I warned him in no uncertain terms that if he betrayed his promise to me and touched the books, I would make an example of him. I felt bad toward Viola, but establishing discipline required a certain ruthlessness.
"From this moment on, you are a man of the Streit family. If anyone approaches you, you are to report it to me without fail. Even if it's your benefactor, the count palatine. Do you understand?"
"Yes! I will dedicate this body of mine to you, Baron!"
"Good. All you need to do is fulfill your duty."
Fulfill your duty. It seems this has become my creed and my motto. Fulfill your duty, and one day it returns as a blessing. Just as I, once a mere knight, became a lord and then a baron.
"Then shall I go meet the Hungarians?"
"No. Act as you normally would until I call for you again."
