He shouldn't have promised to let her have her school. He had pitched the idea to a few of the ministers, but they were doubtful. They didn't see the point in what she was proposing. Many of the ministers, who were of noble blood and had inherited the position from their own fathers, had developed an attitude of 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it'. In that way, they hesitated to embrace Reina's idea. Delwyn could see the importance in what she was saying, but the other matters requiring his attention somewhat drowned out her idea regarding the school.
It had been a week since the debacle between Reina's and Sylvia's maids. After he had revised the maids' punishments, Sylvia refused to speak with him. She sent one of her remaining maids to tell him she didn't want to have lunch with him for a while.
He sent the jeweler and designers, of course, and she eventually mellowed, sending her maid to ask him to join her for lunch once more. They resumed their lunch dates, but it was clear to both parties that their relationship was no longer the same. Delwyn wasn't stupid. He had stupid moments, sure, but speaking overall, he wasn't that foolish a man. After it had been pointed out by several people, he begun to suspect that Sylvia really did harbor ill intentions towards Reina. If she was just upset at Reina, that would be fine. How could he expect his lover not to hate his legal wife? The secret plotting, however, that worried him. Also, did she really order her maids to hurt Reina's handmaid? He couldn't unite the image of his beautiful, kind, innocent siren with that of one who could be so jealous that she would play a part in harming someone else.
"Your majesty, did you hear what I said?" Reina asked.
He looked up at his wife, who had finished most of her breakfast. She was always hungry after she threw up.
"No. Sorry. What did you say?"
Reina looked at him for a moment. "I'll be leaving the palace today. It's a last-minute decision, so Osharus might not have had time to tell you."
He frowned at her. "Again? This is the fourth day in a row."
She nodded. "Today's trip won't be for long. I'm only stopping by the Magic Academy."
She's so carefree. He snorted inwardly. While he was struggling to persuade the ministers to allow Reina a budget for her school, she was leaving the palace on a daily basis to frolic with her friends.
"Fine. Do as you wish," he grumbled.
She nodded at him, then bit into an Etteli. That action, too, rubbed him the wrong way. Because he knew exactly where that fruit had come from. Marquess Breim's family owned an Etteli orchard, which they sustained with magic so that they could procure the fruit all year round. As such, he regularly brought some for Reina. Delwyn struggled with his annoyance as he watched Reina gorge herself on another man's gifts.
She'll accept his fruits but asks for a school from me. He grumbled to himself.
"I'm leaving," he told her.
She stood up to see him to her door. "Have a lovely day, your highness." She bowed slightly.
As he glided through the doorway, his inner rant continued. Your highness, your highness. He mocked her tone in his head. What is she, one of my subjects? Why does she keep talking to me like that? Does she even know my name?
Reina had never called him by name. Not even once.
Delwyn gritted his teeth as a single document took him nearly half an hour to go through. There weren't enough hours in the day for him to complete his work.
"Your majesty, would you like to take a break?" Osharus asked.
"No," Delwyn replied flatly, channeling his wife.
The year was winding down to a close. At this time of year, he was always extra busy. Many people waited till the last minute to send in their reports, so he was getting the brunt of it. In addition, many of these documents needed to be completed before the new year, so he had to rush to finish his work Moreover, he had to read through all the reports and formulate a plan for the coming year. Policies had to be renewed, issues had to be solved.
There was so much more paperwork than usual that he hadn't slept with Reina for a few days. By the time he got to her room, it was nearly dawn and Reina wouldn't stir no matter what he did to her. He refused to ravage her while she slept, so all he could do was grab a few hours of sleep beside her before returning to his office.
If he wanted to partake of his wife's body, he needed to finish his work on time for once. He couldn't afford to take a break.
Moments later, someone knocked – but not on the door. On the window.
Delwyn lifted his head from the document as Ealar opened the window and let himself in.
"Ealar," Osharus greeted.
"Your highness. Duke Brucht." The dark-haired spy with mousy brown hair bowed to the prince and his aide. "I'm afraid I don't have good news for you, your majesty."
Delwyn almost laughed. Ealar was his spy and he was in charge of the unit of shadows that the prince employed. If Ealar was coming to see him, then it was almost certainly not because the news was good.
This is great timing. Delwyn thought to himself sarcastically, placing his coral-quill in its holder. "Just give me your report, Ealar."
"The anti-imperialist faction has managed to recruit Marquess Finn to their side," Ealar said.
Delwyn groaned. Marquess Finn ran a successful shipping business in which he transported goods between kingdoms. It was an incredibly profitable business. Originally, Marquess Finn chose to stay neutral because he was content with his wealth, but the power of greed was not to be underestimated.
They were getting stronger. With Marquess Finn to fund their efforts, who knew what they could do?
"Additionally, I was sent to deliver a message from the border knights. Chiwyth has begun to move. They have upped their production of weapons recently."
The fact that Ealar was the one delivering the message meant that it wasn't common knowledge yet, and the Dawn Knights entrusted the shadow to deliver the message covertly. There would be panic across the country if the news of Chiwyth gathering their strength became widespread. As Chiwyth had declared war against them repeatedly over the years, the empire was waiting with bated breath for when the Chiwythians would strike again.
"...Continue to monitor Duke Inacht," Delwyn spoke, his voice low. "Try to find out if they have any concrete plans on how they plan to overthrow me."
Delwyn's mind flashed to the Moon Migration ball where Duke Inacht had approached Reina. At the time, he hadn't thought of asking her – he hadn't trusted her enough to do so. And since then, many things had happened, so he had forgotten all about it. Perhaps I should ask Reina about it...
"As for Chiwyth, send a message to watch them, too. Tell them to be vigilant – Chiwyth knows of our monitoring base, after all. The first thing they'll probably do to spark off the war is target them." Delwyn looked to Osharus. "Anything to add?"
Osharus shook his head.
"I'll take my leave, your majesty," Ealar said, then disappeared back out the window.
Delwyn stared at the parchment in front of him for a long moment. "What do you think, Osharus?"
"For the Chiwyth – well, it has only been thirty years since their defeat. They would need at least a century or two to rebuild their army."
"They might have developed some new technology that would help them recover their forces faster."
"Even so, you can't replenish manpower that easily, unless you're planning to send children out into the battlefield." Osharus paused. "The fact that these two groups are moving so aggressively bodes ill, your highness."
Delwyn's head snapped up as he stared at his aide. "You think they're working together?"
Osharus hesitated. "I'm not sure. But you can't deny that in some ways, their goals align."
Delwyn considered this. There was some reason in what Osharus was saying. Both parties stood to benefit from felling him, the future emperor. The kingdom of Chiwyth were made of merfolk that had been banished from Aquina thousands of years ago, before Aquina was even an empire. Even though it had been millennia, the tale of Chiwyth forming was an infamous one, because it had involved the monarch at the time going against the words of the Great Coral. When the king's Chosen had been announced, he had ignored her and instead taken on several concubines. The royal family's children ended up numbering in the fifties. As a result, there was a bloody fight for the throne between the two eldest sons. Delwyn had descended from the winner. The loser and his accumulated allies among the nobles were banished, together with the royal siblings who supported him. They made their base in the depths of the Chiwyth Trench and had been there ever since.
Due to the harsh conditions of the trench, Chiwythians no longer resembled the merfolk of Aquina. They had milky white eyes, transparent scales, enormous teeth... they looked like monsters.
It served as a reminder of what could happen to Aquina – again – if the Great Coral's blessing was to be ignored. There had been no real winners in that battle over the throne. Aquina had suffered great losses and it hadn't been until Delwyn's grandfather's generation that Aquina began to prosper again. Their advancement continued to be hindered greatly by Chiwyth's endless assault and declaration of war against Aquina.
If only they weren't located in the Chiwyth Trench... The darkness, the pressure, the unstable magic atmosphere... fighting on Chiwyth's turf favored the Chiwythians so heavily that waging war on their territory would be nothing short of a suicide mission. So, Aquina could only continue to bolster their forces and wait for Chiwyth's next attack.
"Would you consider keeping Lady Reina as a consort for a while longer?" Osharus suddenly asked.
Delwyn blinked up at him. What was Osharus even on about now?
"If the anti-imperialists are working with the Chiwythians, then won't they try to manipulate your throne while you're away at war?" Osharus asked. While it was usually not recommended, he knew that Delwyn fully intended to go fight in the war when it broke out, leaving his responsibilities to others while he ran around a battlefield. "In which case, Lady Reina may be the better choice in defending the imperial throne. The anti-imperialists will certainly try to puppet your spouse in your absence. Lady Reina the consort, who doesn't have any power, would be ideal. In addition, we both know that she's smart enough to see through their ruse. On the other hand, Lady Sylvia..." Osharus trailed off.
Delwyn knew exactly what Osharus was saying and the prince couldn't disagree. As someone who grew up in high society, Sylvia was perfect at being a lady – her etiquette and manners were exceptional. However, she was not good at politics. She would probably have someone else make all the decisions for her, so she could run off to her tea parties and other such gatherings.
The prince was torn. On the one hand, he'd lived with the idea of making Sylvia his wife for a while now. He'd been so set on the idea that giving it up felt like blasphemy. Yes, Sylvia had her flaws, but he still felt devoted to her. On the other hand, Reina... He knew he had to give up Reina at some point. He had accepted that from the beginning. However, the idea of getting to be married to Reina for a bit longer... he no longer felt opposed to it.
But he feared that the more he tried to hold on to the both of them, the more likely he was to lose them both. His relationship with Sylvia had already become tense. He still had no idea how Reina felt towards him.
"Let's continue to monitor the situation a bit longer." Delwyn dismissed the issue. In any case, he didn't have to make a decision anytime soon. He shook his head, trying to put those thoughts out of his mind so he could tackle the piles of paperwork in front of him.
Minutes later, someone knocked on his door. He growled aloud.
"I'll send them away," Osharus said. Delwyn didn't look up. He'd almost lost his place on the page. Osharus spoke to the person behind the door, then turned to Delwyn. "Lady Sylvia's handmaid is here. She wants to know what you would like for lunch."
Delwyn frowned at Osharus. "Tell her to send my apologies. I won't be able to make lunch today." He couldn't spare any time if he wanted to finish all his paperwork before midnight. Besides, he would be poor company even if he went to see Sylvia. He had too much on his mind.
Osharus sent the maid away, secretly glad. Delwyn was always away for far too long when he went to have lunch with Sylvia. The entire affair would take two hours. Two hours! For a single meal!
Honestly, Osharus hadn't thought all that much about Sylvia until the lunch dates started. That was when his dislike of her began to grow. And his impression of her had only continued to worsen as time passed.
It hadn't been more than fifteen minutes since they'd sent away Sylvia's maid, that the siren herself came barging through into Delwyn's office. He stared at her as she let herself in through the doors, a smile on her face.
"Del, I heard you're canceling lunch so I came to see you. Is everything okay, my love?" she asked as she approached his desk.
"Everything's... fine. Everything's fine, Sylvia. It's just that time of year and I can't make lunch today." He gestured to the piles of parchments.
"That time of year?" she echoed, tilting her head to one side.
Delwyn paused. Last year, she had already moved into the palace and they had established their habit of spending lunch together. However, she wasn't aware of the increase in paperwork because he worked through the night to ensure he had time to spend with Sylvia.
"Yes. The paperwork increases at the end of the year."
She didn't look convinced. Delwyn sighed.
"Sylvia, I'm really busy. I'll see you for lunch tomorrow, alright?"
She sulked at the floor. "No, you won't. You'll just cancel on me again," she said in a small voice. "Is it... because of what happened? I already told you, Del, I had nothing to do with what happened to that woman's handmaid. Besides, you've already punished my maids harshly. Can't you just let it go?"
"I have, Sylvia. But that has nothing to do with the amount of paperwork that I need to get done. Look – we can talk about this later. Why don't you go out to that café you like for lunch?" He tried to distract her.
It didn't work. Her lower lip wobbled and he foresaw her tears before they even started.
"You had breakfast with that woman this morning, didn't you? But you won't have lunch with me," she accused in a frail voice.
How could Delwyn mention that breakfast with his busy wife was usually a short affair, rarely taking up more than fifteen minutes, because Reina was always rushing off to be somewhere else? The same amount of time he spent on breakfast with Reina, was about the same amount of time Sylvia would drag out their goodbyes for.
"Del, I still love you, but can you really not see that that woman is splitting us apart? She's ruining everything, can't you see that?" she asked. "How can you want to spend time with such a-"
"Sylvia. Please, let's just talk about this later." He was tired of her insecure thoughts and having to comfort her tears. He didn't have time to take care of Sylvia's weeping rants and his duties as the acting emperor.
She looked at him with wide eyes and her face contorted briefly in anger. The expression scared him – he had never seen that hideous face on Sylvia before.
"I never thought you were the type of man to let your bottom half make your decisions for you, Delwyn Quinne!" she yelled at him, then exited the study, slamming the door so hard that the walls shook.
He stared after her. Where did that final comment even come from? In a way, she was right – he was eager to finish his work early and return to Reina's bed that night. But that didn't change the fact that he had a lot of paperwork and truth be told, even with skipping lunch, it was unlikely that he would get to finish it on time to see Reina before she went to sleep.
Delwyn decided to follow Reina's example for when she was feeling out of sorts. He took three deep breaths. He'd seen her doing this, whenever her emotions had gotten out of control or she was feeling somewhat tired. On the third one, he did feel a little better.
He put all other thoughts out of his mind so he could do his work.
"Osharus, what time is it?"
"...The sun will set in an hour and a half, sire."
Delwyn frowned. "Is my wife back in the palace yet?" He had developed a habit of having the guards notify him if his wife had returned. Before, he had them report back because he was suspicious of what she did outside the palace. These days, he kept up with it because he felt reassured, knowing his pregnant wife had returned to the palace safely.
"I'll send an inquiry." Osharus left the room for a few moments.
Delwyn read the sentence in front of him once. Then twice. Then another time. But he wasn't actually registering what was on the page. In his mind, he worried about his wife.
What if she was attacked...? Killing her isn't a bad way to ensure I can't ascend the throne, as I won't be able to obtain the Great Coral's blessing...
The caudal fins at the end of his tail flicked up and down, thumping on the ground.
He looked up as Osharus returned. "She's not back yet, your majesty."
His frown deepened.
"I'm sure she's fine. She took her guards with her, and summoned Phepe. It isn't uncommon for her to return at dinnertime," Osharus reassured his friend.
But she said she'll be back early today...
"Have someone investigate her whereabouts. Just in case," Delwyn said.
Osharus stared at the prince. "Your majesty, her ladyship is probably just slightly delayed. There's no need to act rashly."
Delwyn considered Osharus's words. "Fine. Half an hour. If she isn't back by then, send someone."
Osharus nodded.
Half an hour elapsed, during which Delwyn's concentration deteriorated. He was caught between being worried for Reina and being irate at her. She said it would be a short trip, so she should abide by her words... No, what if something really had happened to her?
It had been twenty-five minutes but Osharus decided that Delwyn would feel better if they just sent a messenger. Osharus did not, of course, think that anything had befallen Reina. But he knew his friend would not be able to focus on his work until he knew for sure. He wondered if Delwyn realized that he was extra tense and irritable whenever Reina left the palace?
He was never like this when Sylvia left the palace... is it because Reina is carrying his child? It looks like the child won't be as neglected as he had claimed. Osharus thought.
"Your majesty, it seems that the consort has yet to return. Shall I send someone?"
Delwyn nodded.
Osharus opened the door, exposing the view of one of Reina's knights who had his hand lifted to the door, knuckles at the ready.
"Your majesty, Duke Brucht." The guard bowed. "I have come to report that Lady Reina has returned."
Osharus was relieved. Now, the prince would stop radiating enmity from his entire being. And Osharus was right, somewhat. Delwyn's displeasure had flared into outright killing intent.
"You. Guard. Where did she go?" Delwyn asked. Osharus recognized that tone of voice – the crown prince was downright pissed.
"The Magic Academy, your highness," the guard responded. "She spent the day talking to Dart and Morwen."
"Who?" Delwyn growled.
"The teaching assistants. Her friends, sire."
Delwyn hadn't bothered to learn their names. To this day, he only remembered her handmaid's, Leth. Only because he felt like he needed to for the apology.
"Summon my wife. I'd like to see her," Delwyn said. The guard blinked twice, then bowed.
"As you wish," he responded, and left.
Osharus said nothing as Delwyn fumed. He wondered if he should warn the crown prince that of all the people in this palace to take his frustrations out at, he really shouldn't have chosen Reina. Does he not recall begging for mercy a week ago? Osharus couldn't think of a worse person for Delwyn to lash out at. He should have just yelled at Sylvia earlier, if he wanted to vent his frustrations...
Still, Osharus thought that the best way for the crown prince to learn from this mistake was to experience it. Osharus had full faith in Reina's abilities to defend herself.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Delwyn called and Reina let herself in, bowing. She lifted her head and looked up at her husband neutrally, patiently waiting for him to speak. "Where have you been?" Delwyn's tone was low and menacing. Osharus was honestly surprised at the hostility in it.
"At the Magic Academy, as I informed you this morning."
"You also informed me that it was to be a short trip. Did you lie?"
"Something unexpected came up. It wasn't my intention to stay that long."
Delwyn slammed his hand against the desk, causing the objects on the surface to jump, but Reina didn't react. "Then shouldn't you have sent a message?"
Reina didn't respond, but she did cross her arms over her chest.
"You're being far too irresponsible, woman! Don't you realize the risk you pose to our child each time you selfishly choose to leave the palace? Do I have to ban you from the Magic Academy before you learn your lesson?"
"Your highness-"
"Your highness, your highness," Delwyn mocked. "Do you even know what your husband's name is, woman?"
Reina sighed, then turned to Osharus. "Osharus. Will you excuse us for a few moments?"
Osharus nodded. He was glad – he didn't like being privy to his friend's convoluted relationships. As a bystander, he couldn't meddle, but it was also driving him insane, watching Delwyn's idiocy. He knew that his friend was naïve in love, but he couldn't imagine just how unaware the crown prince was about his own feelings.
The door closed and Delwyn glared at Reina, waiting for her to respond. He had formulated a whole heap of heated rebuttals that he could throw back in her face. While waiting for her, his mind had gone through several possible scenarios of how she might argue back to him.
"What's wrong?" she asked instead, and he reeled back in surprise. That wasn't one of the possible scenarios he had come up with.
"I just told you, you were-"
"No. That's not true and you know it. You've never become this incensed from me leaving the palace before, so there must be something else. What is it?"
He couldn't formulate a single word.
Her eyes roved over the piles of parchment over his desk and under it. Some were stacked in the corners as well.
"Is it because the year is drawing to a close and you're having to process all the late submissions?" she asked.
Delwyn flinched, suddenly embarrassed that she had correctly guessed the source of his bad mood. "How did you know about that?"
"Marquess Breim wouldn't stop talking about it."
His mood turned sour once more, at the mention of that man.
"Would you like some help?" her voice pierced through his thoughts before he could unleash his frustrations on her again.
"What?"
She walked over to his desk, then lifted one of the folders. She scanned its contents and nodded. "It seems to be a report about the state of Rouvell Kingdom's harvest this year. You just have to read and sign this, right?"
He nodded.
"Do you have any other reports that you've signed?"
He handed her one from his completed pile. She opened it up to the last page, then stole the coral-quill in his hands and perfectly replicated his signature on the report she'd grabbed.
"There. Give me a piece of parchment – I'll summarize the main points of the report for you. You don't have to read the whole thing."
He wasn't moving, he was preoccupied with staring at his own signature embossed onto the report by his wife's hand.
Delwyn looked up at her. "How..."
"I'll need an extra coral-quill and a space to work. Can I move this?" Reina pointed to one of the piles. He nodded dumbly and she moved it so that it joined the ones on the floor. The space by his right was cleared. She pulled a stool over – it was slightly too low for the desk, so he used some magic to grow some sea grass, lengthening the legs of the stool. "Thank you."
She sat down, then looked at him expectantly.
"Your highness. Coral-quill. Parchment," she prompted. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the writing utensils, then handed it to her. She got to work immediately, her eyes scanning through the report and then flying across the parchment as she jotted down a quick summary of its contents.
When she saw that he was simply watching her, she sighed.
"Your highness, I'm helping. I'm not doing the work for you. You have to work too," she pointed out.
That was enough for him. He continued to work on the document in front of him, while sneaking glances at Reina the entire time. Osharus returned to the room a few minutes later and was shocked to find the prince and his wife working side by side.
"This request for budget increase from the transportation sector – I'm rejecting it. It's too unreasonable," Reina commented.
"Let me see." He offered her an open palm and she placed the parchment in his hand. He scanned it, then found the words he was looking for. "Yes. Rejected. Needing it on the basis of refurbishments of the portal stations is ridiculous."
Using the parchment with the royal letterhead, she wrote out a letter explaining the rejection to submit with the returned form.
"...How are you copying my handwriting?" he asked, staring at the way her coral-quill continued to glide over the page as he spoke.
"It isn't difficult. You have a unique way of writing, your majesty."
He didn't know whether that was an insult or a compliment. "I want to read the letter when you're done – they'll be suspicious if it doesn't sound like me."
She nodded. Minutes later, she handed the letter to him. He read through it.
How does she even know how I write? He wondered.
Osharus curiously peered at the letter and Delwyn silently handed it to him. Osharus's eyebrows rose.
"My lady, is such a skill typical of surface-dwellers?" Osharus asked.
"No, I just happen to have some practice in this kind of thing," she said airily.
Once again, Delwyn wondered – what kind of background did she come from, where she would have gotten practice in copying someone's signature, handwriting and way of writing? Should I ask Cassiana to look into her background again?
He watched her coral-quill as she placed his signature at the bottom of the letter, then wrote out the symbols corresponding to his name underneath. When she noticed his gaze, she smiled.
"Did I get it right?"
Prince Delwyn Quinne.
His lips stretched into a matching smile. She did know his name.
"Your majesty, what do you think about using forms for populace issues from now on?" Reina asked.
"Forms?" Delwyn echoed the unfamiliar word.
"It's a printed document with black spaces for information to be inserted. Look, right now, the Department for Merfolk Welfare holds hearings with people to hear their concerns, right? They then list it out in this-" Reina held up the stack of thirty pages with writing on both sides. "-report. At the back, they attach transcripts of the hearing – since many of Aquina's citizens can't write – for more information on each issue."
"Yes. And?"
"And then you go through the entire report and send whatever they're asking for – humanitarian aid, more knights, finances, a new clinic. It's tedious and a waste of time for all involved. If you use a form, then they can just tick off boxes to determine what is needed. For example." She took another parchment and in writing that he recognized as hers from her formal proposals, she created a form. It asked for details like name, age, gender, family at the top. Below that was a series of questions, some of which included a space in which a person could answer yes or no. The others had spaces for further details, like a summary of the issue and the type of aid they required. "This is just a draft. I imagine that there may be more details you'd prefer to have included."
Reina studied his face as he appraised the form.
"This way, the report will only include the details you need to know about, instead of..." She flipped to the transcript portion of the report. "...a story about a man's wife leaving him for another man."
"It seems rather impersonal."
"Yes, but Aquina has 700 million merfolk, your majesty. And it will only continue to grow. If you want more details, you can always speak to the Merfolk Welfare Department or visit some of the territories. But reading the conversations these people had with an official is unnecessary."
It does seem far more convenient. He had to admit. Aquina's paperwork was often long and the language needlessly convoluted. You could summarize the main points of a three-page report in two paragraphs. Besides, he expected that the forms would increase the efficiency for the Merfolk Welfare Department, too. Instead of them recording down entire transcripts of conversation, they would simply have to fill out one of these forms by filling the boxes.
"It's a good idea. I'll bring it up at the next ministers' meeting."
"Don't tell them it came from me. It'll be rejected immediately," Reina said matter-of-factly.
He frowned. It was true, but he didn't like that. "Then you should present it to them yourself and convince them of its worth."
Reina rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm serious."
"Your majesty, the ministers don't even want me there. Well, Marquess Kaerius and Duke Girnann might, but no one else."
"Reina. You're forgetting something," Delwyn said with mock seriousness. "Your husband is the acting emperor. If I say that you're attending, they won't argue against me."
"Ah..." She sounded like she had forgotten. Delwyn felt a sense of irritation about that. It often felt like his wife didn't think much of him. "By the way, your majesty. About the school."
He straightened up and suddenly he couldn't retain eye contact with her.
"I'm still working on that," he said.
"I know. The ministers are highly opposed to it, aren't they? In any case, what I need is the permit to operate as an educational institution. And you have the authority to approve that, right?"
"What about the budget?"
"Actually... I was wondering. I heard that the royal consort gets an allowance of five hundred Azure every month."
He was aware of the status of her finances. She had barely touched her allowance. She used some every time she went to the market, but it was the commoners' market. As such, she hadn't even used up a single percent of her savings.
"I'd like to have all of it. The accumulated allowance over the last four or so months I've been here."
He frowned. "That won't be enough for the school, will it?"
"No, it won't. But it'll be enough for me to start a business."
"You're starting a business?"
She nodded.
Where does this woman get these ideas? In the past, the royal family had dabbled in commerce. They owned businesses, did some trades. But that was a long, long time ago. It had been many generations since a royal family member decided to own and manage a business.
"What is it?" Delwyn asked curiously.
"I'll tell you when the details are confirmed," she said resolutely. "But it's part of why I've been visiting the Magic Academy so often."
Reina would say nothing more on the matter. She pulled another document from the pile and began working on it. Delwyn looked to Osharus, who shrugged.