Chapter 40 Baron and his family

As we settled into our quarters within the baron's lavish manor, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease. There was an underlying tension here, a current of secrets and hidden agendas that set my nerves on edge. The baron himself seemed ill at ease, his forced bonhomie doing little to mask the anxiety that flickered in his eyes. And then there was the baroness—Cleora, as I'd learned her name to be. That woman was a walking temptation, a living embodiment of every dark fantasy a man could have. The way she looked at me like I was a juicy piece of meat she couldn't wait to sink her claws into... made my skin crawl. I found myself gravitating toward Mr. Serious (damn it, I really needed to learn his name) and the other knights, seeking the familiar comfort of camaraderie and purpose. As we gathered to discuss the mission, I couldn't help but voice my concerns. "Alright, so let me get this straight," I began, leaning back in my chair. "The baron's son goes missing; no ransom, no demands, nothing. And now we're just supposed to waltz in and solve the mystery?" Mr. Serious—whose name, I finally learned, was Eran – fixed me with a stern look. "That's precisely why the Lady Maena deemed this worthy of our attention. There's more to this than meets the eye." I nodded slowly, drumming my fingers on the table. "And what about this bandit problem? You really think it's just a coincidence that the son vanishes right around the time the baron's shipments start getting hit?" Eran's brow furrowed. "A fair point. The baron did seem... overly eager to have us handle that task as well."Nôv(el)B\\jnn "Exactly." I leaned forward, lowering my voice. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting the distinct impression that our dear baron is hiding something. And I'm not talking about just a missing heir." Eran's gaze hardened. "Then we'd best get to the bottom of it. The Lady Maena will expect a full report. And you can be sure she won't tolerate any... obfuscation." I couldn't help but grin. "Wouldn't dream of it." Glancing around the room, I leaned in conspiratorially. "So, what's the deal with the baroness, anyway? She seemed... particularly interested in me." Eran's lips thinned into a tight line. "Lady Cleora is not to be trifled with. She's a skilled manipulator, using her beauty and charm to ensnare the weak-willed." He pinned me with a stern look. "Stay away from her, Jolthar. She's a predator, and you're nothing more than prey in her eyes." "How do you know that?" I was starting to get curious about her. "Well, there are a lot of stories about her, and I don't want to talk about her here in her own manor. So, just look the other way when you meet her." I could tell he was afraid to talk about her and was clearly warning me. I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not exactly eager to become the latest notch on her bedpost." Though the thought of tangling with that particular temptress did send a thrill of excitement through me. Dangerous as she might be, there was an undeniable allure to the baroness that I couldn't quite shake. Eran let out a long, suffering sigh. "See that you remember that. The last thing we need is for you to get distracted and jeopardise the mission." I grinned unrepentantly. "I wouldn't even consider it." Though deep down, I had a feeling this was going to be anything but a straightforward mission. The baroness's sultry gaze burning into the back of my neck, I had a sinking suspicion that the proverbial manure was about to hit the windmill in a big way. As the night wore on and the baron regaled us with tales of the bandit scourge plaguing his lands, I found my attention wandering. Baron only talked about his mines and his cargo and how the bandits were particularly targeting his ores. Only the baroness was concerned with the missing son, unlike her, the baron didn't even mention his son at least once. "Yes, my lady." "When I heard about you joining my unit, I inquired," she looked me in the eye. Her expression was turning serious. I seriously hoped that the report contained all good things about me. "They say that you are quite a sword fanatic, and that made me intrigued. Colinus talked a lot about you, saying that you are a skilled swordsman. I hope you are as skilled as they say you are." Lady Maena's tone was both curious and cautious as if she were testing me. I nodded, trying to maintain my composure. "I will do my best, my lady," I replied confidently. "I don't care about your reasons for leaving the estate or coming back now. As long as you are in my unit, you are to heed my command." Lady Maena's piercing gaze seemed to bore into my soul as she continued, "Remember, loyalty to the clan comes before all else." With a nod, she turned and strode away, leaving me to ponder the looming challenges that lay ahead. They sure worked fast to know about me; in just a couple of hours, they learned everything about me. What's with these scary women around me? Shaking my head, I turned to gaze out the window once more. I couldn't shake the feeling that the baron was hiding something—and that whatever it was, it was about to come back and bite us all in the ass. Well, at least it wouldn't be boring. *** While all the knights rested inside their assigned quarters, up on the manor floors, inside a room at the end of the corridor, there was a maid standing just outside the door. Her eyes darted to the other end of the corridor as if she were guarding something. Inside the room were two people. A woman was sitting in a chair while the man sat on the floor, with a sparkle in his eyes. She raised her leg and pulled her gown up to her knees, revealing her red stocking-adorned leg, the stocking masking her faint porcelain skin. As if a dog getting a bone, that man drooled over her leg. She sat with an annoyed expression, giving him her foot. As soon as she laid her leg in his hands, he started licking her foot. "Aren't you afraid of the clan's knights? They will kill all your men," she said, her voice devoid of emotions. That man stopped licking and looked at her, "Don't worry, I have it all sorted out. Soon, I will have my hands on the vault." "What about the Kaezhlar knights?" "They will just leave after killing some pests. My lady, just wait a little longer. I will treat you like a queen," his eager voice answered her. His face twisted with anger as he spat, "After I kill my brother, everything will be mine." He asked, "My lady, if you allow me, can I?" She waved her hand, and that man, the baron's brother, sucked her foot while holding with one hand, and while the hand moved inside his pants, he started to move his hand over his member. While sucking her foot's fingers, he jacked off in a twisted display of depravity. She kept a straight face throughout, maintaining her composure despite the disturbing scene. And soon he groaned in ecstasy, releasing himself onto the ground. Then she got up and left the room; outside the door, the maid bowed, "My lady," and then she followed her baroness to her quarters. That man inside the room, "Soon I will have you begging me to fuck you senseless," he muttered to himself, a sinister grin on his face.