The Duke was as Adam last saw him though now he wore a much fancier, red and purple outfit that screamed regality. However despite sitting on a throne, despite being dressed as a king, despite having his settlement back, he looked tired. Adam could see in his eyes the gaze of a man who had been defeated. He did not know the Duke before, perhaps he was a man who stood tall, or perhaps this is how he always was, though he doubted that, but in front of him now was a shell of a man. His eyes glazed over, his body slightly limp, and his mind not at all focused on the present.
At the Duke's side were two Guild Black suits, standing at attention, hands folded behind their backs, just waiting and watching. The rest of the room was empty for the most part. Though they had torn down all the religious symbology from this room as well and then added a fine red carpet rug that perfectly bisected the room, leading up to, and stopping at, the stage where the Duke sat. The only thing that had not changed in this room since Adam was last here that was of note was the stained glass windows. It seemed that either they did not get around to removing them or thought they added to the aesthetic well enough to keep them around. Regardless this was all background noise compared to speaking with the Duke, which Adam intended to do.
As he approached the Duke's gaze slowly turned to Adam though not once did his tired expression waver. The two guild members did not even budge, ignoring Adam's presence entirely.
"I'm not sure how to address you, is there a decorum to follow?" Adam asked as he tried to be as polite as possible, respecting that this place might have a unique culture he was expected to follow.
"Decorum was the old ways…" The Duke said back, his voice a hoarse whisper as he responded to Adam's statement with a soft wave of his hand.
"Well then, Duke, it is a pleasure to formally meet you." Adam smiled. The Duke seemed to give a half hearted nod in response.
"We have met before, Adam Baxter." He said with the same hoarse and tired tone as before. His voice was much lower in volume than it should be considering he was in a large audience hall. Luckily Adam could still hear him. "I regret that you found me before in such a state and… now…" He glanced at the black suit to his left with his eyes and not his head before turning to look at Adam again. "My fief is but a shell of its once former glory."
"Perhaps, but I have nothing to compare to. From what I see you all have turned the worst case scenario into a livable one again. The last time I was here it was a warzone, now, it is a home. And from my travels a home means far more to people than almost anything else." Adam said with a bright smile. The Duke seemed to eye Adam for a moment, examining him, studying him. However after the moment passed his eyes that were lit with an inquisitive fire once more were snuffed out, returning to their tired state.
"What brings you to my domain, Mr. Baxter?"
"Curiosity, mostly." Adam admitted. "I had not been here since the fight. I knew people were moving back in and wanted to introduce myself, see how things were getting set up, and perhaps explore this new settlement." Adam explained. "And also sate my curiosity about you, if I'm honest." The Duke raised an eyebrow as he studied Adam again, this time for longer. When he spoke once more his eyes no longer looked as tired, the spark of life had been reignited.
"Leave me." The Duke said, suddenly. At first Adam was confused, assuming he meant for he and his friends to leave. But this was not the case because as soon as he said these words his head turned to look at the Guild black suits.
However their response was lackluster. In fact they gave no response at all. They neither twitched nor budged, remaining perfectly still in the spot where they had been standing the whole time Adam had been here.
"Leave me now or I shall order the royal guard to do it by force." He threatened as he glared daggers at the one to his left. The two Guild black suits looked at each other for a moment, seemingly consulting wordlessly and then one turned to leave while the other paused, turning to look at the Duke.
"We shall simply be in the adjoining room. If you need us, or something happens, we will be listening." He said, his words oozing with double meaning as he then followed after his compatriot and left the room. Leaving just the Duke and Adam's group in the room alone.
Once the Guild black suits were gone the Duke straightened up his posture, his eyes gained some focus, and his expression turned serious. He still looked the same, tired, and depressed, but now he looked more ready to have a real conversation.
"What is it you wish to know, Mr. Baxter?" He asked, looking into Adam's eyes as if he were reading his soul.
"Well… I guess I would like to start with what that was about? Why did they… need to be threatened out of the room?" Adam asked, trying to get a grasp on the power dynamics at play here. The Duke sighed and gently tapped the side of his forehead with his fingers.
"A hierarchy has been forced upon me, here, in my fief." He said solemnly. "Once I was the undisputed ruler. Now I am but a mere puppet."
"A puppet of the Guild." Adam said, completing the thought with the assumption he already had.
"Yes." The Duke confirmed. "Those men do not take their orders from me, they take their orders from Midway." He sighed. "Once my fief was an independent stronghold, vibrant and full as any other. However now we are at the whims of a crook with deep pockets. I can not even speak my mind with them around, which is precisely why they stay at my side. They are spies, and they do not even attempt to hide it."
"Then why are you letting them do this? Surely you have guards, you have people, you have the settlement up and running. Why not just cut them off? It's not like Midway or even Mr. Cantelli is going to charge in here with an army to take over?" Adam asked.
"Politics." He said back, simply. "I made a deal with the devil to get my home back in my hands. If it were as simple as kicking them out I would have done it the very first day they looked down on me. However, have you noticed? Our stockrooms lie barren, our fields lay fallow, our gardens empty. We have no means to feed ourselves at the moment. However The Guild does." He explained.
"And they are using that as leverage." Mira spoke up. "They are… what? Drip feeding you food? Is it through small merchant convoys or something?" Mira asked. For a moment the Duke's gaze fell on Mira, studying her, just as he had to Adam. However after the moment passed he spoke again.
"He controls all the merchants that come here." He said with a tired tone, just as the one he had when Adam first arrived. "And that means we have to follow his rules."