His eyes drifted farther down the avenue.
The ordinary shops gradually disappeared.
At the end of the street stood a three-storey building whose windows glowed with warm amber light.
Unlike the taverns scattered through the city...
This place was quiet.
Guests entered dressed in embroidered coats and silk gowns, greeted by attendants before disappearing inside.
A brass sign hung above the entrance.
The Golden Laurel.
Eldrin watched as another carriage stopped outside.
A servant hurried forward to open the door before the passenger even reached for the handle.
Tips...
If wealthy people tipped at all...
It would be here.
He crossed the street.
A neatly dressed doorman stepped forward before Eldrin had climbed the last stair.
"I’m afraid reservations only."
"I’m not here to eat."
The guard looked him over.
"Then?"
"I’m looking for work."
The man’s expression didn’t change.
"We’re fully staffed."
"I’m only asking...."
"You’re wasting your time."
The guard motioned toward the street.
"Run along."
Eldrin remained where he was.
He had walked half the city already.
He wasn’t ready to leave after one answer.
Footsteps sounded from behind.
"What is it, Walter?"
The guard straightened immediately.
"Nothing important, sir."
"A boy asking for work."
The newcomer stopped beside them.
He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed simply despite the quality of his clothes. Nothing about him seemed particularly extravagant, yet Walter’s posture alone revealed who held authority.
He glanced toward the young woman walking a few steps behind him.
"Lara."
"Show Lady Brienne to her table."
"Yes, sir."
Only after she disappeared inside did he turn his attention to Eldrin.
Now...
For the first time...
The man’s full attention rested on him.
"What sort of work are you looking for?"
"Anything."
The answer came without hesitation.
"I can carry supplies, clean tables, wash dishes... anything."
The man studied him.
"Have you worked before?"
Eldrin nodded.
"Yes."
"Where?"
His mind raced.
On the way here, he’d passed dozens of signs.
One name surfaced immediately.
"The Dawnbrook Tavern."
"I worked there for a few months."
The lie slipped out naturally.
The man neither frowned nor looked impressed.
"I see."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"We’re not looking for inexperienced workers."
"This restaurant serves nobles and wealthy merchants. One mistake can cost us a customer."
"I’m sorry, boy."
"We can’t hire you."
Eldrin’s fingers curled slightly.
No...
He couldn’t leave empty-handed.
The familiar warmth stirred somewhere deep inside him.
Almost instinctively, he reached for it.
The man was looking directly at him.
This should work.
Eldrin met his eyes.
"You’ll realize I’m worth hiring."
His voice remained calm.
Certain.
The words left his mouth...
...and vanished into silence.
The man’s expression didn’t change.
"I’m afraid my answer is still no."
For a second, Eldrin simply stared at him.
The warmth was gone.
As though it had never been there.
He had felt it.
He knew he had.
Then why...
The question lingered in his mind, unanswered.
The man gave him an apologetic smile.
"I wish you luck."
"But you’ll have to look elsewhere."
man walked away.
Walter watched the boy for a moment before speaking.
"If you’re serious about finding work..."
Eldrin looked up.
"...find someone willing to recommend you."
He hooked a thumb toward the restaurant behind him.
"Places like this don’t hire strangers."
"A recommendation from a noble, a merchant, even a regular patron..."
He shrugged.
"...that’ll open more doors than any promise you can make."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Getting one, though..."
His tone carried the quiet amusement of someone stating an old truth.
"...is easier said than done."
Eldrin nodded once.
"...Thank you."
Walter waved him away.
"Good luck, boy."
...
Morning came with the ringing of the estate bell.
Eldrin arrived at the library a few minutes before eight, suppressing a yawn as he pushed open the heavy oak doors.
The familiar scent of parchment and polished wood greeted him.
For the first time in days, his body felt more tired than sore.
Three thoughts had followed him all night.
The first...
Why hadn’t the Silver Tongue worked yesterday?
The second...
Lady Ennessa.
Or rather, the journal she’d been reading.
The third floor of the library still lingered in his mind.
Master Rowan had mentioned that the Duke recorded the estate’s major affairs himself every month.
Today was the twenty-seventh of March, 1776.
Which meant...
Another journal would be added in four days.
House Novaryn’s fall had become the biggest story on the continent.
If the Duke wrote about current events...
...would he mention it?
Eldrin quietly shook the thought away.
I’ll know in four days.
A book floated past overhead.
Following it with his eyes, he spotted Master Rowan arranging a stack of volumes near one of the shelves.
"Good morning, Master Rowan."
"And a good morning to you as well, Caiden."
The old librarian smiled without looking up.
"What troubles you this early?"
Eldrin hesitated.
"...May I ask you for a favour?"
Rowan laughed.
"Go on."
"I need a letter of recommendation."
The old man’s hands paused.
"A recommendation?"
"Yes."
"I’ve been looking for work after my hours here."
"I was told it would improve my chances."
For a few moments, Rowan said nothing.
He gently slid the last book back into its place before speaking.
"I’m afraid I can’t help you."
Eldrin blinked.
"...Why not?"
"A recommendation only has value if the name beneath it carries weight."
He smiled faintly.
"Mine doesn’t."
Eldrin frowned.
"But... aren’t you a noble?"
A quiet laugh escaped Rowan.
"A noble?"
He shook his head.
"No, child."
"When I first entered this estate..."
"...I wasn’t much different from you."
Eldrin looked at him in surprise.
"You were... a slave?"
Rowan rested a hand against the shelf.
"For a time."
His expression remained warm, but something distant passed through it.
"That was a very long time ago."
He reached for another floating book.
"Now."
"We have enough work waiting for us without digging through old memories."
The conversation ended there.
Eldrin watched him for another moment before quietly nodding.
"...I understand."