Siderius tilted his head slightly. His gaze fell upon Nadia and the wrinkled brow on top of her eyes. There was something bothering her and Siderius was able to see it.

He then continued.

"Ashe Costeau is my apprentice. I am appointing her to be Lady Chatelaine of the castle. She is the second in command in Santa Roberto and can overwrite orders of any other titles.

Except me, of course."

The five officials bowed their heads and spoke in unison.

"We are at your service, Lady Chatelaine."

Ashe nodded. "Please lift your head up everyone. I will be counting on your services in the future."

Siderius flicked his hands, dismissing everyone. "All of you can leave now. Except for Nadia. I need to talk to you about something."

"Yes, my lord!" Everyone left, including Ashe.

The spacious office was filled with silence. Siderius leaned back and scanned Nadia from head to toe. He pointed to the chair in front of him.

"Please sit, Nadia."

"Thank you, my lord!" Nadia nodded.

"No need to be formal when there are only the two of us.

You have always been my favorite, Nadia. A strong woman that was able to survive and thrive in that mining camp. Your leadership skill is also very admirable. Of course, you made a mistake. We all know that. But from that mistake, you have grown. And so are your people.

But I can see that you aren't too satisfied with my arrangement. What's wrong, my dear?"

Siderius rested his elbows on the table, his fingers intertwined. His gaze was soft and empathetic. The eyebrows gently raised up to express his concern.

Nadia blinked rapidly. She didn't expect Siderius to notice it. But then again, she shouldn't expect less from Lord Snow. He was no longer a circus boy anymore but an actual High Lord.

The woman breathed out before answering. "It's just... I am honored that you gave me this title, Snow. But isn't it just the same life I have before?

I managed a mining camp for Germort. He was in no way a good lord. But still, he was a lord.

And now, I become him, hold his title, and do my same job again. Only now with a bigger scale than before.

I thought... Maybe you will show me another way. Another life. Another person that I can be. Not doing what I already did in the past."

Siderius stood up and walked around the table. His finger traced upon the wood surface.

"I will tell you a secret now, Nadia. But upon hearing this secret, you must join me and never tell another living soul about it. Or, you can forget whatever I just said and continue on with your life.

If you don't want to be my Bailiff, you are free to go and do anything else. You can stay at Santa Roberto, of course. But you still have to work. You can pick any task that you want. Otherwise, you can leave. This castle will always welcome you back at any time."

Siderius leaned on the table with his hands reinforcing his body.

"So. What do you say? Do you want to hear this secret?"

"Will this secret harm me?" Nadia said.

"Yes." Siderius said with no hesitation. "Very much so."

"Will this secret benefit me?" Nadia said.

Siderius smiled and repeated. "Yes. Very much so."

Nadia took a deep breath and asked another question. "The others. Kraus. Roland. Henry. George. And Ashe. They all know about this secret, don't they?"

"If you want to know, you will have to agree to learn this secret."

"Alright. I want to know. Tell me."

Siderius lowered his head and whispered into Nadia's ear.

"I am Lord Watcher of the Guild of Xander. Ashe was the handler for Mucktown. Kraus was recruited by me. George holds the title of the Master of the Forge inside the Guild. Roland and Henry are a part of it."

"What... What is this Guild of Xander?"

Siderius smirked but not out of arrogance, but amusement. "The purpose of our guild is to protect humankind. Humans only... and every other species are our enemies.

Species like witches."

Nadia flinched backward. "You can't be serious. This kingdom is built on top of powerful witches. You are a witch!"

"I am no witch, woman. I am a witch hunter. My power is not related to magic."

Nadia's hands clenched on her knees. "I... Now that I know it... What are you going to do with me?"

"You have two choices. To join us. Or to bring this secret to the afterlife."

Nadia lowered her head down. Her fingers rubbed at each other. She's thinking. And she spent quite a while thinking.

"What are your plans for me, Snow?"

"My real name is Siderius Snow Satterblade. Snow is only my middle name. As for my plan for you…

You have the talent of a general, Nadia. You can hold the loyalty of your men. That is a very precious talent that not a lot of people... Not a lot of leaders have.

Of course. Charisma and loyalty alone won't get you far. I want you to learn how to lead. How to manage your people. How to fight. How to strategize. And how to win battles.

In time, I will teach you all of this. And in time, you will stray further away from this Bailiff title I gave you. Once you are ready, you will be my general."

Nadia lifted her head up and met Siderius' gaze. A gaze of intense ambition and expectation. A gaze that would make a lot of people shrink.

"I thought you didn't expect much from me. But the truth is completely opposite. You expect too much from me, Siderius..." Nadia bit her lips and said.

"Am I? Have I ever been wrong before, Nadia?"

The woman shook her head.

"You were nothing but a miner. A miner with potential. You are a diamond hidden in a stone. And I want to carve a diamond out of you.

I don't need you to feel sorry for yourself. I also don't need you to hesitate. Your people also don't need you to back down. They need you to lead and tell them what to do.

Tell me, Nadia. Are you going to disappoint me and your people?"

Fire burned in her eyes as she stood up. "I will never disappoint my people."

"Good." Siderius smiled. "Kneel, Nadia of Mucktown, daughter of Boris."

"Yes, Lord Watcher!"

The woman went down on one knee and lowered her head.

"Do you swear to guard at the gate of men?"

"I swear!"

"Do you swear to strike all evil dares crossing the kingdom of men?"

"I swear!"

"Do you swear to stand with your brothers and sisters even in the face of death?"

"I swear!"

"Do you swear to stay in the dark to protect the light?"

"I swear!"

"Do you swear to never betray the guild, humanity and your honor?"

"I swear!"

"Rise, Nadia of Mucktown and carve the symbol of our guild on the back of your hand. Your blood and the scar shall bear witness to this day!"

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