"Well, this is a pleasant surprise your grace." I poured myself a cup, I'd abstained for most of the party, but I had a fair suspicion that this was going to be a business meeting.

"Good afternoon Lady Augustus, I apologize for the deceit." He waved in the direction of the Praefect, who had settled into a position in the corner where he could keep an eye on the door and stop me if I tried anything. "My nephew approaching you garners much less attention than if I did so myself."

"I take no offense Count Terentius. Now, shall we get to business." The count of Bravil would not arrange a meeting with me unless he needed something.

"Straight to the brass tacks then, I can respect that." He poured himself a cup of the steaming hot liquid. "I'm afraid that I've been forced to remain in the Imperial City for the past few months to handle a number of legislative and economic matters."

I was aware of this, he'd been trying to push through a number of public works and tax incentives to stimulate the local economy of Bravil. From what I understood, the county was currently in a bit of valley economically, not enough to be a lasting depression, but enough that action was needed. That wasn't what he wanted to talk about though, he'd succeeded in driving those motions through.

He continued, "These past few months have been difficult, especially with my dear wife at home, keeping court in Bravil." His cheeks turned a slight shade of red.

Ahh, now it was clear. "And have you found a companion to ease this burden?" The count nodded somewhat sheepishly, I almost laughed. "And this companion, has there been an indiscretion between the two of you that will yield a much larger, albeit likely adorable, indiscretion in a few months."

The count nodded again, "Her name is Alessia Jadus, I've offered to pay her off, an astounding fee, triple what she charges for an evening." He was a fool, at least in this regard, having the child of a count was worth far more than three sessions. Still, I didn't interrupt. "Still, she refuses, she claims that she is utterly smitten with me and refuses to deny our love. My wife cannot learn of this, her heart would be shattered." He returned my gaze, "I was hoping, considering your… expertise on the matter, you'd be able to help."

I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. "You are, of course, referring to the fact that I own a number of brothels, or perhaps the trial I underwent in devotion to Dibella."

The Goddess herself had appeared to me in a vision and offered me a chance to prove my devotion and earn her highest blessings. I had to give up everything and serve as a prostitute, practicing her arts and spreading love and her faith until I had proven myself. I accepted and went into the waterfront district as naked as the day I was born. I found work in a licensed brothel there and survived with nothing but my beauty and feminine wiles. For six months, I plied my skills, developing them in the streets, the brothel common room, my personal quarters there, and in personal appointments, serving men and women alike and spreading the ways of Dibella to all.

It had earned me the shock and disgust of many nobles, but it had also earned me the highest respect and blessings of the Goddess. Looking back, I would do it over again without a second's hesitation, it made me a Lily, and that was something to be proud of. The Count nodded, once again sheepish, "I meant no offense my lady, but yes. I would be willing to pay of course."

I shook my head, "I have no need of additional wealth your grace. I would gladly help you, but in return I shall expect a favor from you in return at some point, one without restriction."

That gave the count pause, what I was asking for was no small thing. If he agreed, it meant that I could call upon him for anything, with the explicit guarantee that holy fire would rain down upon him should he refuse. I was expecting resistance, and I got it. "My lady, surely you could be more specific, a push for the aqueduct project on the Elder Council perhaps?"

I let my smile show some teeth, a well-practiced movement that subtly shifted my expression from pleasant to predatory. "Your grace, I'm well aware of just how important this issue is to you. If this affair becomes public, you have a very limited set of options." I counted them off on my fingers as I spoke, "You could acknowledge the child as your own, though your wife will likely leave you considering that you have yet to have children with her and this would make your lovechild your heir."

The count winced at the idea, I pressed the advantage. "However, if you do not acknowledge him, you will have a temple problem. Your city is already unstable and the Devout of Mara are one of the few things holding it together. If they turn against you, it is likely that you will be ousted from your seat." I cocked my head to the side, "Good for your wife though I suppose, the faithful of Mara are likely to rally around a scorned wife."

A dark look passed across the man's face, presented with those options his mind had gone exactly where I'd thought it would. "Or of course, though I know a man of honor such as yourself would never dream of this, you could attempt to have this woman killed before she could bear your child to term."

I dropped the smile from my face for added effect, "As a Devout of Dibella and knight of the Order of the Lily, I could never allow this to happen, and doing so would force me to bring the full wrath of the Order down upon you." Dibella was patron and protector of prostitutes and lovechildren. And her order of knights, though less well known than other orders, was very much a force to be reckoned with, even moreso now than ever before, with well connected young noblewomen filling it's ranks.

I'd backed the count into a corner, and he knew it. "I can see your point my lady, I agree to your terms." His once-confident eyes were now pleading, "I beg of you, make this problem disappear."

I nodded, smiling, "Of course my lord, I'm sure that I can arrange an accord that will satisfy all parties."

The count nodded sullenly, knowing he'd been beaten, also knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. With that business concluded, I made my exit back to the party.

Maybe it was my father's training, or a gift from the Goddess, or perhaps it was just intuition, but when I returned to the gardens, something felt… off. I scanned the courtyard, my senses suddenly heightened in preparation, something was about to happen.

Then I saw it, a servant, or more accurately a man in servant's clothes, walking a little too purposefully toward Livia. The young noble was engrossed in conversation and didn't notice him, I moved to intercept the man. As we drew closer to one another, he noticed me as well, and he dropped all charades, charging Livia at a dead sprint, drawing a blade as he did so.

I wasn't large enough to stop him physically, but I didn't need to. I grabbed his free arm and whispered an invocation of the Goddess. He broke my grip immediately, but it was too late. Before he could get any closer to Livia, his knees buckled and he collapsed with a loud moan. He lay on the ground writing and squirming and moaning, it would have proven hilarious were it not now painfully obvious what he was there for and how close he'd come to accomplishing it.

One of the blessings granted by Dibella to her most faithful was the ability to give someone a world shattering climax with a mere touch and an invocation. Not inherently combat oriented, but as demonstrated by the incapacitated assailant before me, easily weaponized.

I was about to move to interrogate the man when an orange glow emerged under his clothing. I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Get back!"

Charging Livia myself, I shoved the girl back and landed on top of her, shielding her smaller frame and whispering another invocation of the Goddess. A second later, flames washed over use, held back by the Goddess's ward.

The blast only lasted a few seconds, and when I looked up, I saw that the majority of the young nobles had followed my command and come through unscathed, the few that were injured though, were injured badly. The guards on the outside had charged in, rather unnecessarily at this point. Far more useful was Cassie rushing over to us.

I passed Livia, still in shock, over to her. Cassie, for her part, needed no direction, she took Livia and shepherded her out of the courtyard to one of the side rooms. With her in the most capable hands possible, I set about doing my duty as a Devout.

Starting with the most severe cases, I didn't even bother attempting to heal them with my own skills. I knelt over them, praying to the Goddess for her mercy. The burns healed, the blackened skin returning to its normal pallor and screams of pain turning to gentle moans as the Goddess healed their wounds and buried the pain under gentle waves of pleasure. There were one or two cases that I handled with my own restoration magic. Magic was more the domain of my baby sister, but the temple had ensured my proficiency in all forms of healing.

It was good for all of these young nobles to see this side of worshiping Dibella, and good for them to see me doing it. Those who I had healed would remember who had saved their lives, as would their parents. Even if it bore no short term gain, it would be a long term boon.

With that situation handled, I left the guests in the hands of the freshly arrived clusters of guards and servants. Making my way across the gardens, I slipped into the side room that Cassie had sequestered herself and Livia in. Cassie was attempting to comfort the shocked girl, but as soon as I was in the room, Livia threw herself at me in tears.

I embraced the poor girl and stroked her hair. "Shh, the first one is always the hardest," I cooed. It was true, the first assassination attempt was always a mix of terror and shock that left you a mess for days or even weeks afterward, even moreso for an emotional girl like Livia. By the fifth, you were used to it. After the eighth, you were bored by it. After the fifteenth attempt, you could almost call yourself a connoisseur of attempts on your life. At last count, I was at thirty two and a half.

"He… I.. he c-would've killed me," she stammered. "You saved my life Bella," the rest of what she said was incomprehensible as she buried her head in my chest and sobbed. I let her cry herself out, whispering comforting words while Cassie stood nearby, watching for a second attempt. She wasn't good with moments like this, not genuinely at least. If Livia were a mark, Cassie could play the role of Comforting Friend perfectly, but genuine sympathy was hard for her.

When her sobs finally died into silence, I pushed her away, holding her by the shoulders at arms-length, "Don't worry Livie, I'll take care of all of this, just go about your day as usual."

I looked to Cassie, of course she'd already anticipated my needs as she always did. "I sent an urchin the moment I heard the explosion. Five gold Septims to go, five when our people arrive." That was generous, an urchin could eat for a week on that. Once again, knowing what I wanted before even I did, she made for the door, "I'll go check on that."

I looked back at Livia, "Like I said, just do what you'd normally do, and listen to my people. They'll keep you safe." I gave her a quick kiss and turned her over to the two Tempestatis legionnaires, a Breton and an Orc.

With Livia secure, I slipped out into an alley behind the Porticus where Cassie was already waiting with the carriage. "To the slums?" Cassie's voice came telepathically through my mind.

I nodded, climbing into the carriage. "To the slums,"

...

Okay guys, I might be playing fast and loose with the economics and politics of the Elder Scrolls world, I'm not entirely sure. This isn't like Dragon Age where there's a codex for everything, so most of my info is from personal experience and the wiki.

Other than that, read and review guys.

Up next: The slums, the whores, and the secrets.