This was certainly an unexpected windfall for her- whilst they weren't exactly like Zergs, from what Jenkins had just told her, they were similar enough that wrapping them around her little finger would be no issue in the future.
"No wonder he hated being called cute."
Giving Jenkins a sly sidelong glance, Delphina decided to pry some more information out of him in the future. Now wasn't the time to get distracted by such endeavours.
"I understand, thank you for letting me know, Jenkins. We should head back now. Sir Burgess and Pietro are waiting for me."
Turning around on the spot, she placed her hands behind her back and, rather cheerfully whistling, went on her way towards the front. Jenkins trailed along after her, snapping his head side to side occasionally when a Soldier seemed to move too close to her.
As they were walking back in no rush, Delphina thought she'd quickly ask a question to pass the time.
"Jenkins, I'm assuming you're the Leader of the Soldier cohort then?"
Speeding up slightly so he was positioned just behind her, Jenkins nodded and replied affirmatively.
I have been for some time, my Lady.
"May I ask about your Butler form then? Quite frankly, it seems out of place, compared to… Well. How you look now?"
Turning her head slightly so she could watch him from the corner of her eye, Delphina was truly interested to see what his reaction would be to this particular question. It seemed to be a sore point after all.
Ahem.
That could be considered our 'larval' stage, my Lady. I am the only Soldier in my squad who has been upgraded to their 'adult' stage; the rest of the Chain-breakers are currently still 'pupa'.
The larval form is more compact and less dangerous, so I assume that form when I am within the Family's living quarters.
Slowing down their steps just a touch more, Delphina furrowed her brow at this revelation.
"Then why are you the Captain of a squad full of pupae? Shouldn't you be leading the other adult 'Ant' Soldiers?"
My Lady, it is precisely because I am the strongest of my type that I have a duty of care over the youngest ones. I have presided over two full squads that have survived until adulthood; the current Chain-breakers no longer need me as their Captain.
"Is that the reason you weren't my Fathers Butler?"
You could say that, yes.
Delphina sensed there was something more behind Jenkins' words- instead of digging deeper, she just rolled her eyes back to the front and sped up once more until they reached where Hayle and Pietro still stood conversing.
As she drew closer, a pleasant breeze picked up, bringing along with it the delicate scent of the nearby decorative trees and some hints of jasmine that still lingered in her hair.
Unfortunately, a few stands flew into her mouth, which she had to pick out. Spluttering slightly as she did so, she realised the two were staring at her, clearly having witnessed this awkward moment.
"Every time I swear…"
Coughing into her fist, she stood aside to introduce Jenkins.
"Sir Burgess, this is my Butler, Sir Jenkins. Jenkins, Sir Burgess."
Moving over to stand next to Pietro, Delphina watched as Jenkins gave Hayle a very stiff, yet formal Knight's salute. Narrowing her eyes at this, she felt some of her earlier suspicions had been confirmed.
Glancing at Pietro, she nudged him with her elbow and whispered.
"You see that too, right?"
Rubbing the spot where she had just caught him, he cocked an eyebrow and chuckled.
"If you're talking about Sir Jenkins' bad middling automaton impression, then yes, I saw it."
Delphina quickly put two and two together.
"Ah shit, No.69 didn't mention this specifically, but there must be different classification types for automata complexity. That explains why Jenkins seems so… Human sometimes. The Soldiers must be advanced-tier or even higher-level automata."
But why did Jenkins need to hide this? She sighed as yet another item was added to her 'to research' list.
A sudden, unexpected touch jerked her out of her pondering- Pietro was patting her head.
"I'm sorry I can't help you with this, but I'd like to find out more about the Soldiers as well. Let me know, and we'll go ask Father together later."
Feeling her heart clench, Delphina was at a loss as to how to respond. She had gotten far too used to doing things alone for too long; it seemed as if just this suggestion was enough to make her feel… Something.
Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation for a moment before removing his hand from her head and giving it a warm pat in return.
"Sure, why not?"
********
From that point on, time speeled forward quite quickly.
Jenkins led them around to meet the different squad Captains, from whom they learnt how the different Soldier types corresponded to their work in the field (most of which was to assist with gate clearing to reduce lives lost), and they even saw some damaged automata receiving repairs inside the building.
Once he led them back to the interior courtyard to finish the tour, Delphina had finally made up her mind.
Getting the Soldiers on her side was a priority, and she needed to start now- the Knights could gradually be worked on, but apart from Jenkins, getting back in contact with the Soldiers without the Duke's interference would be difficult.
They had just discovered that only the Duke could directly command the Soldiers, Delphina, as the Heir apparent didn't even have that power… Yet.
Finding an excuse to separate from Hayle and Pietro for a moment before lunch, she took Jenkins aside to hopefully put the first step forward in her plans. She didn't have to worry about those two overhearing what she had to say, so they only went as far as the entrance to the courtyard.
Standing under the shade of one of the trees, she took a moment to scan her surroundings. Making sure no one was within earshot of the conversation that was about to take place, Delphina turned to the automaton with a serious look on her face.
"Jenkins, we're having a Tournament after lunch, as you know. Why don't we invite the Captains to come along and watch? It would be good to have some guards who are impartial, just in case anything gets out of hand."
Placing his hands behind his back, Jenkins tilted his head in thought, taking his time before replying to her question.
My Lady, were you not listening to the information I provided in regards to the Soldiers?
Feeling somewhat contrite, Delphina nodded in response.
Then, as you know, that's not something I can do without the Duke's approval; it's also my personal opinion that they shouldn't go.
"Even if I told you there's a planned assault from assassins?"
Excuse me? My Lady, what exactly do you mean!?
Tucking another loose strand of hair behind her ear, she looked up into the canopy of the tree she stood under and watched the sunlight play across the peridot coloured leaves, before turning back towards Jenkins.
"It's just as I said. Sir Burgess, Pietro, and I are all aware of a small group of highly trained assassins who have infiltrated and plan to attack at some point this afternoon or evening."
"It seems our impromptu Tournament threw off any plans they had, and they've integrated themselves into the Knights that are currently setting up for it."
Taking a step closer, she leant forward slightly to look up from underneath her eyelashes at him. Seemingly unaware of how beautiful her eyes looked as the colours interplayed from red to purple in the dappled shade.
"Now do you understand why I asked?"