Cinia Pacifica Posts

Upon waking Roland felt an unexpectedly soft sensation under his head.

Strange, I don’t remember falling asleep in a bed, he thought as he recalled how he collapsed upon reaching the top of the tower. Opening his eyes sleepily, he saw two shapely white peaches hanging directly above him and shut them again instantly. Where am I? But it does feel so comfortable… not important right now! Did she put me here on her own? What do I do now? Immediately wide awake, his mind was racing to comprehend the situation he was in. Slowly he opened his eyes again and found the Duchess staring down at him.

“Good morning?” he offered uncertainly, still on her lap.

“Good morning,” Frederica greeted too. “Have a nice sleep?”

“It was quite refreshing,” he replied, still frozen in place.

“You want to continue resting?”

“I think I am ready to get up.” Roland rolled off the Duchess’ lap.

When Roland got up and looked around, he found out that they were in fact located in a garden. There were roses and sunflowers in every direction he looked. There were very long windows instead of walls. The ceiling seemed to contain an ancient round portrait of twelve unique people, but some of their faces were gone purely from rusting and exhaustion by the weather.

“It seems like this floor has no books,” the Duchess observed. “It is a very unique place. I did not fully explore it, however, seeing as there is furniture here which is strange for a garden. I could not see through everything. I was waiting for you to be awake as well.”

“Is there anything that might give us a lead as to who resides in this tower?”

“I would rather question if they still exist. It may be morbid to find a skeleton.”

“While it is a possibility, I hope not. I would very much like to meet the keeper of such an amazing library.”

The Duchess got up and they started exploring. Traversing through the flowers and the grass, there seemed to be butterflies flying about here and there—something Roland had not seen in this Realm till now.

All kinds of questions was coming to his mind as he was walking, but all of them seemed to be gone when he found a girl seated before a piano, sleeping soundly. She possessed flowing long and unkempt blonde hair and wore a simple white one-piece. Her head was adorned with a circlet made with some flowers. Some wings could be seen on her back, wings reminiscent of that of insects. What surrounded this mysterious person was a flock of lilies.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hfvhykTAfo)

Roland was curious who the girl was but felt it would be rude to wake her up. Stepping quietly so as to not disturb her, he walked up to take a closer look at where she was sleeping.

“Who… is it?” The person woke up—despite the young scholar’s best attempt to be silent—looking up to her piano with a sleepy face.

“My name is Roland, may I have your name?” Roland greeted her politely.

She turned towards Roland slowly.

“A human being…” the woman said, still wearing a dazed expression. “A human?!” She was now really awake apparently. “Is my mind playing tricks on me or do I have visitors?”

Frederica looked at Roland and Roland looked at Frederica. The Duchess shrugged and the younger researcher simply looked back at her.

“We are humans and we are visitors,” Roland confirmed, a bit surprised at how shocked she appeared to be. “While I understand humans are rare in this Realm, is it that rare for visitors to stop by this tower? I would imagine such an amazing library would draw the interest of many.”

“No, I have had no visitor for centuries!” the person told them, very excited. “Please, make yourselves comfortable, albeit I do not have any tea or snacks to provide for you humans. I apologise.”

“Centuries? What is this place?” he asked only slightly surprised. The amazing selection and floating staircase deathtrap had already tipped him off that this tower might not be that normal. “Also do not worry about the refreshment, however I still have not caught your name yet.”

“Ahh, my name is G—Sherry, and this is the Bibliotheca.”

At her words Roland’s eyes grew wide, possibly wider than they had ever been in his life. Bounding forward he clasped Sherry’s hands, staring intently at her. “The Bibliotheca?” he asked incredulously. So giddy he could not control himself he pranced around the flower field twirling about. “Who would have thought, we did not just stumble upon a great library but the great library.” Falling onto his back amongst the lilies he let out a fulfilled sigh. “If I could spend the rest of my life just reading what is hidden amongst the shelves here, I would be able to die satisfied.”

“No… no wonder there are so many books here. It is awfully huge as well. To think the library was actually located in the Faerie Realm instead of the Human World, or the Magic Realm for that matter.” Frederica spoke with a similar tone of incredulity too. But this does not make sense. If it was always here, how did the ancient scholars of Greek know about it…?

Sherry rubbed her own hands, specifically where she had been touched. It was a sensation she hadn’t felt for countless years, and a smile naturally made way to her face due to this realisation.

“Yes, Apollodorus created three libraries sanctioned under this name. I would not recommend dying here, but please enjoy your stay,” Sherry replied with a warm smile.

“Haha, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration,” Roland replied, picking himself up and walking back to the piano. “However if it is as you say, does that means there are two other libraries as amazing as this to be found? Also if you do not mind me asking, how did you come to be the keeper of this one?”

“Mn… I suppose so, yes. The are other two Mystic Realms, yes? They have the other two libraries,” Sherry answered.

“Mystic Realms?” Frederica enquired.

“Mhm. The abode of the angels and the abode of the demons, respectively.”


“Different terms, I see.”

“Do you know where they might be found there?” Roland asked.

“Yes, a book had the instructions, after all,” Sherry answered.

“Have you read all the books here?”

“I have read all the books in all three libraries. I always re-read every book in this library to refresh my memories, but I cannot say the same for the other two.”

“Teacher! No, Master! Please share your wisdom with me!” Roland exclaimed, assuming a respectful groveling position at her feet.

“So I suppose you do not remember much of the knowledge you learned from the other two libraries?” Frederica questioned.

“I apologise if you were seeking information from the other two towers. Apollodorus wanted to organize the libraries such that they would be in appropriate locations based on the knowledge of the books. I do not have the Circlet of Wisdom after all.”

“Circlet of Wisdom?” Roland asked, looking up.

Sherry looked down and smiled.

“Oh please, get back up. The Circlet of Wisdom was the gift of Divine Knowledge. It is also the keeper of memories. This was the legendary gift granted to the host of Leo.”

“It sounds like quite the curious relic, do you have any leads as to where it resides now?” Roland asked as he lifted his head and assumed a relaxed sitting posture.

“As I answered, it was gifted to the host of Leo.”

“Ahaha… the Leo huh?” Frederica laughed nervously.

“I had the slight hope it had been lost to the ages so I might try hunting it for study, though.” Roland turned towards Frederica. “It seems you know who that Descendant is?”

“No, I do not. How would I?” Frederica denied instantly. “Leo has not been heard for ages now.” He is sharp…

“My mistake, it sounded like you may have dealt with them before. It sounds like the Circlet is just as lost as Leo though that may be for the best. Being given all the answers would take the fun out of being a researcher.” He turned back to Sherry. “You mentioned you read every book in this library. Do you think you could help me with this one?” Roland took out the constellation-adorned book that had caught his eye earlier. “It is written in a language I cannot understand.”

“Of course, that is the book about Descendants I believe, written by the child Zeus.”

“Could you tell me of its contents and author?”

“The author was my relative and the contents are a glossary of terms related to the Descendants, and their general details.”

“To think such a thing exists…” Frederica remarked. “We hit the jackpot it seems.”

Roland heard her but at the moment his attention was drawn by a different detail concerning the book. “When you mentioned Zeus previously, by any chance were you referring to the one known as the God of thunder?” he asked Sherry. “It is hard to imagine a mortal being having the knowledge to write such a book.”

“Mortal being? Well, I knew Zeus as Zeus… I don’t really know about the God of thunder.”

“Did the Zeus you knew have a tendency to throw lightning around? And have two brothers and three sisters?”

“I do not know about lightning but he had a huge family.” Sherry made a pained smile. “He was also the one who locked me in this tower.”

“I am sorry if this may sound strange but… have you gone by the name Gaia in the past?”

“I suppose I have been found out.”

“I think you were supposed to ignore that part,” Frederica told Roland with a rare sigh.

“I could not resist asking. Though fear not, we have met no Gaia, only a kind Sherry who showed us much hospitality as we took shelter here. Though I am sorry for thoughtlessly asking how you became the keeper of the tower earlier. It sounds like it may be a painful memory.”

“It’s fine, I am thankful that I have visitors. I hardly ever meet people. The world is a distant memory to me.”

“While the time I can stay in this Realm is limited due to being human, I would very much like to come back again to talk with you at length if you will have me. While it may not replace going outside yourself, at the very least I can bring you news of what is happening. Although in honesty it may be best to not know.

“I think it is fine to not come to me… it must’ve been tough to come up here from all the way down.” Sherry, or rather, Gaia, placed a finger on Roland’s forehead, his bruises from clashing against the invisible walls healing and becoming as good as new.

“Think nothing of it, rarely is something worth doing easy.” Roland made a motion gripping his arm to show his strength. “As long as you are not just trying to politely send me away. I understand I may have come across a bit crass before. Often I lose myself when there is much to be learned in front of me.”

Gaia chuckled. “I will be happy to receive a visitor any time. If you do decide to risk coming here, please use this.” She took off a bangle she was wearing and handed it to Roland. “Charge it with mana and it can bring you to me.”

“How nice,” Frederica said, patting Roland on his head. “Very nice.”

“Thank you. Might it be possible to use it for multiple people at once? If you do not mind I may bring other visitors with me for you to meet.”

“As long as they connect with you before the transfer is made. Be mindful of the Warping levels however…”

“Is it due to the amount of Spiritual Energy here?” Frederica enquired.

“Yes, this tower is particularly full of this aura inside… it is best for most to stay out.” Sherry looked down in dismay. “It can be dangerous.”

“I said I would return and I intend to honour that promise,” Roland said, trying to cheer her up. “I just need to be careful of how long I stay.”

“Well, Warping levels do not go down so that can be a problem,” the Duchess said.

“You mentioned with exposure you were able to increase your tolerance to the Faerie Realm, so maybe it’s possible to acclimate to the tower to reduce the rate of warping.”

“Except that this tower is worse if you ask me,” Frederica argued. “The Warping rate could be affecting us, but we cannot tell. I had to survive through three bouts with the Twilight phase, but I do not think many are lucky with those things.”

“True, but to return here I believe would be worth the risk. Not to mention with my unstable magic I constantly run the risk of Twilight, so I have come to accept that I may be struck by it at any time. If I live paralyzed by the fear, I can never move forward.”

“I would still say for the sake of your lif—”

“Oh, how about we just bring her with us?” Frederica suggested. “She is a walking encyclopedia anyway.”

Roland turned to Sherry, “Is there a way we could help you leave?”

“I… I think you would have to have to break the barriers that are planted below, since they are especially sensitive about me.”

“Shall we get to work?” Roland said, turning to the Duchess.

“May as well.” The Duchess took out a few of her vis.

“Eh? How would you break them without magic of the ancients?” Sherry asked.

“I know a few,” Frederica answered.

“I may also have something that may help, though to use it I would need the Duchess to keep a secret.”

“So basically you want to use a Supreme spell illegally?” the Duchess enquired.

“For a good cause but... yes,” Roland replied in a matter of fact tone.

“Very well,” the Duchess said. “I shall ignore and pretend that it was not cast before me.”

“If it helps you could turn the other way and plug your ears,” Roland offered. “I shall start since I will probably need a short while to rest after casting this.” He walked over to the opening in the center where the stairwell met the garden.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled up his sleeves and stood motionless as he began to channel mana into the precious stone implanted in each bracer. A pool of water began to spill out from where he stood until it covered an area roughly ten meters across. Suddenly in motion, he kneeled down and thrust his palms onto the surface of the water, a complex magic circle spreading out across the surface. Two huge dragon of water rose out of the water the moment he struck, one on either side of him. With a fierce roar the twin dragons rose into the air intertwining and dove down into the hole. There was a mighty cracking noise as the dragons contacted the barrier, it giving a moment's resistance before being ripped away. Beads of sweat appeared on his furrowed brow as he struggled to maintain the concentration required to control the spell. The dragons continued tearing through the stairwell breaking through each ward encountered until Roland’s strength waned and he could sustain it no longer. Falling onto his back he asked, “Did I make it to the bottom?” too exhausted to get up to check.

“About twenty floors…?” Frederica guessed.

“I was hoping for more but at least it is a start,” Roland replied, still on his back. “If you do not mind I will be laying here, trying to recover for if I must cast that spell again.” The cool water created by the spell felt comfortable after the intense exertion.

“I call up to the Guardian of the Heavens. The brilliant bird of justice that soars with grace. I pray that radiance be granted unto the darkness I peer through before me.”

A portal of gold seemed to form before the Duchess, overlooking the circular hollow hole that was full of the staircases below it. The lights falling from it intensified with every moment, and the barriers made with Spiritual Energies started to melt under it.

“Do you think that did it or are there still some left?” Roland asked, still supine.

“I… I think it did.”

“Seems it is time to go then. The way down should be easier with those pesky barriers out of the way,” Roland picked himself off the ground. “If you want to rest for a while, I am going to scout the way down. If there are any barriers that remain, it would be dangerous to go down with Sherry since they will react more strongly to her.”

“I think I would be a better candidate, considering a single Supreme spell is not tiresome, and I can sense the Spiritual Energies. In all honesty though, we should simply start descending. We could take care of the remnants as we go.”

“Very well.” Roland turned to Sherry, “Shall we leave this place? Though before we do, I did have a question. Would it be okay if we bring some books from the library with us?”

“Of course. They are not mine so I do not really mind,” Sherry answered. She seemed to be in a good mood that she was finally getting to leave the library.

“Do you know where we might find more on the topic of Descendants and their Representatives that we could grab on our way down? Also, though this is just my personal indulgence: what would you recommend as the greatest anthology of heroic legends here?”

“Hm… I think there are some books of recordings about certain Descendants. Like the books about Leviathan and Gorgon. As for the anthologies… perhaps the records of Perseus’ deeds? There is also the saga of Troy… hmm, I also remember a book about Athena’s heroics for the world, but I think that book is no longer here.”

“It sounds like there will not be much more there than we already found so I will avoid taking up our time with the side trip. Do you have much to bring with you from here? I can help you carry it down.”

“I do not really have any belongings.” Sherry smiled. “Thank you for the offer, though.”

“Let us be off then.”

With the Duchess leading the way, they stepped onto the top stairwell and the long descent thus began. The group of three made their way down across the floating staircases carefully, being mindful of any wards that might remain. After what seemed like hours, they were once again on the bottom floor.

“So… this tower. I feel like I have crossed this planet before in my previous visit, but I do not remember seeing it.” The Duchess turned to Sherry, her gaze very inquisitive. “How was it that we found it now? If you were here for a long time, it could not have been built recently.”

“This tower has an invisibility function. To prevent people from getting me out of here… that makes me wonder how you two got in,” Sherry answered, inquisitive herself now.

“When we were flying by, the tower was completely visible,” Roland answered. “We came inside to take shelter from a storm. If the external conditions might have something to do with why the invisibility failed...”

“An abnormality in function due to the weather could only mean…” Sherry had a terrified look on her face.

“Is there something we should be wary of?” Roland asked, on guard seeing her expression. Suddenly he felt a tap on his back. Spinning around he jumped back slightly to create space and position himself between the mysterious individual and the two ladies, his arms up prepared to fight.

Unfortunately, it was useless to resist, as a hand larger than his entire body caught him and picked him up.

“So you were hiding after all… Cronus!” Sherry exclaimed, looking up at the titan come up from the hollow hole that was at the centre of the floor.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqnHO1L52Ec)

A loud roar escaped past the lips of the titan, the floor trembling at its might.

“Roland!” the Duchess called out, stepping before Sherry. “To think Cronus still lives today… Well perhaps not for long.”

“From those reactions I’m guessing he is not a friend,” Roland shouted. Forming a blade of ice, he tried to stab into the giant hand holding him but it shattered against the skin of the titan.

“That did not even make a scratch…” the Duchess said, her mouth agape.

“We have to free him and flee this tower,” Sherry shouted, but it didn’t seemed like she could fight.

Before the Duchess could make a move, the titan landed, crushing the wooden floor where they were standing, but the noble lady stepped away in the nick of time.

“You know, I think your son could use some manners about now.”

The Duchess’ body burned with a fiery aura, and she once more displayed the same spell she showed when she crossed the river some days ago. Like a bullet, Frederica struck against the chest of the titan, a resounding roar escaping its throat again, pushing it back but only slightly. Fortunately for Roland, Cronus’ grip was loosened and he managed to free himself.

“Run for the exit!” Roland shouted as he dove for the floor, chanting at he fell. Upon landing he turned and raised his hand and creating countless blades of ice in the air. Pointing towards Cronus, all the shards flew towards the eyes of the titan. With his forearm, the titan blocked the shards that seemed to barely make any scratches.

The Duchess outstretched her hand and the broomstick flew up from the corner—where she placed it when they entered the tower—and mounted it, flying up to Roland and Sherry.

Scooping up Sherry with one arm, he leapt onto the broom and fastened his other arm around the Duchess. “Fly!” he shouted desperately. With a nod, the Duchess applied mana to the broom and with a roar from the end of it, they broke out through the wooden door.

The world felt truly spacious here in the Faerie Realm when Roland spent three days with the Duchess on a broomstick in flight. Throughout the voyage, the planets they seemed to pass by were mostly empty or full of forests. However, like the first planet, they might’ve been hiding things underneath behind the trees. It was rather tiresome but the Duchess was relentless, and so they’d only come down to a planet to set up a fire, eat, and sleep.

However, Roland saw a tower while passing by one of the planets. This large white tower stood out. Curious that it might be a sign they were drawing closer to Solomon, Roland asked the Duchess if she knew of the tower, but she answered that she didn’t.

“Could it have anything to do with our destination?” Roland wondered what the gleaming pillar was doing on its lonesome among the wilderness.

“Not as far as I know…” the Duchess said, looking at it curiously. “I do not remember seeing this before.”

“You were last here ten years ago, right? Seems strange such a huge structure could have been built in such a remote area during that time. Shall we fly by to take a quick look?”

“Either we took a different passage or this was built recently. I actually remember going past this planet of water before,” the Duchess said. “Just not this tower. Are you sure that you want to take a look?”

“Yes!” Roland replied instantly with enthusiasm. What he had heard of it only served to fuel his reckless curiosity, and it had completely taken hold. “But maybe carefully,” he added after remembering his previous experiences in the Realm.

The Duchess gave a wry smile and a chuckle that was full of her hesitation. They heard a thundering noise and looked up. The clouds were starting to get darker and darker.

“Well, this looks bad…”

“Quite ominous indeed. Tower investigation or not, it may be best to land until the storm passes.”

“Very well…”

Landing onto the planet of water, there was hardly much terrain for them to go to. When the rain started, the two ended up having to enter the tower regardless, for they had nothing else to shelter them.







The inside of the tower was very dark and Roland could feel a wooden floor under his shoes. It was exceptionally quiet and it didn’t seem like anyone was there other than they themselves so far.

Little did the two know that the tower vanished from plain sight while they were inside.

“Do you have any light?” Roland asked the Duchess as he stumbled around in the darkness waiting for his eyes to adjust.

“Maybe if we could find a wooden stick to burn. I do not want to consume vis.”

“Could there be torches to light on the wall?” Roland wondered aloud as he walked over and began running his hand over the stone feeling for detail. He suddenly bumped into something wooden, but it did not feel like a torch. “I found something over here,” he called out to the Duchess.

“Are you alright?” the Duchess asked as Roland got up. She put out her hand and faced its palm up before a ball of fire formed atop it, a basic Ignem application. She ended up having to consume vis after all.

Roland and Frederica looked closely, they then nodded to each other. The Duchess made the fire bigger and brighter. What was revealed were shelves. Many shelves, full of books—countless books. They were inside a library.

“This is amazing,” Roland breathed as he looked around in awe. On instinct he moved to take a book off of a shelf to look at but stopped short at the last moment, remembering how defensive Faeries could be of their knowledge. “I wonder who the keeper of this library is?”

“This…” the Duchess looked up. “This is….”

“What is it?” Roland asked before also looking up.

“This is marvelous!” The Duchess’ eyes were sparkling when Roland walked before her to look up to her.

It was official—the Duchess had fallen at last to the call of curiosity.

A smile appeared on Roland’s face seeing his companion entranced by their surroundings, but the loss of the voice of caution in the party slightly worried him.

“We have time while we wait out the storm. If you wish to begin indulging, I will look around to see if there is anyone else here.”

“Let us get cracking on these tomes, my dear assistant!” The Duchess pointed at the shelve like a captain ordering a sailor. “Take out the tomes!” She started pulling some out for herself before Roland could even process the words in his mind.

Not used to being the one promoting caution and sensing there would be no getting through to the Duchess in her current state, he gave up the role and began leafing through the tomes too.

“Hmm…” Frederica was holding a monocle as she was reading. “This seems to involve anatomy of the Faeries! We need some blank paper and pens…”

“Here,” Roland said without looking up from his book, holding out a notebook and pencil taken from his pack of research materials.

“I suppose you do not have a pen?”

“Only pencils.”

“I shall make do.” The Duchess scribbled down details of great import with swift and graceful speed as she burned through the pages with her eyes. “So a Faerie has a completely different system that routes their brain with the rest of their body… what? It is no wonder that they think so differently.”

“Hmm…” Roland acknowledged absentmindedly, absorbed in his own readings. Not being outdone, he was also taking rapid notes from his own tome at an equal or greater pace albeit less gracefully, writing in messy scribbles likely to be illegible to anyone else. “The mana currents that flow around the Realm are fascinating!” he exclaimed as he finished with the book. “It seems there are some regions perpetually obscured by clouds. I wonder what might be hidden there.”

“Let us move on to new books.” Frederica picked up another tome. “I want to record more useful information.”

The two continued like so, recording and sharing information as the piles of books around them grew ever higher. Grimoires of magic, novels of action and romance, treatises on history and philosophy, the library seemed to contain every type of book imaginable. Roland greedily devoured them all, reading each to the end before starting the next. His trance-like state of concentration was finally broken when he stumbled upon a book concerning their future research topic: Representatives.

“I think I found something that may be of particular interest to us,” he called out to the Duchess.

The Duchess placed down a book. “I believe I found something important too….”

“Sorry for interrupting, however, this concerns our planned research. This book details both the mechanisms and reasons behind the creation of the Representative system.” He passed her the book so she might also take a look. While she did so, he searched the area near where he had found the book to see if there was more to be found on the topic. A particularly ancient-looking tome adorned with the constellations caught his eye. Flipping through, he found it was in a language he could not read so he held onto it to ask the Duchess about it afterward.

“This is very interesting… perhaps we’ve made a breakthrough… is what I would like to say,” the Duchess began, as she stopped scribbling after some time. “We still cannot seem to learn why the Representatives use spells.”

The book illustrated various traits about the Representatives. It detailed how the creation of a Representative worked, describing various rituals. There were twelve different rituals for each of the Zodiac symbols and the tome hinted that there were requirements to become a Representative of a Descendant. Generally the requirements seemed to include mutual understanding and trust. Unfortunately, full details of the rituals and the requirements were not available.

“While on its own the book might not explain why, further study into the rituals by which Commandments are granted may help reveal the true nature of the powers of the Descendants. The knowledge that the rituals were created rather than having always existed alongside the Celestial Spirits is invaluable. For the system to have been created means there must be a logic behind their powers which can be understood and possibly manipulated.”

“I believe that part about the Celestial Spirits may have been read wrong. A matter of perspective perhaps, but it seems to say that the Celestial Spirits themselves created these rituals to appoint a Representative. I had no idea that Representatives were made for marriages or having familial members, or heroes either.”

“Even if the creators of the system were the Celestial Spirits, their necessity to follow such a ritual is curious. If it is more than just a whim, then if how the Celestial Spirit’s powers are bequeathed to a host can be understood, it might be possible to disrupt the connection, if only temporarily. Of course this line of research may prove fruitless or the means to do so beyond human capability even if understood, but with the destructive power of some Commandments I believe it is worth pursuing.”

“It likely is. Breaking the connection would be extremely useful, in fact. It would be a great start to have a theory at least, even if we do not uncover the fact from the abundant knowledge from this library. It may make dozens of Representatives out there almost useless—provided that there is a dozen of them at all.”

“Even more so than disrupting the power of Representatives, if it could be understood and applied against Descendants themselves… but talk like that is getting ahead of myself.”

“That would be a dream come true I suppose—”

There was a loud thunder and the two jolted up from it as the floor shook.

“Seems the storm is right on top of us,” Roland noted, listening intently.

“That was too close for comfort.”

“It probably also does not help we are in what is very definitely the tallest structure in the region.”

“I feel like we lost ourselves overmuch in the search for knowledge. I apologise for my outburst.”

“I cannot fault you for I was indulging just as much. Though there is not much else to do while the storm rages, shall we continue?”

“We should check out this library more thoroughly before we indulge in this trove of knowledge. I would like to confirm whether it is safe to be here.”

“Very well.”

The two started walking around, and as they traversed more and more, they came to learn that this was actually a very spacious place. There were faint lights from above them apparently; there were windows all the way in the top floor.

“We should find a way to get to the top. I feel like there are other things here…”

“Shall we split up and search for a staircase?”

“No…” the Duchess said, raising her arm—and thus her orb of flame—up. “There are floating staircases or do my eyes deceive me?”

Following her gaze upwards, Roland saw a complex network of stairs above occasionally shifting their configuration. “Unless both our eyes are playing tricks on us that appears to be.” Seeing the puzzle, his mind immediately set about trying to plot a course to the top. “It looks like the trip up will be quite interesting.”

The Duchess placed a finger to the side of her head, activating a certain spell, but Roland could not tell that it was applied at all.

“There are barriers placed across the space so I suppose trying to fly up to the top may get us killed at worst.”

Internally Roland was glad but he tried not let it show. “Shall we find the start?” Roland said, enthusiastic to test his wit.

As they continued searching the floor they found a large hole at the center of the room over which the stairs of the tower floated. At the edge of the abyss was the first staircase leading up. As they climbed, the sections shifted, connecting with others to form different paths up and down.

When Roland tried to climb through a particular staircase, an invisible wall was touched and with a thunderous roar he was pushed down to a staircase below him, that was luckily just below, otherwise he may have fallen into the deep abyss.

“This is why you ask before moving,” the Duchess shouted down and looked back up. “Well, be careful not to fall… not that you need to know. I would advise that you cling to the railing as you proceed.”

“Duly noted,” Roland replied dryly, rubbing the bruises from his fall. “I guess I will see you at the top.”

After some minutes, Roland kept going up and above the space and staircases. Most of it was about waiting. There were at least three times when he was almost tossed back down, but the Duchess’ idea proved to be effective.

He soon came across a dilemma. There were three roads as the staircase connection. One seemed to lead to a flat floor giving access to more books, while the front one would take him above, and the right one would take back down.

Roland was tempted to take a look at the books, but looking up he saw the Duchess was located far above. Deciding it was best not to waste any time he hurried up the staircase in front of him.

By the time Roland seemed to reach around the eightieth floor, an entire day seemed to have passed. By this point, the storm was still going on but he was hungry and exhausted. Battered by repeatedly crashing into barriers, he decided to take a moment to rest before continuing. Looking up he was heartened to find he could finally see the top though there was still a long way to go. Steeling himself, he gathered his remaining stamina and dragged himself up the remaining floors before finally collapsing at the top.

Being in the town of Cielo sounded exciting to Roland. It indeed was exciting, yet the wind was twice as harsh when he made it. All the houses were floating in the sky. Apparently, Cielo was not on a planet, it was a floating town. Every structure was covered with a lot of black iron rods and he was not sure what the mechanism behind it was, but it helped them maintain gravity perhaps. The citizens used brooms that were apparently magically enhanced to fly around and travel. It was a very busy and congested place from what he saw.

Getting a sense of vertigo looking down the steep drop where a road would normally be, Roland stepped away from the edge.

“Will we also be obtaining brooms to travel?” he asked the Duchess as he looked around for any other way off the floating platform they had disembarked onto.

“We shall rent one of those. No other way to travel here,” Frederica answered. “If you easily get scared of height or aren’t used to flying, send your prayers I suppose.”

“No complaints here, they look quite fun to ride,” Roland replied, trying to put on a brave front to mask his anxiousness. The stomach churning drop into the deep blue did make him nervous but the anticipation of flying freely through the sky on one of those brooms was enough to overcome it.

“May I have one of those?” Frederica asked a seller at the vendor in the corner of the room.

There were several shops inside. When Roland exited the ship, he was basically inside a room of sorts with shops. There was another door and beyond it was the exit from what it seemed, albeit he saw nothing but the sky and another structure just ahead.

“One gold coin.” The vendor looked like a brown-skinned goblin.

“Last time I was here we bought one for two silver coins.”


“Take it or leave it!”

The Duchess rolled her eyes and paid the gold coin. The vendor greedily accepted the coin and a broom was handed to her. Frederica gestured Roland to follow and she held it straight after putting it down.

“So, we have to share this. I hope you can get yourself comfortable in this space.” The broom seemed to be only big enough, and just barely long enough for three.

“It looks like there will be more than enough space so long as we do not have another passenger.” Roland walked over to the broom, examining it. “Is steering difficult or might I try my hand at it?”

“You would get us killed, I believe.”

“Maybe in more open skies then,” Roland conceded, moving to the back.

“Up to you.” Frederica smiled. Perhaps one of these days he would need to learn the lesson. She sat down in the middle and urged him sit behind her. “I have this feeling that things may get a bit rough.”

Sitting behind her, Roland hesitated wondering where he should hold on. Deciding safety was worth more than his pride he wrapped his arms awkwardly around her waist, taking care not to reach too high or too low.

The Duchess seemed to not mind him wrapping his arms around her, as that was the reason why she had him sit behind her. Without warning, the Duchess channeled her mana into the broom and the end of it started glowing before they took off into the windy space.

Roland could feel his skin bending backwards, especially around his mouth when he felt the wind. It was unimaginably fast. The feeling was exhilarating. Like the wind rushing by, his reservations about flying on the broom were blown away as soon as they started moving. The wind stinging his eyes he squinted, trying to catch bits of the scenery in the blur passing on both sides, and he held on tighter to the Duchess so as not to fall.

After they had traveled a few minutes he shouted, to be heard over the wind, “Where are we headed?”

Just three seconds after Roland spoke, the speed started to get slower and slower and they soon started to reach a pace that was not exactly comfortable, but bearable.

“To an old friend I know,” Frederica shouted in return. “She might know where we can go. Even if we have the bearings here, we cannot exactly tell the directions as you can see.”

“What manner of friend is she?” Roland asked, curious to know about who she might know in the Faerie Realm.

“You will see. I feel like she will be able to answer a lot of questions you may have too, since she is knowledgeable. If you chew more than you can handle, however, she may pull a good one over you.”

“That seems to be a recurring theme here. Though I am even more interested in meeting your friend now after hearing you speak so highly of her.”

“Well, we are here. Do you know about the laws in this Realm in detail?”

“I cannot say I do. Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of?”

“I feel like it will be difficult to explain, so just… do not make many comments about her looks.”

“I will prepare for anything but I would like to think I have enough tact to not offend a lady due to her appearance,” Roland replied, slightly hurt that she seemed to have so little faith in his ability to be polite.

Stopping by at one of the floating structures, the Duchess and Roland stopped at a platform that seemed to be made specifically for landing the broom. They had some space to walk before reaching the door afterwards. Frederica rang the bell. Some moments later, the door opened mysteriously on its own and the pair walked inside.

Inside was a woman dressed in nothing but leaves. The orange leaves gave the impression of autumn, and the woman hardly gave them a look as they made themselves comfortable inside.

There was furniture that seemed to be like any other human household’s, but it was much more old and uncomfortable, being wooden and all.

“Brought with you a child now, I see. What you seek, I think I know?”

“Oh? Do you now?”

“The King of the world, yes?”

“You are as quick as ever, Leanan Sidhe,” Frederica said.

Quietly listening off to the side, Roland stirred upon hearing the name of the woman. It was a name he had heard before in folklore before, and there she was not mentioned particularly favorably. Could be a coincidence, he thought to himself, but that new snippet of information combined with the previous warning of the Duchess was enough to put him slightly on guard.

The Duchess placed a gold coin on top of the wooden table of Leanan Sidhe, which mysteriously crumbled into nothing the next moment.

“Travel north—find His Majesty with the mind rather than with eyes—and you shall meet His Majesty. A mood very bad His Majesty has now. Tread with care.”

“Has something happened within his dominion to sour his mood?” Roland chimed in, worried about what might have happened with the great King and particularly what effect it might have on his quest to be recognised as the true owner of the relic. “Is there something we might be able to do to aid him?”

“Died not a Descendant the King wished dead.”

“I see.” Roland let the matter drop, not wanting to bring up memories painful for the Duchess by talking more of the recent catastrophe.

“I have nothing more to ask,” the Duchess said in English. “If you have questions for her, feel free to ask.”

“If you do not mind me taking up some of our time then,” he replied to the Duchess also in English before turning to Leanan Sidhe and asking in Latin once more, “Is there anything you could tell me of the legends of this Realm?”

“Legends? Exist in forms of thousands they do. What knowledge shall seek you out today?”

“Had I time I would like nothing more that to listen to all the stories you could tel,l but today my interest lies in two: the origin of the floating rivers and the legendary isle of Avalon.”

“Rivers—path to the Heavens broken and scarred eternally—roads to worlds anew, links to worlds old.”

Hearing this, Roland was quite surprised. Could the Faerie and Dominion Realms once have been directly linked, and what could have caused them to separate? And if so did other worlds refer to uncharted Realms? He made a mental note to ask the Duchess if she or someone she knew had magic to see through boundaries later as the woman in front of him continued to speak.

“Avalon… passed have years had I heard the name of land of blades and sorrow and retreat. Avalon—the sanctuary of the of ancient ruler, lieth beyond the corpses of the sacrificed and the deceived. King Arthur’s final retreat made it the holy path to this world.”

“Do you know where it lies or how it may be found? While there may be nothing to be gained from going there, I still dream of seeing the fairy hill and birthplace of the holy sword with my own eyes.”

“Strange are the ways of the world. Truth—obscured it remains and sealed. The world would rather forget it altogether.”

Roland fell silent as he deciphered her cryptic words. “I suppose I must wait for it to appear once more or seek the entrance from the other side. The world may wish to forget but I will not be easily deterred,” he finally proclaimed. “Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. While currently we are pressed for time, may I one day return to listen to more of what you know?”

“Come with the payment and ye shall receive, the treasure ye seek.”

“I will do so.” Turning to the Duchess he switched back to English. “Sorry for using up so much time, shall we head North to seek out the King?”

“Yes.” The Duchess stood up and made a strange gesture before she turned, said something in a language he didn’t know, and walked away, signalling for Roland to follow her.

When the two went out of the house and got on the broom, they started flying north from the town of Cielo, on their way to King Solomon now.

“Was that the Leanan Sidhe of Celtic folklore?” Roland asked the Duchess shortly after they had left the house.

“Who else do you think it would be? This Realm holds all of the Sidhe’s, including an entire tribe of them.”

“Not quite what I expected, meeting a figure from legend living in such a quaint abode.”

“I am sure that you would look forward to meeting the King then.”

“A bit less humble with his dwelling?”

“I wonder about that.”

“Guess it will be a surprise then. Either way it will be interesting to see how the wise King lives.”

Roland and the Duchess found themselves in a town. There were round structures around the place, but it was not exactly similar to the towns Roland knew back in the Human World. The cobblestone roads had many stalls on each side as the Duchess and himself progressed. It was seemingly a marketplace on the corner of the town. The houses were each very large, and it seemed like enough to shelter hundreds from a first glance.

Of course, the two were getting strange looks for being there, as the only two humans.

He saw some signposts that were actually having their scripts change magically in Latin. It seemed like it was giving directions for the passage. At first it wrote “market” to signify where they were. Then they mentioned what read like “academy” and the “road.”

Roland noted all kinds of Faeries across the place. They looked very much like humans but they had their traits that clearly distinguished them from the race he knew. The Faeries notably had their horns. Some others had very blue eyes, and it seemed like their entire pupils were blue rather than the irises. He even saw some with fins which looked rather strange with the rest of their body. He soon recognised these Faeries as members of the tribe of Undine, seeing that everyone here were very beautiful and pale people with the aforementioned qualities he inspected.

Fighting the urge to ogle the residents, Roland took in the scene around him. He was very much interested in exploring the market and the academy mentioned by the sign but the fatigue of the long journey had finally caught up with him. “Shall we find somewhere we might rest for a while and grab a bite to eat before gathering information around town?” he proposed to the Duchess.

“I see you finally ran out of steam.” The Duchess chuckled. “There should be some inns around for us to rest in.”

“I would not count me out quite yet,” Roland responded with a sly smile. “I have every intention to find all this village has to offer after our break.”

“I stand corrected,” Frederica said in jest.

The two found an inn after a few minutes. Another round house, but it was much smaller compared to the rest. Inside, the receptionist seemed like an old lady with blue pupils, and she eyed the two with what seemed like both curiosity and ire.

“Humans? Haven’t had them in a while,” she spoke in Latin.

The Duchess fluently spoke in the same language. “We would like to have two rooms for both of us please.”

“Hah. As if we have so many rooms to spare, young’un.”

Frederica was perplexed to be called young, but it somehow made her feel better.

“Really now?”


“One room for both. Take it or leave it.”


Slightly flustered, Roland glanced over to gauge the Duchess’ reaction. He certainly did not mind sharing a room with her but having spent most of his life either studying or helping in his family’s tavern patronised primarily by burly sailors, he had a distinct lack of experience dealing with women, particularly in close quarters. To say nothing of the fact she was also both his benefactor and a noble.

“If you wish to take the room alone I will seek out other accommodations,” he said, trying to be courteous.

“No, it is fine. You do not have their kind of coins, do you?”

“I had intended to camp on the outskirts of town if need be,” Roland admitted. “While I would not consider myself a survivalist by any stretch my travels have required me to sleep outside on occasion, and I have become quite used to it. Of course, I still prefer sleeping under a roof when possible.”

“Camping out possibly with goblins, you mean?”

“Ah, I had forgotten to consider that.” A red tinge appeared on his face as he recalled the events from earlier in the day with embarrassment. “With that in mind, I will gladly take up your offer to share the room,” he said bashfully.

“Haha, good to know safety is valued more than morals. We cannot have those in the way of living and learning.”

“With our lodgings set, shall we find food and set out to look around town?” Roland proposed, hastily trying to bury his embarrassment with a change of topic.

“We shall go to a tavern. Only good place to avoid working for food. At the moment, we do not have time to lose after all. We rest, rise up, and set off—that is the objective.”

Hearing mention of a tavern Roland perked up again, eager to see what differences there might be between one in the Faerie Realm and the one where he was raised. However, he could not ignore what he had seen on the sign in the market. “Might we make a quick stop at the academy here too before setting off?” he requested.

“The Academy? Why?”

“With such a grand repository of information nearby it would be a shame to not at least take a look. Might be easier to find tomes detailing Supreme spells with origins in Faerie Lore in the related Realm?” he insisted, bringing up their future research topic to try to convince the Duchess to indulge his curiosity.

“I have a bad feeling about it. While finding tomes is a good idea, I do not think they would be willing to lend… ”

“Might I ask the source of your bad feeling?” Roland enquired, stubbornly refusing to drop the matter. While he did not want to disregard the opinion of the Duchess, neither did he want to let the opportunity to see the academy, and particularly the library, of another Realm pass him by. “Does it have something to do with the rather lukewarm reception from the locals?” he asked, having noticed both in the market and at the inn they received looks that implied they were not particularly welcome.

“They do not like humans as you can see. People in an inn or a market would not mind us if we can pay for their goods, but think of the academy. What do you think would happen?”

“Do you believe they would detain or attack us?”

“Kill, to put it simply.”

At this, Roland fell silent. While he was reluctant to give up, it was not worth risking his life to see what might turn out to be a completely ordinary library. Neither did they have time to take out of their journey to work to win the Faeries’ favor to gain access as a friend. The right decision to make was clear, but that didn’t make it any easier. At a full minute of silence he spoke again saying only, “I understand,” with a slightly dejected look on his face.

When Roland looked beside himself, the Duchess was already gone. Having fetched the key and making her payment, she was already waiting outside.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, searching for a tavern, Roland spoke up asking, “Are all Faeries so hostile to humans or is it just the Undine tribe?”

“Undines are the least hostile of all.”

“But they would still kill us for simply looking around?”

“The academy, I think, is a serious matter for them. To them, their tomes, for instance, are precious. Do you think anyone would trust outsiders?”

“Put that way it is understandable,” Roland said, his glum mood dissipating as he viewed the situation from the Faeries’ viewpoint. After all, the desire to protect something precious is something I understand well, he thought, casting a glance down to his bracers. “Though one day, with more time I would very much like to return to attempt to gain their trust. If they place so much value in their tomes, who knows what secrets might be found in their pages. Not to mention what could be learned of the foundations of Aquam by conversing with Undine scholars.”

“There could be breakthroughs, or there could be nothing, but the risks do not make any of it worth it. I apologise if I disappoint you for not sharing your spirit.”

The two entered the tavern. There were Faeries serving what seemed like pristine, pure water along with some type of meat he’d never quite seen before.

Roland was a bit disappointed to find the tavern so ordinary but was glad for such a nostalgic sight. He did notice a distinct lack of the smell of alcohol which had been ever present back home but even with its absence, the tavern seemed boisterous as any he had seen. Settling comfortably into the atmosphere he was well-acquainted with, he motioned for the Duchess to follow him before sitting down at an empty table and signaling a waitress.

The Duchess signalled for him to just stay where he was and started speaking with the owner while a waitress eventually approached Roland.

“Yes?” the beautiful Undine waitress asked.

“May I have a glass of water and a menu for both me and my companion?” he ordered politely, then leaning in with curious eyes asked, “Also, know of any local stories or legends of this area?”

The waitress handed Roland the menu but apologised. “I’m afraid I am too busy to chat, but I’ll get the water now.”

“Ah, I understand,” Roland said, looking down at the table, slightly crestfallen but still determined. “Might you—” he began, looking up again.

Unfortunately for him, the waitress was already away. The Duchess seemed to be chatting with the owner, and soon the waitress placed two large glasses of water and hurried off to other tables.

The pure, cool water refreshed him, washing away the fatigue of the many hours spent traveling. Taking occasional sips he surveyed the tavern, taking a closer look at the patrons while he waited for the Duchess to finish her business with the owner.

After the Duchess was done in about ten minutes, she sat beside him. “Is the water… okay?”

Roland looked at the Duchess with a strange look, surprised at the question. He had downed around half his glass so far and thought he felt nothing off. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“If you are alright I suppose it is fine, but, just in case…” the Duchess took a scent of the water, then dipped a finger and placed a drop on her tongue. “Okay, it seems safe, but something is definitely mixed in. Likely to make it taste better.”

“Issh tha’ shooo,” Roland said. Suddenly he was feeling very warm inside. He took another swig from his glass and hiccupped. A wide grin appeared on his face. “Enouff †˜bout tha’, thish water ish da beesst!” he shouted laughing as he brandished his mug toward the Duchess, some of its content sloshing onto the table.

The Duchess stared at Roland with a dumbfounded look for a few moments, and then tilted and asked. “This is water, right?” she asked, not particularly expecting an answer.

Roland cocked his head to one side, staring at the Duchess as if she was the one acting strange before bursting out laughing again and rocking from side to side in his seat. “Aash muush wada’ ash wada’ ish wadaaa’!” he answered nonsensically in an almost singsong tone, his speech being increasingly incoherent as he took additional drinks of what visually appeared to be water. “Wha’ a shilly queshun.”

“What is two plus two, young Roland?”

Roland paused and a serious expression materialized on his face; he appeared to be deep in thought. After about ten seconds he suddenly straightened up and raised his hand into the air before shouting like a recruit answering a drill sergeant. “Fou’ drinshs! On’ moor’ roouun’!” He broke into a wide grin and devolved into another fit of laughter.

The Duchess chuckled dryly as Roland roared in laughter. When the waitress came back with the drinks, Frederica gestured, letting the waitress know that she wanted to talk, but the waitress shook her head.

“I am busy,” she said.

Frederica placed a silver coin on the table, and the waitress turned back to the Duchess instead of leaving.

“May I know where the town of Cielo is?”

“Yes…” The waitress started to give directions, while Roland dragged the other patrons into his merriment.







When Roland awoke it was morning, and a thread of light peeked at his eye past the curtain of the window. He groaned and got up slowly, holding his temples, feeling a headache. He placed his other hand beside him on the bed—or so he thought. Something soft was where his hand fell, and he looked down, finding his palm resting on the back of the Duchess.

The back of the Duchess.

Covered in barely what seemed like a shallow top. She was in her underwear! Roland jumped out of the bed in surprise.

Frantically he went over what happened last night in his head. The last thing he remembered was the two of them leaving the tavern, the Duchess supporting him as he was too intoxicated to walk properly. He prayed the spiked water had not made him do anything he might regret, especially when he could not even remember it.

He heard the voice of the Duchess soon enough, who shifted in her sleep, but he could tell that she was soon going to wake up. When he looked down at himself, he was relieved to find himself relatively dressed. It seemed like he had simply passed out on the bed, at least that’s what he hoped.

“Ngh… good morning,” the Duchess muttered as she saw Roland staring at her with a hint of terror. Frederica tilted her head and wondered what was wrong. She looked around. They were together. Of course, they were both inside one small room. Together? Together… do not tell me that I… She looked down at herself. Of course her silver underwear was visible through her white chemise. The Duchess covered her chest hastily, coming to her senses, recounting the events of last night herself. Of course she had to get in a drinking competition and drank over twenty glasses of the so-called “water.”

“G-Good morning,” Roland said, nervously averting his eyes from the Duchess’ barely clothed form.

“T-Turn around already, would you?” she whispered speedily, her face flushed.

Roland hastily complied, also turning bright red. He tried to think of something, anything to defuse the situation. Compliments. Women like it when they are complemented, right? he thought, his mind probably still very much addled by the clear liquid strikingly similar to water. “I did not see much but you are beautiful,” he blurted out before immediately realising in horror just what he had done.

“Flattery is not going to change what you have committed!” the Duchess shrieked, careful not to raise her voice, but still very flustered. It was nothing unlike the calm and collected noble lady he knew.

His reckless statement and the demeanour of the Duchess sobered him, shaking the last remnants of sleep and intoxication out of his system. Realising just what kind of situation he was in, there was only one thing he could do as a man. Taking a deep breath to brace himself for whatever scolding might follow he turned to face the Duchess and immediately bowed deeply. “I am sorry!” he proclaimed, maintaining the deep bow. “My actions may have been committed while under the influence of an unknown substance but that does not excuse them. I will accept any punishment you deem fit but please find it in your heart to forgive me.” He stood there frozen in that position staring at the floor, trembling slightly, as he awaited the reply of the Duchess.

Roland heard a sigh, something the Duchess seemed to avoid doing.

“You stay like that till I am done changing, otherwise there is no dinner for you.”

Roland heard the faint noises of fabric sliding across the Duchess’ alluring body that he bore witness to some moments ago. He almost found himself imagining the bare skin of Frederica beyond the chemise that barely covered it, as it seemed to take an eternity for the Duchess to change.

By the time Frederica was done, he seemed to have almost misheard it when she said that it was fine to look. He got up and found her in her spectacular dress as usual, carrying herself in grace once more.

“Shall we get breakfast?” Roland proposed timidly, having a feeling both of them wished to put the events of the morning behind them.

“Yes, let us be off.” Frederica walked out, taking slightly uneven steps that showed that her mind was still unclear after just waking up.







The two were back in the tavern soon enough, but the Duchess made sure not to order the apparently alcoholic beverage,and instead got themselves some fruits. Based on observation, apple was the bread equivalent around here.

As he munched away, Roland vaguely recalled that the Duchess had managed to get directions from a waiter at the tavern last night. He polished off the rest of his apple and asked the Duchess, “Is our next heading set? I think I remember you asking last night of a town called... Cielo was it?”

“Yes.” The Duchess gave a nod. “I believe going there will allow me to get our bearings. We shall make way for our destination from there.”

“Shall we set off as soon as we finish our meal?” Roland was eager to get back to exploring the Faerie Realm. The events of last night and the morning were a bittersweet distraction he would not soon forget, but their original objective still held the greatest interest for him.

“I am good to go.” The Duchess this time drank normal water. Apparently, she brought with herself a bottle of it this time. Roland wasn’t sure when or where she got it from, but it was better than getting drunk here again. “I am surprised that you remember what happened last night, though.”

“Only bits and pieces past a certain point. As much as I apologise for losing myself I must admit it was quite enjoyable, interesting too, seeing another side of you in the revelry,” Roland said with a sly smile. “Fear not though, I have no plans to repeat anything similar for a long time. The last I remember is leaving the tavern, but how we made it to the inn or anything after I would not be able to answer for the life of me.”

“Ahaha… I suppose I get a little competitive too sometimes, but I have to admit I drank too much. It would be best not to remember after that, though. My habits betray me.”

“It would be a shame not to. It's endearing to know there is such liveliness underneath the constant composure. But fret not, I will not tell a soul of the events that transpired here.” With that Roland finished the remaining fruit on the table.“I am also done here, shall we go?”

“Hmph, I am always composed,” Frederica said under her breath as she got up. “Alright, off to Cielo.”

Finding the Duchess’ mildly indignant pouting cute, Roland chuckled slightly before replying with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” and following her out of the tavern.

The two walked out into the streets and headed north for some time. Roland looked around and observed many round houses, then a particularly large one. He read the signpost which told him that it was the academy he was looking forward to. There were many Faeries coming and going from it. He also saw the guards, holding what seemed like spears in their hands.

He gazed longingly upon it as the two passed by but recognised now was not the time to go there. One day… he thought as the building faded from sight.

The Duchess simply looked down at Roland from the corner of her eyes but didn’t speak. The two soon arrived at a wooden structure. Roland curiously looked up, and it seemed like a harbour that was facing the sky. He noted a ship. It was a wooden ship that was sailing in the sky rather than water, parking beside said harbour.

“Are we going to travel to Cielo riding that?” Roland asked as he stared up with awe.

“Yes, I already had the tickets prepared last night.”

Roland wondered when she had been able to do so with the hectic events of last night but let the matter lie. After all, there was no sense in complaining about her getting preparations done too efficiently especially when it was best they complete their journey as quickly as possible.

“When does the ship leave?” he enquired.

“In about ten minutes, I believe. We awoke rather late. I was thinking that we would have at least half an hour when we arrived here.”

“I did not realise we were cutting it close, shall we hurry to board?” Roland said half out of worry of missing their boat and half in anticipation of exploring the airship.

“You go board it.” Frederica handed him a small piece of paper. The ticket had Latin writings on it and it was nothing like the tickets of the modern world he knew. The Duchess seemed to be buying some snacks from the stalls.

With the ticket in his hand and no currency of the Realm to likewise explore the stalls, Roland complied, heading to the ship†˜s landing and to search for the attendant overseeing the boarding. Once he had his ticket verified he stepped across a thin bridge and onto the floating craft. There was one pillar towards the centre of the deck, and a Faerie kept a lookout for things but didn’t seem to be using binoculars or anything like that.

There was a beautiful view of the sky and Roland looked down at the world both above and below. No matter where he looked, it was all blue with some patches of white cloud in every direction, save for the few planets. It seemed like there were only three in the vicinity.

“The clouds can hide the planets,” Frederica said from behind him. “It can get tricky to fly without a map.”

Roland was startled, having not heard the Duchess approach. Turning around he found her munching away at snacks from a bag. They seemed like some sort of yellow lumps. For a moment he considered asking her for some to try but the way she held the bag defensively made him feel the chances of success were slim. Instead he followed up with a question on the previous topic, asking, “How does navigation work in the air? Are the maps three dimensional?” as he climbed the rigging on the starboard side to get a better view.

“Old paper maps. They use spells to navigate.”

“Is there just a plane of air the ships sail on then?” he shouted down as he continued to climb higher, looking down to get an ariel view of the ship. It may have been floating in the air, but its design reminded him of the ships at the docks in London.

“All the air you feel now is enough for the ship, the rest is taken care of with magic,” the Duchess answered. “Now, before you wish to journey down inside a ship, I would not recommend trying to find out what kind of magic they use to make that work.”

Having reached the bottom of the crow’s nest and obtained a splendid view of the entire upper deck, Roland grabbed one of the lines and slid back down. Walking back over to the Duchess he asked, “More closely guarded secrets of the Faeries?” with a hint of disappointment audible in his voice.

“And rude, I suppose.”

“I understand, I will resist the temptation to seek it out,” Roland promised. “How long will we be traveling by ship?”

“Hmm… some hours at least. It may be longer. Truth be told, I am not sure in which part of the Realm we are but seeing as we will be taken there, we can only wait and find out. There is a room for us to rest in, of course. I shall go to rest soon. My head still hurts from all the drinking, in all honesty.”

“I may join you there later but for now, I still have interest in exploring the ship. I am also interested in conversing with some of the other travelers if they are willing to reciprocate,” replied Roland. “My only extended interaction with any Faeries has been while intoxicated so a normal conversation may be nice,” he added with a slight grimace, remembering the scene he had made at the tavern.

“Good luck, I will hear the stories later.” Frederica resisted the urge to yawn. “Just be very polite and do not act suspicious, or be †˜nosy’ as the moderners say.”

“I will do my utmost but no guarantees. The fine line between curious and nosy is sometimes difficult to determine. At the very least I will avoid doing anything that might get us thrown off the ship,” Roland said with a mischievous smile. With that he parted ways with the Duchess as she left for the cabin below the deck.

After Roland got past the gate, he entered a completely new world. What the textbooks wrote about floating planets was an understatement compared to the amount of objects floating in the air. The breeze felt nothing like a †˜breeze’ back in the Human World. This was a current so strong he thought there would be a hurricane warning if they were still outside the Realm. Everything felt incredibly different and the presence of mana in the air was extremely apparent, to the point that it was visible; there were sparkles—very small—of blue particles floating with the air.

Obviously, the first thing that happened to them was their hair getting swept with the wind. If the Duchess had worn a hat today, it’d likely have been lost by now. Roland’s robe was already fluttering about rapidly and he almost feared losing it upon entry.

From his view, he could see a wooden bridge before them which extended all the way to a supposed planet. The planet was not very large and seemed to be covered mostly in green grass.

Taking in the new scenery, all Roland could do was stare in awe. Turning his head, he was determined to not to miss a single thing.

“How do you like the place?” the Duchess asked, speaking loudly to compensate for the buzzing noise of the wind.

“It is truly remarkable,” Roland shouted back. “No book could capture the essence of actually being here. Although I do wish I had brought a pair of goggles to deal with the wind.”

“No worries, you will get used to the wind soon enough. More importantly, let us head over to that planet over there.” The Duchess motioned towards the wooden bridge. “And careful not to be blown away. It can be turbulent sometimes, stronger waves of winds may blow you right off the ground.”

Roland nodded in agreement and followed the Duchess onto the bridge, being careful to have a tight grip on the handrail. Looking down, it would be a long drop before any land would be reached if he were to fall.







It took them about twenty-something minutes to finally reach close to the surface of the planet. Roland realised that the planet was actually heavily covered by trees instead of grass. The trees covered it so much that it was almost entirely green, making it possible for one to misunderstand easily. By the time they reached their destination, they felt a pull of gravity that held them tightly against the surface.

Now beneath a tree, the leaves continually rustled thanks to the winds. The winds didn’t reach past the blanket of leaves so the two could relax.

“Seems like traveling here will be more comfortable,” the Duchess remarked. “I have no idea where we wound up on, though. Mind you, the gate brings you to a different side of the Realm—every single time. It is like a prank being played on us, on an entirely different scale.”

“Would the ideal means to gain our bearings be to find some of those prankster denizens of the Realm and ask them our location?”

“Yes,” the noble lady answered. “I had some acquaintances so let us hope that we find any one of them…”

“I will try searching around the forest.”

Now that they had arrived, he was dying to explore a bit to see what wonders the Realm contained and his excitement showed in his voice and step.

“I was going to suggest taking some rest first but I suppose that can wait.” The Duchess giggled as she followed the young one who was already leading the way instead of herself.

Roland blushed, embarrassed that in his excitement he had forgotten to consider the Duchess. But he could not contain his urge to discover what the Realm had to offer. “I do not mean to rush, but with an entire Realm to explore and so little time I cannot help myself,” he responded with a grin. “Though if I get too eager do not hesitate to stop me.”

“We are not here for all those grand objectives, young one. Otherwise we would lose sight of it all. First the King, then every other joyful indulgence.”

“Fair enough. I ask that you lead the way once we have found our bearings.”







The two wandered across the forests for some time. Two hours had already passed and they were apparently lost. Certainly, with the Duchess not having her bearings on this Realm, it could be said that the two were indeed lost to begin with. They wanted to find someone on the planet or a bridge to another planet with a village, since apparently this planet seemed to lack one.

“Wait… do you hear something?” the Duchess finally asked. “Other than the calls and songs of the birds. Something dangerous… might be out there.”

Roland halted, straining his ears. He could not hear anything himself but the journey so far had taught him that the Duchess was more observant than he was, and it was better to err on the side of caution. He looked around for a source of water to prepare for a fight might the worst come to pass.

The Duchess gestured to follow. The two sneakily walked up to a bush and hid in it to look past a few trees. On the other side they found goblins huddled together around a bonfire. The green skin and the shape was unmistakable, but their size was at least twice that of fictional goblins. Large and intimidating. They were dining on the flesh of what seemed like some birds and fish, conversing with each other in a different language of their own.

“Seems like we’ve got some goblins on our hands here…”

“You would not by any chance have experience in dealing with them from your travels, would you?” Roland asked the Duchess in a whisper.

“We steered clear of them in our adventures.”

Roland thought hard for a while on what to do, going over what he knew of goblins in his head and finally proclaimed, “I am going to ask them for directions. Can you hide and back me up if things do not go as planned?” With that he stepped out of the bushes. Putting his hands up to appear as non-threatening as possible, he strode forward to the edge of the goblin’s gathering and loudly greeted them in their native tongue.

“I want... ask... directions,” he said haltingly in the goblin language, hoping his intent was received accurately.

“What?”

“A human?”

“A human.”

“ ...Mnm, a human…”

Then another asked again, “Directions? What directions? Does it taste nice?”

“How to… go to… place.” Roland tried again realising he had made a mistake, “To Solomon place.”

“Something about Solomon?”

“Some old myth, lads.”

“Does Solomon taste good?”

“No, but what is under that hide might taste good…” a tall goblin said, licking its lips. Slowly its hand was reaching for its axe hanging from the belt around its hips.

Realising the situation was deteriorating, Roland loudly said, “No want fight!” and under his breath rapidly chanted an incantation creating a transparent wall of ice between him and the goblins, hoping the display of magic would help deter them from any rash actions.

The goblins already gave a warcry and struck at the wall with their axes and hammers, already chipping pieces out of it. With their combined might it broke rather easily. The bonfire blazed wildly and the flames pushed upwards becoming a colourful pillar. The goblins turned around in curiosity. The fire was too bright and they were blinded, moaning from the lack of visibility and rubbing their eyes.

“Come, now!” the Duchess yelled from behind and a rustling noise was heard as she herself fled.

Wasting no time, Roland turned and chased after the Duchess.

As the two ran, the Duchess tossed what seemed like a smoke bomb behind them and they progressed through some more trees before finally stopping. The two found themselves panting.

“That ought to have done it,” the Duchess said between breaths. “Those green backbones only have food in mind it seems.”


“If there is any consolation to be had, we learned that Solomon is just a myth among goblins so there should not be any need of asking them again,” Roland tried joking before turning serious. “I am sorry I acted rashly back there. While I had heard they were aggressive I never thought they would turn hostile so quickly.”

“I suppose it is fine. Lessons are learned the hard way usually. Albeit it is true that most people out here consider King Solomo a myth,” Frederica stated, taking a deep breath. “There are some, though… some helpful ones that are more on the know of things.”

“Maybe the water spirits may be of more help than the goblins, I think I heard the sound of rushing water,” Roland observed. “Even if not, settlements are usually built around water so we may be able to find other inhabitants of the Realm.”

“River? If that is so, let us be off.”

Guided by Roland, the pair traveled north—at least that’s what it seemed like—and the noise of the rushing water became more and more clear. Finally coming past the trees, the two found a gorgeous scenery unfold before them.

“Oh, those types of rivers,” the Duchess said with not much surprise, but Roland’s eyes were widened even more than usual.

The river seemed to travel straight until halfway through before the entire body of water could be seen flowing upwards to the sky, connecting all the way to a different planet. The river could be described as a vertical road to the other planet up to a point, but it seemed to roll in the middle into a spiral line like something out of a rollercoaster’s pathline from an amusement park. It was not only mysterious but beautiful due to the clarity and purity of the water with mana flowing in it. Some fairies could be seen flying around the river too.

Roland stood there in slightly slack-jawed amazement as he took in the scene in front of him. No description could match the experience of seeing the landscape for himself. As he gazed around, his eyes settled on the fairies floating nearby. After much anticipation he finally had his first clear look at the primary denizens of the Realm.

The blue fairies had shining bodies and seemed to be fluttering all around the water as if enjoying the bounty of nature.

“You are good with Aquam, yes? Try reaching out to one of them. Do not get onto the vertical line of the river, though.”

Curious as to what might happen, Roland did as she said and strode slowly up to a fairy, taking care to try to avoid scaring it off. Once nearby, gingerly, he reached out with his hand.

The fairy flew away from his hand, but instead of leaving, it went up to his eyes and looked at him curiously. Roland realised that he was subsequently surrounded by the blue little fairies, all staring at him, and fluttering about, inspecting his clothes, the bracers that hid under the robe, and his legs with unbound curiosity.

Not quite sure what to make of the situation, Roland indulged their curious searching but kept his guard up lest they try to pull any pranks. He took particular care that none of them became too enthusiastic when investigating his bracers.

“Interesting, a human,” one of them said. The others repeated the word “human” a few times in tune.

“What you seek here?” they all asked in Latin. “What you seek here?” they repeated.

“We seek to find Ki—” he began, about to say King Solomon but stopped himself short, instead quickly finishing, “—kind souls to lead us to a settlement.” Solomon had already been dismissed as a myth once and if they could gain their bearings, the Duchess already knew where to find him. “Also one knowledgeable in stories of the Realm,” he added with the slim hope they might find a lead on Avalon.

“Settlements? Settlements…”

“Settlements… village?”

“Yes, a village,” the Duchess said. “May we know where to find one?” Some of the fairies then flied over to the Duchess, inspecting her.

“La Folia,” one of the fairies said. “Other side, other side!” It pointed to the planet connected by the river on the top.

Roland turned to the Duchess, “Do you know of this La Folia from your previous foray into the Faerie Realm?”

“It is a town, I think. I cannot say that I have come across it before, however.”

“How shall we make our way there?” Roland wondered aloud, his eyes drawn to the looping stream of water above. He had an inkling of what she might say and very much hoped his hunch was right.

“No other way than to get wet and ride the stream. I would not want to work on a raft now. Perhaps my new spell may work out for me… I probably won’t be able to give you the same lift, however.”

“I would not be much of an Aquam mage if I feared a little wetness,” he replied with a mischievous smile and dove into the stream. Upon coming up for air he assumed a relaxed position, floating on his back and with an inviting gesture motioned to the Duchess.

Seeing someone float up into the vertical path that was the river was always fascinating to the Duchess, even if she had an idea about how the river worked the way it did.

While Roland was peacefully sliding across the river, he felt an abrupt and terse heat and saw a ball of fire pass by him like a bullet. Inside this fiery bullet was apparently his companion, who was already close to the planet on the other side by now.

Roland had seen spells that used fire to propell the caster before but nothing on that level. Making a mental note to ask about it once he arrived, he continued lazily drifting towards the other planet. As he drew close there was a rather abrupt shift of gravity and suddenly he was falling rather than floating. With a large splash he landed in the river on the other planet, crashing face first into the bottom. Unperturbed by his rather graceless landing and still burning with curiosity as to what means the Duchess had used to travel between the planets, he quickly hauled himself out of the river and excitedly blurted out, “What was that spell?” as a conspicuous bruise swelled on his forehead.

“Something I invented recently, why?” the Duchess asked, taken aback by the fierce curiosity of the scholar.

“A variation of Fiery Step or Flame Leap? No, the flame moved with her,” Roland said, half asking the Duchess and half talking to himself. “The range was also far greater than either. Additional flames present after launch sustained for propulsion? And maybe an augment of Corpus or Aurum for additional initial or sustained thrust?” He became lost in deep thought as he theorised as to how what he had witnessed was contrived.

“Who knows!” the Duchess said, sounding really proud. “I do not intend to make it official in the magazines of the gazette, though.”

“Ah, I did not mean to pry,” Roland apologised, snapping back to reality. “I simply could not help myself after seeing such a fascinating spell.”

“It is alright. I am flattered that you like my spell, haha! But yes, I am starting to think having my personal arsenal is a good thing.”

“I understand,” he accepted somewhat reluctantly. He was still curious but would respect the wishes of the Duchess and avoid delving too deep into the mechanisms of her spell. With the excitement past, he became acutely aware of how soaked he was. Peeling off his outer layers he began wringing out his clothes. “How do these rivers function?” he asked, his interest turning to the means by which he had arrived on the new planet.

“Ah, these streams? It is a very unusual phenomena that takes place in this Realm thanks to its unique nature. The gravity attracts the water thus allowing the link. It sounds extremely improbable normally, but apparently the mana has its part in this somewhere. We do not know the full truth yet, but my late husband once theorised that someone might have caused several rivers to gather in one place in the air for a grand spell. According to his thoughts, when the spell ended and the stream was no longer attracted by the pull of mana that this supposed user initiated, the rivers were likely caught by the nearer gravity of the neighbouring planets. Thus, the links were established and remained.”

“Hmm.” Hearing this, Roland was lost in thought once again. A grand spell that required drawing on the water of many planets for its purpose. What might be found at its source, and would following the rivers caused by it lead the way? His mind flitted to stories of the legendary blade forged long ago in the Realm. How much water might be required to temper such a weapon? he mused. It was a slim lead but possibly one worth following if time permitted.

“I realise there are no fairies on this side here,” Frederica said. “Perhaps they like to stay here from settlements…”

“Possibly in the interest of both parties? I imagine their incessant pranks would grow tiresome to any residents.”

“The Aquam fairies? They are very much docile according to our investigations. The Aurum fairies can be a handful, though. They would pick you up and toss you around for amusement.”

“Seems like it may be best to be on guard then, if there is another reason they avoid this region.”

“I am, no worries. Let us proceed. Think I have a feeling I know where a settlement is located.”

Nodding in affirmation, Roland followed the Duchess as she walked off.

On the far corner of England, closer to the seas on the East Sussex, was the Dallington Forest. It took more than a day by carriage to come this far, and now Duchess Frederica and the young scholar that was Roland were traversing through the myriad of trees in a forest.

Suffice it to say, traveling was something Roland was used to, but moving without a rest was certainly tiresome. The Duchess was in reality strict with time constraints and hardly let the coach rest. The journey was frantic and hasty and now they were here, toiling alone in the middle of nowhere. Maids had wanted to accompany them, but the Duchess dismissed all of them. She stated no reason for doing so.

Despite his fatigue Roland was visibly excited. He had never crossed the boundary into another Realm before and wondered what experiences would await him there. Watching the surroundings closely as to not miss anything, he followed the Duchess through the forest. However as the hours passed without anything out of the ordinary happening, his focus began to wane. Turning his interest to the only other feature there, he began to observe the Duchess. He was surprised at how gracefully she navigated the dense forest for he had always imagined nobles being a delicate breed, more used to traversing the halls of grand buildings than the untamed wilderness. Seeking to break the silence that had settled over their journey, he attempted to make some light conversation.

“You seem well-acquainted with travel. Do you go on research excursions often?” he asked absent-mindedly, forgetting formality.

“I have participated in a few expeditions, and I intend to continue partaking them in the future,” the Duchess answered, looking up to the sky for only a moment. It was still morning. “I suppose it all started with the war.”

“The Mage’s War between England and Japan?” Roland enquired. “I have read of it but it happened the year before I was introduced to the world of magic. The only sign I saw of it as a mundane, a commotion on the docks near my family’s tavern.”

“Thankfully, we were able to keep them afloat the seas and the ocean. It would be catastrophic had they reached—ah, but in the last Queen’s Meeting I suppose they did.”

“Was there another incident I missed during my travels? It seems the world has become quite hectic.” Roland sighed.

“I am going to assume that you missed some of the ongoing repairs and construction sites. A Japanese airship invaded the capital city that day. We are living in a rather hectic period now.”

“I suppose all we can do is endevour to end this age of chaos before it claims more victims.” A sad look appeared on Roland’s face. “Though let us not only focus on the trials of the world,” he said trying to lighten the mood. “I am curious as to what you encountered on your expeditions.”

“Aside from having an audience with King Solomon, I have been to many places most of which would be considered alien. Ranging from Faerie villages to some of the most dangerous figures of the Infernal Realm. I also happened to meet Aries on one of my expeditions.”

“With such a wealth of experience in front of me I know not what to ask of first.” Roland was amazed at how much she had encountered for still appearing so young. “Might you do me the honor of recounting tales of your travels as we journey?”

“You are one curious mind full of energy despite the long travels, I see.” The Duchess chuckled heartily. She seemed completely casual yet somehow elegant in how she carried herself. Despite her company being a commoner, she did not mind it at all. In fact, she welcomed it. “Even if you request so, there are many stories that I have experienced that I am not quite sure where to start.”

“Hmm, how about with your meeting with King Solomon? After all, we are on our way to seek his audience now.”

“Very well. Ten years ago when I was out on my third expedition—here in this very forest—we discovered the pathway to the Faerie Realm. After that it was a long adventure. Researchers as we were, my peers and I were a curious bunch—much like you—as we wandered the Realm. We were one of the first to bring proof to the modern Magic World that the Faerie Realm existed and was accessible. I am not sure if we are still credited.” The Duchess laughed. “But we did not publicise the fact that we met King Solomon thanks to the order of the Queen.” She paused for some moments, her face nostalgic as Roland caught half of it with her gazing to the right where a plain of grass was. “We explored for two weeks. It was surprising that we lasted so long. Of course, meeting the King was the least of our worries by the time we got to him; we just wanted to go home.”

Roland listened intently to the words of the Duchess as she spoke of her foray into the Faerie Realm, realising it was as much a cautionary tale as one of adventure. “Is it difficult to navigate the other Realms?” he asked. “I have read of them in my studies but it sounds to visit one is another matter altogether.”

“All of them are quite difficult in their own manner. We studied various tribes back when we entered the Faerie Realm. There were literally planets afloat under a sky as you may have read in a textbook, so it is not easy. Sometimes you cannot even tell where to begin. Moreover, the wind gets tiresome to take. The monsters are aplenty. There are occasional humans about, however.”

“I was not aware there were humans in the Faerie Realm,” Roland said, surprised. “Were they residents of the Realm or fellow travelers who happened upon a boundary?”

“Both. Some travelers who chanced upon the Realm often get stuck and decide to live the rest of their lives there. Like this, they end up making their respective families… you may take a guess as to what becomes of their offsprings’ futures in such a world.”

“Ah, I have learned of the Warping caused by powerful magic and unearthly Realms. I can only imagine the effects that may be had with subsequent generations of exposure,” Roland said with an uneasy look, his mind flashing back to warnings of the danger of magic drilled into him at the Academy. “I assume it would be best to finish our trip to the Faerie Realm quickly. However, if you would indulge me I do have another research interest I would like to pursue while we are there.”

“Those born and living there for a long time seem to become attuned mysteriously,” the Duchess replied. “For us, however, it is indeed dangerous to stay there for long. I am certain you are curious about everything, so what is this one about?”

Roland hesitated before answering. Despite having made legends his main topic of research he was always slightly embarrassed to admit he was chasing them. “Avalon,” he finally responded.

“Give up on that.”

Finding it odd to receive such a curt dismissal from the usually curious Duchess, Roland could not help but wonder why she was so against searching for the land of legend. “Do you mean give up on searching during this trip or on the matter entirely?” he asked. “If it is the latter is there a reason Avalon should not be sought out?”

“The former. My husband was as hopeful as you back then…” The Duchess’ expression fell to one that was melancholic. “But I suppose you will see what I mean when you see the Realm for yourself.”

Roland knew from his time with the Duchess that she rarely spoke against matters without good reason, but it would take more than this to deter him from his interest. “I understand the chance of finding Avalon may be slim to none, I only ask if we happen to find a credible lead during our journey to Solomon that we consider pursuing it.”

“You sure you will be fine? Us humans cannot dwell in said Realm for too long. Well, my body has somewhat learned to resist it, but I am not sure about you.”

“While I am curious I have no intention of compromising my health in what is like to be a foolhardy quest. If you feel we are at danger of staying too long in the Faerie Realm, I will acquiesce in your decision and leave whatever leads we may have found to be pursued at a later date. My only desire is if circumstances permit, we search for the legend.”

“Ahaha, alright, alright. We will have it your way. Let us be mindful of your health—oh, we are getting closer,” the Duchess said.

She summoned her relic sword in her hand and sliced the air before her with fast and sharp reflexes. Roland couldn’t see what was cut until some moments passed. He slowly started to see something fall apart, something that seemed like glass. It was reflecting the forest around them perfectly, so much that one wouldn’t even doubt heading into the mirror. The image on the mirror and what lay beyond the opened passage undoubtedly differed.

The Duchess started to proceed forward. The sword vanished as she did so.

With the door to another Realm in front of him, any travel weariness that had built up from the hours of trekking through the forest was washed away and replaced with an almost giddy excitement. He had been part of the world of magic for several years now but these would be his first few steps into a Realm from which many legends were spawned. Bracing himself for what he might encounter through the passage he followed the Duchess through.

“Careful,” the Duchess uttered. “Faeries may play pranks so don’t step on anything—” Before the Duchess could finish, Roland found himself hanging from a tree, his leg tied with a rope. A good old snare. The lady smiled wryly at him. “I suppose I spoke too late.”

“Does this mean there are Faeries around us right now?” Roland asked, more curious to catch a glimpse of the illusive residents of the Realm than mindful of his own predicament.

“We are not in the Faerie Realm just yet, but we are in one of their many forests now. Hence, we are surrounded by traps.”

“I’ll try to be more mindful of our surroundings.” Forming whips of water from each bracer, he coiled one around the branch above while using the other to slice through the rope that held his leg and gently lowered himself to the ground.

When he landed, his eyes unintentionally fell onto the soles of the Duchess. She was walking. Yet while walking, the noble lady was literally floating, or rather, she was suspended just above the ground, completely avoiding the task of setting foot in the forest.

As Roland walked behind her, marveling at this idea of preparedness, the ground below him bended and broke apart and he fell in a small pit. The Duchess chuckled, extending an arm to him. It wasn’t very far deep so she could still reach out to him.

“Thanks,” he murmured apologetically, taking the the hand of the Duchess, blushing slightly as he did so. “Straight from snare to pitfall, it seems Faeries are fans of classic traps.”

“Have you heard of the legend that men learned said traps from Faeries and employed them for their own means?” the Duchess asked in a joking tone as they continued their passage.

Determined not to embarrass himself in front of the Duchess again—while still observing his surroundings for any Faerie sightings—Roland kept a close eye on the ground ahead in particular as he followed her.

The Duchess jumped forward—spinning as she did so—taking a stance upon landing and placing her hand forward, releasing a ball of fire that fried something that seemed like a dart.

Alerted by the sudden movement of the Duchess, Roland put up his guard just in time to glimpse two flashes from either side in the corner of his eyes. Summoning the power of his relic once more, he spun with a flourish bisecting each arrow with a thin stream of water.

“Duck,” the Duchess uttered, sending another blazing ball of fire right at Roland. He did as told immediately and the arrow just behind his back was incinerated. “Should be all of them,” she added, looking around.

“Do the traps tend to increase in danger as we go deeper?” Roland asked, reeling slightly from the close encounter. He had his training but being in an actual hostile environment was still relatively new to him.

“The Faeries are hardly serious about it… I believe,” Frederica said. “Are they not?” she asked, not to Roland but whoever lurked past the leaves and the trees.

Roland heard some rustling noises and almost saw black hair, but no face as someone dashed away.

“Was that a Faerie?” Roland asked, curious if he had caught his first glimpse of one, however brief it was.

“Likely.”

After that, Roland was cautious enough to avoid the traps as they progressed through the forest.

An hour seemed to have passed like this. The sun was only starting to get to the centre of the sky now. Even now, neither of them suggested a break.

“Alright, we are here,” the Duchess finally spoke. There was nothing in front of them but a wall of rock—a mountain, but the noble lady seemed sure of herself as they stumbled across what seemed like a dead end.

Roland watched patiently for what the Duchess would do. While he could not see anything out of the ordinary with the rock face ahead of them, he suspected there was some method to open a path.

“Well, it is a simple trick,” the lady said. Walking straight into the rocky wall, she disappeared into it. The wall was an illusion. Roland followed her, and they were inside a cave before he knew it. When he looked behind him, he saw an opening of a cave.

Before them seemed to lie a gate that was ancient. There were carvings written in the language of the Faeries. The languages were not taught in classes, unfortunately, so he couldn’t quite read them.

His interest was piqued but he was still wary that there was going to be more traps in the area. From afar he observed the gate, trying to glean what he could from its design.

“Do not simply stand there, help me open this thing,” the Duchess said, pushing one side of the gate, which hardly bulged.

“Sorry, it was not quite what I expected and I was taken aback,” he apologized, sheepishly rushing over to aid the Duchess with the gate. The two pushed both sides, finally causing a crack in the middle. Roland could already feel the air rushing out from the middle.

“That should be enough.” The Duchess walked over to the middle, feeling the chilly breeze. “We should be able to get through the thin space.” She crossed the gate and ushered the young scholar to follow.

“Excuse me, Miss, but is this the New Anmer Hall?” a woman dressed in the attire of maids asked Svetlana, who seemed to have just come through the gates to enquire. As the mansion was still under work, the gates were kept open with no guards.

The woman seemed to have hair that was a mix of purple and blue. Likely, she was viewed as odd by the mundanes, but not so much by magicians. Her smile seemed to be perfect—not too wide or small, just about right.

“I’m not sure you might want to ask, the bossy little girl over there should know,” Svetlana said as she pointed towards Isabelle.

An older maid approached from beside Svetlana, who was the housekeeper they hired.

“Mistress, the mansion of your inheritance is indeed called the New Anmer Hall.”

“Oh, didn’t know that, but what’s new? There are a lot of things I’ve not been told about England,” Svetlana said with a sigh.

The elder maid only smiled nervously at Svetlana’s ranting.

“I have been looking for the New Anmer Hall, and I was commissioned by Lady Isabelle Alicia to serve as a Personal Maid for Lady Svetlana Astakhov Alicia… may I please meet my Mistress?” the maid asked with a kind and endearing smile.

“Well, you might not believe it, but that would be me,” Svetlana said waving.

“Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. I am your Personal Maid especially ordered for. My name is Nancy Averill.” The maid gave a graceful bow.

“The pleasure is mine. I suppose I shall be in your care from now on?”

“Yes, I shall, likewise, be also under your guidance.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how come it took time for you to get here? Seems like my sister made a special request, one that I was not told of.”

“Well… we would have to speak regarding it privately,” she answered, indirectly referring to the maids beside Svetlana.

“That’s fine with me. I suppose we can once we are in my room at my sister’s Aunt. If that's okay with you.”

The maid simply leaned closer. “Why not simply go for a walk to the city?” she suggested with a whisper.

“I suppose that works, but I don’t know anything about this city so you would have to lead the way. If that’s fine with you, Nancy.”

“I shall gladly lead the way for you, my Mistress. How does going to my favourite café sound?”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Svetlana said as she stood up. “Please let my sister know I went out on a walk with my maid if she asks,” Svetlana told the maids beside her.







In the café now, the two sat down and was enjoying another treat, with more sumptuous scones, cookies, and some tea, the personal maid seemed to have brought Svetlana to a rather popular place in the city.

“How do you find this café, Mistress?”

“It seems really nice but is it okay to speak of your matter here with all these people?”

“It is alright, Mistress. The noise of the crowds here works to our advantage. There are others who uses this place, similarly like yours truly, to discuss matters that are often not normal.”

“I see. I take it you're not a normal maid after saying something like that. Unless i'm just overthinking things.”

“I am a mage from the Royal Academy, Mistress. Well, I was, I had graduated only a month ago.”

“Oh that’s a surprise. Never expected mages to become servants.”

“There are special Organizations that allows you to hire especially-prepared maids to protect you in times of danger. Think of it like a Staffing Agency of sorts. I am a member of one.”

“I suppose they only exist here in England? So does that mean you will be following me everywhere I go? Even outside the country? Since if you do, I’d think I rather have you stay here and protect my sister.”

“Unfortunately, my contract states that I shall accompany you even in the direst of situations to serve your needs and remain by your side. I was not meant to directly keep you from all harms but I am as good as any supporter. To answer the first question, yes, we only have these Organizations for the nobility here in England.”

“I see. Well I suppose my sister should be safe overall I hope for when I travel. Though I wonder how confident you are to say that you can actually support me? Considering you just graduated.”

“I had been taking a course to develop my skills while studying in the Royal Academy. I was also close to having the title of Magic Magister once but… I suppose that one did not go as planned.”

“Oh thats interesting, but I hope you know actual combat is completely different than taking courses and studying. I saw many idiots back in Russia who couldn’t tell the difference when I used to work over there.”

“Well, I cannot boast about partaking many real combats but I do believe that I have the qualifications to be a Battle Maid—which is my profession. It is not my first time serving, either.”

“If you don’t mind maybe later I can test you out a bit and see how things go? It would help to see what you can do, instead of finding out in an actual fight. What do you say?”

“As you wish, Mistress.”

“Alrighty then. Well one final thing I suppose, how do you feel about dresses?”

“How do I feel about dresses?”

“Like, do you like wearing them?”

“The way they are worn properly?” Nancy answered, in a confused tone. “I would think your dress, however, may be seen as immodest by the polite society here, Mistress.”

“I know that, been told many times by my little sister, but the dresses I got the other day were just too fancy in my opinion to wear casually, so I’d probably want to get some that feel less fancy for everyday use,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “And I know a lady must look as proper as she can, but I haven’t even been here for a month, so I’m not used to this kind of life.”

“Is there something wrong with fancy dresses?” Nancy asked, tilting her head. “Look at that lady over there.” Nancy did not point but simply looked, Svetlana turned too and found a lady wearing a bonnet, a frilly dress, and a kind of slippers one would wear if she was trying to be like Cinderella. It looked crazy to Svetlana, but ordinary to Nancy. “That is a Viscountess—not even a Duchess. She is a few ranks below you, Mistress. If you would not want to be laughed at and shamed behind your back by your future peers… I suggest you start to accept the dresses… even in casual situations. As they say, do as the Romans do.”

“Ugh, this is definitely gonna take me a while to get used to. I’m fine wearing it on special occasions, but every day use just seems too much for me. But I suppose there’s not much I can do. Can you show me where I can buy a couple more dresses?”

“I can attend to any of your needs. For future reference, simply let me know when you are in need of something, Mistress. It is unfortunate but knowing that you are foreign, my Mistress, it would be a tough challenge. Considering that I assume you have not worn a corset before.”

“Nope, haven’t even heard about that word till today when my sister mentioned it earlier, but she still didn’t tell me what it was.”

“It is meant to keep you in proper shape so I hope you will appreciate it soon enough,” Nancy said with an apologetic smile.

“Maybe when we go look for dresses you can show me what a corset is? I’m getting curious now.”

“Shall we get going for a dressed, Mistress? Something for a casual outing would be more appropriate. I also notice that your current outfit draws much more attention than it should, even as we converse here…”

“I suppose we should. Though I think even with the new dress I would still catch attention,” Svetlana said laughing.

“At the level of every nobles, however. We do not want to be discreet as mages, we want to mingle, my Lady. To do so, we must be at acceptable standards based on the location.”

“I know, but I can’t do anything about my current appearance. Besides getting new clothing, one feature will attract people’s eyes anyway.”

“One feature? Oh, those horns.”

“Yep, but if you want we can head out now to get a couple of dresses.”

“I could buy some magic rings that are known for hiding things like these… o-or perhaps an accessory fitted with one would do the trick—actually, my Lady, are those even real?” the maid asked, halfway through her sentence she was starting to realise that something was very wrong with her kind smile starting to break apart.

“Why not just go to the shop and you shall see what you got yourself into when you help me out try on some dresses?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face.

“Ahaha… well, I-I am a professional!” Nancy said, trying to light up the fire of passion in her heart. “Let us see where this boat takes me…”








Now with Nancy, Svetlana was inside a dress shop once again, albeit it was a different one thanks to the recommendation of the maid. It seemed much more spacious than the last and had a greater variety of dresses.

“I really want to get more gothic dresses, but I probably should refrain,” Svetlana said as her eyes seemed to sparkle upon eyeing the dresses. “What do you think would be nice Nancy?”

“Hmm… I think there are other dresses that could be nice rather than just the theme of gothic, Mistress. Seeing as you adore the gothic designs but loathe wearing dresses casually… how about just starting with gothic dresses for the public debut?”

“Well, gothic dresses are what I’ve been wearing since I was a little girl. Though, I already have some that I bought the other day. I just think Isabelle will probably get mad if I bought more gothic dresses.”

“I believe the young Mistress would prefer you to have some more variety, albeit that is a general assumption.”

“Yep. That’s why I want to find at least two dresses that aren’t gothic right now. But I have no clue where to start though, I did also get a steampunk dress the other day I suppose.”

“The steampunk ones are very new. Many do not seem to approve of them just yet in the upper echelon.”

“Well I found one cute-looking so decided to grab it. Though, it was my cute little Isabelle who recommended it,” Svetlana said happily as she continued exploring before she came to a sudden stop. “Oh this red one seems really nice. What do you think?”

“Very gothic, Mistress,” Nancy said, chuckling. “Shall we try it?”

“Eh, really? Guess I just can’t help it anymore, but let me find at least one more before trying it,” Svetlana said as she grabbed the dress and continued looking. “Well then what about this cyan one? I find it rather nice also.”

“Very gothic too, my Lady.” Nancy’s lips seemed to stretch wider. “Why not buy it too?”

“Guess it can’t be helped. I really like how both of these look like, but here I was hoping to get something non-gothic. Oh well, maybe next time. Anyway, follow me into the changing booth I just hope they offer enough privacy.”

“Next time, Mistress.” Nancy followed Svetlana with the red dress. “We are trying this, yes?”

“Of course,” Svetlana said as she walked closer to Nancy and whispered, “Though, we are gonna talk for a bit once inside first, alright? I hope I can trust you with my matter.”

When they entered the changing room, Nancy shut the door tight and turned to her Mistress.

“What is the matter, Mistress?”

“Well, first off, what I’m about to show you is something that I’m certain would normally get me in a lot of trouble with some people if they ever find out. So you must promise me you won’t tell anyone, because if you do, I might just have to go after you, and I don’t want to do something like that,” Svetlana said in a more serious tone than she had been displaying thus far.

“I am your maid. All personal matters and confidential matters shall stay tightly under my lips.”

“Okay then, I suppose I’ll start by just showing you,” Svetlana said as she began taking off her shirt. It was notable that she was not wearing a bra underneath, unlike other women despite the size of her breasts. She then began taking off her pants, in which Nancy noted that she was wore nothing underneath, either. “Well here you go.” Svetlana said as she turned around revealing her small wings and tail moving around.

“You’re lacking undergarments—and… not lacking in… wings and tails?!” Nancy blinked a few times as Svetlana gave her wings a flap and the tail seemed to move on its own accord. Nancy spoke in a hushed tone but was surprised nonetheless. “Mistress, y-you are an Infernal being?”

“Part Infernal being. Things changed when I met granddad. Don’t worry about the undergarments though, ever since getting this new body, all my previous clothes could no longer fit me. and I haven’t gotten a complete set of new clothing,” Svetlana said laughing.

“Then we need to get you undergarments on the double!” Nancy said with determination, clenching her fists. “Mistress, please wait here while I buy some in a jiffy—I realise that you lack a corset as well here. There should be some more garment shops in this area.”

“Would you know my size, though? Even I don’t know my size considering this body is still fairly new to me.”

“Well, I can see it right here… I am going to guess that is a… D cup? I regret not having a measuring tape with me.”

“Well, in all honesty I suppose I still wouldn’t know how big that is. Though, I must admit you seemed rather more calmed than I expected.”

“You are not versed in cup sizes?” Nancy blinked again. “In terms of surprise—I saw worse before.” Nancy opened the door. “Be right back, Mistress.”







Inside the changing room, Svetlana waited for about ten minutes before the maid entered again after making sure no one was staring at the door.

“I am back, and I believe I have everything you would require in this bag.” Nancy showed the shopping bag she held proudly. “Shall we get started, my Lady?”

“Well, I think we need to make adjustments to the panties. It really bugs me a lot, with having to tuck away my tail and whatnot. Though, what is the purpose of a bra? I never had to wear one before, considering I didn’t have these lumps of fat,” Svetlana said as she pushed up her breast with both her hands.

“Even girls with smaller breast sizes seem to wear one, though. Whoever must have no taught you to wear clothes must have been very lax about ladylike nature.” Nancy took out rather fancy undergarments with frills. “The bra helps with your breasts in many ways, but I think you would not need a bra for the dresses, so I just bought one just in case for other types of attires for the future. You would be needing a corset for the top and the panties for the bottom when it comes to dresses. There is another alternative that is the pantaloon but this is better for movement in combat and is becoming increasingly popular here in England, thanks to the influences of the modern world. Of course, that only concerns the magi in this country. I am not sure how you would deal with that tail, though.”

“Well I was thinking that I could adjust my clothing to have the tail stick out and hopefully just learn an illusion spell or find an accessory that would help me hide the tail. I’m still not certain for the true purpose of the corset since I just think exercising should be enough to keep a body slim. About my breast though, before you could say I had nothing there, and Big Sis never told me about them, saying I didn’t have to worry about it.”

“With all due respect, Mistress, I believe your †˜Big Sis’… was probably just thinking of herself more. Regarding your tail, however, I would suggest not relying on an illusionary device. It is risky enough as it is with the horns, a tail will not be bought off with your †˜cosplay’—was it?—excuse. Some people, especially the mages, can see through trickery like illusion magic. Second Sight is a good example.”

“I wonder if I should even go to that ball. Since if other mages see my horns even if I use an illusion wouldn’t that cause them to think anyways? Though, it's annoying having my tail tuck away it starts hurting after a while.”

“Maybe we should tie the tail up? Into a round ball since it cannot escape all those petticoat layers in the dress anyway—speaking of the ball, you should not skip it. Otherwise your family name will likely lose face, Mistress. These horns are quite alarming, however. I wonder if I can get something stronger for invisibility.”

“I cannot agree with tying up my tail that certainly is gonna hurt a lot. You try having and tail a see how that feels. I suppose I have no choice but to go.”

“I am only suggesting, Mistress. Doing nothing about it will probably not… wait, how about a bustle dress? The tail could simply never be noticed if you keep let it flow down with the dress that way.”

“Bustle? What do you mean by that?” Svetlana asked her slightly confused.

“It was popular some years ago, the dress would have a tail at its back, fashioned much like a horse’s tail—at least that was the idea—before it became a common standard of dress among the nobles. Now, that type has fallen out of fashion, but I suppose being unique has its merits these days.”

“I suppose that could work better than having my tail tied up in a ball,” Svetlana said as she grabbed her tail.

“I doubt the tail of your size would come out in any dress to be honest, Mistress. Considering how long the length of the skirts goes, but I figured that a bustle would let it rest much easier… well, maybe.”

“I will see. Though enough of that, I think I’ve been naked long enough don’t you think?”

“Ahaha… I apologise, we’re starting with this dress or am I looking for a bustle?”

“Well, first the dress. We’ll worry about the bustle afterwards. So help me put it on. I also have worries about putting on my previous dresses mostly because of these horns.”

“Alright, Mistress, just be patient, this will soon be over.” Nancy’s eyes sparkled, just like the times Svetlana’s eyes would before she’d dress up Isabelle.

This was the kind of lines told for people about to go through a lot of pain. For instance, mothers about to give birth. Thus, Svetlana wondered why something like this was told to her. Moments later, she learned it with her body. The corset that was being tightened was the equivalent of hell on earth, apparently. Indeed, the perfect birthday gift for the birthday suit. That clever little sister of hers knew it was going to be like this. It pushed the breasts up to the appropriate levels before fixing them in place, but the maid kept strapping the laces up from behind. The screams of Svetlana escaped the changing room, undoubtedly.

“Phew, first step done.”

“What the heck is this monstrosity?! How could women were such a thing!” Svetlana said as she felt like she could barely breath.

“Oh, I assure you, my Mistress, everyone here does.” The maid had Svetlana wear the panties next, then started to fit the dress onto her body.

“Ugh, this is one thing I’m not looking forward to get used to at all. Just who in their right mind even thought about a corset?!”

“Oh, I am sure you will love it in due time when a future lover praises the figure.” Nancy was finally done as she had Svetlana wear the proper sandals with heels next. She also had her wear a pair of long arm gloves that matched the dark colour of the dress. “There you go, Mistress, give the mirror a peek now.”

“I must admit this does look really nice. But I’d rather get a lover who praises me more for who I am rather than my figure. But I guess being praised about it isn’t so bad.”

“Fortunately, love happens to be divided equally for both personality and looks.” It seemed as if Nancy spoke from experience with her index finger raised. “Hence, women would always use a halve of said †˜love’ to attract men for them to learn of their other halve, if that makes sense.”

“I suppose… and what about you, Nancy? What would you look at a man for?”

“M-Me?” A certain image seemed to have already popped up in her mind. “I wonder…”

“Oh, it seems like you already have someone in mind,” Svetlana said with a smile as she walked behind Nancy and hugged her. “So who’s the lucky fellow?”

“Someone I parted with. Arranged marriages and all. He is on his way to become a Count now…” Nancy’s smile fell as she explained, becoming melancholic.

“I see. Well, if you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you pursue him? I would think if you truly did loved him, you would. But if you rather not talk about it, that’s fine.”

Nancy shook her head. “If he did not wanted to stay with me anymore, if his family would not approve of me, what good am I? I have no right to take away from him his bright future that was laid out for him, he had such a beautiful fiancee too. I am but a maid.”

“I see. Well, don’t worry you’ll find someone else, I’m certain since you're beautiful yourself. Plus, you have something I believe most men go crazy over,” Svetlana said as she groped Nancy’s breast.

“M-Mistress,” Nancy said in a hushed tone. “I am certainly not the only on—t-that tickles, please stop!”

“My, I didn’t expect you to be ticklish there,” Svetlana said with a playful smile as she continued fondling. “But like I said, don’t worry you’ll find someone.”

“That is my line too. Now let us stop this—” Nancy moaned again due to the forceful groping. She covered her mouth immediately, worried that someone might’ve heard her voice outside. “A...And go back to the mansion.”

“My, my, do you wish to continue this at the mansion?” Svetlana stopped, but not without giving Nancy a pinch to her nipples.

“N-No such thing!” Nancy managed, her face red as a tomato from that last move.

“Don’t worry. I’m just kidding,” Svetlana said chuckling. “Well, we better go pay I believe they might start getting weird ideas if we stay here any longer. Though, you think it’d be fine if I just payed for the dress while wearing it? I suppose I want to see if Isabelle will be surprised when she sees me wearing it.”

How was that a joke…? “It is fine I believe,” Nancy answered, taking up the other two dresses. “They would be happy, in fact.”

Today, Isabelle and Svetlana were once again overlooking the renovation works of their mansion. Isabelle was busy directing the workers. The maids and servants they hired yesterday had joined them in their endeavour to rebuild the broken parts of the house today.

Svetlana, on the other hand, was not quite a part of the whole process, not being good at conversing. Even if she did, people would look at her if as she was strange. This was undoubtedly true.

Isabelle made Svetlana keep an English book with her at every instance now. It was not truly an English book as it was written in Japanese, but it taught the much-wanted language; the older sister would have to read it to learn English with it. There was no other way when her sister would get like this with her, she’d never take a “no” for an answer.

Svetlana continued reading her book. She wondered if she could really be able learn English properly, considering she wasn’t sure when she would be on the move again. Virgo was still out there and, she did planned to eventually go after her again. She wondered if her happy life with Isabelle would truly be able to continue this way. As she read through the pages surprisingly with some difficulty, she would take peeks at Isabelle, giving out commands, and couldn’t help but chuckle as she found it adorable. She felt a bit saddened that she was not the one giving out the commands, but considering her English was almost non-existent, and Isabelle not wanting her to really use the translating device, Svetlana really had no other choice but to sit back and just study.

As she studied, she began to wonder if there was really no other side-effects from the fusion, considering as far as she knew, there wasn’t since she still felt like herself aside her body being completely different. Body-wise, she still had some things to get accustomed to. For one, her size changing after years of being small, and now being taller out of the blue made her feel uncomfortable at times. Her breasts were particularly hard to get accustomed to, as it felt as though they’d get in the way.

“This studying sure is making me hungry. It’s much more fun learning about magic than learning a new language,” Svetlana said with a sigh. The maids looked at themselves and then back to her. Though, I wonder where my maid is, I’m not certain what Isabelle did, but it’s the cause for my maid to be delayed while she got hers the same day…

“Here! Have a cupcake!” the bright and sunlike Personal Maid of Isabelle offered, who overheard Svetlana’s words.

“Ah, thank you,” Svetlana said happily as she accepted the cupcake. “So, how are things going?” Svetlana asked as she took a bite of the cupcake.

“I think this will take a while,” the new maid said, marveling at the sight of the mansion.

Some of the maids they hired walked up from behind two of the footmen who carried a table while the maids placed the chairs. This was all under Isabelle’s instructions.

“Mistress, please take a seat here,” one of the footman suggested. “It would not look well for the lady of the house to stand around in such a place.”

“Umm, thank you.” It was rather unsettling for Svetlana who was not used to this kind of treatment as she sat down. “Though, coffee sure would be great with this cupcake.”

The housekeeper gave just one glance to one of the to-be maids of the kitchen of the mansion being reworked and she ran out from the estate’s gates to find a single cup of coffee.

“We shall have the coffee at your table soon, my Lady,” the housekeeper said with a graceful bow.

“Oh thank you, that would be great.” Svetlana said joyfully. Maybe I can get used to this eventually, she thought.

“Would you prefer some more sweets, Mistress? Surely one cupcake is not enough. We have bought some scones over.”

“That would be lovely. I wonder if Isabelle would join me, would be nice to eat along with someone else.”

“Yes, yes! I shall call for my Lady. Please wait a moment,” the Personal Maid of Isabelle ran off after a terse bow.

While the maids placed all kinds of sweets for Svetlana, Isabelle walked up to her and stared.

“I see someone here having a very studious time,” the sister remarked with a sarcastic tone.

“Well, they did offered… how could I refuse?” Svetlana said while laughing. “Wanna join in?”

The girl shrugged. “A good time as any, why not?” Isabelle sat down opposite to Svetlana, she ushered to a maid and a cup of tea was already prepared before she started drinking. “I was thirsty from giving all those directions anyway.”

“Not because you saw these sweets and wanted some?” Svetlana said as she took another bite from her cupcake.

“Well, there is that, I suppose… but I think I shall refrain.” Isabelle waved a hand dismissively. “I would not want my dress to be tight on the big day.”

“Just eat two, that won’t hurt you. Plus they're really good.”

“One, then.”

“Though, you know you're still do young to worry about your weight. Plus, if you're lucky that extra fat might go somewhere else.” Svetlana said chuckling.

“Hush. We do have to worry about weight, just not in your snow land of Russia. Have you ever worn a corset before, my dear sister?” Isabelle asked, the question itself sounded extremely mocking.

“Corset?” Svetlana said, confused as she never heard of such a thing. “What's that?”

“A birthday gift. I am sure that you will enjoy it soon.”

“Eh,h its not even close to my birthday yet. What is it?”

“Oh you do not need to sweat the little details. I am sure that you will enjoy it in due time. In due time…”

“You know repeating that twice makes me think you're plotting something.”

“What are you talking about?” Isabelle made a perfectly innocent smile.

“Fine. Act that way, we will see what happens later,” Svetlana said taking another bite from her almost finished cupcake. “Though my coffee sure is taking a bit.”

Isabelle looked at Svetlana instead of eating. “You asked for a coffee?”

“Well all I said was this cupcake would go great with coffee and they went ahead and made some,” Svetlana said as she finished her cupcake.

“Made, or fetch?”

“Oh right, she ran outside the estate. I forgot about that.”

“They do not have a kitchen outside here so of course she did. Have some patience.”

“Then why was your tea ready already?” Svetlana said as she looked at the cup of tea Isabelle had.

“Tea is common for nobles to have so they would have them prepared in teapots. In fact, I asked for some this morning while you were happily snoring, sister. I suppose your request was not expected, so that one maid went to buy coffee now…”

“I see, and I don’t snore unlike someone I know!” Svetlana said as she pouted.

“I do not think you hear yourself right at night.”

“Is this something we must discuss anyways out in the open.”

“A good reminder is all.”

“You seriously want your cheeks pinched don’t you?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face. The maids smiled at this, but this wouldn’t last long for them.

“That is what we call abuse.”

“Abuse? I’m simply pinching your cheeks playfully.”

“It is exactly as I had claimed. Have I ever given you permission to touch me?” Isabelle asked with a smile.

“Last I checked yes, considering how many times I’ve changed your clothes myself.”

“What a silly logic. No worries, the maids shall be doing that for me from now on. I shall have my freedom. Ohohoho.”

“Eeh, you had promised me I could put whatever dress I wanted on you back in Japan, and not like you will be going out in them.”

“So how does this make me liable to lend my cheeks to be pinched? You bribed with cakes and then put me on dresses as if I am your doll and then… I have to pay you back by letting you pinch? Even if it is a joke that is a strange logic.”

“Such a stubborn little girl aren’t you? Well it was just simply a joke anyways. Plus, enough of this conversation—don’t think it will get us anywhere anyway. I’m more curious on how progress on the house going.”

“What? You getting stuck? I am too smart for my own good, I know.”

“Not really just think it would be childish to continue with a talk like that.”

“And that is why you bring up pinching whenever you hit a wall?” Isabelle started snickering.

“Not really, but I guess it’s not really fun to bring up with you,” Svetlana said with a sigh.

“It is not really fun to have cheeks pinched either, you know? I just deal with it. You should—actually, do not sigh, it is a bad form.”

“Eeh, just how many things am I going to be told I can’t do? I’m starting to think this place forbids everything I find fun.”

“Your definition of †˜fun’ is bad for appearances. You are the successor of my mother, sister. Be more mature about it. I should be complaining more as a child.” The maids secretly gave a nod to this statement.


“My definition of fun is pretty common outside of England, but I suppose I must get used to this now.”

“We have our own ways, but it is just how the world is here, we live in the past at the moment. If you do not want any part of it; leave it, I shall not force you. You are free,” Isabelle stated, suddenly serious. The maids almost panicked behind the two of them.

Eh, how would the young Mistress run all of this without the sister?! the Personal Maid of Isabelle wondered.

Perhaps the young lady Isabelle can do it all on her own… but then I would feel bad for the true successor, the housekeeper thought.

I wish these two would make up already… another maid thought, getting a little teary from the sudden dramatic phase of the conversation.

“You know I can’t do that. I made a promised and I’m not going to break it. I did not grew up in a world like this, and all of sudden, how am I supposed to accept it? It takes time for one to get used to something.”

“Good, if you think that is how it is then do not complain so much, it does not make me comfortable, and I feel guilty instead.”

“Well anyways, since you completely ignored my questioned earlier, I’ll ask again: how is the progress going?”

“It is because you make me serious somehow.” Isabelle took a deep breath. “Anyway, the works are coming along nicely—the floors are being taken care of first and foremost. We will be primarily focusing on the walls after…”

“My Lady…” one of the maids said from beside Svetlana, she seemed to have sweated and was having a cup in her hands. Of course, the other maids were relieved at this delivery, as it could sure help break the ice. This would likely help take the tension out of Svetlana. “The coffee is prepared.”

“Thank you! I guess I’ll be having it with a scone instead now, but it's all good,” Svetlana said happily as the cup of coffee was placed before her. “They said, any estimated time when the house will be done, Isabelle?”

Isabelle just finished her cup of tea before she responded. “At least a month but… I have made a special deal so I believe we may get it done in a few days.”

“Ehh, what did you do? And how much is this gonna cost us?”

“It is going to cost a bit, but I do not want to burden my aunt either.” Isabelle gestured for the maids to leave them be and they complied. “We are getting a magician or two to work on things. They may fix the worn out parts much more easily with magic.”

“Well, that's sure is gonna cost us a pretty penny, and why did you not consult this with me earlier…?”

“You do not make good decisions aside from dressing me up anyway. I figured that I could manage this on my own for the most part.”

“You know I’ve managed my stuff before, only reason I’m letting you handle this is because I don’t know English, and considering you don’t want me to really use this translating device.”

“Only reason? Oh it will be all the reason, sister. I am going to continue the management even after you learn English… because you have better things to do than management. So, go out and take our revenge and find your own mother. Do not worry about me.”

“How can I not worry when you brought that up?”

“If you will not, sister, then I might. I have my own convictions about my life now, and it is too late for anyone to place the brakes now.”

“Do you really think I’ll let you go out and find her? After all I went through in America I know what she’s capable of, and what kind of a monster she is… I even lost my best friend to her—do you think I want to lose someone else?!”

“Just sitting there and letting her do as she pleases is not going to solve anything, either! We both saw my—no, our mother passing!” Isabelle’s eyes were teary as she resisted the urge to shout. “This is not your personal business.”

“I know that, but even I know at my current strength I can’t beat her at all. I need time as well to get stronger.”

“That is fine, I am saying that I can become someone as strong as you, not now of course, but in time it will happen. I am still young, and you are… well, you are a different deal altogether now. Actually, I never heard about the story behind the change.”

“It might be best to tell you when we are in a room by ourselves honestly. Out here you never know who might be listening. Considering I might get in big trouble for it.”

Isabelle looked up to the horns. “God forbid it. I am surprised you are not already. Maybe someone is looking out for us.”

“Probably. Though, I wonder if we should tell any of the servants, considering they’re gonna practically be living with us from now on.”

“Unfortunately, nobles have to make a tough decision about it. They either let the servants know and have them keep secrets, or they stay quiet about their magical practices.”

“I see. Well, what do you think? Do they appear trustworthy to you? Though, I’m probably gonna have to let my Personal Maid know once she arrives. Speaking of which, what did you ask the man to cause her delay?”

“I am not sure yet, sister. We need to spend more time with them and then we will know. I cannot tell how honest my Personal Maid is so I am taking my time with her. So far, they seem dedicated, and they seem to care to an extent about what we really expect of them. We almost made them cry with our serious conversation, though. As for your maid… well, she should be here by now, I wonder what is keeping her.”

“So what did you even tell that man? I been wondering about that”

“Have some patience, you will know when you meet her.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

“ I am going back to check up on the house.” Isabelle got off the chair as if to ignore the last question, placing a scone down, that was the third one that she touched, but refrained from finishing. “The magicians are working faster than I had imagined so I want to check if they are done with the floors already.”

“Alright, I suppose I’ll finish my sweets then get back to studying, I guess. And so much for just one scone,” Svetlana said with a grin on her face.

The two were now browsing the wares inside a clothing shop. The shop owner came to receive the pair at the entrance out of respect for the nobility, but Isabelle chose to walk inside and inspect instead. According to Isabelle, they did not have the time for the tailors to sew up pretty dresses for them. They required pre-made dresses for the invitations to the balls and other societal events.

Since Svetlana was clueless, it was pretty much Isabelle doing all the thinking work. Needless to say, Isabelle was but a child but she hadn’t been completely idle in the past in Japan. She spent her time reading many Victorian novels that she brought with herself from home to Japan, and this gave her an insight to all kinds of things possibly necessary, but also unnecessary at the same time. Regardless, knowledge from novels could only do so much; she was lacking in experience.

Wherever Svetlana looked, she found extremely pretty dresses that shined with the lights of the Engine lights. The materials were very smooth and silky. They were very long, probably enough to reach down to the ankles—each of them; nothing like the short skirts worn casually in Japan. Now that she thought about it, she witnessed some ladies wearing such dresses, maybe not as dazzling as these fine art of fabrics, however.

“These are simply lovely,” Isabelle remarked. “I think we will find something graceful, wonderful and presentable for you.”


Svetlana ended up buying a sleeveless black gothic dress, followed by another gothic dress with long sleeves and of deep wine-red colour. Her next purchase was a high-quality gown weaved with satin, lastly a sleeveless blue gown also made with satin.

Isabelle only stared with wide and dumbstruck eyes. Maybe not so wonderful. “You have a really dark taste in fashion, sister,” she commented.

“Ehh, don’t say that, it was my mother who brought me the joy of these clothes when I was about your age.”

“I see. I suppose I am going to go for the blue ball gowns. Blue seemed to fit my mother well, and likely me too.”

“Alright, but I’m pretty sure anything will fit you, Isabelle. You’re just so adorable.”

“I would delve into the more steampunk themed dresses, but perhaps I am simply too young for these things,” Isabelle said, sorting through the apparels. “It is a shame that you did not get any of them yourself. They seem trendy, I think.”

“Steampunk dresses? Where are those? Don’t believe I’ve ever seen one before.”

“Just look behind you.” Isabelle was still busy looking for things to buy for herself. “They are a bit more revealing, maybe if you’re bold for a ball and want the attention, but I believe you would be frowned upon. Might be easy to move in, though. Perhaps for more dangerous outings…”

“Oh this black one seems nice. It’s fine, and it’s not that revealing,” Svetlana said as she remembered the armor Hades provided her when she first took on her new appearance.

Isabelle peeked back and tilted her head. “That skirt is so short.”

The owner of the shop commented from hearing the conversation, “Oh, but my fair lady, these are also trendy these days for the balls!”

Isabelle grumbled. “Still short. I tempted the devil, it seems.”

“I think I’ll take it!” Svetlana said happily. “By the way, Isabelle, we should get you all sorts of dresses.” Svetlana said as her eyes began to sparkle.

“I… I am fine with the ones I chose so far,” Isabelle replied in defense, taking a step back from seeing the glint in Svetlana’s eyes.

“Aww, but I had already set some aside just for you!”

“Fine. Let us get this over with as soon as possible.”

“Alrighty, will be taking all this, sir.”

She gasped. “That one has a really short skirt, sister,” Isabelle immediately protested.

“You're seeing things. Now, let us pay and go.”

“This is going to a direction I do not like…”

Svetlana exited a carriage and got out of it in her American attire. The casual attire from America was still garnering her unwanted attention, especially with the horn, and she had to explain to many people about her so-called cosplaying habits over the past few days.

She was now officially a Duchess, granted the title by the Queen. She was named Svetlana Astakhov Alicia officially in her documents that the Queen permitted to be forged. However, she woke up late this morning and Duchess Caroline had informed her that Isabelle had already went out. After asking, it turned out that Isabelle went out all the way to the old mansion of their family.

When Svetlana found little Isabelle, she seemed to be busy directing workers with refurbishing the house and bringing it back to life. Apparently, their estate was too old to be used at the moment.

“Sheesh, you could have woken me up you know Isabelle,” Svetlana said as she approached Isabelle.

“You were sleeping like a log on a bed of pillows—I could not do it, sister,” Isabelle said. “Also, these servants are not taking me seriously sometimes.”

“Well, if they don’t listen we can always find replacements. Pretty sure there are others who are willing to work as long as they get paid.”

“I do not think we should overpay, however. Money is precious, especially when we lack a business to run at the moment. We cannot live off the inheritance money forever. I think the issue is elsewhere, however, they probably think a child does not provide good instructions.” Isabelle pouted.

“Don’t worry in time things will be different,” Svetlana said happily as she patted Isabelle head. “By the way, how long is this gonna take? Or we are gonna be staying at your Aunt’s for a good while?”

“Well… there is only one way to find out. Shall we take a tour?”

“Yes we should! Lead the way.”

Isabelle and Svetlana entered the manor of the late Duchess that was Margaret Alicia. There were many noises of hammers, woodworks and perhaps some drilling? The two were not sure what kind of steam engine were used for the process, but if it worked then they could care less about some loud noises. The floor was an absolute mess full of dust. There were cobwebs in almost every corners. The furnitures were at least covered with clothes but the walls were not in good condition with cracks and old paints looking simply displeasing to the eyes.

“I would not want to live in a room with such walls,” Isabelle remarked, going up the staircase with her sister.

“It feels as if a ghost would come out at night here.”

“Do not jinx it now.” She almost placed a hand on the railing of the staircase but stopped. “Gosh, the wood is about to crack. Crack, I tell you.”

“Maybe we should head back out. I don’t want you falling through the floor if the floor cracks open below us.”

“Good call, if a hard plated wood on the railing is cracking, I would not be so sure about the sturdiness of the floors either.”

“Seems then we will be without our own house for a while,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “So I suppose in the meantime we probably would just require to hire our own Personal Maids if anything no?”

“Yes, I was hoping that you would come to that conclusion. We could hire our staff members from a Staffing Agency and then have them join the renovation works here.”

“Well that's fine by me, but do you know what would be an appropriate amount of staff that we would need? Or what kind? Since, well, I’m still clueless about most of this stuff.”

“Hmm… we would need a considerable amount of staff members. At least about twelve women to work with the daily necessities. By the by, might I suggest that you start studying English rather than using that translating accessory?”

“Eeh, but at my age it's harder to learn a language. This makes it so convenient for me.” Svetlana protested

“No excuses! You sound like a robot right now.”

“Sheesh, fine. But you better not make fun of my accent since I’m certain I’m gonna have one.”

“Better… pfft, practicing,” Isabelle said, holding her laughter. “Oh yes, another thing… you need dresses. This attire you are wearing is absolutely shameful here.”

“I don’t mind getting dresses as long as they're the kind I like, considering my older dresses don't fit me anymore,” Svetlana said with a sigh “By the way, are we not getting male servants?”

“We should get some… also, the dresses will help you with your figure, at least this is what I have heard from my mother all the time. I think I can believe that, considering mother’s figure was…”

“Well I don’t believe this figure is that bad,” Svetlana said as she examined herself. “Though we should also get you many dresses.”

“Why do I get this feeling that you are more excited about playing dress-up with me than wearing pretty dresses yourself?” Isabelle took a step back. “That figure is not bad, but it is still not the best.”

Svetlana pinched Isabelle’s cheek. “You know you could have simply said it's a nice figure,” she said with a smile on her face.

“That would get you over the top of your head.”

“No it wouldn’t, that's a simple compliment. Not like you would have elaborated. Sheesh,” Svetlana said as she pouted.

“You do not realise how simple-minded you are. Fine, do not listen to me, perhaps one day you will understand,” Isabelle said, shrugging. “Women loves praises, I tell you.”


“Well, the only praises I ever enjoyed myself where those I was given after my performances back in Russia, those were more important to me since it meant I was able to put a smile on people's faces in those harsh lands.”

“I think I do not want to go there any time soon,” Isabelle said, walking down from the staircase. The two now exited the mansion. “So… where do we go first? We should also get a carriage of our own. Traveling is a bit of a chore with us having to fetch a hansom cab or a carriage every single time we go out.”

“I suppose we can. Considering I’ll probably get lost myself out there,” Svetlana said jokingly. “But I suppose we should head to the Staffing Agency first. I believe getting our own carriage can still wait a bit. Though, too bad they don’t have cars here those would have been nice to have.”

“We do have cars, just that they are more expensive. Very few are imported from the United States.” Isabelle waved for a carriage across the streets after they walked out of the gates.

“Oh then we should get one once we can afford one! I should learn to drive, that would be fun.”

“It is not very ladylike to drive here. We should just hire a driver for that.”

“Eeh, now your making me wonder what women do for fun here…”

“Good question,” Isabelle said, wondering about it herself. “I think it may be a bit old-fashioned but… sewing? I imagine many noble ladies learn to paint, play musical instruments, and even horse-riding. Jousting and racing are popular sports. There are many more things I feel like I am missing… oh, promenading and attending balls to dance are more of women’s thing too. I personally want to meet a dashing prince charming in a ball one day.”







The two then got onto a carriage as they conversed.

“Oh my someone thinks like a little princess,” Svetlana said as she chuckled a bit. “From those that you mention I think I would only find horse-riding fun for me…”

“You are not good at womanly things, are you? Makes me pity you.” Isabelle shook her head in sadness and shame. “You almost make me weep at your tomboyish nature,” she stated, feigning a mourning tone.

Svetlana pinched both Isabelle cheek at that moment. “You sure love me doing this to you don’t you?” Svetlana said happily. “If you have forgotten already. I was not raised to be a noble lady as I didn’t come from such a thing.”

“I do not enjoy it, what must be said shall be said, and we both already knew that you were raised to be a boy anyway.”

“Maybe I should buy you boy’s clothes instead of those pretty dresses I had in mind.”

“I am going to use proper English to make sure your room is full of cracked walls and horribly broken furnitures.”

“Fine I’ll make sure to invite a ghost to the house.”

“You may live in that mansion alone then.”

“But you're under my care so you would have to stay with me.”

“I do not think any guardian of mine would bring me to danger. In that event, however, you become a legal fool you opted out of time, thus, I would not have to stay with you. I have every right to flee to safety,” she crossed her arms with a “humph.”

“Sheesh, I was kidding you know, as if I would really do something like that.”

“Pfft, what, you thought I was not kidding, either?”

“Well if I didn’t think you were kidding I probably be in a corner sulking, thinking my little sister hated me.”

“What would you do without me?”

“I don’t know, I can’t imagine a world without you anymore since of course you're my precious little sister, you know?”

“Now, now, do not get so emotional first thing in the morning,” Isabelle said as the coach opened the door for them and they got down. “What do we have here?” She looked up and down and the building didn’t seem to be in the best condition. Then again, houses in Victorian London were not exactly the best.

The two entered the house and it sounded like a really quiet house at first, then there was a storm of orders going around. People were telling people to do work. It seemed like there were people being trained to become staff members here while at the same time, they were apparently letting people get hired.

The manager soon walked to them, dressed in a black cheap suit.

“Good day to you ladies, may I enquire how we may help you?”

“We’ve come looking to hire some servants,” Svetlana said, wondering if she should let Isabelle do the talking instead.

“I see, what type of servants do you seek? We have hands available for every position, Miss.”

“Umm, Isabelle what were we looking for again? I only really recall our Personal Maids, not sure what roles the others would need to fill.”

“We need pretty much everything,” Isabelle answered tersely.

“Yes but…”

“Hm?”

“Based on households we always get different requests, so I would advise some specifications?”

“Ahem.” Isabelle took a moment to think. “Let us see here… a housekeeper, a cook, a laundry maid or two, a head nurse, about three housemaids, two kitchen maids, I suppose a nursemaid too…”

“I suppose that is all for the female staff?”

“Yes, as for the men, I suppose we do not need a steward yet,” Isabelle said, unsure herself. “Do we?” she asked Svetlana.

“Umm, Isabelle, you have to tell me what these are. I don’t know much about servants.”

“Oh, I forgot…”

“My lady,” the manager addressed Svetlana. “An Estate Steward is concerned with handling business matters, as well as other important matters such as managing family affairs and matters at a more technical level. They communicate lawyers, architects, suppliers, etc. for your needs too. Usually, an owner of one mansion requires just one agent. If there are more properties across the region, however, it is a different story.”

“Ah, we happen to have three mansions across the entire country,” Isabelle casually said.

“We do?” Svetlana said slightly confused.

“Oh? I did not say it before?”

“Not a word. Sheesh, you have to tell me these things.”

“We used to go to different mansions based on season. I remember especially enjoying my time in summer at the one in Yorkshire. I suppose all of this slipped my mind.”

“When we get back to your aunt’s house you’re gonna tell me what else you know considering I’m still the clueless one about stuff like this. Sheesh and yes we currently don’t need the Steward.”

“Alright, I got it, and I am sorry about it. I am just a little girl, mind you.” Only at times like these Isabelle would use her age to an advantage with a playful smirk. “I suppose for the men we will need two footmen, a coachman, four gardeners—would we need more of them?—and… oh! I almost forgot, for us ladies we would need two Personal Maids for each of us.”

“Very well, I believe we may arrange those staff members soon. Would you prefer to meet them and interview them, or shall we simply send them over to the designated address, Miss?” the manager of the company asked Svetlana.

“I suppose interviewing them would be nice considering we are hiring them to serve us and knowing about them beforehand would be nice. Don’t you think, Isabelle?”

“I suppose we could but on second thought…” Isabelle gestured for the man to reach down for her, and he complied, crouching down for Isabelle to speak to his ears. He listened for a moment and stood back up.

“We can take care of that special order, no problem, Miss.”

“Ehh, what did you just ask for?!”

“Oh, nothing special,” Isabelle nonchalantly answered.

“Please follow me, I shall take you both to the quarters of the staff members.”

The two then followed the manager and soon spoke with all the appropriate members they were taken to. It just so turned out that the company lacked one Personal Maid for Svetlana for some reason at the time, she’d later learn why.

It had been a somewhat eventful day, and Aleksander was glad to be home, able to finally relax his guard if only slightly and enjoy himself. As he approached the front door, he thought about how when he left this morning at eight, he had no servants, and now he had just under twenty of them. The magnitude of the accomplishment really struck home for him at the two twenty-something men in fairly nice, cold-weather jackets standing at his door, one of whom opened said door when he got closer.

Alek nodded to the young man in thanks, and walked inside, caught a little off-guard when one of the footmen followed him inside, and took Alek’s jacket and hat, hanging it in the cloakroom. Feeling less burdened, Alek took his book to the study, and planned to start reading it, but he did make a slight detour to get the attention of one of his maids. “Excuse me, Lilly?”

“Yes, my Lord?” the maid stopped cleaning the floor and walked up to Alek, but kept a good distance from him.

“Would you mind having the kitchen prepare tea, and then bringing it to my study? Also, have Dawson and come up if you would. I would like to hear from him on how his first day has been going so far. Thank you, Miss Lilly.” he smiles, before continuing towards the study.

“Understood, my Lord.” The maid hurried away, taking her broom with her.

Some moments later, Katya walked into Aleksander’s study with a cup of tea over a tray and she placed it atop his desk.

“Is there anything else you would require, my Lord?” Katya enquired.

“A date to a ball I found out is being held in barely more than a few days by the Queen, but I don’t suppose you know anybody who can help with that?” He raised a brow dryly.

“Yes, we spoke of the Queen’s Ball merely two hours ago,” Katya said. Now dressed in the uniform of a maid, and not that of an aristocrat, her image had changed dramatically. “In fact, we have received a letter from the Royalty, which I shall have delivered to you soon. I figured that you would want to relax first before reading it. What type of help would you require for it, my Lord?”

“Well, I was wondering if you’d attend the ball with me? it’s considered bad form to show up by oneself, and I fear that most of the decent candidates have already been approached by better-prepared young men than myself. I can of course provide you with access to a tailor to have them sew you a ball-gown, should you accept, and not already have one…”

“I may attend with you if that is all you require, my Lord. I already have a ball gown prepared for myself as well,” Katya promptly answered.

“Excellent, I’m sure that you’ll make a fine companion for me, and I look forward to making all the other noblemen jealous.” He smiled slightly. “I thought you’d protest more at being asked to be my date for the ball, in all honesty.”

“I think you would find me beneficial—rest assured—in a more social sense. However, feel free to court other women in the ball. I believe it would be appropriate for you to seek an able woman for your family line, my Lord.”

“Hmm… I shall take your advise to heart, but I must admit it disheartens me greatly that you dismiss yourself so quickly. Circumstances of social standing aside, you seem to be a fine woman yourself, Miss Katya. I myself was a commoner but a few days ago, living in exile from the Queen’s land for the crimes of my forebear, and here I am planning to throw a ball in less than a fortnight. So don’t give up on yourself so soon.” He tried to encourage her to be more positive.

“Dismiss myself? My Lord, my circumstances are different and… pardon me, but it does not look good considering my occupation. If you and I are together in that way—”

“To begin with, accepting the invitation is already a problematic idea. I think you would have known better, Miss Katya,” Dawson, the butler of the house stated as he came in. The butler then faced Aleksander. “You have called for my presence, my Lord?”

The butler seemed to wear an eyepatch and had long hair. For a male, this was not common and seemed to prefer butlers with small hair, like any man would be. That was some years ago, however, as long hairs in men were acceptable now due to the new standards of the modern world were discovered by the magicians of England. However, many work stations still do not find such appearance appropriate.

“Excellent timing, Dawson. Yes, I wanted to enquire of you, and Katya as well since she is here, as to how the staff has been adjusting so far to working here. Are there any hiccups of note?” Aleksander asked, buying time to think.

“I suppose this is a good time as any to make my report. Everything has been going as they should be, my Lord. The footmen have been working with the few parts of the mansion that are still occupied by unused wardrobes and drawers and needs the housemaids to clean.”

“On that note,” Katya began, “As soon as the old furnitures are moved I shall have the maids sweep the older rooms cleaned. Otherwise, we are mostly done with getting the mansion back to how it should be. I would like to recommend, however, that we hire another kitchen maid. It may make the cooking process much faster.”

“I’ll stop by the agency and see what can be done about hiring another one, truth be told I suspected we might need another, but wanted to make sure before I hired one. Are there any other staffing requests, or complaints about any of the uniforms I chose? I was on the fence about the particular maid uniform that is in use right now. If any of the girls are uncomfortable with it showing a little bit of leg, please tell them to feel free to speak with me, and I shall get a new one made.”

“Actually, there are quite a lot of complaints from the maids about it…” Katya reported with a fainter voice as she looked down.

“It is indeed questionable in terms of modesty, I must admit.” Dawson also nodded alongside the housekeeper.

“Hmm… the budget is fairly tight with the recent expenditure to restore the grounds. If you’ll please let the maids know that I can replace their uniforms with a more tasteful version, but that those who choose to continue to wear the ones they have now can look forward to a seventy-five pound bonus two weeks before Christmas on every year? I would offer an outright pay raise for it, but as I said, budgetary concerns restrict my ability to do so at the moment. Next year I may abandon the bonus, and instead move to a flat raise, if they’d prefer.”

“I would think people would enjoy the flat raise instead,” Dawson stated. “Otherwise they would just be wearing it before Christmas and put it away.” I suppose my Lord is this type of a man, I should have expected it, I suppose, considering the age.

“I shall let them know,” Katya tersely replied. Why would the Lord even offer a pay at all if he was concerned about the budget…? It is much more cost-friendly to produce modest uniforms.

“I will see what I can do. In the meantime, I will care for my own laundry, and you can have Lilly assist in the kitchen, until we can find another maid to take her place, Katya.”

“Very well,” Katya said with a bow.

“My Lord, you do not need to do any of that, please focus on your studies,” Dawson stated hastily. “We shall make arrangements for the laundry.”

“I see, thank you for your hard work so far, both of you. Would you please extend my thanks to the rest of the staff as well?” He smiled in a kindly fashion, opening the book and beginning to read, “I also wish to discuss your situation further, Katya. If it may impact me in the near or distant future, it’s not something I wish to be blindsided by. If you fear being judged for some misdeed of your past, then I can assure you that that will not be the case.”

“I apologise, my Lord, but…” Katya’s voice trailed away and she looked down, not wanting to continue anymore.

“Do you not trust my discretion on this matter? I assure you I am not one to idly gossip about serious matters…” Alek frowned. “If it is within my power, I will do everything I can to help you…”

Katya remained silent, not sure how to answer.

“My Lord, I have something to speak with you about, alone,” the butler said.

“Very well, you are dismissed Katya…” Aleksander said, feeling bad for putting her under so much stress, but still being quite worried for the young lady’s well-being.

Katya gave a bow before leaving Aleksander’s study.

As the door closed, Dawson spoke, “My Lord, you may wish to replace this housekeeper. It may bring issues to your household.”

“I will entertain your proposal for the time being, what brings you to say this?”

“She is not an ordinary housekeeper, and is not as strict as she should be. Also, pardon me but your choice to press for her matter is also another issue.”

“Hmm, would you be willing to help her become a better housekeeper? Teaching her some severity would also be welcome if you find the time for it. As far as her concerns, the only reason I insist on knowing of them, is because she claims it will affect me in some fashion, and refuses to elaborate.”

“I do not think I will find that time, regrettably. To be honest, a professional who is hired should have been well-prepared, enough to not require training. She may seem young but she is close to your age, my Lord. No one likes training in the work field, those are for ones still partaking the previous step—in the agency. She is lacking in experience and may not be the best for your house.”

“I cannot deny that there is a certain sense behind your words, but I believe in giving her a chance. And not just because she’s a cute girl, either. I’d do the same were you in her place. The reason I’m inclined to believe in her, is because of certain shared experiences I feel we have. A bit of a kindred spirit, if you will. I will not ignore your concerns entirely though, I will give her a chance, just one. If she brings dishonor to this household, then I will personally dismiss her from my employ, on that you have my word.”

“A word of advise, my Lord. Chances are fair, I understand, but you should not mix your judgement with personal sympathies with her. You mentioned a kindred spirit, but when you spoke to me first, you had mentioned that you wanted to keep private and professional matters completely appropriately separate with the servants. Taking pity on her is already deviating from this promise, in whatever form it is. I believe that it will cost you in more ways than one… My Lord, you are a Duke now, and you are about to make a grand return to the society of nobles. Keeping a member of the Aberdeen family as a housekeeper will raise questions. If you are too lenient it will make everyone around you curious. Better pray that it is not a scandal material.”

“I assure you that I shall maintain propriety in all matters when it comes to my servants. Let the court question why an Aberdeen is serving as a Housekeep if they wish, I believe that that is a question that can safely be deflected to the main Aberdeen household, and let them answer it. And if they decide to question why I am bringing an ex-Aberdeen to the Queen’s Ball, I shall simply remind them that regardless of her status within their family, she is nonetheless an Aberdeen still, and not exactly devoid of social and political power.”

“No, I am sure she is not devoid of any of it, but that does not mean that a man keeping an Aberdeen member in his house is excusable, especially of the opposite gender. People loves to make assumptions these days about what takes place behind closed doors. Scandals simply happen to be a different bag of worms altogether. I only wanted for you to keep this in mind. If you are going to keep the questionable lady here regardless, I cannot do anything about it. I am simply saying this for your well-being, as it is my duty to do so.”

“So what would you have me do? Turn her out onto the street?” Alek asked, looking up from his book to meet Dawson’s eyes. “I’ve no idea what kind of gentleman you take me for, but I will NOT do that to a lady. Let people talk if they must, but unlike some people I’ve met, I’ve no plan to take advantage of the young lady.”

“My Lord, I do not think she is as helpless as you imagine. It seems like her status is not officially taken away. It does not make sense about why a noble lady is even working as a housekeeper. Would you ever hire a noble usually? I do not know of an employer who would, among the nobility that is. You must gain more connections and build relations with the nobles, my Lord, being too honest-to-good, will unfortunately allow others to take advantage of your virtues instead.”

“Thank you Dawson. I will consider what you have told me. In the meantime, I believe that I need to know why she is here, before I am able to make a final decision,” he said , sipping at his so-far untouched tea.

“If you would permit me, I shall look into this matter and investigate it.”

“Let me ask her directly, and if she refuses to answer, then I might resort to that method. I’d prefer to be as honest in my dealings as I can…”

“She has refused you outright just now, my Lord.”

“I shall attempt a different tact, it shall just take some time.” he replied, standing from his desk and moving towards the door.

“Very well, my Lord. As you wish.”

Alek wandered into the library, which itself wasn’t unusual. What was slightly unusual, was that he wasn’t there for books this time, instead, he was in search of folks that he knew that might be good party guests.

The wafting scent of the library comprised of books and papers greeted him. The halls had aged considerably but it was still a favoured spot for many studious scholars such as Alek himself. There were many shelves full of books, and as he surveyed carefully, finding the unforgettable violet hair just before a bright light coming from the window.

Lady Violet seemed to be very much absorbed in a book she was reading silently in the already quiet library. She seemed to be holding a monocle and was carefully making out the words.

Alek grabbed a book on advanced spell creation theory, specifically on combining different Forms to produce a combination effect and approached the table with a smooth gait, full of confidence as he quietly asked, “May I make use of this table as well? The lighting is perfect for reading… “

“Oh, Mister Fane, good afternoon. Please, go right ahead, I do not mind,” Violet answered, removing her monocle from her right eye before speak to him.

“Thank you, Miss Violet. Might I have a moment of your time as well? Or if you’d like, I plan to study for some time for an extracurricular project, so I can wait and speak when you are finished as well.”

“I do not mind taking a break.” Lady Violet placed down her monocle on the table and closed the big book, before noting the page number.

“Very well. I’m not sure if perhaps you already knew through some channel, but I was looking to host a ball soon, to celebrate my return to actively serving the country. I wanted to personally invite you to attend, if you’d like, as well as ask if you would consider doing so as my date?” He brought out a perfect moonflower that he’d had stashed away for just such an occasion, presenting it to her with a flourish.

“A date? Me?” Lady Violet tilted her head slightly. “I am sure there are prettier ladies for you to court in the ball, Mister Fane.”

“I sincerely doubt that, Miss Violet. I know the full guest list, and I chose to be here, asking you for a reason. Besides, I do so enjoy the conversations we have, and an entire night of that would be a rare treat indeed…”

Violet shrugged. “Alright,” she said, accepting the rose. “Consider the request accepted. I am not very used to going to balls so you will have to excuse my inexperience.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’ve got more than a few dancing lessons from my boyhood, and I’ve no doubt that we’ll be fine. As far as your conversation and charm goes, you’re a natural.” He smiled. “It’s next Tuesday at four, do you still remember where my house is?”

“While I appreciate the flattering words, I do not think I a natural. Unfortunately, though, I have never visited your estate before.”


“Are you sure about that? I assure you that I speak the truth. That said, what are your plans when you finish at the Academy?”

“I wish to join the Royal Council Organization of Her Majesty,” Violet answered, ignoring what sounded like more flattery. “I shall work for the country, I also intend to partake in the upcoming battles of war as a Magic Magister.”

“That’s certainly a prestigious, well-known Organization. I was contracted with them when I accompanied the Princess, and to my knowledge I still am. If you'd like, I can write a letter of recommendation for you?” He decided to hold off on commenting on the last part of that sentence.

“You are still contracted?” Violet asked with unbound curiosity, especially at the mention of Princess Louise. “Oh, no. It is okay. I want to apply with my own weight alone.”

“Sort of. I was her Majesty’s bodyguard while I was away from school, and I reckon that should the Royal Council bid me do something it would behoove me to do it. For the moment the Queen, and by extent they, seem content to let me finish my schooling in relative peace. Why did you wish to be a Magister if you don't mind me asking?” he asked with no small amount of his own curiosity.

“Pardon me, but I had already answered that question, Mister Fane.” Violet chuckled. “I must say that I am rather jealous of your affiliation.”

“It wasn’t exactly peaches and sunshine you know… but I do agree that it was a valuable chance to grow close to the Royal Family, and to ingratiate myself with them. To that end, I am also trying for Magister, and access to the restricted spells that comes with it. If you’d like, I’m very interested in sparring with you sometime to refine and hone my own techniques. Are you interested, Miss Violet?” he asked politely.

“If it were peaches and sunshine then I would not be trying so hard to enter it. I do not mind a spar but it will likely have to be delayed considering my schedule.”

“Of course, Miss Violet. Whatever works for you, just let me know and I’ll do my best to make it happen. Do you have anybody in particular you’d like for me to invite to the ball? I’m certainly willing to take it into consideration if you’d like me to invite a few of your friends…?”

“I believe most of my friends are… busy around that time, unfortunately.”

“Are you sure that you’ll have the time to attend? I know how hectic things are right now with graduation coming up and all… but I was thinking that it’d be a valuable chance for our peers to socialize and network, build connections before they enter the professional world and all of that good stuff.”

“Yes, I am aware, and that is why I had accepted. I have not been attending social gatherings and my mother keeps nagging me. Perchance this shall quell her.” She chuckled yet again. “Ah, but I shall find some time and make haste for the book I was planning to read that day.”

Alek smiled as well. “Well, remind me to send her a thank you card then,” he joked, “If you’d like, I’m sure I could always stand to get some more studying in… “ With that said, he hefted the sizeable book on spellcrafting. “So we could start our own little study club? Somewhat late in our school career, I’m sure, but it’s useful to bounce thoughts and ideas off of like-minded individuals. I’ll even make tea for us, how would you like to try the tea that the Princess herself has tasted, and said †˜isn’t bad’?” he asked with a devilish grin.

“I am in so many research groups already, though. I apologise for the blatant declination but I do not think I can fit this into my already-packed schedule.”

“Ehh? Ah well, I suppose it makes sense though. I’m sure your time must be in high demand, so I’ll let you get back to it. Other people to invite and all that good stuff. I’m sure that I’ll find time to speak with you again soon though.” He smiled at Miss Violet, preparing to leave.

“Simply let me know what time and place I should be going to before Tuesday and I shall be there. Have a good day, Mister Fane.” Whatever happened to reading that book here…?

“I imagine that I could probably convince Constance to act as the host, at least for the first half hour or so. That way we’ll be able to arrive fashionably late. So if you arrive at 4.30, I’ll be outside then to greet you and help you out of your carriage, and then we’ll be able to enter, and really knock their socks off.” He chuckled. “Does that work for you?”

“You sure like to be flashy I see. Very well, we shall have it arranged that way.”

“Well, it’s also my job as your date to make sure that you have a pleasant evening, right? I’m sure that if we do it this way, every eye in the room will be on us, and we’ll shine brighter than any star. Well, you more than me perhaps…” He smiled a little cheekily.

Violet only gave a polite smile as she opened her book. “You over-exaggerate about me, Mister Fane.”

“But I’ve only told the truth, this entire conversation… “ He feigned being hurt by her lack of belief, “Seriously though, don’t be so hard on yourself, Miss Violet. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.” He bows slightly, “Now I apologize, but I must take my leave. Household matters call my attention elsewhere, I’m afraid.” He made sure to check out the book he’d selected before leaving the library to find either more of his party guests, or Constance.

Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of…? I wish, Mister Fane, I wish.

Alek and Katya were walking out of the Academy. Traversing over the clean cobblestone and the distinctive atmosphere of the place.

“Hey, Lord Duke, how do you do?” a familiar voice asked with a mocking tone from ahead. It was Constance, his old childhood friend.

“I’m doing great. It’s nice to be back in London again.” He smiled at his friend. “And since I got back I’ve been working on getting my house in order, with plans to host a ball to start off strong. I’ve actually been giving some thought to who I want to bring as a date but haven’t had time yet to give it any actual serious thought. How have things been since I last saw you… a month ago?”

Katya gave a bow. “I shall now go and prepare, have a good day.”

Alek nodded. “Have a safe journey. The carriage drivers seem to get more reckless every day!” He waved goodbye before turning back to Constance. “Funny story how I met her actually…”

Constance was a young heir to a noble family. He had brown short hair, and he wore a brown coat. Apparently, he was also popular among women and a charmer like Alek. This was made most evident by his handsome face.

“Funny story, you say? I almost thought she was your secret date for the ball.” Constance laughed.

“She’s certainly pretty enough that if she did decide to attend she’d make somebody very happy to be seen in public with her.” Alek agreed. “I suppose she actually worked for your agency, and I must say that you do know how to pick them. She seems a little… young to have the work experience to perform suitably as a head maid, but I know that you hire only the best, so I’ve no doubt that she’ll do an admirable job in her duties. How about you? Any names jump to the top of the list for a date?” Alek asked with an easy grin, more relaxed now that he didn’t have one of his servants around.

“Actually, I had no idea that she was in my agency. Before we get to your question… what was her name?”

“That’s the other funny thing, now that you mention it. Her name was Katya, of House Aberdeen. A bit of an interesting name, and I’m not talking about the Aberdeen part either. She was a bit cagey about why an Aberdeen was seeking work as a live-in maid as well..”

“An Aberdeen… oh yes! I do remember, only her name, however. I cannot tell the story behind it myself, but apparently the girl was exiled from the family and was seeking employment when she arrived at my agency.”

“It seems a touch strange. My best guess at this present moment is that perhaps her parents wanted her to marry somebody rich or famous or powerful, and she decided to instead continue her schooling. I did find that she had an interest in Magical Biology. Either that, or she has a crush on Griswold, which isn’t entirely unlikely either, handsome devil that he is.”

“And speaking of rumours, Aberdeen members are indeed close to the Royal family after the whole Prime Minister debacle. Would not colour me surprised if she was simply refusing to marry powerful either. I believe we do not really need to get to the bottom of it as long as she performs suitably. On that note, I think I have many names this time too, but if it is one thing, getting to woo our beautiful Lady Violet has been one big challenge lately, and I think I am off that ship in fact.”

“Don’t I know it!” Alek exclaimed, agreeing heartily. “I heard tell that she was trying for Magic Magister at the end of year, so she might be far too absorbed in studies to find the time for attending balls and such. I ran into her when I arrived this morning in the courtyard and had a pleasant discussion with her, but it was unfortunately cut short since both she and I had our respective goals before class started. Indeed, if I had stayed to talk to Violet, I may not have met Katya when I did! Perhaps it might be an interesting diversion to make a sport of seeing who can woo the Lady Violet first?” Aleksander suggested after making sure nobody was eavesdropping when he said something so potentially scandalous.

“You are late to the party, my friend,” Constance walked up and sat down on a bench as he chuckled. “Every man has been trying. She is not exactly engaged with studies, rather, she simply has those distant pair of eyes… makes her more charming somehow.”

“Hmm, well, it wouldn’t be fun if it was easy, would it?” Aleksander joked. “I might have a slight advantage, being the host of the ball and all, but that’s certainly no excuse to slack and not put my best foot forward. If every man in the Academy has been trying, how is it that no-one has succeeded yet?”

“I am theorising that she is simply not interested in courting at the moment, even if she has come of age. All the more appealing to my eyes, though! That said, which ball are we speaking of? I only remember the fair maiden being invited to the Queen’s ball.”

“Good heavens, I very nearly forgot to invite people to attend! I’ve already invite Griswold, so… hmm. I’ve got a few more ideas on people I’d like to invite. Are there any fresh new faces here at the Academy I should be aware of?”

“Some,” Constance said. “Like Veronica, or that Xenia who came from Greece. That said, for the love of God invite Charlotte Brontë. I still want to try my luck with her.”

“I suppose that I’ve got plenty of work to do if I want to make sure that everyone’s invited to the ball with a reasonable amount of time to prepare. “You are welcome to invite some people to attend as well if you’d like, I trust your judgement in this matter. I plan to personally invite Lady Violet, as well as a couple of other cuties that I haven’t had a chance to talk to yet though.”

“I shall simply spread my calls to the romanceless people, especially the men. It would be odd to have an influx of ladies at a ball.”

“This is true. I shall endeavour to do the same, we’ll aim for say… eighty people? I do believe that it will fill the ballroom at my estate comfortably, without cramming everyone into too small a space. I’ve already invited Griswold, so that’s one of my invitations extended. We should probably try to avoid inviting too many people, but I don’t want it to be a ghost town if some of them don’t show either. so we’ll invite a hundred instead perhaps?”

“Sounds good to me. I imagine people like Lady Violet may make a study excuse at the last moment, or some queer research.”

“Well if they do, then there’s just no hope for it. I know the Queen is throwing a ball this next week, so I’ll most likely hold mine the week after. It’s foolish to compete with the Royal Family like that. We’ll say Tuesday? Start at five, and we’ll serve dinner for those who wish to eat?”

“Mhm. I do not mind the same week as the Royal family’s ball, but just not on the same day or else your ball would go down the drain.”

“I also want to give the staff a chance to settle into their routines before throwing such an event, otherwise I might. So tell me more about Veronica and Xenia?”

“Veronica is a mysterious star of the practical combat classes. She fights with a spear and sends the arses of the men flying with packing blows. Xenia is one of the more famed scholars of the year, she is very confident but perhaps a little too much. She happened to have made some reports on the subject of Twilight recently… you know, like the one that says too much of it can alter your race itself.”

“Nice… You can color me interested. I’ll make sure to go out of my way to try and invite those two as well then, and maybe we can get to know them over a couple of drinks?” Alek asked with suggestively arched eyebrows. “We should probably do our best to give them a proper welcome to our fair Academy, after all.”

“Oh, yes, yes, I am yet to meet this Veronica myself so I look forward to welcoming her too.”

“So you’ve already met Xenia then? And how did that particular exploit go?” Alek asked, already starting to chuckle.

“Her boasting about her success? I cannot say that it went well just yet.”

“Well… truth be told… I can’t say my recent history has been particularly successful either. I got to spend nearly every waking moment with one of the Queen’s daughters, but her armor was flawless. Never once a hint of weakness, just icy cold disdain the entire time. In fairness, I could have done better, but it’s tough to believe that there are women out there who are a whole other level… I actually kinda started getting interested, like in more than just flirting with her, but alas, I fear it was not meant to be.” He shrugged. “Do you want to check the usual spots around Campus, and see if there’s anyone still here that we might invite to the ball?”

“Just a moment, one of the of the Royal family? Who?! Princess Louise? Princess Beatrice?!”

“Ahh, Louise of course. I’d been supremely interested in meeting her for most of the last year or so and finally got my chance to do so. But there was this thing in the Void… and I started getting a touch morose about my parents… Alcohol might’ve been involved…” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Truthfully, I could have conducted myself so much better, but what’s done is done.”

“Ahh, you cannot lash out at ladies otherwise you lose them. It is fine, though, Princesses are beyond the leagues of most of us nobles,” Constance said with certain disdain but he hid his expressions all too well. “I have chanced some conversations with Princess Beatrice though, her face that is the sun fills you with giddiness.”


“Well I’m happy for you, for one. It’s not every day that Royalty graces us with their presence, let alone commoners. I can safely say from spending most every waking minute with Louise though, that she’s quite serious, and not at all easy to get along with if you haven’t established some kind of positive rapport with her. I don’t think I even saw her smile in that entire month…” Alek confided in a quieter tone of voice.

“That is grave. She must truly be working hard for our country. I feel a little tinge of guilt seeing how I have been spending my time, but hey… what is a man to do if not woo a lady? Anyway, there could be other things going on around her, we would never know though.”

“Mmm, this is very true. Perhaps there’s an illness in the family, or something of that sort that I wasn’t aware of… if that is the case, then I truly feel like dirt for behaving the way that I did…” he said. “Anyways, how do you want to split up to comb the campus?”

“Is it not a bit too late, however? I would think the more studious type would stay behind now.”

“So we should be able to find Xenia, and Violet at the least, no? I’m sure there’s a few interesting people making use of the library at the least, and it won’t take more than a minute to find out for sure.”

“If I find either of them I am going to take my chances,” Constance said with a malicious grin.

“Well, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see then, won’t we?” Alek remarked with a grin. “One last thing though, I sort of need another viewpoint on this. You saw the girl that was with me when I greeted you, right? I’m having a bit of a dilemma where I want to flirt with her, because she’s a cute girl, and it’s practically my job to flirt with cute girls… but at the same time she’s also my employee. so it’s a bit of a moral dilemma, and I don’t want her to feel pressured to accept my advances because I’m the one paying her… do you see where it’s enough to give me pause?”

“You have to be subtle with her, my dear brother. I feel like it would be wrong to approach more aggressively like with most ladies. Perhaps try to help her out here and there. Also, secrets. Make things that you would want no other staff members to know except herself. Say… helping her with cooking, a good start that would be. There are many small things out there that may leave impressions.”

“Slow and subtle… I suppose that does make sense. It would be a shame to scare her off by being too brash. Thank you for your help, now let’s go hunt some big game…” He grinned before stalking off towards the library, expecting Constance to follow.

“Weren’t we supposed to split up?”

“Right, of course. I’ve got dibs on the Library then.” He called with a cheeky grin. “I guess you could try the café? I was just there with Katya, and there were a few cute girls there, as well as some guys.”

“I will see then,” Constance said, waving off as he went a separate way.

“Would you like to take tea with me and perhaps discuss this in a more comfortable setting?” Alek asked, figuring it best to address the elephant in the room.

“Very well,” Katya said with a small smile.

Alek nodded. “I know of an excellent café here on campus, in fact. Very cozy, and private to boot. At least the member’s only area is, but I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to take your tea with the plebeian rabble that fills the common area. Should be easier to have a serious discussion at any rate.” He gestured for her to follow him before setting off for the café which was in one of the dining halls.

Following Alek, the two soon arrived at the dining halls where the supposed café was located. Katya walked into it without him leading the way, apparently having access to the member’s area herself. Despite being someone who was apparently in need of work like the position of housekeeper, she seemed to have access to something plebeians shouldn’t.

“I do so love a woman with a few mysteries of her own…” he murmured to himself with a grin as he followed her inside. “Looks like you already knew of this establishment beforehand, m’lady.” He pulled a chair out for her. “And might I add that you have exquisite taste in dining establishments?”

“Well, sir, it has been here since I started studying here as a scholar. I see no reason to not know of it. Or is it a secret club of sorts?”

“The front room would make sense that you’d know of, but to not only know of the back rooms here but in fact to have access to them on your own merit, that’s something particularly special. They don’t let just anybody back here, you know. So if you don’t mind me asking, with the family name you possess, why are you seeking employment as a housekeeper?”

“I have a bit of a personal situation,” Katya answered. “Must it be answered?”

“If it’s private I won’t make you. That’s not the kind of relation I want to have with any of my staff, or with anybody for that matter. I understand that some things are better left private.” He smiled his most disarming smile. “I am looking for a live-in housekeeper willing to work closely with the rest of the staff, most of whom you should be familiar with since they also worked for your agency. I am willing to pay well above industry standard for loyalty and discretion in any information you might come into possession of while under my employ. I have not yet decided a uniform for the maids and will be willing to take into consideration your suggestions should you have any. Do you have any questions, or requests?”

“I would very much accept the job. I have no requests, but what type of a household are we speaking of, and how are the staff? As in, what type of staff members are you keeping?”

“It is my family’s ancestral home. We’ve stayed in it for some centuries, so while parts of it are newer additions, or have been renovated, other parts, such as the cellar have been there for a good two-hundred or more years. It’s a fairly simple manor estate, with I’d say about an acre to an acre and a half of grounds, which is enough room for riding and hunting as well as maintaining a nice garden where we grow most of the herbs we use in the kitchen. As for the staff, I’ve contracted the cook, the butler, four maids, a pair of footmen, six gardeners, and a nurse, should anyone in the household need more immediate medical attention than the nearest hospital could reasonably provide. The maids are further broken up into a scullery maid, two for general cleaning and keeping the house presentable, and one more for the laundry and cooking, should the kitchen staff need special help with some particularly ambitious project. In addition, I have hired a stable master and a stable boy to take care of the family’s horses, and continue the work of breeding racing horses, which has been one of my family’s primary sources of income for the last few decades, though I assure you we have quite a tidy purse saved up besides should some unfortunate accident befall Thunderhoof, who is our most recent success in that venture.”

(GM Comment: I’m not sure when you had the time to have a breeding horse and race when you were on a plebeian and horse breeding might’ve ended a long time ago… See, we don’t argue common sense with the player anymore due to arguments that leads nowhere now.)

“You are not hiring a valet?”

“I was assured by my footman that he could perform that duty as well, and given his prior work experience, I’m inclined to believe him.” Alek nodded. “Do you think that you can work with that?”

“Oh, no, of course I may. I was simply curious since many nobles I’ve met seem to travel with valets.”

“Well… I’m still pretty new to all of this noble business. Perhaps I may do so later on down the road, but for now I am content to not have a retinue following me everywhere… I was considering paying… say fifty-five pounds a month? How does that sound?” Aleksander asked.

“That is fine,” Katya answered. “I am sure you will get used to the noble life soon enough. I suppose I will have to work with establishing the ball but… when do you wish to hold it?”

“Probably… next week at the earliest I should think. I’m also waiting for an acquaintance to be back in town, so that if she’d like she can attend as well. Fifty-five a month for standard job-duties it is. If you’d like there are also optional incentives available, in case you desire to earn more, but nothing too odious, I should think.”

“I see. Speaking of balls, I was invited to one that would take place in… about the next week to…” Katya fell into deep thought as she spoke. It almost slipped her mind that the Queen was holding a ball herself soon.

“Hmm? Who’s hosting? It might be that it’d be favorable to delay the ball for some time if it’s anybody terribly important. I’d hate to be so rude as to force people to pick one or the other after all…”

“It is hosted by the Queen herself to celebrate the success of deterring Virgo’s invasion from continuing. I am sure that they would invite you soon if they have not already… my Lord.”

“Hmm… maybe. And maybe not. It’s tough to say, really.” He didn’t explain any further, instead changing the subject. “And you don’t have to call me that. I am pretty down to earth for the most part, so if you want to call me Alek, it’s fine. How would you like me to address you?” he asked, hoping his deflection was not too obvious.

“I shall stick to the proper etiquette, my Lord. I am most heartened by your offer, but I cannot accept it.”

Alek just sighed. “I suppose I cannot force you to cease, but I do have a request that at least when we are not in public that you do not. While I appreciate your desire to keep up appearances, I do not wish to be a heartless overlord to my employees and force them to lick my boots. To me, my late father is still the last Fane Lord and will most likely continue to be so until I feel like I’ve truly grown enough to properly fill his shoes.”

“What? I beg your pardon, my Lord, but this is not about appearances but about duties. It is common sense, what do you loathe so about this?”

“I… truthfully I could not say. Maybe it is a touch strange that I feel the way I do, but my recent experiences have… given me a new understanding of the dimorphism so omnipresent in our society. I don’t want someone to feel like they are my lesser simply because of circumstance of birth, or employment. I want to be somebody based on my own merit, rather than that of my forebears. does that make any sense, or am I simply spouting meaningless drivel?”

“But you are hiring me, my Lord, and are a Duke. I do not quite see the issue…”

“Hmm. Fine, do as you will. Do you have any other questions, or concerns?”

“When would you like me to start, my Lord?”

“Everyone else started this morning at ten, so I suppose you may start now. Would you like to place an order?”

“A cup of tea would be fine… anyway, please give me some time and I shall go and gather my belongings after this and come over to the estate. I would be in requirement of the address.”

“Yes, of course. I shall let the footmen know of your arrival, and they will show you to your lodgings while you stay with us. Additionally, your uniform shall be starched and pressed, and on your bed when you arrive. You are free to make use of the facilities as you will when off-duty, within reason.”

“I shall keep note of it all.”

After lessons had ended, Aleksander felt he understood the process of writing the incantation to shape the spell well enough, but there was still the small matter of going to see Griswold again, to get the letter of recommendation, and maybe discuss a few more small issues. With a spring in his step perpetuated by the boundless energy of one who had sat for far too long, he made his way through the halls of the Academy to where he knew Griswold’s office to be.

When Alek entered the office room at last, he found Katya seated in one of the chairs while the other one was vacant beside her. Griswold simply gestured for him to take a seat.

He nodded to the lady, removing his hat out of courtesy for the older gentleman’s office, and took the offered seat.

“Sir, and m’lady.” He nodded to each in turn.

“The letter of recommendation, was it?” Griswold asked Alekander while Katya gave Aleksander a bow. “Almost done, actually. I was working on it in my break period.”

“Ah! Thank you very much, Sir! But as I was not the first to arrive, I insist that you allow the lady to go first…” He offered an easygoing smile, in no rush to be gone from the presence of a man he’d looked up to in the absence of another male role model in his life.

“Her request was already received and I will be considering it as soon as I am done with yours,” Griswold replied.

Aleksander nodded. “Well, since it looks like we’ve still got some waiting to do… I was thinking of throwing a ball at my estate to get my name out there, and rub elbows with some of the people that I might need to know in the near future. Do you think it’s a good idea?” he asked Griswold. “Still waiting to hear back from the agency on the housekeeper before I do anything like that though, since the best candidate the agency I hired from had wasn’t in when I went in yesterday.”

“Why not? Sounds like a fine idea. Am I invited?” Griswold asked.

“Of course, it’d be rude of me to bring it up and not invite you!” Alek exclaimed with some haste. “Though I do have another question for you if you don’t mind indulging my curiosity just a little more… I walked into class today, and there was a new teacher teaching your class… did something happen?”

“Ahhh, Miss Amrita took over for me because I am too busy with my research nowadays,” Griswold answered. “That’s also the reason why the young lady is here. She wants to join my research group.”

“I see… I already know what they’re teaching in class right now from my personal studies, and it’s dreadfully boring to re-learn the same old stuff for the benefit of the less-motivated among my peers. If I arrange things with Amrita, do you think I could join your research team to make up the credits I’d be missing if I don’t attend her class?” Alek asked.

“The credits from a research group and the classes differ so much, though…” Katya said from beside him. “Since you only get anything if something is discovered.”

“That, and the classes have a more constant credit system,” Griswold added.

“That… is a good point. I suppose I just wanted to work more closely with you and be part of something interesting, and potentially ground-breaking… it’s the same thought I suppose that propels me on my quest for Magister. I’ve got a few ideas for spells I’d like to run by you, if you don’t mind horribly?” he asked Griswold, and by extension Katya.

“Sure, I do not mind,” Griswold replied.

“Before that…” Katya began. “What did you mean by a housekeeper from an agency being missing?”

“I mean just that. I recently arrived back in town and was looking to get my house in order, so I went to an agency to hire some folks to round out the staff. I knew of a particularly excellent one from a recommendation given by my family’s old butler, so naturally that was my first stop. I believe the name of the agency was †˜The Silver Top-hat,’” he informed simply. “I’ve already hired my butler, the cook, some of the maids, the gardening staff and what have you. The head maid, or housekeeper as she might prefer, is the only position I’m still looking to fill.”

“Oh, is that Mister Constance’s agency?” Katya asked.

“But of course! Constance and I go back some ways! At least far enough that I remember to pretend sword fighting with sticks when we were but seven,” he divulged with a pleased smile. “I see you’re familiar with it, at least in passing.”

Katya’s cheeks flushed slightly red in shame as she confessed, “I was the housekeeper who was missing. I apologise.”

“Y-You’re the one?” He also blushed, realizing that he was incredibly lucky to be able to hire a head maid who was so cute rather than some grizzled old battle-axe who had been in the industry for decades. “I look forward to being able to discuss this further with you, but as we’re each here for our own respective reasons, I fear it would be rude to do so in front of our host and exclude him from the conversation.”

“Well, Miss Katya, I shall consider your application to my research group,” Griswold tersely spoke. “I think that settles that. You two may discuss that matter outside the office. I wouldn’t want to eavesdrop on the talk so directly.”

“Could I get an application as well? Assuming I am qualified, I’d be interested in exploring a more specialized field of magic to find something I like. And if I get to continue to learn new, exciting things all the better, right?” Aleksander asked.

“My research subject concerns the various races. Such as the Faeries, Infernal creatures, or the like. Biological research, I suppose. Would you still be interested?”


“It seems like incredibly valuable research, to say the least. Yes, I’d very much like to apply still.” He smiled. “And I’m sure I could find some means of working the knowledge I gain into a spell of some sort. Perhaps a Mentem spell that highlights the foe’s vital spots for increased effectiveness in combat?”

“Would that not be Corpus?”

“The way I envisioned it working would be that it would base itself off of the user’s knowledge of whatever he or she was fighting, and then feed that information into the images the eye sees. Rather than affecting the foe directly, it alters the user’s perception of the foe to make vulnerable areas more readily visible. Does that not sound very feasible?” he asked, keenly aware that the other gentleman was an accomplished mage himself, and likely knew his stuff.

“Hm… I suppose that makes sense. Even then you would likely need Corpus to identify the vital spots. It sounds feasible but it seems like it would be a chore to accomplish. Unless you only intend to fight humans, of course. You might have to put into mind the inner body-structures of every races out there… assuming you are not going to apply this on animals.”

“That’s an excellent point, and I suppose that that would be the biggest downfall of the spell, is how heavily it relies on the user knowing what they’re fighting and having studied their weak spots. By that point, you can probably do the same thing without the spell…” He smiled. “That’s why it’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, is that they can tell you when you miss something obvious. Now, the variant you were speaking of uses Corpus to make the subject’s body reveal it’s own weak spots?”

“Not quite, Corpus itself is what allows you to affect parts of the body. If you would want to apply visual effects you would be applying that Form on yourself.”

“So would it be possible to combine the two, to have Corpus cause the foe to reveal their weak spot, and then use Mentem on myself to be able to see it?”

“Not really. Corpus is for your eyes. Mentem has nothing to do with it if you ask me, unless it is a different idea. If you want your mind to abnormally focus on a determined weak spot, for example—that is an application of Mentem. However, determining weak spots with Corpus is a rather simple case itself. Corpus is particularly about human bodies so if you study it, you generally understand the inner workings of a human body. However, just finding weaknesses out of thin air is rather difficult if you think of opponents that are not humans… same point again, really.”

“Alright, so it’s not actually a particularly feasible concept. I understand that now…” He shrugged. “Still, I’m sure I’ll learn something that’s pretty useful.” He bounced back with a smile. “Perhaps studying the physiology of Faeries and Daemons will allow me to adapt some of their traits for use by Mages. Only one way to find out, right?”

“Only one way to find out indeed. That said, what do you think of mixing Imagination, Corpus, and then Mentem instead?”

“Teacher, that is…” Katya looked down.

“Ahaha. Well, an idea if anything.”

“What role do you think Imaginem would play in that particular scenario?” Alek asked with keen interest. “Could you use it to make the foe think they’re experiencing crippling pain, while using Corpus to actually physically make it so?”

“No, but you can trick your eyes to exclude the layers preventing you from seeing the inside of the body.”

“That is… a unique way of going about it, for sure. and I think I even know all of those Forms to boot. I wanted to create a spell to counteract the effects of some of the willpower draining spells, since I noted a couple of separate times that that was something I had issues with in America. It’d probably be entirely too difficult to use a spell to recover after the fact, so I’ve narrowed it down to avoiding the effects of the spell altogether, but I’m unsure which of the Arts would be best suited for it. My best guess would be a Rego Mentem spell to restore the caster’s mind and body to a state of well-restedness to undo the effects of whatever willpower-draining spell was just cast on the user. What are your thoughts on this idea?”

“A spell that removes layers just sounds like… a—” Katya was muttering to herself but she stopped.

“I cannot say that it is the best idea if you become simply well-rested, aside from the Calm Down spell. There was a fierce debate about it, actually, and the problem was that it could make your body far too relaxed altogether. Since making yourself feel relaxed in a battle also affects how your brain manipulates the body.”

“Hmm… I suppose that if you go off trying to make half-baked spells, it is far too easy to not realize that they have a pitfall until it is too late. Did you have something you wished to say, Katya?” Aleksander asked. After a few moments of silence from the fair maiden, he shrugged. “Perhaps you could instead aim for a state of mind similar to how you feel when you’ve just drunk a particularly strong cup of coffee? Not overly jittery, just more awake, and focused?”

“Plausible. You would simply have to learn to replicate the way the coffee affects your system.”

“Do you think it would have the desired effect of restoring willpower though?” he asked.

Griswold gave a very bright smile. “Only one way to find out.”

“Why do I get the distinct feeling that you’re volunteering to help, but refuse to be the one getting their willpower drained?” Alek sighed, his smile indicating that he was joking. “Regardless, I feel that I’ve taken up enough of your time, thank you for your help.” He stood up from his chair, pushing it back underneath their side of the desk, and waited for a moment. When Katya got up, Alek pulled the chair for her as she bowed toward Griswold.

“Alright,” Griswold said. “Good luck.”

The two then exited the office.

There was something different about the cobblestones used for the yards past the gates of the Royal Academy. Always, he would see people gathering up—forming circles—and conversing. The scholars were all casually dressed while some were very regal, prim and proper. Especially the noble ladies and the highborn men. Wherever one would look, the environment would be identified as starkly different to that of the outside.

Truly, the Royal Academy was a special place. Containing the future assets of the country, the Academy would take it upon itself to nurture the accumulated talents. The Academy indeed contained the cream of the crop. The Queen was known to fund it herself to the mundanes, but in the Magic World it was common sense that the Royal Council was running it, and the system was much more complicated. He only recently found out that the Director of the Academy was someone who could actually wound Virgo, so it was impressive to know that such people were running it.

Right now, Aleksander was in his sixth year and it was his last chance to become eligible for the title of Magic Magister. There were already rumours and speculations of the people eligible for it. Namely, Lady Violet and Lady Rose, both from the same house in fact. There was also someone called Neville, but he never paid attention as the male candidates didn’t interest him.

Aleksander took all of this in with nary a glance, noting how good it felt to be back in the shark pen. Make no mistake, for all the outward pleasantness, one’s performance under these four walls would make or break anyone’s reputation, and as the newest Duke of the court, he had plenty to prove when he was stacked up against such powerhouses as Lord Cavendish. Some of the men and women in attendance didn’t understand, and that was fine, but Aleksander would not be content with merely getting by.

“Good day, Mister Fane.”

Aleksander looked up to find a woman gifted with violet hair. Her dress was exquisite and bold at the same time.

“Good Morning, M’lady.” He took off his hat and placed it over his heart, revealing his pale blonde hair, spiked ever so slightly with some hair gel he’d purchased in America. “I was just on my way to speak with Griswold and ask for some advise on a matter I believe he’s uniquely qualified to help with. You’re welcome to walk with me if you’d like?” He invited her to accompany him with a twinkle to his golden eye, and a charming smile on his face.

“Oh no, perhaps some other time—as I must go soon.” The lady dismissively waved her hand, making an apologetic expression. “I just wanted to congratulate you, Mister Fane, for having your family status restored.”

“Ahh, well I appreciate your kindness… I must confess that I’m a little surprised that you knew so soon. I admire your attention to what’s going on around you.” He smiled. “But I would expect nothing less from one of the most beautiful blossoms of our fine Academy.” He placed his hat back on his head. “Now I suppose I should go as well, best to catch Master Griswold before his classes start and all. With any luck, I’ll be back on the books in time for homeroom, so might I see you there?” he enquired in a friendly manner.

“I have been following The Times’ newspapers is all. Your labours in America were also noted in the article,” the Viscountess replied. “I am not sure if I am coming to the class today, but perhaps we shall meet. It would not do keep you any longer, I shall proceed to my tasks now as well. Good luck.” Lady Violet gave a wave of her hand as she left, entering the main building of the Academy.

Aleksander smiled to himself, waving back at her receding form, sparing an extra second or two to enjoy the view, before entering another doorway to go find the teacher he knew would be able to help him. Walking into the slightly older man’s office, he knocked and waited to be asked in.

“Yes, come in.” The familiar voice of the teacher was heard and Alek stepped inside. The teacher gestured towards the seats from behind his desk as he seemed to be going over some papers. Likely test materials.

“Hello, Sir. It’s good to see you again!” Alek said, actually happy to see one of his favorite teachers again as he took off his bowler hat and tucked it under his arm before sitting in the seat. “Do you have a moment to speak? I wished to ask for some advise on a matter… but I can see that you are somewhat busy.”

“Oh no, Fane,” the teacher said, still reading the papers however. “I can listen if that is what you seek. Welcome back, by the by.”


“Thank you, Sir. I understand that it will not be easy, given that I’m joining in the fray somewhat late, but I spoke with a young man by the name of Aramus Valmark while I was in America. I recognised the name, and already knew he was a Magic Magister, but I guess that until I saw him fighting, I didn’t truly understand what that title meant… I wanted to put my name forward, and give it my all to try for the position. It was my hope that you could help guide me in the right direction.” He finished his somewhat long-winded explanation with a serious look, full of determination. “Now that my place in the Court is cemented once more, I believe that it is time to look to my future and how best to help England thrive, and this seems like one of the better ways to do so.”

“Well, Fane, I am very pleased to hear that you have such high ideals, but perhaps this is not so far from the other Dukes-to-be at your age. Lord Cavendish Bentinck or Lord Powlett were fine Magisters. If you want I may write a recommendation letter for your case,” the teacher offered. “Normally, if your grades are good enough you would be in range for consideration. The letters help, like extras, I suppose. I believe you should start putting in more effort everywhere, but do not show a sense of desperation. That may be your undoing.”

“I’d be very grateful if you would do this for me.” Alek smiled. “Study, study, study… I wanted to try my hand at inventing a spell, in the hopes that it might show that I have the practical application down as well as I do the theory. Do you know if the Library has any good books on spell creation? Or perhaps you have some supplement to their books that I could study? I know Violet is gunning for the same spot, and I just hope that there won’t be hard feelings when she finds out… Do you think I should pre-empt it, and volunteer that I intend to compete with her? Or should I keep it to myself?”

“I do not think some rivalry is bad, Lady Violet seems competitive enough. They choose three Magisters each year so maybe you will not be taking her spotlight. Aside from studying, I suggest you also focus on the practical battle classes. That Magister you mentioned was chosen for his talent of battling. As for the case of the Library… it depends on what you are searching for. Inventing spells is a really good way, however, as most of the young ones spend their time in other things. If you do not display them, though, they may not be considered at all. Another reason to look forward to the practice battles, eh?”

Aleksander nodded eagerly. “Then I’ll do my best! I swear that I won’t let you down, since I know how things could turn out if you write me a recommendation and I make a poor showing at the tests! Even if I don’t make Magister, I’m sure that trying a little extra hard isn’t a bad thing, and fighting a Descendant is a fair bit more impressive than I’m sure most senior projects they see will be. One more thing though, do you think that I could get you to help me out with getting back onto the roll? I’m fairly sure they took me off when I left a month ago…”

“Well I look forward to your works. I would love to help you out with catching up, but it has to wait till the classes are all over. We simply lack the time at the moment. Class starts in just ten minutes.”

Alek nodded in understanding. “Very well, I thank you for your time and hope I didn’t waste too much of it.” He left the office room.







Aleksander wandered the halls for the next ten minutes or so, keeping an eye open for anybody particularly interesting-looking to talk to, or who he remembered from his time here before that he could waste a few minutes talking to.

As he walked, he almost bumped into a lady who was much shorter than him. Keeping an eye out afar, he almost forgot to look what was just ahead of him. With all of his agility honed from years of sword-play, he barely contorted out of the way to avoid running into the person, and immediately began to apologize for not watching his surroundings more carefully, scrutinizing the smaller girl closely as he tried to determine who it was.

The young and short lady also apologised, albeit with a dry and hoarse voice as if she was tired.

“Oh, you are Mister Aleksander. The one who became a Duke…” she said absentmindedly.

“I seem to be getting that a lot lately… Did you need something to drink? You sound absolutely parched and quite tired to boot. The drink I have though is known to help with both…” He offered her a thermos that when opened, a wisp of steam escaped from the heated contents.

“It is fine, I simply ran a bit,” the lady answered, declining as politely as she could.

“Ran? In this rain? Good heavens! Say… I don’t seem to recognise you, which is only somewhat surprising since I’ve been gone for a month. I’d introduce myself first, but you seem to have me at an impasse…” he teased, smiling impishly.

“Just a drizzle, good sir,” the lady said. “My name is Katya Alberta of Aberdeen.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, my fair lady.” He tipped his hat to her as well. “Which class are you in? I assume you know this hall is for the sixth years?”

“Fourth year… I am a little lost. I was looking for Mister Griswold’s office,” the lady said, giving a curtsy in return.

“Ahh, I see they’ve placed you in very capable hands then. He’s been my teacher as well for a goodly three to four years now, and I’ve excelled under his expert care, if I do say so myself. I’d love to show you where it is, if you needed some help finding it?”

“Actually, he is not supervising me but I do have a request for him. If you could kindly guide me I would be very grateful.”

“But of course! I’d have to be some kind of a monster to turn down a request from one of my cute underclassmen, and that goes double for one as pretty as you.” He favoured her with a smile, leading her to the teacher’s office.

The lady did not return a reply but she followed.

Alek chanced a glance back over his shoulder, having figured he’d at least embarrass her. “You must get hit on like, all the time or something… I’ve been flirting with my friend for years and she still gets a little rosy-cheeked, but you didn’t even bat an eye…”

“Well, flattery is a common thing the nobles do,” the lady said.

“Hmm? So quick to assume it’s idle banter… I almost feel sorry for the guy that’s actually trying to get your attention…” He idly caused a ball of blue flame to dance between his palms for a few seconds, causing a moon flower to grow out of the ground that he bended over to pick as they walked.

“Here, take this… it complements the paleness of your skin quite nicely…” He offered it to her with a smile as he looked her dead in the eyes.

“I do not think that is something I can take, but I appreciate the thought,” Katya responded. “More importantly, I would like to reach the office before class… never mind, I think it started.”

Alek noded solemnly and took another second to place the flower in his front lapel before setting off once more. “As I said, we were almost there, in fact, it’s right here. I suppose it’s unlikely I’ll see you again in the immediate future, so I hope your meeting goes well, and I look forward to our next encounter.” He tipped his hat once more, mildly upset that she just assumed he was being facetious, no matter how accurate it was, as he opened the door for her. After a moment to note the now empty office, he shut the door once more. “It looks like he’s already in his class, so I suppose you’ll have to come back after lessons are over… sorry about slowing you down…” He rubbed the back of his head. “Let me buy you lunch to make it up to you?” he asked a little nervously.

“It is fine, I shall come back after the classes are over. Thank you for your time,” the lady said, giving a bow.

“Ehehehe… yeah… sure.” He walked to his class in a decidedly shitty mood. He may have gotten his title back, but it seemed like in the process he shot his normally outstanding luck at eating lunch with a different cute girl every day in the foot. “This really blows…” he mumbled to himself as he opened the door to the classroom and walked inside with a short bow to the teacher, before taking his usual seat, noting with pleasant surprise that it was still warm from whoever had just been sitting in it. They must have vacated when they saw that he was back, which was good, since that seat was in the perfect spot to take advantage of the acoustics of the room to hear most of what was going on, even the slackers in the back gossiping. Book lessons weren’t the only knowledge to be gained at school, after all.







The class was in session when a very short girl walked inside, wearing what seemed like office-attire. Being this short for a woman, she was usually the subject of many jokes. The fact that she was a Faerie—evident by her horns topping her violet hair—and an assistant of the Director allowed her to garner quite the amount of attention every year.

If it was one place anyone would want to see strange and out-of-the-world people—it was here in this academy. For most, anyway.

“Good morning, students, please be seated as the class is in session.” She frowned. Somehow, no one took her seriously even as they did as she said.

It seemed like while Alek was away, their homeroom teacher was changed and replaced by Amrita, and who knew whatever happened to Griswold. Amrita began her lessons about fields with magical auras, and many properties of Warping were discussed. Especially Twilight, and how it could be fatal to a person’s future if they overstayed a magical location.

This lesson brought to him the memory of Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck who was in a Twilight now as far as he knew.

Alek paid as much attention as he could, despite already knowing what the teacher was trying to explain, thinking there might be some crucial nugget of insight he might not be aware of. She wasn’t a bad teacher and certainly seemed to know her stuff. It was more that her students didn’t seem to take her seriously enough, which he knew from experience with these same classmates over the years wasn’t likely to change. To pass the time, he studied a book he’d found on basic spell creation theory.

“In the event that you do enter Twilight,” Amrita was speaking as he read a book, “you can, on the flip side, gain something possibly powerful. Many people become strange as a result, though. Someone might get a Twilight and come back as an old man thirty years older, but with a unique ability to read minds. We have some examples here… well, had one. If no one heard before, Miss Violet from our class—who is absent as usual—gained a Supreme spell last year due to some unfortunate incident where she got Twilight. But the laws state using it is forbidden, thus she wants the title of Magic Magister now to lawfully wield it… at least that is what she once told me.”

Aleksander nodded along, thinking that that sounded about right. Go figure, the lady who skipped class all the time wanted to be one of the leading academic minds of her generation. He was hardly any better, though, so perhaps he shouldn’t be too uncharitable in his judgement. Judging that he might have a decent question, he raised his hand.

“Yes, Mister Fane?” Amrita raised herself with her toes as she arched up to meet his eyes.

“I was just wondering, but why are you teaching us? I mean, I know that you’re just as qualified as Griswold, but it seems kinda odd to switch teachers right before the end of the year unless something pretty major happened… “

“If you find it a concern, please redirect your query to Mister Griswold.”

Alek just shrugged before sitting back in his seat to soak in the rest of the lesson. It seemed to be something he should’ve already known, but it didn’t hurt to hear it again, just in case.

“Moving on, if you overuse mana for spells one may Warp. Be mindful of your mana usage. Always take the appropriate amount from the selected Realm…” she said as she looked over some of the students. “I cannot stress it enough since some still makes this mistake.” She flipped a page in the textbook. “Now, let us see what research on Twilight actually taught our devoted scholars on the matter.

“It turns out that going to Twilight is the event in which one goes over to a new Realm. Theories have been raised, some think this is the legendary Astral Realm or the Dominion Realm. They also say that all kinds of spirits can be found if you do enter the Twilight phase, which was why the researchers thought it would be one of the foreign Realms.

“Lastly, there are recent reports,” Amrita began, shutting her book for the moment, “which say that people who enter Twilight phase too much change their race somehow… watch out for that.”

Aleksander continued to take notes as he listened in to the lecture, wondering if maybe Violet didn’t have the right idea in skipping class. Hearing that last nugget, he raised his hand again.

“Yes?”

“I spent some time in the Void over the last week, not much more than a few hours I believe, if that. But while I was there I met a mage who was apparently able to turn into an Ent. Is that similar to what you’re speaking of?”

“Oooh, is that a legendary Lost Form you speak of? In that case I would say no. Did the user transform willingly?”

“Yes, I believe that he did… I need to get some more work done on my graduation project. Do you mind if I’m excused from the class so that I can spend some time working on it? I’ve already read the subject material on Warping, and I am sure I’ll test just fine on it.”

“Feel free to go. You are excused.” Just that we would cut your credits.

“Thank you.” He stood and moved to exit the classroom, feeling bad for being so disruptive, but understanding that if he planned to pursue his goal, time was of the essence. With this in mind, he headed to the library, intending to complete a crash course on magical theory and maybe get to work on creating a spell of his own.

Weiss and Charlotte were walking across the cobblestone streets of London. Having taken the Magic Trains all the way from America, and going through many countries, they were slightly closer now than the time they first met.

The streets were full of people and not as wide as the ones frequently seen in America. The air was full of smog arising from the factories, but it didn’t seemed to affect Weiss in any way, but Charlotte wasn’t very pleased with it.

“Do you want a gas mask? I just happen to have one in my pouch.”

“Do I look like one to wear a mask, Mother?” Charlotte chuckled. “Beauty and appearances are everything here.”

“Not if it’s slowly killing you. This type of smog is dangerous, or you can use a wet handkerchief to cover your nose.”

“Ah, but we aren’t exactly human, are we?”

“True, but still it will make us look more ordinary. Keeping a low profile here is a good idea. You’ll never know what’s lurking in every corner.”

Charlotte snickered. “You worry too much. We would stand out if we wear a mask or a handkerchief on the nose unlike the rest. Besides, my peers from the Academy would laugh at me.”

“Oh fine.” Weiss sighed and continued to walk.

“I wanted to show you where I grew up I suppose… this is generally the path I would usually walk with my peers, especially Mary.”

“I’d love to.” Weiss smiled and followed her daughter.

Finding themselves in a café, they sat down around one of the outdoor table’s chairs, the one that was to the left from their view.

“This is where I used to spend hours almost every day, conversing with Mary…”

“I see, I see.” Weiss nodded.

“Oh! Oh! †˜Tis Miss Brontë!” The attendant came walking to them, but in a very fast pace. “Where is Mary? Not with you?”

“…No, she is not with me today either,” Charlotte said, making a melancholic smile. “This is my mother.” The blonde lady motioned towards Weiss. “And Mother, this is an attendant we knew since childhood, Layla.”

“Good day, good day!” Layla was booming with excitement as usual. “My first time meeting you, I think. Wait, have I not met your mother before…? With a different… ah whatever!”

One would think that Layla would give a reaction to Weiss, who was literally the strangest person one would see, but perhaps given the nature of steampunk culture, all the abnormalities were taken in stride. Or was Layla simply an odd one?

“Good day to you too, Miss.” Weiss smiled. “I am her biological mother and we happened to meet each other from a rather surprising encounter,” she continued.

“Really?” The attendant seemed to give her shoulders a jerk, brushing aside her doubts. “I see, anyway, shall I bring the usual set?” Layla enquired.

“Yes, please,” Charlotte answered. “It may be rather hard to believe that you are my biological mother, now that I think about it… there are so many discrepancies between our looks.”

“Yes, you took a lot of features from your father. Like your eyes and nose. I only contribute for your body and chest size.”

“O-Oh, that somehow makes me happy… about the latter, especially.”

Weiss chuckled. “Glad that you’re happy.”

“So, want to tell me more about yourself? I would love to hear about the romantic overtures that you may have shared with my late father.”

“Oh I still remember that eventful day. Your father was the one hitting on me—”

“Pardon me, but what does †˜hitting’ imply? I cannot say that I am well-versed with the terms the moderners apply nowadays.”

“Hitting is basically flirting. So anyway, I was busy studying in the library. Reading some books about Medicine and Herbs. He just comes in and takes my book. He held it up so high, making me unable to reach it. Without thinking, I just hugged him and begged to give my book back. I remember seeing his face went deep red, and he gave it back. After that he immediately ran away.” Weiss giggled and continued, “The next day he pulled me away from my book and forced me to run after him. He always yelled about how I was not athletic enough and I could never catch him. From days to weeks to months I always tried to catch him. On the last day I still couldn’t catch him, but he did something different that time. He stopped and turned around with open arms, and hugged me tight and told me that he loved me.”

(GM Comment: What in the flying fuck is this love story?)

“What an eccentric person. I feel like I know so much more about why I am the way I am. I must say, though, he is quite bold, even if he took time. Taking a book away sounds like a rather silly idea, however,” Charlotte remarked.

“True, still, back then I always focused on one thing like it was the end of the world. Then he just barged in unannounced and †˜ruined’ everything.” Weiss looked up and smiled.

“So what happened after that?”

“After that I followed him everywhere. Well more like I was dragged around by him. He forced me to exercise and built up muscle. It was like he was training me, which turned out he did and turned me into the figure you see right before you.”

“...Why would father go to such extents?”

“He said that it was for protection. He told me that the world was a dangerous place and I needed to prepare for it. Turns out it really was.”

“Did he not technically drag you into conflict?”

“Only once, and it was when I lost him.”

“Exactly how was he lost?”

“I think it was decapitation, but it was hazy. I lost consciousness when the train crashed. I can still hear the screeching sound in my head. I guess it’s because I’m learning on how to wield the sword that the killer was using.”

With a pained expression Charlotte looked on, and she patted her mother’s shoulder.

“So I suppose it was like a traumatic event for you. You happen to carry the killer’s weapon?”

“Indeed it was.” Weiss shivered and continued, “About the killer’s weapon, it’s in the luggage with your father’s rifle. I don’t have a melee weapon anymore, so I asked him when he was about to die to give it to me.”

“He died…?”

“Yes, I had my revenge back in the USA.”

“Who… who was it?”

“It was William John Frederick Powlett.”

“You are saying that a Duke did all this? Why?”

“Your father was a very famous Assassin. Only a few people knew him. He was not home most of the time because he had jobs all over the world killing people, documents stealing, spying on people, and so on. All of the jobs were from Boss Lady. Of course, he had a bounty on his head.”

“Ah… I suppose I cannot blame them for taking his head then. While he sounded like a horrible person, I am still glad to be here with you today.”

At this moment, Layla came back from inside the café and placed scones, cookies, cakes, pastries, tea, and even sugar for them with a big smile before she went off again. They used to have all of these every time she and Mary would meet here.

“He wasn’t that horrible. Most of his targets were scum of the earth and might’ve bothered the Boss Lady’s plan. Plus you might fall for him because he was so handsome.”

“Somehow that makes me question your morals and values, Mother.” Charlotte took a sip of her milk tea.

“True, I only knew him from the outside. What’s done is done, my dear.” Weiss just realised that the table was full of food. “…Did you finish all of this with your friend Mary?”

“Oh, yes. Mary was always fond of sweets and scones,” Charlotte said fondly, laughing. “We had another friend but… she is a bit of a rotten apple now.”

“I see, and her name was?” Weiss picked a scone and ate it.

“Claudia.”

“This really is a small world. I once encountered Cloudia in the USA, and I tried to talk some sense into her for slashing her step-father’s body that I killed.”

“You have a strange way of calling her name.”

“Sorry, pointless habit of mine. Still, I know why she got bad. Only partially though.”

“Partially?”

“Yes, Powlett told me that Cloudia could not handle the truth, and it is why she changed drastically.”

“Oh, so it was this very Duke who killed my father…” Charlotte fell silent for a moment in contemplation. To think the Duke and Claudia’s love for him that they used to joke about would go down to become such a dark feeling full of hatred. To add, this Duke turned out to be the murderer of her father. However, Charlotte could not find herself to hate Duke Powlett. “I believe it was not simply the Duke’s fault. Claudia herself had an odd penchant for silliness, for she willingly joined the terrorist group.”

“I see, quite a problem child she is.” Weiss sighed and ate another scone. “Say, do you want her to return as your friend?”

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. “All I needed was Mary. Now, I may safely say that I would be content with you and her, and perhaps my other lost sister.”

“Alright, we should prepare for the worst.”

“The… worst?”

“I mean, what if both the people that we are seeking have already passed away? What would you do?”

Charlotte looked down with dismay. She drank her tea, and ate some biscuits.

“Her Master would never kill her… I think. We can only pray about my sister.”

“Don’t worry, I am confident that both of them are alive and well.”

“Good day to you, Aunt Caroline,” Isabelle greeted, curtsying.

The Duchess seemed to give a terse bow with her head and smiled.

“Good day, Isabelle, I see you… brought a friend along today. Welcome,” Duchess Caroline said, looking up to Svetlana with her bright blue eyes at her new body.

The Duchess was almost about Svetlana’s height but she looked much more womanly than her; clearing more matured than her, and having possibly better proportions. Much like Isabelle, she possessed a radiant blonde hair and an impeccable skin. She wore an exquisite dress even though she was at home. The level of casual dressups was far off the scope that Svetlana could imagine for the nobles.

“Good day to you, Ma’am,” Svetlana said as she bowed.

“Aunt Caroline, please meet Svetlana Astakhov… right, Alicia—to-be the Duchess of Norfolk?—and sister, meet Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck,” Isabelle said, going through the troublesome details that even she wasn’t sure of.

“It is a pleasure of meet you?” the Duchess stated but was confused by the details.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.” Svetlana said, not confident with her manner of speech. “If you don’t mind me saying, I’m basically Isabelle’s adopted older sister.”

“I have not heard of the full details, but I shall attempt to help to the best of my capabilities… I assume that is why you have brought her to me?”

“You are indeed correct,” Isabelle admitted. “Not much I can do as a child with no proper knowledge, or with her given situation.”

“Well, let us speak over tea, shall we?”







The three sat across a table outside the manor where a maid wordlessly appeared and poured earl grey for the three. Svetlana looked down at her tea, and the table below it. Everything was probably worth more than whatever price her body could be sold for. It was a sad reality for her to just look at the expensive teacup, but Isabelle was casually drinking, almost appearing to be a proper lady. Indeed, her little sister was giving it her best.

I probably should have asked her during the ride about things like this… Svetlana thought to herself as she just casually picked up her cup of tea to take a drink.

“So, how is Elizabeth doing?” Isabelle enquired.

The Duchess shook her head, making a very pained expression.

“Still under the Twilight phase.”

“I apologise, I did not mean to—”

“It is fine.”

“I recall someone fall under that phase back in America, but only because she used a powerful spell. I’m sorry to hear your daughter has fallen under the same state.”

“If it was the Hell’s Fire summoning, then that is who my daughter is,” Caroline stated.

Upon hearing this, Svetlana was surprised, she never imagined she would meet the family of anyone she fought with considering how many people died back then.

“Then it was her I saw back then. I’m sorry with what happened.”

“It is fine. May I hear your story, though? It seems like you have a great deal to speak of.”

“Well this might be difficult to believe, but my current appearance is not my original appearance. So currently, any documents I have are useless considering my appearance is completely different now so I doubt anyone would believe me. I doubt we can have access to any of our inheritance if we don’t find a way to fix this.”

“I see. Does the Queen know of this? I believe it was Her Majesty who promised to restore the status of nobility to the family… at least that was what I had heard.”

“I believe not, considering last I saw her I was still in my previous appearance.”

“What were you told when you last spoke to Her Majesty?”

“Well simply put, after all that happened with Virgo, she said I should come to work for England and the titles of nobles would be restored back to the family. Which I accepted for Isabelle since I believed it would be best for her,” Svetlana said not wanting to reveal the whole truth.

Isabelle eyed Svetlana with curiosity at what she said. She didn’t seemed to be so excited about meeting the Queen. What a waste!

“If that is the case, I may simply go and have your documentations worked on. I would just need the approval of Her Majesty.”

“That would be amazing, thank you,” Svetlana said joyfully.

“Are you sure you want to be a part of the nobility here, though?”

“I’m not really sure to be honest, but I had made a promise with Mrs Alicia. I feel like if I don’t to this, something could happen that may not allow me to keep that promise. Plus, I have Isabelle with me. With her around, I think I would be fine.”

“Pardon the remark but you do not seem like you know English or the qualities expected of nobles. It seems to me like you are in need of a lot of… practicing.”

“Yeah…” Svetlana said while laughing. “I suppose for nobles I just grew up as a commoner, so I know nothing about how nobles live.”

“It is a whole lot of do’s and do-not-do’s, and you are expected to live gracefully at all times. Starting from how you speak to how you drink tea, people will take note of every little aspect. It can be quite the challenge.”

“Well I expected as much, but I will try my best no matter how annoying it becomes.”

“All for the sake of looking good… just how life goes, sadly.”

“I will need some of those practicing. We need a tutor or a governess for this,” Isabelle voiced.

“A governess is more for teaching educational materials rather than etiquette.” The Duchess laughed while Isabelle hid her face in embarrassment.

“Well, I suppose once we settle down and have everything in order we can hire a tutor.”

“You would basically need a lady’s maid for each of you to look after. Alternatively called Personal Maids, they serve you more personally rather than say… a butler or a housekeeper that manages the household,” Caroline responded.

“I-I see.” Isabelle could hardly digest these information.

There was indeed a long chain of servants but when she thought about it, she hardly ever paid attention back when she was still in this country some years ago. In her mother’s house in Japan the staff was extremely short now that she thought about it too. Only a couple of maids were… wait, we could hire them again and just increase the number for the rest of the required positions.

“Alright then, but I suppose that has to wait till we have our inheritance.”

Svetlana got off the Magic Train and was finally in London. It took quite a lot of time to get things straight for her. A single conversation with King Hades resulted in three days gone in the blink of an eye as she returned to the MVA headquarters that day. The Archmage Nicholas Bradley helped Svetlana get to England, but even then it was one after the other. She spent a long time in the airports, planes, then trains upon trains to travel with before coming here.

Svetlana felt exhausted since people continued to look at her weirdly. She’d have to explain every time someone stop her in regards to her horns. Her explanation was that she liked to adorn her hair with horns as an accessory, a popular thing from Japan that she claimed to enjoy. Since most people are oblivious to the trends of Japan due to its current nature, many were doubtful whenever she would take the time to elaborate.

“This is a bit more frustrating that I thought,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “Thinking about it now where am I even suppose to go? I was just told I had to come to England.”

“Sister!” Svetlana turned to the familiar voice, and found Isabelle coming up to her with hasty steps. “What took you so—wait, you are…” Isabelle tilted her head—confused—and examined her; she looked down and up. “You are not my sister… I apolog—”

“Fu fu fu, that’s where you’re mistaken my cute little Isabelle, for I am your sister!” Svetlana said trying to be herself as she was with Isabelle before Virgo had showed up in their lives. “I just have a lot of explaining to do.”

“I must say that the act looks very wrong in that form…” Isabelle was utterly disappointment. “Well, I sense that same demon from you, but something is familiar,” she whispered to herself.

“Ehh, how does that look wrong?! I’m still me you know. Maybe I shouldn’t bake that cake I was hoping to make for you once we were together again.” Svetlana said with a pout.

“I can get those any time here!” Isabelle refused to be swayed like in the past it seemed. “Anyway, if you are older now, act more like it, you stubborn thing!” she scolded. It seemed like someone had went through quite the change while Svetlana spent her time seeking Virgo for revenge.

Svetlana sniffled. With no handkerchief, it looked very bad in public in the station.

“To think my cute little Isabelle would prefer other people’s cakes over the ones I bake, and she’s calling me old as well considering I’m still the same age I was when we last saw each other,” Svetlana said as she turned around and cried.

“Crocodiles tears! But really, now you look appropriate for the age. Hence older.”

Isabelle nodded to herself after a short course of reexamination of her looks and figure, but it seemed more like she was playing along with her rather than accept her. Needless to say, she completely ignored the remark about the cake. Who said she couldn’t live without Svetlana’s cakes anyway?

“Tch, fine be that way! I’ll see what happens if you want a cake one day and all shops are close,” Svetlana said with a pout. “Well anyways, things are still strange for me there’s too many things I find annoying about this body, especially around the chest. Just what’s so great about these things being big? Anywho, where are we supposed to go, Isabelle? I was just told that I had to come to England and I know nothing about England or English at that.”

“It is because you are not a good woman that you do not understand their value, sister,” Isabelle scoffed. “Just be glad you can woo a handsome man with that!”

“Isabelle what have you been reading when I was away to learn things like that?! You’re still too young.”

“Ohohohoho,” Isabelle laughed like the nobles of England. “All kinds of things. I know how to bake a cake too, mind you. Just that I am not tall enough.” Of course, she had no practice, so the refute was not exactly the best one. “As for the location… well, I was here before you and I had to get of my way to seek passage to the old mansion I used to live in with mother. We need to hire some servants, get official documents prepared, and… yeah, a lot of things to do. That house is dirty right now. I was living with my aunt all along.”

“Aunt? I don’t recall Mrs Alicia having a sister,” Svetlana said with a confused expression. “Umm, thinking about it now, can I even get official documents…? All my previous documents show me as I was before…”

“Good question.” Isabelle turned away from Svetlana as if to avoid the problem. “Good luck. I know you can do it,” she said with a very dry voice and feigned an encouraging tone.

“Where do you think you’re going?! You’re coming with me you know?!”

“Aaah, jeez, sister. You cannot just get anything done without me, hm? Do you even know the path? It is the other way around.” Isabelle pretended to concede, and finally smiled. “Jokes aside, perhaps we could speak with my aunt about this. I do not think she is a sister of my mother but I guess I used to just call her that as a child…”

“Oh, that makes sense. Children tend to do that. By the way, Isabelle do you trust me? I’m certain my new appearance was a shock to you. Even I couldn’t believe it was really me when I saw myself.”

“I do not really understand it myself, but I can sort of just tell that it is indeed you, sister… I just really cannot understand it, but I think you went and did something big to yourself this time,” she said, before lowering her voice. “After getting that demon off of me.”

“After we’ve taken care of everything for our new home together, I promise I’ll explain everything.” Svetlana said, hugging Isabelle. “But I will say I was scared that you wouldn’t believe it was me or… that you might even come to hate me.”

“Why would I hate the only one left to me…? Anyway, this is really not the place for this,” Isabelle stated. “People are staring again,” she whispered. “For now, let us see what aunt Caroline can do for us.”

“No need to be shy, but you’re right. Let’s go.” Svetlana took ahold of Isabelle’s hand. “Don’t worry, by the way, it was just me worrying needlessly.”

Isabelle waved towards a man and they soon got onto a hansom cab. Svetlana and Isabelle got onto the cab and sat down while the coach sat behind them outside the little ceiling provided above them. It was a more old type of transportation but apparently it was all they could get here. The coach soon gave the ropes a jerk and the horse started pulling them forward into the cobblestone streets of London.







Svetlana felt rather suffocated by the air. There was a lot of smog from the factories and wherever she looked, she could find the spires of the factories with rising black smokes, as if dominating the sky. London was a rather crude place, and being in the nineteenth century here, it was undoubtedly unclean compared to Japan which was in the twenty-third century.

“What’s with this air? It makes Russia look normal and makes Japan’s air feel like heaven,” Svetlana said while coughing a bit.

“The side-effect of industrialisation. At this age where steam culture thrives I suppose this was a given. Russia adopted the same thing from here but they are not quite… there yet, with the steam technology.”

“I see. Now it makes me wonder if I made the right choice…”

“You would not need to worry about money here, and the air around the mansion should be kept clean.”

“I see. Well if the air around the mansion is clean, I guess I can deal with that. But it sure is different here than Russia and Japan.”

“Unlike Russia at least, there are days and nights here, because in Russia time is kind of simply stopped, right? At least that is what mother told me… Japan is great and all, but they hate us nobles.”

“Really? I guess I wouldn’t know considering I’ve been a normal person almost all my life.”

“The noble lineages produce strong mages every generation. Like me,” Isabelle said proudly. “We also have the task of taking out the Descendants to save the world from going down… or something. Since Japan likes and uses Descendants we had the war so… I guess that is why we are enemies with them.”

“Now, now, don’t worry your pretty head of yours with stuff like that. You're still young, you never know how the world will change in the future.” Svetlana patted Isabelle’s head.

Isabelle pouted. “At least let me have grand dreams, sister. I do not intend stay to remain a child forever.”

“Maybe you will stay the way you are forever!” Svetlana said jokingly. “But go ahead and have grand dreams, it’s a good thing to have.”

“Good, I shall do that. We have to hit the bank and actually receive our inheritances and all that government has been holding for us… gosh, so much to do.”


“Don’t worry, we have plenty of time. Not like we are in a rush, are we?”

“We are, actually. I received an invitation to a ball by the Queen herself! Can you believe that?!” The young noble girl was very excited, judging from her tone. “After kicking me and my mother out, suddenly she is very welcoming… I cannot tell what happened while I was not paying attention. I will just thank you for doing something about it.”

“Ehh, really? Not sure if I should go. I’ve never been to fancy places like that before,” Svetlana said, laughing.

“We are definitely going. I do not want to miss out on something like this. Besides, if you do not get along with the nobles they might just think we would be up to something funny. Those horns for starters, we need to find a way to hide them.”

“But I don’t know anything about being a noble. How could I just suddenly go?” Svetlana said with an embarrassed expression on her face. “I just need to find some kind of illusion to make them seem they’re not there or wear something that would make them think it's part of the dress,” Svetlana said as her tail began to move around.

“There is no way to make it look like a part of the dress. You were a teacher, right? Maybe a spell can make them look like they aren’t there?” Isabelle crossed her arms. “We have to teach you about being a noble it I see—sister… what is that?” she asked, eyeing the tail.

“Gah, this stupid tail.” Svetlana placed her hands on it. “Don’t mind it. It just moves on its own now and then. I still haven’t gotten used to it. About the spell, I would have to look it up since I currently don’t know any Illusion magic.”

“That seems amusing… anyway, maybe a Corpus spell? Then again, I am largely uneducated about the Arts of magic.”

“Well don’t worry about that, I’ll teach more of the Arts of magic! Of course casting them would have to wait till you're much older,” Svetlana said happily. “But I suppose once we settle down at our new home, I should show everything about this body so there won’t be sudden surprises out of nowhere.”

“Eeeh? But I want to cast now. Like, now!” She paused to look at her figure yet again. “Hm, that body though… makes me envious. I still pride myself over this more lustrous shade of blonde I inherited from my mother, though,” she said, as if for consolation.

“Teehee, worried you won’t get as big as mother?” Svetlana said while she patted Isabelle’s head again. “Well if you behave and study hard how about I teach you some spells now and then?”

Both of Isabelle’s cheeks swelled.

“I will be as pretty as her one day. You will see, mark my words.” Isabelle looked down at the cobblestone street and then up to see how far they were from their destination. “Spells. Spells sounds really exciting, but I need to get cracking on the basics.”

“Eager, aren’t we?” Svetlana said happily, but she remembered an issue from earlier. “I completely forgot, I have no documents to prove that I’m actually me!”

“Of course not. How in the name of Pete did you even get here without an official passport?”

“Someone did some things for me I guess. I guess that didn’t include me getting me official papers,” Svetlana said with a sigh.

“Official documents take time to make. So, I am going to assume that they lacked the time to prepare them.” Isabelle looked forward again. “We are almost there now.”

“Now I wonder how we are gonna get our heritance since aren’t you still too small to get it with your documents?”

“Yes, genius, I am as small as you were, thank you.” She appeared to be offended by the “small” comment. “Why else are we going to visit my aunt?”

Svetlana at that moment pinched both Isabelle cheek. “Yes, I know, but give me some slack I’m still trying to get used to this body, and now I have this problems about my identity, you know?”

“I know, so stop that. There is nothing much you can do about it other than cry in the corner and let me laugh about it.” Isabelle smirked defiantly. Well, tried to, she couldn’t really do much with her cheeks being pinched.

“Oh, I thought I just heard the voice of someone who doesn’t want to be taught spells,” Svetlana said, smiling back at Isabelle.

“I shall ask the aunt who is a respectable Duchess if that comes to pass,” Isabelle said with a bigger grin.

“My, isn’t someone a little cheeky. Fine, don’t come crying to my room when you get scared at night. Hmph.”

“Hmph, I can live by myself thank you. I always did before you met me.”

“Yet you always stuck like glue to me back in Japan.”

“W-Well, I could not help it, dealing with strangers is not my forte.”

“Yet you dealt with me! My adorable little Isabelle,” Svetlana said as she poked Isabelle cheek.

Isabelle lightly smiled now. “Well, even if you are full of spite and blight, you are still family.”

“Aww, how cute it just makes me want to hug you.” Svetlana hugged Isabelle.

“Somehow I feel like you changed a lot and not at all at the same time…”

“I may look different but I’m still me you know.”

“Hmm… if you say so.”


The hansom cab stopped and the two got off, Isabelle paid the pound notes, instead of the big sister who didn’t have money of the currency used in the country. They turned towards the big gates and the extravagant manor that was quite large, at least twice as large as Alicia’s house back in the Eastern Academy. The structure itself was behind a huge plot of land and they could see statues adorning the place behind the walls.

“Well this place sure is huge… umm, considering we are meeting another noble, how do you nobles even greet each other? I doubt I can act the way I did around Mrs Alicia.”

“Umm… well, she will understand if I explain the situation so calm down. Also, follow my lead and learn, i guess?”

“Okay.”

Aleksander looked up to his old manor. The floors and the walls were still being restored, and he could hear quite the amount of noise of hammering and battering from inside as the workers did the job they were to be paid for. At the moment, he completely lacked any servants whatsoever but received his inheritance, properties, lands, and of course, his money. In exchange for all of this, his term of serving Princess Louise was over, but none of these achievements made him the least bit glad.

He still had to study for one more year at the Royal Academy so life was back to normal. He’d usually get up early and head out for the Academy. Usually, it was far from his place and he’d need a carriage for his travels. He wasn’t quite there with his savings to get one of those cars imported from the United States.

He was glad at the least, for the distraction that fixing up the family house provided in his downtime, for it was surely the only reason he was not yet halfway out of his mind by now. That tumultuous month spent with his crush, as well as the world-ending fight he’d participated in, had his head spinning like nothing else. With all the free time he now had outside of the Academy, he had exactly no idea what to do. Indeed, he’d been a Duke for some days prior to serving Louise directly during his exile. The one thing he remembered from his lessons as a young boy was that it was important to be seen amongst the people, to establish a presence in the country he served, but he was as of yet undecided on how best to do so.

This was in fact, the other reason he was glad for all the housework to be done, since it gave him some breathing room to think and settle down before he’d be expected to resume his normal duties. Meeting the Magister in America had opened his eyes to the fact that one didn’t need to be seventy years old to teach, and it was something that he half-thought that it might be interesting to try, but it’d have to wait until he finished his schooling and graduated, thankfully with decent grades.

As far as his staff was concerned, he’d most likely need to hire a butler to manage the rest of the household staff, a cook, a scullery maid, a chauffeur for the carriage so he could stop having to hire one for each trip, a few strapping young lads to manage the grounds and keep everything pristine, and probably a maid or two for general tasks about the house if his memories of the previous staff were truthful. It’d make things particularly easy if he could engage the men and women who worked there before, but they were all quite skilled, so he had no doubt they were already employed once more, to say nothing of how difficult it would be to be head of house with a maid who remembered changing him as a wee babe. Remembering the staffing agency the previous gentlemen had worked for, he decided that might be as good a place as any to start with. Donning his hat and a lightweight suit vest, he stepped outside with his sword at his hip and flagged down a nearby carriage to take him to the agency.

The scenery of the city flashed by him as the horses galloped across the cobblestone streets of London. This awful scent full of smog that originated from the factories was something he had grown up with, and was thus very familiar with. It once again reminded him of his place in life now that he was back home, away from the clean world that was the United States of America. All of it seemed so far away now, yet the Void spells could easily lead one to such places.

The carriage soon stopped and he placed his thoughts aside, passing the driver a twenty pound note with a warm smile. He got out of the carriage and faced a house that was in no way remarkable. A man opened the door for Aleksander to enter and he proceeded inside, making sure to remember each turn he took.

(GM Comment: I’m not even sure if that’s how much one should be paying for a carriage ride in that period…)

He took a look around the large-ish house, considering it was right in the middle of the capital, and took note of any other patrons that might be about the place, or any signs marking where he should be headed.

One of the patrons noticed Aleksander wandering about the lobby and approached him.

“Good day, sir. Is there anything we may help you with?”

“Good morning! I wished to enquire into hiring some of the retainers employed through this agency? I have prior experience with the Master of this business, and I know that they do superb work. I recently found myself in quite dire need of some assistance getting things done around the house, and this was the first place I thought of to stop by!” He smiled warmly.

“Ah, of course sir. You would need staff for every positions I assume? Or should we be mindful of anything specific?”

“Yes, I will be starting from the ground-up with my new house staff, and have a desire to personally interview each of them, if it wouldn’t be too troublesome for your master to spare them for me for a few minutes each.”

“Just to confirm first, sir. Would you happen to need a head maid or not…?”

“Hmm… the plan was for a gentleman’s gentleman, a cook, a maid to help the cook, a small gardening staff, and a couple of maids… perhaps a head maid would be nice, to help keep the peace as it were.” Alek smiled at the young man. “Let’s go with a head maid then, I can’t believe I forgot such a crucial member of the staff.”

“The head maid’s job is to basically take care and operate the work of the other maids to make it proceed smoothly. So, they are indeed important. The issue, however, is that the only one available for the moment is absent today. It is with great regret I must inform that we are short on hands for this station.”

“Well, I appreciate your candour in this matter, and if it is suitable, I’d be willing to interview the candidates you do have on hand right now, and we can always schedule an appointment for a later date when they are available.” He frowned slightly, not super pleased by this turn of events, but there was nothing one could do about it.

“Of course, sir. Please come this way. We have some of them here today. Especially the butler, I am sure he would please you with his skills.”

Alek followed the young man deeper into the shop, looking forward to meeting his potential future staff. “So… tell me a little more about the candidates I’ll be looking at? I would not mind hearing a little more about why you’re so short-staffed at the moment either…” he questioned, tiring of the silence.

“It is because a big house recently demanded for staff members and had us work in haste with the demands,” the patron answered. “We have not heard the particulars but…” he lowered his voice, “they say the family just cut off their old staff members and are completely replacing them. Rest assured, I am sure we have fine people for your abode that you wouldn’t need to cut anyone out for.”

“Must be important people to take priority over a Duke,” Aleksander noted. “Are you allowed to discuss which it was? They might be useful people to be aware of, if they’re capable of such a ruthless act, if only to steer clear of them.”

(GM Comment: Uh, implying anyone knew that a recently re-established Duke was gonna come here to cause a change in priorities?)

“Well, it was also a family of a similar—if not close—status, sir. If only you would have contacted us earlier we would have been better-prepared to meet demands. Unfortunately, we cannot divulge much regarding the matter… in my case, I was not even told. The master kept a tightly sealed pair of lips.”

“Well I imagine there can only be so many Dukes and Duchesses with a completely new household staff in our fine country. In any case, I suppose I shall take what I can get and find the remainder of my staff elsewhere. Hopefully hiring from more than one agency won’t incite conflict among the staff…” He could already feel a migraine coming on at the mere thought but favored the other man with another smile.

“Oh I am sure there will not be any such petty feuds if the other agencies have competent workers.”

Aleksander nodded and continued to follow the young man, content for the moment to simply observe.