Chapter Ninety-Six: A Few Matters Before Taking the Stage, Part Two

As for the Night Queen academy in the trade quarter, Victor had known nothing about it before, so he could only answer with polite vagueness. Still, being a man, he had unconsciously tucked away every scrap of gossip in the back of his mind: that the Night Queen, Vanessa, and her night-sisters were all beauties fit for the heavens.

And for those who complained that their purses were too heavy, the Night Queen offered the finest games and the loveliest women, bringing its guests exquisite pleasures and a reprieve from the troubles of daily life.

The conversation was terribly dull, but when the dull time was “obviously” about to end, Victor found himself wishing it would remain dull a little longer. Human beings were such complicated creatures.

The royal huntsman and his friends’ rambling account of their nocturnal wanderings approached from behind with steady footsteps, the sound gradually fading until it was gone.

“We really are fated to meet. Barely a day apart, and here we are again, Bard Victor.”

The boy turned and replied politely, “Yes. It is an honor to see you again, Captain Vincent.”

Tonight’s captain of the city guard was nothing like the sorry figure he had been last night. His armor effectively concealed the flaws of his build, and with his stern gaze and confident bearing, Shan Peli and his friends had shrunk away like quails.

“If you don’t mind, could I speak with Victor alone? We need a little space.”

The royal huntsman and his two friends, mortified, hurriedly withdrew to a distance as if granted a pardon.

Victor knew that at this moment his social standing had been raised once more. From here on, he could naturally step into the circles of higher nobility, and no one would reject him, because he knew Captain Vincent and had spoken with him privately.

“I’m sorry about last night. After swimming I had some cramp in my leg, and I wasn’t in very good shape. Did I frighten you and Doctor Shani?”

“Not at all. We were just a little surprised. In fact, after going back and thinking carefully about your advice, we felt it made perfect sense. We will try to go out less at night, and you should take good care of your health as well.”

The brief exchange ended. The captain gave Victor’s shoulder a satisfied pat before taking his leave, and the three nobles who had stepped away just moments before hurried back to the boy’s side at once.

Learning that Victor had the standing to speak privately with the captain of the city guard, Shan Peli and his companions immediately found him much more agreeable. His plain face now seemed pleasantly striking, and the scar across it even lent him something of a heroic air.

However, after enjoying for a while the three nobles’ newly upgraded friendliness, Victor began to feel somewhat bored again. As he let his gaze wander, he met the eyes of Keira Metz, who stood alone in the center of the hall.

The royal adviser’s smile had the look of someone who had found something amusing and was brimming with interest. The boy quickly lowered his eyes, hoping that smile was not aimed at him.

Unfortunately, his skin soon tingled with the prickling sensation of magic, and when he looked up again, Keira’s crystal-clear toes were once more reflected in his pupils. She was still wearing soft leather slippers today, though the pattern had changed to mink.

The petite, slender sorceress with long, straight straw-colored hair was not wearing a blouse today. Instead, she had on a white, thin-strapped, deep-V, backless chiffon gown, revealing the small mole beneath her collarbone and the delicate little navel below.

With her straight nose, pale pink lips, and skin smooth and fine as a girl’s, her proud contempt was enough to utterly overwhelm the three fringe nobles. When her cool gaze swept over them, all they could offer in return was fawning obsequiousness.

“How unusual. How did our newly appointed royal huntsman end up mixed up with a witcher apprentice?”

At the mention of witcher, the two friends on either side of Shan Peli, who had just moments ago worn friendly expressions toward Victor, instantly changed to the look of disgust reserved for plague victims, and their attitude toward Shan Peli turned unfriendly as well.

Victor lifted his head slightly and focused his gaze on the sorceress’s chin as he spoke. “Lady, you have misunderstood. I am the bard Victor, invited here tonight to perform in the Pure White Hall, to offer abundant blessings for this beautiful autumn.”

Thinking that if the boy were identified as a witcher it would damage his own reputation, Shan Peli also straightened up and helped explain from the side. “Yes, my lady, there may be some misunderstanding. He is a poet introduced by Master Dandelion, from Bell Town east of Zerrikania, prepared to bring us greetings from the distant East and the exotic charm of Zerrikania.”

Unable to suppress herself any longer, Keira first let out a crystalline laugh, then burst into rather unrestrained mirth. She judged it the funniest joke she had heard all evening at this otherwise tedious banquet. A person having many identities was nothing unusual, but a witcher crossing over into a bard? The absurdity of that was on par with a stone troll moonlighting as a restaurant chef.

The royal adviser’s laughter drew many eyes, all of them eager to know what had made her so delighted. Unfortunately, Keira cared nothing for their stares.

When her laughter finally subsided a little, her smile did not fade. She crooked a finger and said, “So that’s how it is. In that case, perfect. Bard Victor, was it? Come with me.”

The rosemary fragrance naturally wafting from Keira’s every gesture left Shan Peli and his two companions looking utterly spellbound. They envied Victor for being summoned away by Lady Keira, and would gladly have taken his place.

As for the boy’s own wishes, though he did not want to go, though he wanted to stay, he could only follow the royal adviser away in helpless resignation.

Keira walked ahead with a catlike sway. Victor observed her politely for a few moments, then fixed his gaze on the back of her head and refused to look at her rear or her bare back.

When they returned to the middle-aged man he had spoken with before, he was conversing with Princess Ada.

“My dear Velerad, the bard Victor you mentioned earlier, I have found him for you.”

“Oh, thank you, Lady Keira,” the middle-aged bald man with the thick belly paused his conversation with the princess, set down his wineglass, and looked at Victor. “Good evening, sir. Do you know who I am?”

Even if he had not recognized him before, the name alone was enough. There was only one Velerad who could converse with the royal adviser Keira and speak with Princess Ada.

“The honorable Lord Velerad, Mayor of Vizima.”

“Very good. The reason I had you brought here is simple: I wanted to ask whether your song is ready. If not, you may say so. There will be no punishment.” He said it gently.

Victor thought the question somewhat strange. Since he had dared to come, of course he was prepared. “Yes, I’m ready!”

Princess Ada beside them tipped back her neck and drained the red wine in her glass, a flush of color rising in her cheeks. “I told you so!”

Patting the poet’s shoulder in encouragement, Velerad instructed him, “To be ready in such a short time is no easy matter. The reward will be richer than you can imagine. Do not be nervous; perform well. Even if the performance is not ideal, King Foltest is still generous and merciful.” Having said this, he raised his glass to signal that the boy could withdraw.

After bowing and stepping back, Victor felt that something about the conversation had not been quite right. It seemed as though he had overlooked something, yet he could not tell what the problem was.

As he was still pondering it, someone seized his arm. It was Roderick, the Knight of the Lily, who said in Common Speech with a Nilfgaardian accent, “Come with me!”