The guest room was quiet and warm, bird song filtering in from the balcony through doors that were open wide to let in the cool breeze. Summer was hitting them hard, still, making the wind smell of flowers and wood chips. Wolfram sat in a chair close to the open doors, looking out at the town below, feeling rather tired, though in truth he'd done nothing all day. Yozak was busy cleaning and cooking no doubt. It made the blonde smile a bit, as though the world were taking revenge on the larger man for him.

True to the plan, and to Wolfram's great astonishment, they had been welcomed into the Ackart household. The oldest son and lord of the manor, Lord Frederick Ackart, had been touched by the story of the young widow and her older sister and had put "Betty" to work in the household immediately while "Jennifer" was permitted to stay as a guest, perceived, of course, as being quite pregnant. Wolfram thought the humans to be very dull witted indeed to be fooled by something as simple as a sack of flour hidden under his skirts. He was glad for it, though, all the same. He'd never scrubbed a kitchen clean in his life and the prospect of doing so did little for him.

The days seemed longer somehow, which became a rather large annoyance as Wolfram found he waddled through the hallways with the unaccustomed weight tied to his front. He longed for the nights when he could untie the sack from his body and curl up in some semblance of comfort in his bed. Since he was under no orders from Lord Ackart, Wolfram took to sitting around whenever possible. From his room he could hear whatever was going on in the gardens. Most of the time it was only the gardener's voice he heard, humming to himself while his sheers snipped buds from the bushels. Sometimes, though, he could hear Lord Ackart as he strolled along the pebbled paths. He seemed to be quite fond of his gardens and Wolfram was pleased that he could do this bit of spying from the comforts of his own quarters.

Looking down past the balcony, Wolfram could see their gentle host making another round through his rose patch. He couldn't have been more than one hundred and twenty years old, though seeing as he was human, Wolfram guessed he was probably much closer to his mid twenties. He had dark brown hair, reminding him a great deal of his brother Conrad from the back, but his eyes were a pale blue with a crooked nose placed between them that was more charming than otherwise. He had a certain frailty to him that most human noblemen seemed to possess. It made Wolfram uneasy somehow. He was many times older than Lord Ackart, but the human had more to show for his years all around him.

Through several nights of dinners at his table, Wolfram had learned a certain amount of information from the human. Nothing pertinent and nothing that Gwendel's resources couldn't have told them before sending them in, but it was a fair show of trust on Lord Ackart's part nonetheless. He had never married and was the eldest of four children. He had three sisters, most of which lived on their own estates along their family's land or with their husbands in other kingdoms close by. In the manor, there was only he and his servants; because of this, he professed a bit of loneliness. It was fairly evident that Wolfram's presence was a great comfort to him and although inconvenienced by his disguise, Wolfram was in some ways pleased to be so welcomed.

Another late summer breeze rolled through the open doors and Wolfram closed his eyes to enjoy it, seeing himself riding along dirt roads in his home lands as his hair danced across his face.

"Young Miss?"

Wolfram flinched a bit and opened his eyes, turning his head to the door and the pretty maid that stood there. It was a reaction Yozak had told him to be careful of, but being mistaken for a woman had never been something Wolfram had been pleased with. "Yes?" he asked her, trying to sound more pleasant than he felt.

"Lord Ackart was hoping you would join him for tea on the terrace. I'm to take you there now, if you will consent." She was a very sweet, meek young girl, Wolfram noted. Of course, in just these first five days, he'd managed to frighten half the staff with what they had lovingly termed to be mood swings. He couldn't remember if he'd snapped at the young girl at the doorway yet, though. Perhaps he ought to go easy on her, just in case.

"I shall," he answered without much pause to consider. Such opportunities were golden for both he and Yozak. While he had the master entertained, it was much easier for the expert spy to go through the many rooms for hidden documents or other clues. Besides, it really was a lovely day, even if it was a shame he wasn't allowed on horseback.

He rose from his chair slowly, swatting away the maid's hand when she offered to help him rise. "I'm not completely helpless. I assure you, I can stand and walk just fine on my own. Just show me to the terrace."

She cowered slightly and nodded her head, waiting for him to join her before walking slowly to their destination.

The hallways were very cheerful, Wolfram noted as they walked. The sunny yellow paint on the wooden walls made the whole place shine like sunlight. Pictures of family members were hung with pride, some as large as the portraits of Shinou back home, while others were much smaller and more quaint. All the eyes of the Ackart family tree seemed to watch him pass by and none seemed poised to tell his secrets, which suited Wolfram just fine.

As they stepped out onto the terrace, Wolfram shielded his eyes and peered out at the garden that wrapped around them now. It paled in comparison to the ones Gunter managed in Shin Makoku, but it was a pleasant sight all the same.

"Miss Jennifer," said a warm, masculine voice. "Please have a seat. You look tired."

Wolfram turned his brown coated eyes to the table set up under the shade of an umbrella and at Lord Ackart who extended a hand to him.

"I'm not tired. I've been sitting in my room all day. It's just hot."

"I imagine in your condition, the heat is only made worse."

Wolfram frowned a bit at that, though it was partly true. Having a sack of flour strapped close to his stomach did make him quite a bit warmer than he would be normally. All the same, he hated when it was referred to as his "condition". He ignored the hand extended for him and took his seat at the table.

Lord Ackart laughed. "You're very spirited. I find it refreshing." He took his seat across from Wolfram and smiled at him. "I'm glad you don't feel the need to bother with pleasantries and the like. I'd much rather you be blunt and honest."

"I'm not being rude am I?" Wolfram asked, not wanting to be a bad guest even if he was there merely to spy and deceive.

"Not at all. As I said, I find you very refreshingly feminine in that roguish country sort of way."

Wolfram gawked. He had half a mind to strike the human for the insult but it was his better judgment that made him swallow his pride for the cause.

"Oh...thank you."

The cause seemed to take more of his pride than he was comfortable parting with.

Lord Ackart poured their drinks and pressed a tray of sweet confections towards him. "I'm very pleased that you've accepted my invitation. I hope you don't feel inclined to spend time with me purely out of respect as my guest. I want you to feel at home here, and that means you don't have to spend time with an old man like me if you'd rather not."

Wolfram shook his head and bit into a small tart. He had to hand it to the humans on some things; their deserts were quite delicious. "Not at all. As you pointed out, I'm not in the habit of being entertained against my will."

"You make me a very happy man to hear that, Miss Jennifer."

Wolfram felt uneasy looking into the Lord's smiling face. It wasn't that he was afraid of the man, but it made him nervous all the same.

"I was hoping I might get to hear more about you. I feel as though I've talked entirely too much about myself the last few times we've sat together. I'm quite embarrassed to say it. You've certainly a much more interesting life than I," Lord Ackart said as he stirred his tea.

Wolfram paled slightly, stuffing the rest of his tart in his mouth. "Oh...there's really nothing much to tell that you don't already know, Lord Ackart."

"Please, call me Frederick." He gave a charming smile. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"...Of course we are." Wolfram busied himself with his tea, trying to think quickly of what to do or say. "And friends tell each other things. Things about themselves and...politics and the like."

"Let's not talk about politics on a lovely day like today. Let's start on more intimate subjects. For starters, where are you from?"

"Caloria," Wolfram answered, it being the only human nation he could think of that he had anything close to an extensive knowledge of. "Lady Flurin is a close friend of my family."

Frederick nodded slightly. "I've visited only once, I'm afraid. I have heard told that it is a very charming place, though."

Wolfram nodded. "Since reconstruction, it's been even nicer. Shin Makoku's help really made everything go much faster and smoother than otherwise."

"They are a strong and supportive nation. I'm proud to share such a close border with them."

"I noticed when we arrived that you hang their colors from your poles. I take it you align with Shin Makoku rather than stand with the human nations or alone?" Wolfram asked.

Frederick sighed. "It's a rather delicate subject that is hard to explain. But we got off topic. You were telling me about your home."

Wolfram felt the rise of excitement fall to disappointment in his gut. He'd been so close to finding out something pertinent for once. "Right. Caloria. Well...there's not much else to tell."

"Is it hard to talk about your late husband?"

Wolfram shook his head. "No. It's alright...do you remember when the shadow passed over everywhere and an army of dolls attacked?"

Frederick nodded his head, such a day still fresh in his memory.

Wolfram thought back to the day himself, to the day he truly remembered. It was when he'd thought he'd lost Yuri forever. That was close enough to the truth. "He died that day."

"Did he know about the child?"

Wolfram nodded, thinking of Greta. It made his heart ache for home again. He wasn't used to being away from her like this. "He knew. I didn't feel upset about that, though. I can take care of our child on my own. I just didn't want to be without him."

"You're a very strong woman," Frederick told him, reaching across to clasp his hand. "I'm sure your late husband would be proud of you, if he could see you now."

Wolfram was sure that if Yuri could see him now, he would laugh till it hurt and then fall down in the dirt to laugh some more. There would be no pride, there would be humiliation and then he'd be forced to kill the wimp in order to wipe the memory from his mind and never have it spoken of again.

Such thoughts actually brought a smile to his face, though. He missed bickering with his king, taunting and chasing each other around the castle as though they truly cared for each other.

Frederick kept his hand over Wolfram's in a soothing sort of touch. "What was his name?"

"...Shoma." It only made sense, if he was to be Jennifer.

"What a strange name."

"He was a strange guy," Wolfram explained. He took his hand from under Frederick's and put it in his lap. "Sort of compulsive, not very bright, always looking at women even when I was in the room. But he was mine."

"Not to speak ill of the dead, but how could anyone not appreciate the beauty you possess?"

i He's flirting with me, /i Wolfram noticed with a start, blinking wildly at the human's smiling face. He was also sincere, though. It as a frightening combination.

"I think we'd better talk about something else," Wolfram said, drinking the last of his tea. "On second thought, I'd probably better go back to my room. I'm sorry."

Frederick stood and pulled back Wolfram's chair for him. "No need to apologize. I've been too curious. I promise, I'll be better behaved at dinner tonight. You will join me, I hope."

Wolfram gave him a nod and hurried to rise and leave the scene. His dress caught on the delicately carved spirals of the chair though and as his momentum continued, he found himself falling forward towards the ground.

Arms wrapped securely around him and caught him before he fell, pulling his body to the other man's chest. "Miss Jennifer, are you alright?"

Wolfram tried to push away but found the other man was stronger than he looked. "I'm fine. This stupid dress caught on the chair, that's all."

Frederick seemed to hear none of it, though, and quickly swooped Wolfram into his arms, cradling him to his chest. "No, it's my fault. I should have known the heat would be too much for you. I would never have been able to live with myself had you fallen in your condition."

Wolfram fumed. "My condition has nothing to do with anything. Put me down this instant."

Lord Ackart shook his head and carried him inside, ignoring Wolfram as he kicked his legs in an attempt to get down. "I understand you must be furious with me, but please settle down. I'll have you in your room soon."

Wolfram continued his futile struggle a while longer before admitting defeat and brooding in Frederick's arms as he was carried up the stairs, down the yellow hallways with the large portraits and into his room where Yozak stood with a dust mop in hand.

"What happened?" he asked as soon as he caught sight of them.

Wolfram threw him an icy glare. "Nothing."

"It's my fault, I'm afraid. I asked Miss Jennifer for tea on the terrace and she nearly fell as she was parting. I take it I can leave her in your care for now, Betty?"

Yozak nodded, keeping his smirk tucked away in the private corners of his mouth. Wolfram was sure he could see if, though.

Frederick laid him down on the bed and Wolfram quickly adjusted his skirt for modesty's sake if not for the sake of their mission. He watched the human take his left hand and gently kiss his bare knuckles. "I hope you will forgive me," he said, looking as worried and devastated as he had sounded.

"There's nothing to forgive. I told you, the dress got snagged. You didn't have to carry me up here. In the future, I would prefer it if you never did such a thing again."

Frederick laughed as a smile came back to his face. "I'm glad the lady still has enough energy to be so spirited and proud." He stood up, bowing to Wolfram on the bed, then nodding his head to Yozak. "She is to be your primary concern. If housework falls behind, so be it. I wish only that Miss Jennifer have everything she requires."

"Certainly, Lord Ackart," Yozak said with a curtsy.

Frederick smiled, pleased, then left them alone.

Wolfram sat up and threw his pillow at the door behind him. "How dare he treat me like this!"

With a knowing smirk now worn proudly on his face, Yozak collected the pillow and threw it back at him. "Right. How dare he wait on you hand and foot and shower you with respect."

"You're not funny, 'Betty'." Wolfram glared at him for a moment then placed his pillow back behind him and flopped back against it irritably. "Just forget it. Anyway, I was so close to getting him to talk to me about his true feelings about Shin Makoku."

"Good. I'm coming up empty so far as what the other servants have heard. None of the papers I've found while cleaning his offices have helped either. If we find out anything, it may just have to be from his own mouth."

Wolfram nodded, wiping the back of his knuckles against the bed to try and get the strange tingling sensation to leave them. "I've got dinner with him again tonight. I'll see what I can do."

"Don't rush it," Yozak instructed, standing beside the bed. "You act too interested in Shin Makoku and it might make him nervous or suspicious. Let it come up naturally. I'm sure there's plenty of other things you could talk about." He gave a mischievous wink.

The furious blush that covered Wolfram's face was hard to conceal. "He's flirting with me! I am not going to condone his advances!"

Yozak shrugged his large shoulders, the ruffles on his apron's sleeves brushing up against his cheeks. "That's not my concern. You deal with that on your own. Just get the information." He smacked him with the dust mop over his stuffed stomach and waltzed back to the door. "If you don't require anything more, I've got work to do."

"I hope a horse kicks you in your face!" Wolfram shouted at him.

Yozak laughed to himself as he left, closing the door behind him.

Left alone, Wolfram lay in bed pondering his next move. How was what Yozak wanted him to do any different from what Yuri had done to him? He felt himself petting the hand that had been kissed, wondering absently at how soft Frederick's lips had felt against his skin.

So this is what it was like to be the one being pursued, rather than being the pursuer.