Corvo leaned back on the gold-rimmed chair, relaxing his muscles and letting out a heavy sigh. This night, like all the ones before it, had been almost restless. When he hadn't been checking on the young Empress or wandering around her fairly large quarters, he'd caught a few winks of sleep on the velvet divan, or at least tried to. The lack of sleep was nothing new to him though, he'd familiarized himself with the pattern of waking up several times a night long ago. Add that to the crippling worry that cursed him since last night…
The Emperor wouldn't change his mind, would he? Euhorn was a smart man, he had to have known that the Gristolians wouldn't be overjoyed with Corvo's new position, but who could've anticipated such a negative backlash? The Emperor was right to end the party early - if it had gone on for ten more minutes, who could say what would have happened?
He leaned deeper into the chair and dismissed the thoughts - what use would it be worrying about it now?
Corvo looked on to the terrace, hoping to find peace in the fall landscape. The sun was just peaking over the otherwise dark, mountain-cut horizon, despite the clock telling him it was already past eight. Cold sunshine dipped into the room, staining the white walls with brilliant shades of gold, tangerine and deep red.
It reminded him of home.
In front of him him, the young Empress was still sleeping, firmly clutching on to her pillow. Corvo hoped she'd recovered from yesterday's unpleasant events, because he sure as hell hadn't.
Looking at her, he couldn't help but smile. What they said was true: people did look years younger when they slept. The muscles in their face were at peace and their breathing slowed down, giving off such a peaceful sensation, the entire world seem that much calmer. Their only movement was the breath - letting their blanket-covered chests rise and fall in a perfect rhythm with a soft heartbeat.
Jessamine rolled over to face him, her shut eyes and nose slightly twitching. While tastes differ, few would object to calling her a beautiful girl. With her small features, rosy cheeks and monotone hair, she reminded Corvo of those fancy, expensive porcelain dolls you'd find in antique shops.
A lock of raven hair covered her left cheek. Corvo lifted a hand, tucking it behind her ear, only to regret doing so when Jessamine's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times, looking at him in a half-daze.
"Ugh…" she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, trying to wake herself. The right side of her face was a bright red, and the hair on the same side had flattened. She blinked a few times, sinking in the world around her.
"What time is it?" She yawned, extending her arms over her head and stretching them as far as they would go. Her hair fell over her face in an unneat fashion, pooling onto the crumpled blankets in a tangled mess like a waterfall.
"About half past eight" Corvo said, straightening his back.
Oh, they let me sleep in.
She gave herself a few moments before throwing her legs off her bed, sweeping her long, thick nightgown with her. The dark circles under her eyes matched her hair perfectly.
"About last night..." she trailed off, still not fully awake, "What, uh, what happened after we left?"
Corvo shrugged his shoulders, wondering if he should help her up, "I wouldn't know, my Lady. I haven't left your room since"
"Jess."
"I'm sorry?"
"Call me Jess or Jessamine," She yawned, "Remember?"
"Right. Got it."
Jessamine sighed, putting her head in her hands. A few moments of silence passed until she collected her thoughts.
"I really don't wanna go out there." her voice was barely a mutter.
"Hey," Corvo put a finger under her chin, lifting it up so their eyes would meet. "Don't worry about it. If anyone says anything to you, I'll throw them out a window. Deal?"
Jessamine lightly nodded and chucked. "Deal"
She sighed as if to exhale all her anxiety. She got up, dragging herself to the other side of her bedroom with a slouched back. Her nightgown whispered as it rubbed against the white marble of her floor, half-covered in black hair.
She sat down in front of a rather large, brass-rimmed mirror. A white, elegant table was placed in front of it, along with a chair of the same design. Jessamine opened one of the four drawers and pulled out her hair brush, then searched around for a purple tie. She was just about to untangle the dark mess of locks and hairspray when Corvo took it from her.
"Here, I'll do that." He positioned himself behind her, wasting no time as he took a bit of hair from her left side. He started at the tips and made his way up.
"You really don't have to-" Jessamine started.
"I insist."
She could tell from his tone it wasn't something he would argue about. Not that she would continue arguing, anyway.
He was careful not to pull it too much on her hair, taking his time with each and every lock. After a few minutes, when he had finally gotten Jessamine's hair back to its smooth, soft texture, he asked if she'd like a braid.
"A braid?" She raised a brow, "Since when do you know how to do a braid?"
Corvo took the ribbon from her table and put it between his lips. "Promise you can keep a secret?"
She placed a hand on her heart, put on a serious face and lifted her chin. "I, Lady Jessamine Kaldwin the First, daughter of Emperor Euhorn Kaldwin, solemnly swear on the Abbey of the Everyman, the Seven Strictures, the Outsider, and all that is holy that your secret shall be safe with me."
Corvo purposely tugged on a strand of hair, which made her yelp.
Smartass
He continued as if nothing had happened: "I used to have one before I came here, actually."
Jessamine put a hand over her mouth, trying to choke out her laugh. "You had a braid? You?"
"Don't laugh! I'll have you know that it's quite popular in Serkonos." He said with a touch of arrogance.
"What-" she continued laughing, "Next thing you'll be telling me you wore a dress!"
The Lord Protector scoffed. "Well maybe I did!"
A few suppressed chuckles soon turned into a thick, rich laughter that filled up the room. Jessamine shook her head, almost embarrassed at her sudden outburst. Oh, how her father would've given her an earful if he'd heard that!
Their laughter died out soon enough, and a delicate silence followed. Strangely enough, it didn't seem awkward, but rather, almost comfortable. Jessamine enjoyed watching Corvo from her mirror, who seemed fully concentrated on perfecting her braid. His eyes darted from left to right, examining each and every lock of hers and deciding which one should go where.
"Why'd you cut it off?" Jessamine finally spoke.
"I'm sorry?"
"Your braid. Why cut it off?"
Corvo shrugged. "I was told it wasn't considered… appropriate in your customs." He took the ribbon from his teeth and tied it around the tips of her hair, "That, and the Duke insisted I looked like I was wearing a wet muskrat on my head. Here, you're done."
Jessamine looked at her fishtail braid, amazed how skillfully and quickly it had been done. It was beautiful to her, almost a work of art- she couldn't have done anything like this if her life had depended on it. She had just parted her lips to thank him when knock on the door interrupted her.
"Master Attano!" A deep voice called out. "Master Attano, are you there?"
Master Attano? Corvo raised a brow. I could get used to that.
"His Imperial Majesty has requested has audience with you, My Lord. I'd recommend hurrying."
Corvo felt his muscles tense. Here it comes. "Of course, right away." he called to the door. The Lord turned to Jessamine and gave her a bow. "If you'll excuse me, My La-Jessamine"
The Empress smiled. She got up from her chair and made a deal out of curtsying to him, as if to mock his bow. "I thank you for the braid and hope to see you soon," She spoke as posh as she could, "Master Attano."
Corvo playfully rolled his eyes and shook his head, leaving behind the young Empress in her chambers.
As Jessamine watched Corvo leave, she thought about she hadn't had a chance to tell him how glad she was he'd been chosen. If it had been someone like Jax, she would have very well lost her mind. Not that she hated her father's Protector, mind you. Simply, Jax was always so cold and serious, Jessamine felt like she might as well be talking to a rock. She'd heard him say "Yes, My Lady" so many times, it stopped sounding like a sentence.
Corvo hadn't been gone two minutes when Ellia walked into her room without knocking.
The brunette firmly closed the door behind her and ran over to her friend, giving her a long hug.
"Oh darlin'," Ellia took Jessamine's face in her hands, tracing her eyes over every inch of her face, "Are you 'right?" Ellia turned the girl's face left and right, then took her wrists and looked for any signs of imperfection.
"Better than I was last night, thank the- El, what are you doing?" Jessamine pulled her hands back.
The older girl looked her in the eyes, a worried expression on her face. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"What? Corvo?" Jessamine stood up, knitting her brows. The question was so stupid she'd almost laughed. "Of course not! Goodness El, what's gotten into you?"
"Me?" Ellia almost snapped at her, "Jess, we don't know that man! We've got not a reason t' trust him!"
Jessamine suddenly felt anger grip on her stomach. "I trust him," her voice grew stern. When was the last time she'd spoken to her friend like this? "And that's all the reason you'll ever need."
Corvo straightened his coat as best he could, cursing to himself for not changing out of last night's monkey suit. A guard had informed the Emperor of Corvo's presence, and he'd been waiting patiently to be called in. Though doubtful, Corvo hoped he'd be given good news.
The doors opened. Corvo had to stop himself from scowling at a guard who pushed him into the magnificent study.
It was a beautiful room to put it mildly. Perfectly symmetrical, it held a large, mahogany table with five identical chairs on each side. The walls were hidden behind bookcases, each filled with more literature than Corvo could read in a lifetime. He caught a few names written on the spines - everything from boat engineering to political documents written hundreds of years floor was made out of pleasantly brown wooden planks, almost identical to the shelves. On the other side of the room was a fireplace, filled with logs and flames that licked the cool air. Euhorn stood by the open windows, soaking in the view of a fresh fall morning.
He wore a dark blue coat and pants, both rimmed with a brilliant gold that matched the color of his hair. A white shirt was tucked into them, framing his figure perfectly.
"Master Attano," his voice was pleasant per usual, "Thank you for arriving at such a short notice. I do hope I haven't called you in too early."
"Not at all, Your Imperial Majesty," Corvo placed his right fist over his chest, bowing to the Emperor. I didn't sleep much either way
"I'm very glad to hear. Oh, my apologies, Master Attano," Euhorn clicked his tongue, "Care for a cigarette?
Corvo thanked him. True, he'd never been much of a smoker, but turning down Euhorn's offer could only be seen as rude. He took one out of the old case, observing it a moment before lighting it. The tobacco was a darker hue than the one back home, and smelled much more potent. In Serkonos, they always added some sort of aroma in it - anything from a sickening coconut to a fresh mint.
This one, however, was completely pure, tightly wrapped Gristol tobacco. If the Emperor noticed Corvo almost choking to death on his first breath, he didn't show it.
As expected, Euhorn made small talk with the newly appointed Lord Protector. The Emperor asked simple questions he could already guess the answer to: what Corvo thought of Gristol so far, if he'd ever been here before, if he'd had a chance to see much of Dunwall Tower (Corvo didn't dare mention he already memorized the tower's blueprints) and so on and so forth.
Why ask all these pointless questions? Corvo knew the answer all too well: they were nothing but diplomatic gestures. The cigarette, the pointless conversation - hell, him being here was a game of politics.
Not that it bothered him, mind you. This 'game of politics' had gotten him appointed as the Lord Protector, so why complain?
Euhorn put out his cigarette and lit another. "I would like to take this time to apologize for the behavior of our guests yesterday," The air in the room stiffened as he spoke. "Certainly, you must understand how terribly... embarrassed I was."
"It was to be expected, Your Majesty."
"I appreciate your pardon," The blonde rubbed his hands together. "But I'm afraid such behavior cannot be excused."
Euhorn looked out the window again, as if the solutions to all his problems were hidden where the dark blue sky met the rust-colored forest. Corvo could tell the man was distressed, and that was putting it mildly. There was no denying though, Euhorn did a magnificent job of hiding it. If it had been anyone else, The Emperor would have fooled them with ease.
Corvo, however, was another matter. Due to his former work, he'd learned to read body language and facial expressions all too well. Here and there, Euhorn's mask of confidence and pride would crack - he'd flinch his fingers, he'd twitch his eye, he'd bite on his cheek ever so delicately - only to cover it moments later with a smile.
People never know how bad they are at hiding their secrets
"Alas," Euhorn continued, snapping Corvo out of his thoughts, "I assure you I have refrained from changing my decisions. Your position still stands."
Corvo tried to hide his sigh of relief.
"In your quarters, Master Attano, you shall find a contract on your table. In it are the answers to any question you may have: the specifics of your new position, your salary, your general duties. Please, i implore you to not let it intimidate you. I assure you that signing it is nothing but a formality."
"Of course, your Majesty." Corvo bowed.
"I'll have someone escort you to her chambers. You may find all your belongings inside the chests by the bedroom." He extinguished his cigarette, "Thank you for joining me, Master Attano."
"The pleasure was mine, your Majesty." the Serkonian straightened. As was about to leave the study, the Emperor gave Corvo one last glance.
I took a gamble on you, Attano it said, Don't let me down
Of course. The second he'd seen the empty room, Corvo realized that the audience wouldn't be a matter of apologizing, nor would it be about informing the Lord Protector of his 'general duties'. The Emperor could have easily sent anyone else to do it, so why have a face-to-face meeting about such nonsense?
Because this was about trust, and nothing but trust. Ever since he'd arrived here, Euhorn had done one thing repeatedly: show the Gristolians he trusted Corvo enough to put both his and Jessamine's life in the hands of the Serkonian.
If the Gristolians gossiped half as much as the Serkonians, the whole tower would know about the meeting by the day's end.
Corvo let out a sigh. As expected, three guards positioned outside wasted no time circling the Lord Protector when he'd exited the room.
Walking him through the painting-filled and carpet-covered halls of Dunwall Tower, Corvo noticed the guards never strayed their eyes from him. What was the point of doing that now? If the Serkonian had intended to hurt anyone, he would have done it already.
The group halted in front of a large pair of doors. The guards opened them, letting Corvo inside and closing them as soon as he'd walked through.
His chambers had been much bigger than he'd anticipated. They consisted of a large foyer, a grand bedroom with an attached bathing chamber, a small dining room and a good sized balcony. The ceiling and walls in each room shifted into different shades of white, while the floors were all fashioned of the same light brown wood (save the bathroom, which was made from a white-veined red marble).
He counted the windows, twelve ( ten of which a man could fit through), the exits, one (plus the balcony if necessary), and the guards stationed in the garden area under his balcony, six (plus the two that kept shuffling outside of his door). He looked over his chambers once more, then two more times after than. When he'd mentally mapped out every twist, curve and corner of his his new home, Corvo fell down on his bed and gazed up at the ceiling.
Lord Protector.
He chuckled.
You did it, you crazy bastard. You did it.
A/N: I would like to thank you for all the support! Your kind words have motivated me to continue writing this. Love you guys!