Chapter 52

**Acacia Point of View**

Sipping on tea, I relaxed my back against the headboard. Closing my eyes, I feel relieved that the ache is no more. After only a little work, my back started to kill me like it has some grudge against me.

However, since it was only near to three months that I gave birth and did not have enough rest both mentally and physically, it is understood.

It was good thing that Mrs. Leto saw my predicament and prepared some bitter medicine for me.

This land may lack many things and have many strange things but the medicine here is really amazing.

It's some kind of oriental medicinal soup which is deadly bitter but the effects are miraculous. Taking a glass of medicine and one hour later, the ache is gone and I even felt like my body strengthened a bit too.

Since then, every morning Mrs. Leto has been giving me a different kind of bitter medicinal soup to strengthen my body. But the difficulty lied in taking that medicine on an empty stomach.

Such bitter medicine, on an empty stomach! It's like my stomach has a tornado of its own. No matter how many honeyed candies and fruits I eat, the bitterness doesn't go away until noon.

Thankfully, Mrs. Leto said I only need to take it for one month and once my body gets strong enough, she shall change it to a much milder one.

The cool and indifferent lady even scolded me once for making a fuss like a child about taking medicine. Even my position as her superior didn't hinder her from giving me a piece of her mind.

Except; it felt warm. Even though she was cold and scolded me it still made me feel warm inside. It made me think of my mother who loves to nag at me a lot.

Over the past days, I got customized to many things in the new palace. I got familiarized with the staff and their working patterns. In the beginning I didn't want many people roaming around the house but then when I thought about converting the first floor into an office, I felt that they were needed enough.

Mr. Letos, the butler, helped Eelk in recruiting workers for mining as Mr. Letos is familiar with the city and the places around nearby. In less than a week, they were able to recruit the basic number of workers and got them to sign the employment contract that I prepared.

These people here have slave contracts but they don't have any employment contracts; not to mention, the few contracts they have were too cruel and unreasonable.

So when I produced a reasonable and a contract benefitting to both the parties, several looked at me as if I lost my mind.

After all why would an employer be this good a mere worker whose life is not much of a concern to him?

Then again, I'm not a Dr'helellion so I kind a have a heart which beats properly and was kind of brought up in a kind family with good morals.

Sighing, I stretched my hand and stroked my sleeping son's cheeks gently. He was sleeping so peacefully that it made me feel satisfied inside.

Upon sensing my touch, his face unconsciously snuggled against my hand and licked his lips contently in sleep. A smile rose up on my lips when the little guy was even smiling in his sleep when I touched him.

Before I lay down a little and snuggle my son, light footsteps cautiously approached towards my bedroom and then inside the room.

I didn't have to turn to see who it was. Besides me, only Circe knows the exact timings of when Igses would be awake and when he would be sleeping.

Adjusting the small woolen blanket over Igses, I surrounded him with several pillows and only did I got out.

"Milady, Sir Azar has asked to inform you that Mister Aguelli is here. The guest is now in receiving room on the first floor." I nodded.

"Stay here with Igses until I come back. If he wakes up and looking for me, bring him to me." Saying, I went down to the receiving room to finally have the answer from Mister Auguelli.

Let's see what his thoughts are!

As soon as I entered the receiving room, Azar and Mr. Aguelli stood up and greeted me. I nodded lightly and asked them to sit down while a maidservant came in with some hot tea and simple fruit juice for me.

"So, what have you thought about my proposal, Mister Aguelli?" I asked after he took a sip of his tea and relaxed a bit.

Acting!

I don't know why but that show of relaxing looks like a show only. He is not pressured or scared in the least to start with.

"Can this lowly person put forth few requests?" His politely asked.

"Let's hear them."

"I am only answerable to you and shall not endure the suppression of others."

"Take orders for me and only answerable to me; if your work and behavior is good then you don't have to meddle with others." I nodded agreeing to his first request.

"Thank you, Milady. You may already know that I am sole survivor of my family and lives all by my own away from the main city. I request a better and closer accommodation. I don't need a luxurious place; just an acceptable and comfortable one."

I raised my eyebrow at his this request. A better and closer accommodation? Better is okay but closer?

"If you mean by asking me to give you a room here in the palace or allow you live in the premises, then that is not going to happen. I acknowledge your skills, but I do not trust you. Someone who I don't trust will not be anywhere near my son. However, I will get you a good place near the production workshop."

For a fraction of a second there, I saw satisfaction in his eyes. As though he was satisfied with my answer but it was soon covered with a look of compliance.

What is he satisfied about though?

"As you command, Milady." I snorted hearing say that so obediently.

"Anymore requests?" Why do I feel like I'm bringing a snake into my den?

"No, Milady."

"Then I have few demands too." I pushed the contract towards him.

He gave me a thoughtful glance and took the contract and started to read it. Few minutes later he asked why the content of the contract was different from others.

"Of course you shall be the lead manufacturer; you will get a different contract."

"I understand, Milady. About the pledge and guarantee, I don't understand."

"Pledge to never go against the organization and guarantee of something valuable to you so even if you do go against us, I will have a leverage against you. Tell, is there something you value the most?"

In the pretense of obedience, he observed me as he looked at me knowingly. I shrugged and waited for his answer patiently.

"I'm a poor man, Milady. What valuable might I have?"

"Of course, you do."

"I do?"

"Of course. Isn't your life valuable to you?" His slightly narrowed his eyes when he heard me.

"I don't understand the meaning behind your words, Milady."

"I know you have secrets of your own and I don't care about it. However, I can tell you clearly have your own intentions towards us are not exactly pure. I'm a straightforwards person, Mister Aguelli. All I need from you is a blood oath that any of your action in the future will not harm me, my son and my people."

Last night when I was going through books in the library, I found a certain book on pledges on oaths. There were several pledges and several kind of oath that these people follow and this blood oath is something simple yet appropriately binding and secured.

Lucky I found that book!

"Bood oath?"

"Nothing too much, just for my security and assurance. After all I'm a mother, I have a baby so it's natural I'm being careful."

"Does everyone -"

"Not the blood oath but everyone getting employed under me is taking some kind of oath respectively." I cut his question and answered.

After few thoughtful moments passed by, he agreed to take a blood oath. Immediately, I called for Eelk to prepare for blood oath.

Eelk soon walked in with a small bowl and a white crystal ball. This ritual for blood oath is both simple and interesting. I've only seen such practices on television.

Never knew I would one day get into such practices.

With a small knife I cut my finger a little and let few drops of blood drop in the bowl. Passing on to Mister Aguelli, he did the same.

Once both the bloods in the bowl are mixed, Eelk rubbed the crystal ball with a kind of dark blue stone before dripping the blood on the crystal ball.

Once the blood is poured on the crystal ball, Mister Aguelli took an oath of not harming any of us or going against us. Once the oath is made, the crystal ball absorbed the blood and a light illuminated from the ball confirming the pledge made.

"Tomorrow morning, an hour after sunrise, in my office. Don't be late."

**~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello Sweeties,

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