would your father say if he saw you so skinny?"
"But I am not skinny!" Daemon pinched his own arm to prove his point. "Look, I have muscle."
"I will not accept any refusal, young master." she said while leaving the office.
Daemon heard her continue in the hallway. While she was giving orders to the maids. "Prepare a hot bath for the young master, with relaxing plants. And bring out the blue outfit, the one with silver embroidery. He is not going to receive his cousin in rags."
Daemon slumped on his chair with a slight smile. Since he had been banished from the Winter Domain at the age of ten, only his father’s steward had followed him.
Mallory had left everything to take care of him, while she could have stayed at the main domain with the rest of the servants. It was she who really managed all the resources and the entire territory. He only had to sign the papers she handed him.
It was useless to say that Mallory was like a mother to him. She had known him since his youngest age, she had fed him, educated him, and she had made sure that the family heritage remained intact despite the disgrace.
"Ah... What would I do if I didn’t have you, Steward Mallory..." he murmured to himself.
"Your words go straight to my heart, young master!"
"WOW!"
Daemon jumped violently upon hearing Mallory’s voice behind the door. He almost fell from his chair. How did she always manage to be there at the exact moment he spoke? This woman definitely had assassin talents?
She entered with a slight maternal smile. In her hands, she held a silver glass filled with still warm milk.
"Steward Mallory, I don’t think this is necessary..." Daemon began.
But Mallory looked at him fixedly with her green eyes. This intimidating look, combined with her silence, was more effective than any threat. Daemon had no other choice but to give in. He took the glass and drank a sip. The milk was creamy and slightly sweet, exactly as he liked it as a child.
"Ah, I am no longer a kid." he protested weakly between two sips.
"Look at the state you are in." Mallory shook her head. "If I don’t take care of you, those vipers of the clan will say that the young master of the Winter House has fallen into disgrace."
She signaled the maids to enter. Two young women appeared in the door frame, carrying various outfits.
"I heard that Lord Kristian is in town." Mallory approached Daemon and ruffled his hair with an expert hand. "You must be very well-groomed to avoid any rumors. The heir of the Sword Clan must not see his cousin in such a pitiful state."
Daemon raised an eyebrow. "Cousin Kristian is in the Thirteenth District?"
"Yes. And you are going to take a good bath." She turned to the maids with an authoritative gesture. "Make sure to take good care of him. Scrub his back, wash his hair with the scented oil. And do not let him fall asleep in the bathtub."
The maids nodded with a smile, then they took Daemon by the arms to escort him out of the room.
Mallory watched them leave, then she sighed while placing a hand on her chest. "I am getting old. I can no longer do this kind of thing myself..." She paused, then her eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "I need to recruit a personal maid for the young master. A devoted young girl, who can watch over him on a daily basis."
She took a quill and began to write an announcement.
...