Chapter 163 Hearth

The woman continued to avoid his gaze, her head lowered as she walked slowly to stand before the table. Behind her, the group seemed to hesitate as well, speaking quietly among themselves.

Lucien's eyes swept over them, and he realized they were all women, their clothes bearing the distinct style of the eastern frontier.

From where he sat, he could only catch small snippets.

"Should we stand before the lord?"

"Most of the others only came with one or two so far..."

As the group remained a short distance behind her, the young woman stepped forward and bowed low.

"Milord."

Lucien returned the gesture, then waved to the women behind her. "You may join her. I believe the proposal was submitted as a group, yes?"

Upon being directly addressed, they exchanged surprised looks. One of the older women cleared her throat and curtsied. The others immediately followed suit before joining the young woman.

"Y-yes, Milord," the young woman replied, looking relieved as they gathered around her.

He held back a sigh when she continued to lower her eyes.

Leaning forward in his seat, Lucien rested his hands on the table. "I see you have decided to join both proposals into one. A communal washing house, along with plans to expand into a bathhouse in the future."

The young woman nodded quickly, though she remained silent, her feet shifting uncertainly from one to the other. Only when the older woman who had curtsied first gave her a slight nudge did she jerk upright.

"Y-yes! My name is Lilah, and we..." Her words trailed off as she seemed to belatedly realize he had not asked for her name.

The older woman rubbed her temple and looked like she was about to interject when Lucien cleared his throat.

"I see. Lilah, in your proposal, you mentioned approaching someone with soapmaking experience as well?"

A flush still on her face, she dipped her head. "Yes, Milord. W-we were from the same village, and I can vouch for her experience. She used to make scented soaps for the whole village before...we came here."

Lucien's finger tapped lightly against the table. "And it seems you accounted for her proposal being rejected as well. It says here that you plan to help gather the ingredients for her by offering your washing services in exchange."

He glanced at Elias, whose expression remained unreadable. "The one who proposed scented soap, she came by earlier, right?"

"Yes, My Lord. Though the initial draft had been expanded upon to include candle making as well as general household items."

Lucien turned back to the young woman whose head had slowly risen. "How will you acquire her services if we were to accept her proposal, Lilah?"

She swallowed once before giving a firm nod. "Then we'll just provide our washing services to them instead, Milord. I asked her beforehand, and she agreed that they would be too busy setting up their own shop to do their washing by the river."

When he gestured for her to continue, Lilah folded her hands in front of her, squeezing them tight.

"If we have your support, we can also dig a larger well in the village. That way, the women won't have to leave the village and do their chores by the Easthollow River. S-so, it can be used for more than just the communal washing house, Milord."

Slowly, Lucien inclined his head. "It was one of the reasons why I asked Talia to approach you. Was she the one who wrote this, Lilah? I recognize the handwriting."

Judging by Lilah's widened eyes, it seemed Talia had deliberately kept his name from her, likely to avoid embarrassing her or giving her cause to suspect he had seen her solicitation that day.

'How did she find out then?'

Setting the thought aside, Lucien met her eyes when she finally lifted her head. "Other than the plans to expand into a bathhouse...this proposal is sound, Lilah. That can come later when we increase our supply of stone and lime mortar."

"After you establish the communal washing house, you might want to build relations with those involved in that side of things. Charcoal burners, builders...they will help ensure you can keep up with heating the bathhouse and maintaining it."

At his words, Lilah tilted her head, her mouth opening partway before clicking shut. Only after his gesture did she slowly begin to speak.

"E-erm...does that mean you plan to..."

Lucien tapped the parchment lightly. "You will find out tomorrow, Lilah. For now, keep what I said in mind for the future."

"Yes, Milord. Thank you!" She curtsied, the motion clearly practiced as much as possible beforehand, with her group following along a breath later.

As they turned to leave, Lilah walked out with her head held slightly higher as the other women whispered among themselves. The older woman rubbed Lilah's back reassuringly while keeping the rest of the group from overcrowding the clearly overwhelmed girl.

Elias folded his arms behind his back, watching them leave the room before he spoke. "She was the one you had spotted, My Lord?"

Before Lucien could decide whether to confirm Elias's suspicions or not, the steward continued.

"She must have heard of your presence from someone who saw you there, My Lord. Your cloak and bow are easily recognizable even from a distance."

'That explained how she knew...'

Lucien's thoughts broke off when Elias cleared his throat.

"A larger well and services for the village to have their laundry done would save time, My Lord. With Ashridge having grown larger by such a degree, more specialized roles will naturally emerge among the women even without your implicit support."

Elias glanced down at the bathhouse proposal, his brows creasing slightly. "And most of the previous implications have been...adequately changed by Lady Talia."

That looked like it took some effort for the elderly steward to admit.

The corner of Lucien's mouth lifted. "Talia is good at making something presentable to the eye."

His gaze lowered to regard the proposal before him. "It might be more family friendly now, but it will still attract people with those sorts of vices, Elias."

Elias stiffened slightly before inclining his head. "Yes, My Lord. Such a thing is unavoidable."

Lucien exhaled faintly, his fingers thumbing the edges of the parchment. "Lord Rathenfell had written that the clergy hasn't responded to my letter yet. I wonder what's taking the church so long to send someone..."

His words trailed off at the sound of Elias shifting slightly.

At his questioning look, the steward shook his head. "It has not been that long since Ashridge's population increased to such levels, My Lord."

When Lucien continued to stare at him, the older man's expression grew dry before he clarified.

"My Lord. Frontier villages typically do not grow to this size in less than a year. With the ongoing elven skirmishes, I suspect the clergy have yet to hear of Ashridge's growth. They would need to confirm the veracity of your letter before sending a suitable group over as well."

Lucien picked up the parchment from Lilah's group, placing it with the smaller pile of potential proposals. "It is just as well that a bathhouse will take more time to construct. Perhaps we might even be able to build it at the same time as a small cathedral."

Elias nodded approvingly, setting the next...or rather, the last proposal of the day before him. "This is the final one, My Lord. It was submitted by Lord Vaelric's bastard brother, Garrick."

The steward had brought him the initial drafts for most of today's proposals beforehand. Garrick's was one of the few that Lucien was seeing for the first time today.

Before he could read through it, the door opened as Garrick walked in alone.

Lucien couldn't help but stare at the small barrel the man was holding under his arm as he approached.

Setting the barrel down with a light thump, Garrick bowed low. "Apologies, My Lord. Had to make sure it was ready, so I submitted it to your steward just last night."

It seemed the man was adopting formality for today.

When Lucien glanced toward him, Elias gave a slight nod. "He came right after dinner, My Lord."

"I see...and you even prepared a sample. Going by the barrel, I assume it's a product of some..."

Lucien's words trailed off as he looked closer at what Garrick had set down. The sight of the barrel felt vaguely familiar, bringing him back to the night of Ashridge's celebration after defeating the orcs a few weeks ago.

A small, amused huff escaped Garrick as he patted the barrel beside him. "Aye, My Lord. Seems you have an idea of what it is."

Lucien rubbed his chin. "Some blend of alcohol? I didn't know you were interested in that, Garrick."

Garrick ruffled his hair, leaving his mane even messier than it already was. "I do partake occasionally, but it's not really because of the drink, My Lord."

He gestured to the barrel. "While I was working as a miner, I only managed to close the distance with the others after sharing a drink or two. It's been on my mind ever since you asked what it is I wanted to do for the future."

His eyes swept across the room once before turning back to Lucien. "This gathering hall...I propose we turn it into a proper tavern and inn, My Lord. With the orcs gone, the merchant caravans have started to arrive again."

"Might as well charge them coin for a decent place to stay. Give them a taste of Ashridge's own blend as well."

Lucien hadn't expected his words to take shape into something quite like this.

He leaned forward, steepling his hands. "And how did you decide on the blend itself, Garrick? I know the villagers tend to brew their own or buy some from Helvarn's markets."

Garrick gestured to the gathering hall around them. "I asked people who did their own brewing to come together for a little competition. Then we decided as a group which one tasted best."

"I approached Harlon first to seek his blessing as well. This place was something he had built for the village. I wouldn't have started this if he said no."

Lucien inclined his head. "Good. And I assume you enlisted his help as well in converting the place if we were to accept it?"

He wasn't surprised at Garrick's nod as the man took a cup that had been set aside along with the rest of the tables and chairs.

"Aye, My Lord. The place won't be very big at the start, but we plan to expand it as we go along, much like the courtyard buildings."

Popping open the cask to fill the cup, he motioned to Lucien with it. "Would you care to have a taste, My Lord?"

Beside him, Elias let out a cough. "My Lord, drinking alcohol in the middle of..."

The steward halted his words when Lucien raised his hand. "It's fine, Elias. Besides, Garrick is the last one, and I will have to sample it before making a decision anyway."

Garrick walked closer, setting the cup before him with a bow. "It isn't coffee, but I hope it is to your liking, My Lord."

Within the cup was an amber-like liquid that didn't smell like the ale villagers normally drank. It didn't have the same luxurious feel as Lord Vaelric's favored drink either.

Lucien took the cup, raising it to give it a light sniff.

He was never much of a drinker in either world, though he could at least tell the difference between ale and whatever this was. It had quite the strong scent, reminding him vaguely of the hard liquors of his old world.

Taking a small sip, he had to resist the urge to wince at the sharp taste and the burn as it went down his throat.

Garrick seemed to have noticed his reaction as he chuckled. "It's a little strong, My Lord. The brewer said the taste isn't as good as it could be, not without a year of fermenting, at least."

'Strong is putting it lightly...'

Perhaps that was the reason why Dorian had come in drunk after the celebration a few weeks ago.

Lucien set the cup down. "I can imagine some would prefer this compared to the usual ale. What is it called, Garrick?"

His brow lifted when Garrick glanced away, rubbing the back of his head. "Whiskey, My Lord. We didn't know what to call it, and Lady Talia gave a suggestion after trying it once."

Lucien stared at the man for a brief moment. "Talia? When did she..."

"Before the second wave of refugees came from Helvarn, My Lord. She noticed our little competition and...joined in at the last minute."

More like forcefully inserted herself after seeing something interesting.

Ashridge had been building an entirely new industry beneath his feet without him noticing a thing.

Lucien's mouth twitched as he looked back down at the cup. He didn't even know if this was truly whiskey, though the color did remind him of it.

His junior wasn't much of a drinker either, more along the lines of a social drinker than anything else. He had experienced being dragged along with her to their company events more than enough.

"We will let you know tomorrow, Garrick. But it is good to see that you've finally found something you want to do," he said at last.

Garrick dipped his head. "I will leave the barrel here, My Lord. Give the other folks something for their gathering later."

At Lucien's raised brow, the man shrugged lightly. "It was Lady Talia's suggestion. Something about giving them a small taste for the future...should it be accepted of course."

'Of course she did.'

Lucien exhaled through his nose as Garrick turned to leave after he waved him off, the former miner's mouth slightly twitching.

Once the door shut, Elias glanced toward him. "Into the pile with potential, My Lord?"

"Yes. And let the man know to move the furniture back into place. We can decide the final proposals after lunch."

It wouldn't do to leave the future tavern of Ashridge in this state after all.