Finally done with the year, it was time to go back to Mansfield. We had to stop in Huntston first. The lease on the property was not for Count Swifthunt. It was my money, but the names on the official paperwork were just Fabien and Anthony. With that being the case, they would be splitting the 30% venue fee. 15% of the sales was still an awful lot of money. Bruiser, Boxer, Brawler and Battler had been acting as security. When we ran out of art to sell, it was up to them to fetch more. The guest house was full of Grissell's art. Yon was also doing his best to churn out work on his freetime. I was more than happy to settle my debt to Fabien. We did not see eye to eye on much and distance only made us grow further apart. He had his own family to deal with. I only spent a couple of days here to spend time with Barat, Mighel and Ottie. Ottie's legitimate children were on the cusp of adulthood. His son would one day keep the Spillblood name. His daughter could be used to make an alliance with another noble family. Barat and Mighel worked for me and kept all of my property in Huntston secure.
Getting some time to hang out with them, it was pretty fun to spar a bit and eat. After that was done, we parted ways. Bruiser, Boxer, Brawler and Battler were all with me during this. They had fun a ton of too. We then all made our way back to the house in Mansfield. After that we went to Anthony. He had quietly gotten married to another noblewoman a year before I left for the capital. He had a son now. I smiled as I gave him the money. "Your son might need some attendants. I believe that I have 2 really good candidates." He sighed deeply. "I bet that it is 2 of your sons." he said. Smiling wider, I said "Sir Anthony, you are a wise man." He nodded his head. I gestured over to Bruiser, Boxer, Brawler and Battler. I knew that they were up to the task. They were not going to be feeding or clothing the boy. All they had to do was keep him safe from harm. Bruiser and Battler were chosen for the job by Anthony. Boxer and Brawler could continue with the bodyguard business. There was no way to deny them now that Bruiser and Battler were nobles. They were happy to have this very important job.
I was pretty happy for them. Something that I had missed was that a slaver had come through the county. He sold his wares all over the place. My own wife bought some female slaves to do the intense chores and the upkeep of the house. She had been here by herself. Johna and Holly were there, but they were not suited for chores either. Honestly, the title of baroness got to her head. That was fine. Slavery was not. The very thought of keeping slaves disgusted me. The first thing I did was free the slaves. In order to make up for it, I offered them a choice. They could be sent on their way with a bar of gold each, or they could marry Boxer and Brawler. They chose to be married. It made me happy that they would be taken care of. "Are you certain that you want these slaves to marry into your family?" Grissell asked me. I looked at her firmly. "I hate slavery. Do not take any more. They deserve to be compensated for their suffering. If you want to hire servants, that is fine. You'll still need to pay them." I told her. She looked at me with confusion. It seemed she never thought about it as much.
