Cinder X Bella ~ Fourteen!

“Heigh-Ho, the manor!” Bella couldn't remember the last time her father's voice had sounded so jaunty, excited, practically oozing self-satisfaction. She dropped the mop in the hallway, rushing out the door before anyone else had a chance to get there first. As he stepped down from the wagon he was driving, she slammed into him, hugging him as though he were about to leave immediately.

“Well! It's good to see you, too, daughter. Let me take a look at you.” Alaric gently pushed away from Bella and looked her up and down, his smile becoming even wider. “Look at the muscles on you! I haven't seen any other girl your age with such a proud physique. You are going to be the bella of the ball, Bella!”

Matringa appeared in the doorway, waiting just before crossing the threshold with her arms spread wide. “We've missed you, Signore Vigatori.” 

Alaric’s happy smile turned back into a cocky one. “You wouldn't believe how successful my trip was, darling. Every item you suggested was purchased at a premium; I barely made it to my destination before having to turn around—I was completely sold out.” 

Her stepmother's face fell slightly, and she stared intently at her husband. “But you did go all of the way, yes?”

“Of course, of course! How else could I have stocked up on the local trade goods and come back to make an even larger profit?” Alaric threw his head back and laughed as he strode strongly toward his wife, sweeping in and giving her an intense kiss.

Cattiva poked her head out. “Welcome home, Father! Did you bring us presents?” 

Bella flinched at hearing her stepsister call Alaric ‘Father’, glaring at the younger, disingenuous girl. He didn't seem to mind, however, and simply gave her a much more appropriate pat on the head, though she tried to duck away. “Presents, tales, gold… I have it all and more. We have it all.”

Malvagio was nowhere to be seen, so Alaric simply shrugged and motioned for everyone to follow him. “Why don't we go to the dining room, and I'll tell you about my travels? I know! I'll hand out the gifts I brought when we get to the part of the tale of the town I bought them in.”

The small group bustled into the dining room, with Alaric having to run back out and grab a large travel bag before starting his story. “The route I took, Matringa? I honestly couldn't believe how well you’d planned things. Barely two weeks into travel, I arrived in a large town, and from the moment I rolled in, I had people absolutely clamoring for my goods. I was barely able to keep enough to reach the port city and sell for an even higher premium. From there, I needed to buy a whole new stock of wares.”

He pulled out a box roughly the size of his hand, scooting it across the table to his wife. “While I was there, I found something just for you. Go on, open it!”

Alaric beamed in anticipation as Matringa opened the gift, her eyes going wide as her eyes reflected the sapphire necklace and matching earrings. “Oh, my! It’s beautiful.”

“While I was in the port, I ran across a sea captain, who informed me of a distant kingdom he was planning to sail to, which needed supplies. Unfortunately, he didn't have the funds to provide them… you know what I did?” Alaric smugly grinned, though everyone's eyes went wide at the thought of him giving a large sum of money to an unknown person. “That's right, I was able to broker a deal and join him on his journey at a fraction of what it would normally cost. I've been sailing for months now. Bet you didn't expect to hear that!”

“I… most certainly did not.” Matringa’s hands went limp on the table. “What about the route I had planned for you?”

“Worry not, Signora!” Alaric winked at her. “With the complete sale of the items you recommended, I had more than enough to fully fund the wagons to continue on the original path. I sent Luca with the wagons, with plans for us to meet at the port on the way back.” 

“You split up?” Matringa's eyes flashed with dark anger, and she reached for Alaric's arm, only to pull back at the last moment. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her cheeks up into a facsimile of a smile. “You are back here, and all seems well… so it must have worked out.”

“Indeed, it did.” Alaric’s enthusiasm had dimmed slightly after seeing her reaction, but he continued on with his story. “I gave him strict instructions not to sell anything for a copper less than my prices. Of course, I was fully prepared to return to a fully-laden wagon as… well, Luca certainly does not have my expertise, does he? However, I came back to three-quarters having been sold, and the empty space filled with high-value southern goods. To say I'm impressed would be quite the understatement.”

“I'm so glad everything worked out.” Matringa took a deep breath. “Though I really wish you hadn't split up. I put so much… effort into planning that route for you.”

“I hear your concerns, but what's done is done.” Alaric dismissed her concerns with the wave of his hand, and Bella's eyes flicked over to see how Matringa reacted. Going by the glare, she could only assume that particular point in the conversation would be discussed further at another time. 

“My sea voyage was the smoothest I've ever had. The captain said it would take five weeks to get there, but it only took four. When we arrived, I didn't have to take a step off the ship—the port authority arrived and bought everything we had brought without a single attempt at negotiation.”

“That seems… unlikely.” Malvagio stepped into the room, bringing her normal apathy with her. “They took everything? They didn't even ask how much it would cost?”

“I thought it was strange as well.” Alaric nodded toward her to acknowledge her point. “But it seems a new sultan had just been crowned. Apparently, he was a prince from a neighboring desert kingdom, and he rode in on an elephant while tossing gold coins as if they were earned as easily as plucking them off a fruit tree. I gathered there was some unpleasantness with the Vizier, but now a full month of celebration was declared—hence the need for any goods they could get their hands on.”

“Jaffery fail-?” Matringa’s stricken response was bit off and hidden… from everyone but Bella.

Reaching into his oversized luggage, Alaric pulled out three boxes, handing one to each of the girls. All of Bella's attention was turned to the box, and as she pulled the top off, an intricate filigree silver necklace was revealed. It was certainly beautiful, and she smiled her thanks at her father but left the necklace in its container. Frankly, she knew it would break if she were to try and wear it whilst doing her chores. 

Not to mention, it was practically guaranteed to vanish from her room when he next vanished from the house.

“-We drank a toast on our success as we were sailing home, the entire crew, and the following morning, the clear skies turned to dark clouds.” Bella tuned back in as her father excitedly went over his adventures. “The more superstitious among the sailors were concerned that our celebration was premature, that we had angered Poseidon himself with our revelry. That night, clouds turned into drizzle, then into a raging storm!”

Bella’s eyes went wide as she thought of her father being lost at sea, and none of them even knowing he had gotten on a boat in the first place. She clenched her hands together and listened as he spoke on. “As it turns out, the squall saved us! In the early morning, lightning was brightening the sky, and thunder was drowning out all sounds. We sailed right next to, and I am not exaggerating, right next to a sandbar where sirens and the like were set up, trying to lure the sailors off their boats. Thanks to the noise of the storm, we didn't lose a single man! Only a statue of a prince, sent as a gift from the sultan, but I didn’t sign for it!”

From there, he mentioned returning to the port city and gathering Luca, then continuing on the planned route once more, now hauling exotic goods from across the sea. “Once I got there, I turned around and brokered deal after deal on the way home. Now I have shipments which will be coming into the area each week for the remainder of summer, able to turn around with three times the number of wagons full of goods—which have already been half paid up front by the buyers!”

“How exciting!” Matringa exclaimed as she lifted her glass. “A toast to the Master Merchant, and the good fortune of our family!” 

“Hold…” Alaric’s chest puffed out as everyone kept their glass hovering in the air, “When I say I've never had a more successful trip, I mean it, and the world agrees. You are looking at a Perfect Merchant, not a Master Merchant.” 

The room filled with gasping and excitement as he shared the news, though he refused to explain the details of the skill he’d unlocked upon reaching Perfection with his original mercantile skill.

After the excitement died down, conversation turned to the house and the state of House Vigatori.

“Tell me, how is everything here? The garden looks spectacular, the house seems in good order, how about the cook? I've been impatiently waiting for a proper meal.”

Bella looked at her stepsisters sharply, but they seemed perfectly puzzled. Matringa faltered for a moment, shaking her head but refusing to meet his eyes. “I don't know what you mean, Signore. No cook arrived; we've had Bella in charge of the kitchen since you've left.”

“Well! How about that? My deepest apologies; I sent him back on my very first stop.” Alaric grumbled for a moment about ‘directionally challenged chefs’ before turning and looking over at Bella proudly. “Everyone looks well-fed; you've done well so far. Still! Tomorrow we'll go into town and hire some new staff. No daughter of a merchant as rich as myself should be the household cook. In fact-”

Matringa interjected in a huff before Bella could get too excited about his announcement. “Alaric… I don't wish to be the one to bring this up, but your daughter has still not given you her oath. Perhaps, after all this time working herself to the bone, she might be ready to do so now?”

The room was immediately filled with silence, matched only by the thick and cloying tension which sprang up between the stepmother and stepdaughter. For his part, Alaric simply took a deep breath, furrowing his brow and looking down at his teacup.

“Perhaps I have been too hasty in my previous decrees.” His voice was low, yet firm. “Some time away, some success, may have given me a little… perspective. My daughter and I will meet later and discuss what is best for her. Either way, her time in the kitchen comes to an end. Now.”

Working hard to contain her breathing and her disbelief, Bella simply remained seated, blinking rapidly. While she wasn't looking forward to declaring herself a Beast Singer now and forever, she hoped he wouldn't force her to refuse the system's gift any longer. 

The following days were a whirlwind as her father went into town and hired five new maids, a trio of men to work the grounds, and a new, proper cook to feed the family. Money flowed like a river into and out of the house, and his new status as a merchant who had a Perfected skill caused a near stampede of guests and well-wishers who wanted to either hear more about it or get in on the ground floor of whatever his next venture would be. In fact, he was so busy that the promised conversation continued to be pushed further and further away.

Bella found herself with an incredible amount of free time, which she used to practice her skills in the wooded area around the estate. Her reasoning was very straightforward. 

“Until Father and I figure these things out… it will be better to make myself scarce. If she can't see me, find me, or find fault in what I do, hopefully Matringa won't be able to do anything to keep me as a servant in my own home.”