“Dirk…” Willem placed his hands in front of him as they enjoyed their breakfast. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  Dirk sized Willem up. “What’s wrong?”

  “I have a disease,” he said, then maintained a large pregnant pause. “It’s called integrity.”

  “Right. You’re a saint. I always forget.” Dirk shook his head. “Have you looked into a cure?”

  “There are cures, but they’re much worse than the illness, and I’ve decided to go out with my dignity intact. As such, I’ll be passing along soon. As my dying wish, I’d like you to inherit the position of treasurer of the Society of Assured Prosperity.” Willem resumed eating his meal, then pointed with his fork. “We’ll start your training today.”

  Dirk looked unsettled by the tenor of the conversation, and asked, “You really intend on entrusting me with everything you’ve built?”

  “Gustav will handle the businesses that require a little finesse,” Willem explained. “You just need to tend the shop, give out sensible loans at reasonable rates, and accept new clients according to my prerequisites. You’re both smart. You’ll pick up quickly. If you don’t, it’s on me. It means I was wrong about you.”

  “Considering all the awful things you’ve said about me, that’s quite the incentive to fail,” Dirk said dryly.

  “Awful?” Willem scoffed. “Please. I’ve been gentle with you, boy.” He ate a little more of his meal. “Anyway… yeah. Suzanne did her little tests. Turns out, Willem van Brugh is still alive inside my head, and I’m going to be taking a step back soon. Permanently, seems like.”

  Dirk paused mid-drink, and slowly lowered the cup with an expression of turmoil on his face. “Tell me you’re joking.”

  Willem chewed without saying anything. “Hey. It’s been fun, but this body doesn’t belong to me.”

  “Yeah, and you’ll give it back to a delusional maniac that poisons his father and… and… kills people with a smile on his face?!” Dirk demanded.

  “That delusional maniac hears what I hear, apparently,” Willem said, making Dirk pale. “Congratulations, Dirk. You’re already on his hit list.”

  Dirk pushed away his meal, appetite gone. He looked toward the door with a thousand-yard stare of despair.

  “It’ll be fine,” Willem said. “I’ll sort stuff out.”

  ***

  Suzanne walked into the church of the goddess here in Gent, where she saw her mother sitting in the back row. There were no ceremonies going on, so she approached.

  “Mom,” Suzanne said, sitting beside her. “They said you’d be here, but… I didn’t realize you still attended.”

  “I don’t,” Viviene said distantly, looking around. “I came here looking for someone, but… she’s just gone, apparently. Thinking of it, she must’ve been the one that… well, never mind.”

  Suzanne might’ve inquired further under normal circumstances, but she sat down. “I talked to Willem.”

  Viviene looked over, studying Suzanne’s face. “Judging from your expression… he told you, yes?”

  Suzanne was certain that they weren’t talking about the same thing, but she couldn’t manage to say anything.

  “Looks like it,” Viviene looked back. “I thought my boy had given up. I’m almost glad he did that thing with the archmagistrate, even if it didn’t turn out perfectly.”

  “Do you…” Suzanne stopped, then swallowed. “Do you like the way that Willem is now?”

  Viviene looked over. “It’s not perfect, but… yes, I suppose I do. My only wish is that he’d care about himself more. I don’t care if he resents me. I’ve not exactly been the best mother over the years. You girls are the only two that turned out alright. Willem… he found himself in another way. Now, I just… I don’t know. I feel as though there’s a great deal more for me to do for my boys.”

  “And the things that he’s doing, you’d want for them to continue?” Suzanne asked.

  “Of course,” Viviene said. “He’s done very well. I’m quite proud.”

  Suzanne leaned back into the cathedral’s bench, contemplating deeply.

  ***

  “Willem?” Catharina said, holding a book in her hand titled ‘The Flower of the Cold Northern Grand Duke, Version 12.’ “He’s a lot nicer. Anne Claire likes him a lot, and she’s been a good judge of character. I, umm… might have had an embarrassingly wrong impression about him, I think, but… he’s a lot better than he was when we were kids.”

  Suzanne thought. The rumors about Anne Claire called her many things—most prominently, a shrewish, suspicious woman.

  “Can I speak to Anne Claire?” Suzanne asked.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “Sure!” Catharina said brightly.

  ***

  “Willem’s been a dear since the moment he arrived,” Anne Claire said. “He’s only acted with integrity. But more than integrity, he has good sense,” she continued to praise. “It’s one thing to be charitable, but it’s another thing to engage in sustainable charity. You see, Willem’s vision is so grand…” Anne Claire trailed off, perhaps realizing she was gushing overmuch. She snapped her fan open, clearing her throat. “Suffice it to say Willem has been a blessing to Gent.”

  “Is there anyone that works with him a great deal?” Suzanne asked. “Someone that’s been working with him on business that I don’t already know about?”

  “Hmm…” Anne Claire thought. “Gustav and Dirk you know… I suppose there’s Robert.”

  “Robert?” Suzanne repeated.

  “Willem bought his chandlery,” Anne Claire explained. “You could talk to him.”

  ***

  “At first… working underneath Willem was pretty terrifying,” Robert confessed. “The man… he ate through everything like termites in the woodwork. Him and his mother, just… peeling away everything my ancestors had built, and selling it off for cheap. He seemed to be selling us for parts.”

  Suzanne listened intently. “So, very cruel treatment?”

  “No,” Robert said, shaking his head. “He’s just decisive. Every worker that he let go was paid a severance. I’ve never heard of anything doing such a thing.”

  “Severance?” Suzanne repeated.

  “A week’s salary for every year served,” Robert explained. “And he’s been paying me a salary for just overseeing the operation, now. He’s trimmed us down to scented beeswax candles. We’re charging an arm and a leg for the candles, but… people are buying more than before. Willem has a mind for business, I’ll tell you.”

  “He does?”

  Robert nodded. “He explained to me that luxury items can sometimes sell more if you charge more. People want top-quality, and they’re willing to pay for that. They turn up their nose at cheap things, wanting only the best. Really, though, Gustav got the most direct confrontation with him.”

  Suzanne held out her hand. “Thank you for your time.”

  ***

  "Willem’s a beast,” Gustav said. “But I like him. Sometimes you want a beast on your side.”

  “A beast, is he?” Suzanne inquired, her arms crossed.

  “Sure,” Gustav nodded. “He knew what he wanted, and he knew what he needed to do to get it. Bought out every part of my supply chain. Then at the end of that, he kept his composure during that debacle at the monthly meeting. He offered me a position managing all of the businesses that he’d bought. And thus far… he’s kept his word. We’re partners. He respects me. In his… quite crass way.”

  Suzanne nodded, looking out of the window into Gent.

  “And you think he’ll be good for Gent?”

  “Good?” Gustav repeated. “Capital was always my major concern. I didn’t have enough to expand as fast as I wanted. With Willem… I’m confident that we can put this city on the map in a major way. First, soaps, then… everything.”

  ***

  “Father… are you alright?” Suzanne asked, putting her hand on his arm. She’d traveled back to the capital briefly, with Galahad’s help. She’d need to get some things here before she decided what to do about the Willem situation, regardless.

  Tielman cradled his head with his hands, but upon her question pulled his hands away.

  “The king delivered some… upsetting news,” Tielman explained. “And I—” The baron paused, looking at his hands. There was a large amount of blonde hair in his hand. “Am I… balding?”

  Suzanne studied her father with alarm. “Just how stressful was this news?”

  Tielman played with his hair, clearly only more distressed. “We barely scraped by. Willem saved this entire family. The king might’ve had me on the executioner’s block if he hadn’t reported my poisoning. A few days later, there might’ve been a new house positioned in the border to Avaria.”

  Suzanne leaned forward. “What?! That’s… that can’t…”

  “I know,” Tielman said. “But I heard it from the king himself.” He sighed deeply. “I have some news for Willem. If… if it were the old Willem, I’d be terrified. But after how much he’s changed… maybe it’s good news.”

  “You think he’s changed?” Suzanne asked.

  Tielman nodded. “He’s a man I can be proud of, now. I can rest easy about you, Catharina, and Willem, now.” He shook his head. “It’s my other boys I need to be worried about. They’re going to the capital, too.”

  Suzanne leaned back, her turmoil deepening.

  ***

  “What’s been with you, lately?” Galahad asked Suzanne as they stood out in the streets of Gent in the early morning. “You’ve been like a ghost. Here one minute, gone the next. Haunting me in the wee hours of the night, asking me the inanest questions. I don’t like it.”

  Suzanne looked at him thoughtfully, and then to the docks. “I have some business to finish. Once it’s over… I’ll be back to form, I promise. I need help with one thing.”

  “What have you done for me lately?” Galahad said. “I’ve been hunting down Avarians, and where are you?”

  “Please, sir,” Suzanne said insistently. “This is very important to me.”

  Galahad shifted, hefting his staff. “What do you need?”

  “I need the Lovers’ Eclipse from the artifact collection,” Suzanne said.

  “What?” Galahad asked, surprised and a little disgusted. “That revolting trinket? You’ve been wasting your time because of some new flame?”

  “No!” Suzanne disputed vehemently. “It’s for my brother.”

  “That’s even worse,” Galahad said.

  “I need him to communicate with someone, but the other party is… mute,” Suzanne explained. “This was the only way I could think of.”

  Galahad looked at her suspiciously.

  “Please, sir,” Suzanne lowered her head. “It’s important.”

  “Fine,” Galahad agreed. “But after this…” he pointed a firm finger. “No more distractions. You’re no good to me like this.”

  “As long as I have the artifact, I can end it.” Suzanne took a deep breath. “As for how it ends…” she shook her head. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”