that render it impossible to confine you upstairs. So once I was properly disavowed of THAT notion, I came up with another. You're compelled to follow the orders of the lord of nevermore despite your own objections, so why not leave you, leave this place, after giving you explicit orders to not release any being inside? you'd be forced to feed and care for the residents here, and forced to do nothing outside the boundaries that I would establish. A personal hell for you, but one can't please everyone, correct?" Grimwald's wry grin returned. He stared down at his tiny master, never blinking. "father laughed at that little strategem. He actually laughed out loud. Then he spent a good five minutes deriding my lack of magical knowledge- not the first such lecture i received from the man, but fortunately, the last. He told me that such a vague command would weaken over time if left unmonitored. it might take years, but eventually, you'd break free, leaving me back to square one. Thus ended idea number two. and shortly after THAT was when desperation took over. I tossed out random bits of schemes in the hope of finding someone way out of my responsibilities. That's when I asked father if there was anyone else- ANYONE- who could take over in my stead. He said it had to be family. I asked if we had any other relatives, if there was any relation be it ever so distant that couldn't be found. And that, dear grimwald, is the one time the man flinched. Not much, mind you, but enough to make me wonder. He managed to distract me, launching into some attack on my character. Before it was said and done, i agreed- reluctantly, because i didn't see a choice. I'll confess- I've given thought to his hesitation in the years since. I've wondered if there isn't another morehouse out there somewhere that could take over. I've even gone so far as to consider hiring an investigator to find out for sure. But I've never followed through. Maybe i don't want to burden someone else- or maybe i'm just frightened that anyone i find will be as bad as my father and grandfather- or worse. but it's apparent to me now that whatever they do, they couldn't exactly do much worse than i have. Which is why I'm abdicating my rights to this house." nathan pulled out a sheet of parchment from the desk. he flourished it in front of the man servant. grimwald's grimace of a smile expanded. "but before you get too excited, i hereby issue to you the following order- you must continue to run this house precisely as I have had you run it throughout the years UNTIL another morehouse is found- a task, by the way, I'm giving to YOU." grimwald's smile disappeared, flowing across the room onto his master's face. "do you like it?" he sneered, "enough of defnitive beginning and