N.B. -- Check out chapter 4 right here

I don’t know why I felt so confident while getting back to the keep of the now deceased count. Jobs never go easy, and this one had been as easy as slicing butter on a summer day so far. For the life of me I don’t know why I was so blind to the upcoming failures.

I snuck back in through the cellar and donned my clothes from earlier that day. I then pulled a book I had hid in the cellar and snuck off toward the study. You see, I scarcely needed an alibi to not be suspected of the assassination. I had built my excuse since the first day I started my service to the count. You see, I made it my policy that every morning during the same hours that most nobles would choose to begin a hunt, I would be reading books in my chambers with my door bolted shut. And I made it poignantly clear to everyone on the count’s court that I would neither stir nor respond to anyone at my chamber door short of the count himself. And so when I passed a chambermaid with my book in hand and gave her biddings of a good day, she thought nothing of it and assumed I had been in my room and was now returning the book to the study.

“The count is dead! He has been assassinated while hunting!” The hunting party had clearly returned with the wrong dead pig. The whole household and court of the count was in a fluster of grief mixed with feigned gloom. Clearly I wasn’t the only one pretending to not be overjoyed. I thought to myself then that the next thing that would be done would be to summon the young boy, appoint the master of coin to start arranging the funeral, and then once the funeral was over they would declare the child as the new count. Well, I only got the first two steps right.

“Young Master Dolamass, I regret that I must be the one to inform you that your father, Count Marcius Dolamass of Filcha has been killed while under my protection. I accept whatever punishment comes with this failure of duty young master.” The head of the count’s personal guard retinue stood on one knee with a very sorrowful and tearful expression on his face. I hoped in that moment that he would not become collateral damage to my plot.

“Fear not, good Sir Lucas, this is nary a failure on your part but rather a success for our lands. For my father was a fool and wretched person. I for one do not remorse his passing, and would rather choose to rejoice in it!” The young lad announced to the lead guard and the rest of the court and household around him. I was a bit uncomfortable with that response. Just a bit too eager. But shouldn’t be a problem unless…

A team of guards came crashing through the front entrance, dragging a fairly young pauper. “Tell them what ye told us boy!” one of the guards shouted. The pauper responded through tears and gasps for air. “M’lord I’m sorry. But theys saw you give me the coins, they did. And theys got real snoopy an was follow’n me. An when they as caught up with me they a found me in the woods where’n the count was killed. I swears I din’t kill him an I was gon return your coins. Please don punish me for failing to kill yer fatha. I swears I was comin’ right back to give you the coins.” The poor fool thought he was being brought in by the guards to punish him for failing to be the one to kill the count and then not returning the money paid to him. Instead he doomed himself to death and incriminated the young lord Dolamass. It seems I was not the only one with intent to end the count’s rule, but only I was careful to do it myself. Here we go. The long awaited hard part of the job. Why can’t it just be easy once?