Amity and Enmity

Chapter 19

"You think I should do it because it's fun, not for its practicality?" Lili asked slowly, confused.

Corinna smiled and nodded.

"Do you think anyone would want to join these lessons?" Lili glanced at the campsite, at the other prisoners. "If you do not believe them necessary, why would anyone join?"

'Because they were fun', replied Corinna.

Lili snorted, unable to believe that anyone would find anything she did to be fun.

'Want to improve,' Corinna added. 'I enjoy these lessons with you'.

"You do?"

Corinna underlined her line 'because they were fun' and 'want to improve'.

"Then... I'll consider asking the others if they want to learn," said Lili. "And I'll take on more students."

'I'll try not to be jealous,' wrote Corinna.

Lili chuckled. "What? That I'd be seeing other students?"

Corinna feigned shock as if Lili had admitted adultery before breaking into silent giggles.

"Don't worry, you're my favourite student; you always do the homework." Lili smiled. "Don't tell anyone else that, though. Unless that would persuade them to work harder, of course."

The two continued to talk about what they enjoyed about teaching or construction, the idea of seeing progress and how satisfying it was, and the need to have something to concentrate on, neither of them having ever been able to relax without so many thoughts on work consuming them.

Before she realised it, Lili found herself sitting underneath the shade of a tree with Corinna, talking for the longest time she could ever remember. Did this count as talking about work? She was discussing teaching, but it wasn't focused on the lessons but on how she felt about teaching. Was this a real conversation? It seemed so easy and natural. Had she finally achieved a normal social interaction?

Perhaps all she needed to do was not force conversation, to let it happen naturally. Though Corinna initiated the conversation, Lili still felt a sense of accomplishment, finding herself wanting to continue talking even when it grew late. Despite the topics being perhaps unproductive, Lili moved on to how she structured her lists and organised her day.

It wasn't until Ivette called for them, telling them how late it was, that Lili and Corinna halted their conversation and returned to the campsite.

Day: 1015

It had been two weeks since Queen Corinna gave her sister Alfreda the ultimatum, and the choice was not surprising; Princess Alfreda chose to remain stubborn and stay in the Eternal Abyss over apologising and being free. Whilst anyone could predict the outcome, a part of Queen Corinna had hoped for the opposite. Despite their history, the two sisters could start anew and repair their relationship, but it appeared that enough damage had been done to make it unrecoverable.

With Alfreda's decision clear and not likely to change, Queen Corinna initiated her plan; she finally allowed her cousin, Duchess Sophia Vipond, to see the fake Princess Alfreda, who was posing to be bedridden from an incurable illness that even their most powerful mages could not heal. Sophia seemed to buy it, being her usual dramatic self, as the fake Alfreda, a golem controlled by the queen, explained her long absence from the public.

The ploy was to go on for a few months or so, with Alfreda becoming weaker until eventually, she would pass away for realism, and then a public announcement would be made. 

Yet with each day, the queen hoped once more that her sister would change her mind in time...

But alas, Alfreda did not, and the queen had to plan a fake royal funeral for her, leaving Sophia the only living relative of hers.