Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

In the industrial town of Cantebard, located on the western side of the Dukedom of Abernath, Agent Takawa had finally been sent on her operation to organize a revolt. It was about two months after she had left the empire, and traveled on foot through the southern areas, posing as a wounded kitsune who was quickly subdued and brought to the Dukedom after a brief scuffle. 

Here in Cantebard, she was to start her operation and she now found herself inside one of the massive slave pools inside the town, seeing they were all like her, beaten, bruised, and wearing magi-collars on their necks and grey rags for clothes that covered everything from their torso down to their knees. She was in the middle of a large basin made out of wood and dirt that was cobbled together by the slaves in the pool and the entire thing was placed under an iron dome with a set of wooden walkways around the iron dome with wooden walls protecting the legs of the structures. These walkways and the iron dome itself ended on the eastern side of the slave pool where there was a single gateway in and out of the place. 

The sky today was overcast and Takawa sat herself down next to some of the more docile-looking slaves in the southwestern end of the basin. Next to her was an old elf with grey hairs all over his faith and his body was frail and withered to the point of near death as he had the signs of starvation all over him, he turned to her however and looked her up and down and then sighed as he shook his head. 

"A problem?" Takawa asked 

"How did they get you young one? You seem fitter than most of us unfortunate lot here, you look healthy enough to have escaped" The old elf said as he looked at her 

"True, but I let them catch me" Takawa answered him in a hushed tone

"wHAT? wHY would you allow yourself to get caught?" The elf asked with a low voice and a surprised tone 

"Because, it is part of my job" The kitsune answered him as she looked at him dead in the eyes 

The old elf's eyes wavered for a moment before they widened as he realized the weight of the words spoken by his fellow slave, he looked around and then scooted over to a less populated area of the pool where the two of them could speak in a much more private manner. 

"Are you with those people from the north? I heard not too long ago from some of the guards that the Hinterlands Confederacy had been wiped out by some northern clan, are you with them?" The old elf asked 

"Depends on why you are asking me" Takawa replied 

"I am Romus Ghal, I was one of the unfortunate souls that the Hinterlands managed to best, my clan is dead and I believe I am the last one left" The old elf said with defeated eyes as he glanced away at Takawa, with the kitsune hearing the shame and despair in his voice 

"What was your clan's name?" Takawa asked

"We were called Clan Evergreen and I was their mightiest warrior, shamed after being bested and sent off here to work as a slave to these pigs" Romus answered with a low growl of anger as he recalled his tragic fate 

"Oh? I see....If I were to tell you that your people are not only not dead, but living in lovely lives now, what would you do?" Takawa asked the old elf who raised his head at her question 

"What do you mean?" Romus asked 

"Well, I may or may not know, that Clan Evergreen was brought back to life by a certain Empress from the north and your people are now living comfortably after they had pledged their lives to her as thanks for bringing them back to the land of the living" The kitsune answered him as his eyes went wide and tears were forming on the sides 

"Your joking...right?" 

Takawa shook her head as she flashed him a small smile before leaning into his ear and whispering the name of the clan elders and clan leader into his ears that broke the elf into tears while he let out a ragged sigh, trying his best not to show any emotion towards the guards who were still patrolling the area above them. He then gathered himself as he calmed his heart down and looked the kitsune dead in the eye

"What are you going to do?" He asked 

"First, I am going to have to break free of this magi-collar, the sky is about to rain hard and I need that distraction to ensure I can break free of this damn thing" Takawa answered him as she looked up into the sky before making it look like she was fiddling with the collar on her neck 

"How will you break free of that? It's made to stop your magic, it's practically impossible" Romus muttered in a low voice as a guard passed behind them 

"This isn't the first time I did this" Takawa stated with a small grin that made Romus confused 

"Just, cover for me, when I say 'Now' make a noise as loud as you can, strike some wood or scream or something, just make a loud noise to cover for me" The kitsune explained 

"All right then" Romus replied with a nod 

The two of them looked around and saw the rest of the slaves busy with their own devices as some were arguing with one another, others were sleeping on the cold wood or dirty ground and some were just like them, chatting on some area of the basin. Seeing that no one was minding her and Romus, Takawa then took a deep breath as she began channeling her magic into the magi-collar. What was designed to restrict beings under the power ranking of A-Rank, began to buckle and give off small crackles as the red magic crystal on the side of the collar was flickering in and out as it was being strained in trying to keep Takawa's S-Rank power in check. She placed her hands on the collar to cover the crystal as it was flickering before she turned to the old elf

"Now" Takawa mumbled as she felt the magi-collar close to breaking 

{!} 

"WAAAAAGH!" 

Suddenly, Romus let out a loud cry as he stood up and bellowed with all his might, drawing the attention of the guards and the other slaves in the slave pool, all of them sharing confused reactions as they saw this old elf on the brink of death cry out. They looked into his eyes and saw a sort of feral rage that made a lot of them crawl or move back away from, some of the guards were pointing and talking with their fellow guards about the sight before them. This was great for Takawa as while Romus was screaming his head off, the low whine of the magi-collar breaking was covered by the roar and the red crystal died out and turned black. She placed illusion magic on the dead crystal to make it seem alive and she was able to hide her magical aura and energy thanks to her H.I.S.S. training, looking as if she was still effected by the magi-collar. 

[Alright it is done, get back here now] Takawa said via a telepathic message to Romus who looked shocked but did not look back

With his sudden shouting also suddenly stopping, many were left confused as Romus let his head down and then walked back to the end of the slave pool he came from, sitting down next to a kitsune who moved a bit to the left away from Romus who looked defeated and dejected. 

[You can drop the act now. I am quite surprised at what you did] Takawa added, with Romus glancing at her 

[Ah, telepathy is not complicated, just think about what you wish to say to me, it's a private link so it will only be me and you talking] She added

{Oh, oh wow. This feels new} Romus stated in disbelief as he thought the words in his mind 

[You will be hearing a lot of me inside your head from now on. So, are you ready to help me?] Takawa asked as she looked away from Romus externally 

{Ready as I'll ever be, what do you have in mind} Romus asked while he still looked defeated and staring at the ground 

[Well...] 

The two of them began talking to one another via telepathy as the rain began pouring down from above, drenching them in water as the open-top iron dome and the lack of anything to cover them from the rain, allowed the slaves in the basin to get soaked. 

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Elsewhere in the Dukedom, Princess Mako, daughter of Duke Abernath and her lover Sir Matthew were touring the eastern side of the Dukedom that was assigned to Baroness Baro who was the mother of Sir Matthew. They were touring a secret complex of arms factories stashed in a small set of mountains by the coast. Entering through an entrance guarded by a boulder on the southern side of one of the mountains, the couple walked into a massive chamber where dwarves, elves, kitsunes, and orcs were slaving away as they churned out sets of weapons and suits of armor for the new Dukedom army that was in the process of being raised. The sounds of metal clanging against metal, the molten hot liquid being poured from pots into molds and the shouts of slave drivers filled the air as the couple walked along the ground of the complex. 

"This is quite impressive darling" Mako said as she held her beloved tight 

"Isn't it? I bet you 300 gold right now that there is not a single forge on this damn continent as big as ours" Sir Matthew replied with a grin as he kissed his beloved on the forehead while they toured the factories. 

As they walked along the factory floor, a lanky young man with a small white mask for the top part of his face that did not hide the small mustache and small goatee approached them, he was wearing a black suit with a whip by his side, he also wore an assortment of jewelry around his neck and on his fingers, the bedazzling jewels of green, blue and red and his fancy look contrasting heavily with the slave factory around him. 

"Ah, Your Grace! The next shipment of arms and weaponry shall be sent tomorrow morning" The man stated with a slimy grin as he knelt before the two 

"Good work Anton, although, I believe you are still several orders behind schedule" Sir Matthew stated as he looked down at the lanky man 

"Ah! Well Your Grace, although we do our hardest to drive our slaves to their maximum output, it is still not enough as the slaves...they can only do so much after we whip them into shape" Anton replied, sweat going down his face as he tried to put on a sad expression for the couple before him 

"Make it happen Sir Granham, because if you can't then we can always find someone who can. You wouldn't want the missus to know you gambled away all of your life savings and your estate now would you?" Mako chimed in with a devilish grin not hidden by her mask 

"Of course Your Grace, that would be most troubling" Anton replied with a smile of his own before he turned around and that smile turned into a scowl 

'Were it not for that blackmail, I would have sold you out to your father' He thought as he began leading them around the place 

The couple followed Sir Granham as he led them through the complex, showing off forging and assembly areas where slaves toiled away without any other protection other than raggedy gloves and goggles while they were still dressed in the grey rags of their slave robes. The couple watched on with small smiles as they saw armor and weapons being churned out by the dozens, with them stopping near one of the stockpiling areas in a corner of the factory 

"This is the new armor pieces made to your design specifications Your Grace, although it is a bit heavier than our older sets of armor, the added mail underneath the main plate is good for stopping piercing attacks" Sir Granham said as he picked up a thick chest plate made of iron with chainmail underneath it and showed it off to Sir Matthew

"Hmm, good. The new training regimen should teach our new knights to move despite the increased weight" Sir Matthew stated as he inspected the chest plate before placing it aside 

"I am glad the quality is to your liking Your Grace" Sir Granham stated with a small smile 

"It was expected to be, otherwise, I would have you killed for your incompetence Anton" Sir Matthews replied with a cold glare that sent shivers down Sir Granham's spine 

"Of...Of course Your Grace, how silly of me" Sir Granham replied as he bowed his head, hiding the small scowl on his face 

As the couple continued to tour the massive hidden factory, one thing was clear for them both, there was about to be change in the Dukedom and it was them who were going to be on top of it all. Regardless of who was going to be in their way. 

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Back in the capital of the Dukedom, Duke Abernath was in the middle of a sit-down with Baroness Baro who had come to negotiate the proposal that her son had given him, unaware of the lies Sir Matthew and Mako had used to get Duke Abernath to approve the proposal. The Baroness was just as old as Abernath but she was much slimmer and her face was hidden behind a full white mask with little make-up dressings on the cheeks, her large and flowing black hair was tied in a tight un that rested on the back of her head. The two of them sat down opposite from one another in Abernath's office and the mood in the air was akin to monsters staring down one another for the final piece of meat. 

"So, why is it only thirty-five percent?" Baro asked as she crossed her arms 

"Because, if I gave you anything more than that, I would be basically handing over the entire nation to you and I have no such plans for that you old hag" Abernath replied as he crossed his own arms, their eyes narrowing on one another 

"Oh please Rals, if you are going to say that, then at least throw some land my way! Thirty-five percent of the profits are too minuscule for someone like me" The Baroness replied with a scoff 

"Keep talking like that Baro and I assure you, you will not like my response" The Duke fired back through gritted teeth hidden by his red mask 

"Response? Resposnse?! What are you going to do big guy? Sit on me?! Please! If you actually had leverage on me, we would not be here talking today" Baro replied with a sharp response that made Abernath's lips twitch 

"Look, thirty-five percent of the profits and the construction work is far, far too small for my barony. Considering that my house has contributed to more than the rest of those lackluster bastards have ever since you were elected into office" She added as she looked him up and down 

"Hmmm...." Duke Abernath was silent as he could only contemplate her words, not wishing to give her any more leverage by agreeing with her as it was true that her house was contributing more to the Dukedom than the rest combined. 

"I offer a counter proposal for our returns for the proposal" 

"And that would be what Baro?" 

"Well, we can have at least 20 percent of the profits, but, and this is the important part, we get a third of the land conquered and my house gets increasingly more autonomy" 

{!} 

The counter-offer made Abernath slam his fist onto the coffee table between them, but Baro showed no signs of flinching or reeling from this show of violence, only a smug grin under her mask as she could practically see her greatest rival fuming before her. 

"If I do that, you will become practically independent from the Dukedom and I cannot have that, because if you do it, the other houses will surely want the same treatment too" Abernath replied to her, his voice fluctuating from furious to calm in mere moments 

"Oh, I have no intention of becoming independent Rals" Baro replied, her voice and body expression teeming with subtle joy 

"Explain" 

"I wish for my barony to be larger so that I can become your right hand and help rule the Dukedom. Our children are already engaged with one another and ever since your son Lucas disappeared a few months back after you sent him on that mission, the other houses are getting eager to stick their hands in your cookie jar"

"I take it you wish to be that lid for my cookie jar then?" 

"Precisely, with my barony becoming larger, I will be able to equip and train more soldiers for the Dukedom's army which will be loyal to our houses, ensuring that we can crush anything those other houses will throw at us" 

"And I take it you will not backstab me and my family in the future?" 

"Well, our children will be married, and I for one do not wish to be a poor mother who tries to ruin the future of her child" 

"I don't have a choice in this now do I?" 

Baro nodded at Abernath's question, with her action sending a shiver of uneasiness down his spine as he leaned back into the couch he sat upon. What she was proposing was not as great as handing over thirty-five percent of the profits of the future expedition northward, but it was a proposal that could ensure Abernath and his house had a powerful backer if the other houses of House Theodorus, House Malintara, and House Fluchet decided to make a move against them since Lucas was no longer around to keep them in check. Abernath let out a sigh as he pressed his forehead between his thumb and index finger of his right hand as he removed his mask to reveal his grotesque face. 

"Fine. For the benefit of our houses, and for the survival of the Dukedom...your counter-proposal, is accepted" He said with as much restraint as he could muster while looking at Baroness Baro who was sneering at him from under her mask 

"Good choice Rals. Good Choice" 

A/N: Hello! So the next few chapters are gonna be set-up chapters heheh, if you have questions and the like, leave em below for me to see and answer and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!