No one really wanted to stay at the local inn. A pity. That'd have meant saving money and not having to see them in the morning.<br/><br/>Ashton took a step on his front porch and looked upwards. He smiled at the white ceiling, a reminder of his wealth. The porch itself was enormous, and the door in front of them was large enough to fit a horse carriage. Twin door handles made from brass were nailed at chest-level.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I honestly never thought I'd be a knight. And own a great mansion. Life is great.</span><br/><br/>Ashton took a look behind him, shooting a subtle glare at the three women and Nathaniel.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Except that I'm sheltering a demon, an angel, a misandrist and a cross-dresser.</span><br/><br/>He could hear the light patter of rain falling around him, and heaved a sigh of relief. That meant his clothes didn't need as much washing. He still felt like taking a bath though, after all that happened today.<br/><br/>Ashton grabbed the twin door handles and took a deep breath.<br/><br/>"Sir Ashton is back!" he yelled, pushing the door open.<br/><br/>The front hallway of the mansion was a large circular room, tiled with marble tiles. A hallway stretched directly forwards, then another diagonally to the left and another to the right. The walls, painted pristinely white with no markings, dirt or deviations, stretched up towards the next floor. A few stained glass panels circled the walls of the floor above them, the rain doing injustice to their beauty in the sunlight. A human-sized white marble statue stood in the middle of the hallway. The figure had a long beard and was decked in an artistic impression of a masterwork steel breastplate.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">That was... Count Theodore Trebis. Deceased. I killed him. That's why I'm Sir Ashton Cromwell.</span><br/><br/>Two pikemen stood at attention at the forward hallway, their hands saluting Sir Ashton.<br/><br/>"At ease, men. Early, you're dismissed."<br/><br/>As their hands lowered back to their sides (and while Early slipped away to the right hallway), a young man stepped forward from between them. Dressed in a black tuxedo, his silver hair covered his right eye. His eyes were green, and Ashton often found himself mesmerised by them. "Sir Ashton and company, welcome back," he said, his voice refined and calm, working its way through each word gracefully.<br/><br/>"Capet, we have guests. Prepare guest rooms for 3 women and 1 man."<br/><br/>Guy Capet was only 16 when he was suggested as a steward for Sir Ashton. Ashton didn't really like the idea of having such a young steward, but Capet managed the mansion extremely well despite his youth. He had already served for 2 years, and Ashton could imagine having Capet in the mansion for the rest of their lives.<br/><br/>"Will they be staying for more than a day?"<br/><br/>Ashton shook his head. "Oh, and prepare meals for them."<br/><br/>"Understood, Sir Ashton." Capet walked forward and gave a smile to the four visitors. "Come this way, ma'ams and sir." His finger pointed towards the hallway to the left.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">I need a bath.</span><br/>Ashton looked at Roy and sighed.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">And I guess I'll have to prepare it again.</span><br/>Roy rolled his eyes.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Sorry. But yeah.</span><br/>Ashton smiled towards Roy.<br/><br/>With a deep sigh, Roy walked to the forward hallway, with Ashton behind him.