If I refuse and he dies, not only all my efforts for making him into my backer will be for naught, but this wannabe Sersi strikes me like someone that after getting rid of her husband, will wipe clean all traces of his existence, and that includes me!
Unless she is deaf, blind and dumb she is bound to know how much the Count has invested in me, that puts all my family in danger. And I definitely don't want this Lorant guy come any close to my mother and sisters."
Feeling cornered, he had only one doubt.
"I consider myself a good healer and hunter, your Lordship, but I don't see how can I help, except by keeping you safe and healthy for the time being, off course. But that would be just stalling for time. If you don't have a way to make your wife yield, it could go on for years."
"No, rest assured that it won't. As soon as the marriage is annulled, she will not be able to make demands anymore about the Lark household.
Unless I am sorely mistaken, by that time she will be knee deep in troubles caused by our disowned sons and for violating the King's law by bringing them into her family despite being marked as a living shame.
Her only way out is to get rid of me, Keyla and Jadon to make my will null and void, remain the only inheritor alive and restore Lorant and Koya status. I just need you to keep us alive until the King signs the annulment documents."
Lith's mind was spinning at full gear, consulting with Solus to make sure to keep all his bases covered.
"That can be done. But I have some demands that I would like your Lordship to agree with before accepting."
From their expression, it was clear they didn't expect such request, yet the Count nodded without hesitation.
"To be able to protect you, I need to move inside you house until the matter is resolved, right?"
"But off course! That's why you wear the family colours and crest. That dress identifies you with one of my personal aides, second in authority only to me and my children."
"Good to know," Lith thought. "That explains why me and Jadon have almost matching clothes."
"And I am deeply honoured for it, but if I agree to help you, your wife could target my family too in retaliation. If I move in, I might need for them to come along, for their safety, and someone has to take care of the farm, or they will have nothing to return to."
Count Lark facepalmed himself.
"Oh Lith, I'm so sorry for doubting your loyalty. For a moment I thought you were going to refuse. You are right, I missed this possibility. I will make them come here as soon as possible, they will be my honoured guests as well.
I will send my sharecroppers to tend to your farm until everything is settled. Anything else?"
"Yes. I need free rein within your household. If your wife still has insiders, if not spies still here, I will need to resort to unpleasant means to sort them out. We cannot expect them to confess out of the goodness of their hearts."
Count Lark took out a handkerchief, cleaning his already shiny monocle to ease his nerves.
"Do you mean torture and interrogations? Do we really need to resort to that?"
"As a last resort, but yes. Desperate times call for desperate measures. But it should not be necessary, I can easily disguise as your guest while keeping a low profile. After all no one knows who I am, except the butler."
The Count started coughing up loudly, Jadon and Keyla looked at each other, before turning towards Lith.
"Actually, everyone knows who you are." Jadon said with an awkward smile.
"Well, but that doesn't mean they know what I am capable of."
When he saw them exchanging another look, while the Count kept coughing non-stop, Lith felt compelled to ask: "They don't, right?"
Keyla cleared her throat before standing up, prompting him to follow her.
"A picture is worth more than a thousand words. I think you need to see how you are depicted in the Painting Hall."